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Leilani tilted her head, her brow pinching. “Yes and no. There is damage to the hull. Like Josh informed us, it’s not bad enough to abandon ship. And you heard the captain. We have backup and backup for our backup. But I have faith in Windsong I. It will get us back to the harbor, no problem.”
Angel could tell by her slightly strained tone that Leilani was worried but putting on a brave face for the people on board. She wouldn’t let anything happen to them if she could help it. Unfortunately, shit happened. A lot of shit had happened to Leilani lately.
Angel’s fists tightened. It was time to clean it up. He just needed a lead to chase.
Josh swam to the back of the boat.
Angel rushed to meet him, lowering the ladder. Josh climbed up several steps. When Angel reached out a hand, Josh grabbed hold.
Angel hauled him aboard and secured the ladder.
Captain Ako set the boat in motion, pushing it as fast as it could, which was sluggish at best.
“It’s taking on water,” Leilani whispered, her brow knit, her gaze tracking their progress as if gauging how far they might get before they had to transfer over to another craft.
Angel slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her against his side. “We’ll make it back to the harbor.”
“I hope so.” Leilani sighed and turned back to the frightened passengers, forcing a smile on her face. “Everybody okay?”
A few had scrapes and bruises, but, for the most part, they were okay.
Their happy chatter from before the crash had faded into silence, with only a few whispers exchanged to calm a child or a nervous female.
Leilani went from person to person with her clipboard, making notes about each guest’s injuries.
Angel followed with the first aid kit, applying antibiotic ointment and bandages where needed.
“If any of you feel the need to go to a hospital, the captain has relayed a message to the island’s first responders,” Leilani said. “An ambulance should be waiting for us when we arrive at Maalaea Harbor. For anything the emergency medical technicians can’t fix with a bandage, you can have the ambulance take you to the emergency room where a doctor can check you over.”
Although some wanted an EMT to check them out and treat their scrapes, no one proclaimed a need for an ambulance.
“If you’ve hit your head at all, you should go to the hospital and have them check you out,” she urged. “You could have a concussion.”
When the harbor came into view, Angel could see the tension ease out of Leilani’s shoulders. The Windsong I was still moving forward. The Windsong II had caught up, and the Coast Guard cutter was just now coming into view.
With a few more minutes yet to go, Leilani stood in the middle of the passengers. “I’m so sorry your amazing trip ended the way it did. If you want a refund, contact me, and I’ll do my best to process the refunds in a timely manner.” She gave them a weak smile. “I’m so sorry this happened. I hope it doesn’t ruin your enjoyment of the remainder of your stay on Maui.”
Angel could listen to Leilani’s soft tones all day, every day. She had a way of making people calm.
“Don’t let the actions of one nutjob taint your opinion of Maui.” Leilani looked around at all of the guests, a tight smile firmly affixed on her mouth. “Thank you for choosing Windsong Tours. We hope to see you again.” Her lips twisted. “Of course, after we find out who attacked our boat and impound what’s left of his boat.”
“You go, girl!” a woman called out. “I don’t need my money back from this tour. You and your crew worked hard to make our adventure fun and informative. It wasn’t your fault that a crazy boat driver ran into our boat.”
“We hope the damage is easily fixed and the Windsong I is back up and touring in no time,” an older gentleman said. “Thank you for the adventure.”
Leilani’s eyes glazed with tears. “Thanks, all of you, for your support. Please, enjoy the rest of your stay on Maui.”
The closer they got to the harbor, the slower the Windsong I became until the captain made the command decision to ease into the nearest slip that would fit the big boat rather than limp to its assigned slot.
As soon as the boat came to a halt, Josh and Angel sprang into action, getting the steps situated so that the passengers could easily walk out of the boat onto the dock.
With Angel on one side and Josh on the other, they assisted everyone onto the dock to ensure no further injuries occurred.
Once they were off the dock and firmly on shore, the EMTs circulated among them, checking them for more serious injuries. Most were cleared to leave, but a few were detained while having minor scrapes cleaned and bandaged.
While the guests were being evaluated, an officer from the Maui Police Department approached Leilani. “We were notified that there was a hit-and-run incident on the water involving a jet boat and your vessel.”
Leilani’s lips thinned. “That’s right.”
