“That’s not at all what I mean,” she cried. “You didn’t get to choose, and now here you are, risking everything.”
His face went blank, like one of those metal storefront doors that rattled down from above. “I chose to be here. Believe that, Lulu. Maybe you think I’m not reliable because I dropped out of the mayor’s race.”
Her jaw dropped because she hadn’t thought that for a moment. “That’s absurd. I never thought—”
He went on as if she hadn’t spoken. “When it comes to my boat, and the people on my boat…I know exactly what the risks are. I am choosing to accept those risks.”
“Got it.”
She backed away from him, afraid she’d burst into tears if she stayed where she was. Maybe it had only been two days, but they’d been through a lot in that time. She’d opened herself up to him, allowed herself to trust him. Now he was slamming shut a door and it didn’t feel good.
“I’m sorry if I offended you. I’ll leave you alone.”
“Lulu.” He snagged her arm and tugged her back to him. “Look, I’m sorry I was rude. You’re right, my boat means a lot to me. But nothing’s going to happen to it. Not this time.”
Not this time. Obviously there was a story there, but just as obviously, this wasn’t the moment to ask about it.
“Let’s just get out of here, okay?” she said stiffly. “No time to waste.”
He nodded, looked like he might say something more, but didn’t. As he returned to the anchor mechanism, she hurried down below to stay out of sight. That was part of the plan. The bad guy was looking for a woman and a boy, not a lone fisherman.
But Antonov might know all about Tristan. He’d blown up his truck. Why not his boat? She didn’t want more damage on her conscience.
Those questions nagged at her, but she shoved them aside and devoted herself to playing cards with Raul as they chugged through the long inlets and hidden coves of Lost Souls Wilderness.
Occasionally she looked out the porthole and through the scratched plexiglass saw sights so magnificent they took her breath away. Deep ravines with waterfalls that cascaded over hundreds of feet of sheer rock. Groves of spruce so thick and dark it looked like night underneath. Mossy fallen logs the size of boulders. A bald eagle perched on the tip of a tree, gazing down his haughty beak at the lowly mortals below.
It was one way to see Alaska, but she hoped she’d get another chance someday, when she could watch the scenery without looking for signs of a threat.
When Raul got bored with cards, they moved on to charades, which was a game she played with kids on the Northern Princess. Charades was a great way to hone one’s miming skills. Raul was a natural at it, fortunately.
Even more luckily, the guard Antonov had hired was terrible at pantomime. He mostly stared at his phone during the class, only occasionally looking up to make sure Raul wasn’t doing anything suspicious.
Once Lulu had understood what Raul was trying to communicate, she’d recruited Britney, who was a master of flirtation, to distract the boy’s guard. That was how she’d finally gotten the full story from Raul.
Watching him now, laughing at his depiction of Wonder Woman, her heart ached for him. Would he ever see his family again? She’d searched online for any mention of Raul’s kidnapping in the media. Not a blip. She’d also searched for news about his mother and her family. She’d found plenty there—everything checked out as Raul said—but not a word about a kidnapping or a ransom.
Maybe they’d been ordered to keep it quiet. Or maybe Raul’s grandfather was having trouble assembling the ransom money. Or maybe, maybe… Her mind kept spinning with wild theories.
The only thing she knew for sure was that helping Raul escape Antonov was the right thing to do. A risky thing, absolutely. Some might even say an insane thing. She’d inserted herself onto the radar screen of a dangerous man. And she’d even exposed herself to possible charges of kidnapping. After all, she had no more relation to Raul than Antonov did. The FBI would definitely want to interrogate her about her role.
But you only live once. That was what her mother kept telling her, over and over, in her waning days. “Jump in feet first, Louise. Get into trouble. Fall in love, get your heart broken, stand up for what you believe. Promise me. You’ve spent enough of your life stuck in this apartment with me. After I’m gone, you’d better live your life. Or I’ll come back and lecture you from beyond the grave.”
Lulu shook off the memory, because thinking about her mother was a sure way to get weepy again, and if there was one thing her mother despised, it was too much crying. That was why she’d held back all her tears until after her mother was gone.
Raul flopped onto the bench seat. “Your turn, Lulu. I’m tired. When can we have lunch? I’m hungry too.”
“How about some more of those water biscuits?” Tristan kept boxes and boxes of something called Sailor Boy Pilot Crackers onboard. Apparently they took the place of bread, which probably molded quickly in the sea air.
He made a face. “Okay. On my boat, when I’m a fisherman, I will have no crackers. Only tortillas.”
“Fair enough.” She unfolded herself from the bench and began to rise to her feet. Raul’s eyes went wide, which she didn’t understand. Had her shirt come unbuttoned? No, because it didn’t have buttons. But something was wrong because he was lunging toward her and flinging himself across the laminate table with the rimmed edge.
“Abajo!”
She didn’t recognize the Spanish word, but it didn’t matter because he’d managed to knock her off balance. She toppled over on her side, tried to brace herself with her hand, but the weight of him made her wrist twist under her. Pain lanced through her arm. But she was more worried about Raul than herself. Somehow he’d ended up under the table. “What’s wrong, Raul?”
Another shout came from above. Tristan was yelling something, but pain was singing in her ears and she couldn’t quite make it out.
“Raul?”
“I’m okay.” He crawled out from under the table and crouched next to her. “Are you hurt?”
“No. Yes.” Gingerly, she tried to sit up, but he stopped her.
“Stay down. I saw a man with a long gun through the window.”
“What?”
So that was why the boat was picking up speed, the engine noise increasing to a full-throated roar. She held tight to the bench with her good hand as she gingerly examined the other one. It throbbed and ached. She needed ice. No, she needed to talk to Tristan. Find out what was going on.
“Hey kid,” she managed.
“Sí.”
Always a bad sign when Raul reverted to Spanish. It meant he was rattled.
“I need my phone. It’s in the pocket of my jacket, but I can’t reach it with my good hand. Can you grab it?”
“I’m so sorry, Miss Lulu. I saw the gun and I was afraid—”
“Don’t apologize. You did the right thing. I just need to talk to Tristan, okay?”
Nodding, gnawing on his lower lip, Raul reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. He handed it over to her, and she dialed one-handed. No easy feat, since her dominant right hand was still pulsing with pain. But also not the hardest thing she’d done since she’d boarded the Northern Princess.