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“I’m going to need something more to sweeten the pot before I agree to that,” she’s negotiating as I hoped. I also have just the thing and in just the right place.
“Southside uncut pure heroin. I heard you might be in the market for it.” I say.
“Blondie, I might work on fixing your little problem right now!” she says, steps toward me, and slides her hand over my crotch. It feels like the opposite of helping my problem. I feel disgusted by her touch.
“Deal then?” I ask, trying to shrug off my revulsion without her noticing.
“Where is it?” she asks.
“On my boat. But you’ll need me to get it. It’s hidden, and I wouldn't explain how to get around the booby traps if I could.” I say, bluffing about the traps.
“We’ll all go then,” she announces.
***
“My boat’s not here,” I tell Sonomi as I walk up to the empty slip.
“Now we know where Artyom took them,” Katana says.
The Siren takes out her phone and commands her crew to pull one of her boats, The Tentacle One, out of her private dock at Siren Studios. She instructs them to cut off the Maximum Splash.
“Let’s take the Yokai,” Sonomi says, referring to the new boat Katana got from me. He had it named for some kind of Japanese ghost. The Siren has been keeping tabs on us.
“Want me to drive?” I ask.
“No, Kat can drive his boat,” Sonomi answers. She doesn’t fully trust me. I’m not sure why she trusts Katana so much.
We walk a few slips over to the Yokai.
“They’ve spotted the Splash!” Sonomi says, looking down at her phone with excitement.
“Idiots!” she shouts, still looking at her phone. “They’ve run the Tentacle One aground at the bend with all the rocks! Katana, do you know what you’re doing in those parts?”
“Not as much as Blondie does,” Katana says.
“Fine, Blondie, get us there,” the Siren orders. I scowl at Katana as he gets up and moves away from his controls. His expression is still blank as he steps away.
They’re at Ship Killer Cove, according to Sonomi’s description of where her boat is grounded. It’s the most dangerous area for boats on this river. Artyom knows his way around there better than I do. He went there to be safe. And I’m bringing the biggest threat in the world right to them. But I’ll be there too.
The water is rough tonight. This will be more difficult as it gets darker. Artyom must have gotten there right before dusk. It will be hard not to get this boat stuck, just like the Tentacle One.Actually, it would be easy to get this boat stuck.
The ride is getting even more rough. We’re bouncing on the waves now. I need to pick up speed. If the waves are like this at the cove, that boat might work its way free of the rocks.
After a while of tense silence, I can finally see the lights of Sonomi’s boat ahead in the distance. The current is less strong here.Good.I’m going to slow down; I have to make this look good.
“Slow down a bit,” Katana tells me. It’s as if he knows what I’m trying to do.
“Go to the front and look out for rocks,” I instruct him.
Katana heads for the bow.
“We may get stuck as well if we keep going,” I inform Sonomi.
“We’re too far away,” she says. “Keep going!”
Perfect. I maneuver so that the Yokai and the Tentacle One are port and starboard to the Splash. If Artyom tries to cut down the middle once we’re both stuck, his men will be able to do a lot of damage. He should be able to get Mari to safety.
“Rocks ahead!” Katana calls out.
