Page 12 of Dead Drift

She stared at him. Was she dreaming?

“Now, Katie!”

She shook off her slumber and did as instructed. Once through the hatch, she dropped to the deck and lay flat on her stomach for better stability. She offered her outstretched hand to Luke. “Thanks,” he said, climbing up like a spider scaling a wall, “but I’ve got it.”

Reaching the top, he grabbed her hand and they slid down the rear boat ladder to the main deck. They leapt to the pier and raced for the parking lot, seconds ticking away along with the rapid thumping of her heart.

An explosion shuddered the earth below as her home shattered into a thousand pieces. Luke yanked her to the gravel-strewn pavement behind his rental car, shielding her body with his as the ground quaked in rippling waves.

Once the charred pieces of her home ceased raining down, Luke slowly released his hold on her and stood, assessing the damage.

Mr. and Mrs. Braverman stumbled onto their deck, gaping at the destruction. “Oh, Kate!” Mrs. Braverman wailed.

“I’m ok—”

Luke covered her mouth and tugged her hard against him. “Shh. Better to let them think they succeeded—that you went down with your ship.”

“But I don’t want folks to worry.”

“Better they worry than to have whoever did this try again.”

Excellent point. How did she argue with that?

He helped her into his rental car and handed her the keys. “Just don’t start it until I give you the okay.”

She nodded.

He opened the glove box and pulled out a flashlight.

Dropping to the ground, he slid under the vehicle. Then a moment later he stood, walked to the edge of the harbor, dumped something in, and ran back and climbed in the car.

“What was that?”

“A second incendiary device, in case the first didn’t do the job.”

“And you just threw it in the harbor?” she asked as he started the car and pulled out of the lot.

“I disabled it first.”

He shifted gears and tore down the road, checking the rearview mirror.

She looked back, anticipating a follow, and sure enough, one came.

Luke exhaled, shifted gears, and tore down an alleyway. Several minutes and impressive maneuvers later, he lost the tail but continued to check the rearview and side mirrors.

“Where are we going?”

“My hotel.”

She swallowed, both a thrill and shot of trepidation bolting through her. After a minute, she found her voice. “Was that Ebeid back there?”

“One of his men. A dead one for failing.”

“What happens now?”

He shifted gears and banked a hard right down another alleyway, checking the rearview mirror yet again. “You don’t leave my side.”

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