“Hey, Ethan!” Joey, my second-in-command, waved his arm from the boat and grinned. His sailor’s cap was crooked, and he had on that ridiculous blue-and-white striped shirt he liked wearing just to piss me off. He acted as though we were actually in the navy. He’d joined my crew to get away from his parents, or at least that’s what I assumed.
“Are we ready to go?” I asked as I headed down the marina to my luxury yacht, all pristine and white, and mid-sized so it was big enough to be relaxing but small enough to sit comfortably in at the jetty. I’d bought it from my inheritance, thanks to my father’s will and my grandfather’s oil company, making me an oil tycoon. My uncle handled the business, though, and my share was only what came from Dad.
Joey stood on the back deck, leaning his hands on the shiny silver railing around the edge. He waved his arm, gesturing to the boat. “She’s as clean as the day you bought her, Boss.”
“Good.” I glanced down the jetty toward a group of men that ambled our way. The rest of the crew. The ones who’d come out with us before didn’t believe me about the existence of mermaids and mermen, either, and they were only here for the money. I didn’t care what they thought, as long as I had the help. I traded through my crew each trip, taking back to sea the fishermen who pulled their weight and getting rid of the ones who gave me problems. “This them?”
Joey glanced in the direction of the men and nodded. “Yep. That’s them. There’s Taylor, see?”
I grunted. Taylor Cole had been part of our crew from the first trip. He was good at his job, even if he let it be known he thought searching for merpeople was ridiculous, but he was Amber’s brother and he didn’t let us down.
There were ten men who stopped in front of me, ranging in sizes and appearances. Some looked rougher than others, their skin leathery from the sun. Then there was Taylor, who had skin that looked like he’d never seen a day of work in his life. All dark haired and rosy cheeked. No one would have guessed he was a few years older than me.
“Welcome aboard.” I stuffed my hands in my pockets and stared around at them. Usually I could tell who’d give me trouble, but no one stood out this time. They looked like hardworking fishermen. “You know why you’re here.”
The men either grunted or nodded.
“Good. I give you one chance. One. If you fuck up, I’ll throw your ass back on land, and you’ll never come back out with us again. Am I clear?”
Again, they made their responses known.
Happy with their answers, I pointed at Joey. “Joel Harris. He goes by Joey. He’s my second-in-command. You got a problem when I’m not around, you go to him. And I’m your captain. Ethan Turmont.”
I could almost see their brains working and how some of their mouths parted, like they wanted to ask me but weren’t sure if they should or not. The newbies were always surprised to learn who I was. I rolled my eyes.
“Yes,thatEthan Turmont. Yes, my father died in a storm while searching for mermaids, and yes, that’s what we’re searching for, too. If you have a problem with that, leave, now.” I waited, and like I expected, two men snorted and turned on their heel, storming away as though the job wasn’t worth the money. There were always a couple, even though they were warned we were searching for the unknown. They just didn’t know what and who for until they arrived.
“Okay, for those who are still here, get on the boat.”
Heavy footsteps echoed around them as they shuffled onto the gangway that connected the boat to the jetty. When the last of them was on, I walked across the gangway, too, before I grabbed the rope, tugging the board up and connecting it to the boat again. When the quick chore was done, I took the stairs up to the wheel and started the engines, which roared to life.
Joey was at my side in minutes, collapsing into the second seat beside mine. “Another trip, Captain.”
I snorted. “Another trip.”
“You reckon we’ll find one?”
I sent him a look of disbelief. “No, Joey. I’m spending all this money on searching for them because it’s fun.”
He held out his hands toward me and laughed. The red curls on his head bounced as he moved forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his knees. “No need to get defensive. I only asked.”
“You ask every time.Do you think this’ll be the trip we find one?The answer will always be the same. We look and search, and when it comes time, we will find one and prove my father was telling the truth, that he’s not crazy, or mad, or whatever insult they’re using these days for him around this shitty town.” My hands squeezed around the steering wheel as I put her in Reverse. I turned, checking around the boat, before I backed her out slowly.
When I had The Mermaid Hunter out far enough, I turned and hit the accelerator, taking her out of the marina slow and steady. We passed some familiar faces, and Joey waved at them. I shook my head. He’d make friends with anyone he came across, which made him the complete opposite of me. It was easier for me to hate people.
It took us an hour or so to get out into the ocean, to the long and latitude where we’d left off last time, and I turned to Joey. “Get the sonar ready. We start here.”
Joey nodded and climbed down the ladder, heading toward the crew to give them a rundown on what was about to happen. We never knew what we’d find, or when we finally found the merpeople, how strong they’d be. It was best to have as many men as possible, even if they were untrained.
I sighed, falling into the leather chair and staring at the horizon. Dad would have loved this boat, slim and sleek with all the right technology. Finding his cryptids would have been a lot easier with my equipment than what he chose to have. He’d always liked keeping things old-school, though, preferring to send the boys down with masks, tanks, and flippers. At least now we didn’t have to go down until we saw something.
Yelling interrupted my thoughts, and I frowned, shoving off my chair and grabbing onto the railing to look at the aft deck. The men were leaning over starboard, even Joey, and there was more yelling.
“What’s going on?” I snapped loudly enough that they could hear me.
Joey glanced up at me. “Boss, there’s a guy in the water. On a piece of floating wood.”
Shock ripped through me, leaving me breathless for a second, before my brain caught up with what I’d heard. I moved down the ladder quickly, running to where they’d gathered. Sure enough, not far from the boat was a young man lying on a piece of thick wood that looked like it could have come from a wreck. His eyes were closed, and he lay awkwardly, knees bent and arms sprawled above his head.
