Page 20 of The Hijack

“Do you have any cash?” I asked hopefully.

He peeled off a couple hundreds from a wad in his glove compartment without the slightest objection. I felt much more comfortable with all three of those assets in my possession. Climbing onto the yacht, I waited for the all-clear before steering out into open waters.

The type of boat he’d given me was compact, but it would do the trick. Not specifically engineered for cross-oceanic travel, it nonetheless packed a punch. Sturdy and well-stocked, it would take me where I needed to go and wouldn’t draw a lot of attention doing so.

I punched in the coordinates Lukas gave me, eased the motor into full throttle, and sat down to enjoy the ride. The first hour passed so quickly, I almost didn’t notice it. The second hour was a little bit longer, but by the third, I’d gotten into the swing of things and knew what to expect.

Luck was with me, and the weather held out. I’d been tossed around on little ships often enough; I just didn’t want to relinquish any of the precious moments needed to track down Lukas’s man. The smoother the sailing, the quicker the trip, and I was anxious to speak with someone who might know Clark’s location.

The slap of the waves against the hull lulled me to sleep. For a moment, I forgot what I was doing and where I was. Sitting upright in the captain’s chair, I drifted between memory and dream, imagining Clark was in my arms once again.

The sun set and the moon rose, calling out to all the nocturnal sea creatures beneath me. I was sure there were behemoths circling the boat, but it didn’t bother me. I was perfectly at peace on the water, never more so than when I was on vacation.

Some people suffered from phobias due to flying or sailing, but as a spy, I couldn’t afford them. Unless something leapt onto my deck, I figured we were all right where we were supposed to be: me above, and the fish below. There might even have been sharks, but I wasn’t on a fishing trip, and there weren’t any bodies in the water. Yet.

I wasn’t sure what I would encounter when I caught up to Lukas’s man. He apparently had a tracking device hidden somewhere on his person. I was beginning to trust Clark’s former housemates, but I wasn’t completely sold. I was out there on blind faith, having only the intel from Lukas and Z to guide me. Though I was locked into whatever tracker had been planted on Lukas’s operative, that didn’t mean I wasn’t sailing into a trap.

I checked my weapon, making sure it was loaded and clear of all obstructions. I didn’t have any additional ammo, so it looked like I was going to have to make do. The sun was beginning to rise by the time I got close enough to spot the other boat on the horizon.

It was small, like mine, and not exactly equipped to traverse the ocean. I had no idea what I was going to find on board, but I needed to be prepared. I eased off the gas and pulled up alongside.

“Hello?” I called.

There was no response. The ship looked dead in the water, and I wondered if that meant I had been sent on a wild goose chase. What possible motivation could Lukas have had for getting me all the way out there? Would I stumble upon another dead agent, sealing my fate and framing me for yet another murder? Was there a bomb on board, waiting to blow me to smithereens? A whole host of negative outcomes floated through my head, each one vying for the top slot.

But I couldn’t very well turn around and go back the way I came. I had to confirm the status of Lukas’s man and see what, if any, information there was to be had about Clark. Even if the Dark Sparrow operative was dead, he might be able to tell me something. Spies were detectives as much as we were assassins.

I holstered the gun in my waistband, and reached for the tether line to the other boat. Pulling it close, I tied our two vessels together so that mine wouldn’t drift off. Then I hopped up onto the stranger’s deck, careful not to make a sound.

It looked like the maid hadn’t gotten around to cleaning yet. There were discarded MRE pouches, and some of the benches were flipped up, revealing life vests and guns. I paused to look at the armory, wondering what I had just gotten myself into. This was clearly no fishing trawler.

There were no lights on in the control room and no indication of life. I pulled my weapon out, not fooled by appearances. Just as I was easing my way down into the crew quarters, I heard a shot.

A flash of light exuded from a door at the back. Whoever it was hadn’t bothered to check outside and see if I was friendly or not. I flattened myself against the side of the hallway, narrowly missing the bullet.

“Come out!” I shouted. “I’m a friend of Lukas Vitrolo! I’m here with Dark Sparrow. I’m looking for Lincoln Grace!”

There was a shuffling from within the sleeping chamber, and then the door slammed open. Standing in the doorway, Clark’s silhouette appeared. I would have known those hips anywhere, and the way she held her gun was almost as comforting as the look in her eyes.

“Theo!” she shouted, rushing me with open arms.

My breath caught in my throat, the relief that flooded over me overwhelming. I almost didn’t believe it. I was so sure that I would find her dead if I ever found her at all. The heat of her body as she pressed her chest to mine brought tears to my eyes. She was alive! And I had found her. I dropped my weapon and wrapped her in my arms, pulling her close and promising never to leave her again.

Chapter 11

Clark

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“I THOUGHT YOU WERE dead,” I whispered, running my hands across his head, down his cheeks and across his jaw. Stroking him felt vital, the tips of my fingers letting me know he was alive.

“I thought you were too,” he replied, kissing me over and over again, hardly letting me catch my breath.

Behind us, Linc coughed. “I’m gonna... check out your boat,” he said, pointing across the breach to a second boat that was tethered to ours.

“Theo.” Theo snaked a hand out to shake with him.

“Lincoln Grace. But everyone calls me Linc. I’ll be over in your boat.” He gestured again, slinking away to give us our privacy.