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It works. The woman disappears into the helm and the otherwise still night is burst apart with the roar of the boat’s engine. Her face peers through the windshield as she seeks her next instruction.
“Put it in reverse,” Chuck yells, turning to run along the deck towards the boat. I release Aurelia’s hand and take off after him.
The woman’s head disappears again and the boat begins to move slowly backwards. Chuck reaches it and starts unwinding the rope. “Ok, now forward and turn!”
For someone who’s apparently never piloted a boat before, the woman is doing pretty well. Probably more testament to the boat. It really is a beautiful thing. She manages to turn the boat slightly, enough to point it to sea and allow Chuck space to leap up. Only, Chuck is not fit. I almost want to stand back and watch the spectacle about to unfold, but I can’t risk it, even if there’s only a two percent chance he’s actually going to make it up onto the deck. I keep running, pointing my gun at his thigh.
“If you don’t stop now, Chuck, I’m going to shoot.”
He continues, determined, and I hear Aurelia suck in a breath behind me. Just as he jumps up, the boat pulls away by half a foot and, just as I expected, Chuck slides down its edge into the water.
“Joan! Stop!” He yells, his arms flailing about in the water for something to hold onto.
“Shit,” Aurelia says, her voice panicked. “What should we do?”
“Chuck!” The woman appears back on the deck and hobbles, still in heels, to the edge where Chuck is floundering against the side of the boat. Thankfully, the gap between the boat and the deck is widening, so Chuck might escape being crushed. Wait, widening?
I run towards the edge. “Aurelia, throw him a ring!” I shout, pointing to where several are stored at the side of the marina. I try to grab for the rope but the boat has drifted too far.
“Turn off the engine!” I shout up to the woman.
“I… I… how? I mean, no! Get Chuck out of the water!”
The boat is picking up speed and moving further and further away from the marina.How the hell has she managed that? Has she weighed down the accelerator somehow?
“Joan, I can’t until I’ve secured the boat. Turn off the engine. Now!”
She stands up straight, seeming to realize she has something of an advantage. Her hands perch on her hips, her eyes narrow and her lips purse. “No.”
The boat continues to move away, picking up speed.
I see Aurelia throw a ring down to Chuck then return to my side. “Isaac,” she whispers. “She doesn’t know how to pilot.”
“Joan…” I try once more. “This is your last chance to stop the boat.” I raise the gun and aim it at her. It’s purely for effect; I don’t intend to shoot. The next few seconds happen in slow motion. The softly undulating waves and a harsh view down the barrel of my gun spurs Joan into action, but not the kind of action she’d hoped for. She steps backwards and the heel of her golden shoe snaps in two, throwing her off balance. She thumps down onto the deck and reaches for something to grip onto. But, that’s the beautiful thing about the Sunseeker 100—it’s surface is as smooth as silk and she slides down it, clean through the railings, dropping fifteen feet into the water. I hear Aurelia run back to the life rings to grab a second, while I watch, helplessly, as the boat sails out to sea.
Less than ten seconds later, I hear another engine roar to life and one of the Starling Key dive boats appears around the mangroves to the west. Heavy footsteps on the deck make me turn.
“We got it,” Jax shouts, running past me to the edge of the deck.
The boat pulls up alongside and I see Luca sitting at the helm. He throws me a mock salute as Jax jumps in beside him. Then they roar off towards the now-rapidly accelerating yacht.
“Isaac!” Aurelia shouts and I remember the two ridiculous bodies bobbing in the water. I turn to help her fish out the man who just tried to take everything she’s worked so hard for. I want to connect my boot with his face and send him right back into the freezing water, but I know Aurelia will kill me if I do that. I reluctantly reach down and grab his arm. His small, beady eyes look, for once, humble as I yank him up and drop him on the deck like a sack of potatoes.
“She’s floating out,” Aurelia gasps. I look up; she’s right. Joan is being carried further and further away from the deck, away from the life ring Aurelia threw to her. And, adding insult to injury, it doesn’t appear she can swim.What the fuck was she thinking, trying to escape on a damn boat?I don’t have time to figure it out; I dive into the water, tux and all, and swim towards the flailing woman. It takes me a minute to reach her, then I’m engulfed in gold as her dress floats up around us. For a moment I think she’s about to stubbornly reject my help, but then she thinks better of it and takes the arm I’m holding out to her. I roll her onto her back, resting her head on my shoulder and slowly swim back to the deck.
I’m relieved to see the cops have finally arrived and Hud is escorting them down the deck. Chuck doesn’t even fight as they handcuff him. Hud reaches down, hooks his hand under the woman’s arm and effortlessly pulls her out of the water. Aurelia watches, practically dancing on her tiptoes, as I climb out after her. No sooner am I standing on the deck than Aurelia’s arms are around my middle, squeezing the air out of my lungs. I really need that air right now but I don’t want to unwrap her just yet. She’s leaving in a couple of days and I want to inhale as much of her before then as I can.
“Here, dude.” I look up to see Axel strolling towards us, brandishing a fresh, dry pair of combat shorts. “Hud’s orders,” he shrugs, in explanation.
“Thanks man.” I sigh my appreciation and reluctantly step out of Aurelia’s embrace. It’ll be a much better experience for her if I’m at least dry.
The cops lead Chuck and Joan back down the deck while I strip out of my sopping wet uniform. “Anything else we can get you?” Hud asks.
“Nah, this is great, thanks guys. I’ll catch up with you in the morning, ok? Connor’s team meeting?”
“Sure,” Hud replies, slapping Axel on the back. “Catch you later.” They both walk away leaving me and Aurelia alone on the deck.
I fold up the jacket and shirt, then step out of my pants, feeling Aurelia’s eyes lasering into my skin.
