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While Aris prepares the boat to head back to the harbor, my anxiety drives me to pace the small confines. Ferb follows my movements, on alert for anything. I feel like I’m living in two parallel universes at once. Time plods, its ponderous pace creating further distance between me and any chance of saving my sisters. Simultaneously, time zips ever closer to an unknown alarm, making any effort to rush ineffective.
“Agapiméni mou, put on a life vest, sit down, and hold onto something.” The caution in Aris’ voice causes me to look up. “This ride is about to get bumpy.”
From the direction of the city, three speed boats head directly toward us. The boats with Aris’ men are a fair distance away. As the other boats race toward us. I open the bin with the safety kit inside and take out vests for all of us. After handing Aris his, I put mine on and one on Ferb.
“Are you seated?” Aris asks, his urgency spurring me on.
I rush to settle Ferb beside me and hold onto my seat. “Yes.”
Aris makes a hard turn that throws me against the bench when the first shot rings out. I duck, trying not to make myself a target, but Aris has no protection.
“Aris!”
“Stay down and don’t worry about me. I’ll get us out of this.” His reassurance falls on fear-deafened ears.
More shots ring out. In the confusion, I can’t tell if any of them hit anything. Uppermost in my mind is how I can protect Aris while he’s vulnerable. I peek over the gunwale.
One boat closes in on us, but I beat despair at bay. The five boats with Aris’ men are also on their way to intercept our attackers. Some of the fire exchange comes from them. Despite their interference, the single boat that continues to gain on us poses our biggest problem.
The gunman raises his weapon. Without thinking, I leap from my position on the bench. At that moment, Aris makes another hard turn, hurtling me over the side of the boat and into the water.
Water fills my lungs and I thrash. Disoriented, I can’t tell up from down and panic takes over. I can’t die like this. Aris will never forgive me. A flash of his red-rimmed eyes the morning after I passed out flashes in my mind. Forget forgiveness, he wouldn’t survive if I left him like this.
Fire burns a path in my lungs from a lack of oxygen. I push my legs hoping I am swimming toward the surface and not sinking deeper. With a fervent prayer, I beg God to help me. I peek at my progress from underwater. Shadows zip by from overhead, a sign that I’m swimming in the right direction. Heartened, I double my efforts to reach the surface.
My arms are ablaze from my exertion. Close, I’m so close. But my strokes lose their strength, curtailing my progress. With one last burst of energy, I kick and surge forth, breaking the surface. Amid a fit of coughing, barking nears me.
I wipe the water from my face and frantically search the vicinity. Ferb swims toward me. If he’s in the water, what has happened to Aris? I swirl around until Aris’ boat comes into view.
He hasn’t lost his pursuers. One boat gets dangerously close to ramming him. At the last second, he veers away. Ferb reaches me and grabs onto my vest as if he intends to drag me all the way to shore. In the meantime, Aris’ backup engages the other boats in another gunfight, giving Aris more time to escape.
Wait… there are only seven boats besides Aris’. What happened to the other two?
“Mrs. Glezos, over here!”
I swish about in the water until I locate the voice. It’s the last of Aris’ men! Manning the helm is Stavros. Hope rises in my breast as he approaches, but instantly dissolves when, coming up behind my rescuer, is the last of the enemy boats. At this speed, they intend to ram my Stavros.
“Watch out!” I yell.
Thankfully, Stavros’s defensive maneuvering saves him from nearly colliding with the other men. A wave, resulting from their wake, slams into me, loosening Ferb’s grip on my vest and dragging me underneath. I fight my way to the surface again, trying to locate everyone. Stavros and the other boat circle me. Another wave slams into me and I go down again.
It becomes harder and harder to fight my way to the surface. The next wave causes my life vest to slip over my head. This time, the surface seems to get further and further away as my body weakens. I have no more fight in me and no air to breathe. My vision narrows until my mind blanks.
The first thing I become aware of is a burning sensation as I violently cough up water.
“Someone, let the boss know that Mrs. Glezos will be okay!” Relief coats Stavros’ voice. He turns me on my side and thumps my back.
When the last of the water leaves my body, I wave him away until I can regulate my breathing. God, everything aches.
“Mrs. Glezos, the boss is on his way.”
I search around the deck. “Where’s Ferb?” I croak and struggle to stand.
With the dangerous wake constantly deluging us, how could Ferb survive when I nearly drowned?
“He’s on deck. Luckily his life vest was snug and kept him afloat. We had to keep him away from you while we performed CPR.”
As if aware he is the subject of discussion, Ferb peers at me from behind Stavros. At my wave, he bounds over to me, and in his excitement, almost drenches me anew.
