To Ocean's End (20 page)

The cyclist dropped me and my duffle bag off by my cargo pushers, who were busy loading crates of fuel and our France shipment. Morocco exported salt, silk, and glass wares. Glass was a big pain to ship but worth the money. Doubly worth it since we were going to navigate notoriously dangerous waters. I meandered towards the stern ladder as Scully manned the dock’s steam crane, which was in far better shape than the one in Chesapeake. The rest of my cargo pushers moved the next crate within reach of the crane. Scully waved and the others welcomed me back.

“Everyone feeling ready to get back on the water?”

They laughed that certain laugh men have when feeling satisfied after having a great time with a great woman or two. Rammus said, “You bet, Captain. What about you?”

“Look how he’s walking,” Scully said. “What do you think?”

I gave them a dismissive wave. “Back to work, boys.” They laughed again, then returned to their crates.

When I made it to the stern ladder, I stopped and stared up at the rusty rungs. Good god, the deck looked so far away. Seriously, it looked like it’d take me halfway to the clouds. I didn’t think I’d want sex for a solid month. I heaved a sigh, then hefted my duffle bag and mustered the energy to climb aboard.

*     *     *

I was in the middle of folding my now empty bag when I heard a polite knock on my cabin’s wood doorframe. Mido and Jessie stood there, hand in hand. My cook had a dreamy look that I probably was mirroring. Jessie shared our contentment, but with some anxiety mixed in. “What’s up?”

Mido said, “Captain, when would be a good time to talk to you about where we head next?”

“Right now, actually.” The question caught me off guard but I did my best to stay casual. I stowed my folded bag in a cabinet drawer, then leaned against the bunks. Where else could Jessie possibly want to go besides home? “So what’s up?”

Mido looked to Jessie, who let go of his hand and stepped forward. “Would you be willing to make another delivery or two before taking me home? I need more time to think things through.”

“You have a whole another week to think. Why do you need more time?”

“It’s just very scary what you’re asking of me,” she admitted. “I need a chance to build more courage so I don’t just stay home once I see it. I want to help you but I’m not ready to officially say yes to that yet.”

“Okay.” Over the years I’d become very good at detecting half truths and whole lies. Jessie sounded like she’d rehearsed what she just said, so here I had a half truth. “I believe you so far. What’s the other reason for the delay?”

Jessie and Mido exchanged shocked looks. They knew they’d been caught in their theatrics but Jessie still said, “What do you mean?”

I folded my arms and spoke patiently. “Jessie, I’ve been around for a very long time. I know when I’m not getting the full story.” I’d already made up my mind but I still wanted to hear everything. “Spill it.”

She opened her mouth but no words came out. She tried again but I assumed uncertainty stole her words. She looked to Mido for help. When he spoke, I began to feel afraid. They’d clearly grown attached to one another. He wouldn’t, would he...?

“Captain, I told her I’d go live with her in Paphos--” Oh, crap, he would! “--but on the condition that she helps us lift your curse.”

Impending heart attack averted. But now this brought up another issue that’d been rolling around in my head for decades: what to do with my crew if my curse was lifted. I hadn’t given it too much thought since I didn’t want to get my hopes up decade after decade. All I knew for sure was that I’d retire for good if that day ever came. No two weeks notice or anything. This was one of my most guarded secrets. Only Sam knew, and only because I’d been drunk when I let slip that bit of trivia.

I unfolded my arms and straightened up. “Are you sure that’s what you want, Mido?”

“Positive,” he said with a nod.

Now how to handle this? I was thrilled for Mido. He had a place to go, and with a beautiful girl, too. But if I came off as thrilled, that would raise unwanted questions. If I tried guilting him into staying, which I had a feeling he expected since they hadn’t wanted to say anything in the first place, that would pull Mido in two directions and make things awkward. I had no intention of doing that to him. I slipped my hands in my pockets and spoke to Jessie. “If you help us, then I’ll let you take my cook home with you. Consider it your reward if we succeed.”

“But what if I try and fail?”

“Trying is all I can ask of you.” I took a step closer. To my relief she didn’t even flinch. She’d come a really long way in two weeks. “I’ll do my best to make sure everyone survives. I’ll even transform on purpose if things get that dangerous.”

“You’d really do that?” Jessie said in disbelief.

I was surprised myself, but now that I’d said it, there was no taking it back. To be honest, I was sick and tired of watching people I cared about die because of me and my curse. “I’m that desperate.” Probably not the best thing to show a bit of weakness like that but I wasn’t above a small guilt trip. I was that desperate to have her help me.

She considered my confession a moment. “Okay. But can we still put off Cyprus for a bit?”

I wanted to ask her if we could skip Cyprus altogether, but how could I ask that when even I liked seeing home now and then? “It so happens that you’re in luck. Sauna netted us a shipment to Le Havre in France the other day. I also have a separate delivery to Athens that can suck up waiting a little longer. We can hit both those places first, but that’s it. You’re going to have to make a decision by then.”

“How much time will that buy me?”

“A good two weeks, barring any delays from the weather or typical dangers. Shortly after I get you home, I’ll be due for my next lockdown, so hopefully all will go well.”

“But never plan on that,” Mido said.

“Nope. These past two weeks have been a testament to that.” I reached inside my bunk and produced two pairs of open-finger sparring gloves. “Now, I have two presents for you, miss bodyguard.” I handed one pair over. “Those are for practicing.” She took them and they both looked them over.

“Wish you’d had those on last night,” Mido said jokingly. Jessie gave him a rueful grin.

“Is that where you got that?” I asked, pointing to the bruise on his temple. I’d noticed it earlier but our conversation had taken off too fast to ask.

“Yep.”

“What did you do to deserve that?” He gave me an embarrassed look that screamed at me to not ask for details. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.” I handed Jessie the second pair, which had brass spikes mounted on the knuckles. “Those are for punishing. Get used to wearing both.”

She held a package in each hand, her face a mix of awe and confusion. “Are you sure you want me as a bodyguard?”

“Yep. I don’t tolerate freeloaders.”

“But who am I going to guard?”

“I already explained this.”

“But you’re all bigger and stronger than me.”

“That’s beside the point. I need you to keep watch and throw punches as necessary while my men do their job. Your role is very important. You’ll be the one on the lookout so they can focus on their job, moving faster and working more efficiently, thus reducing the window of danger.”

“Oh.” She hugged the gloves to her chest.

“The English Channel is crawling with pirates, so start practicing.” I waved for them to stop blocking the doorway and headed for the wheelhouse.

Chapter 19

Big Game

A day and a half later and we were off the coast of Portugal. Land was a thin line of bumps sticking up in the distant haze. “All able-bodied hands on deck. We’re back in whale flounder waters. You all get a cut of the bounty if I land one.”

Without waiting for Rammus to arrive, I met Scully at the Harpy and he helped me swap out the six-foot harpoon for another lighter six-footer better suited for fishing. The one we stowed on the harpoon rack would just punch a hole through a fish, then rip a bigger one if I tried reeling it in. Scully tied a rope line to the tail of the harpoon and I hopped into the seat and fired up the hydraulics.

“Hey, Captain,” Scully said, “maybe you’ll finally land one this time.”

“These are the best waters for them, but I’m not holding my breath.”

“Aw, c’mon. You almost got one last time. You only missed by about ten feet, and that was a long shot.”

I spun the Harpy around, testing its full range of horizontal motion. “How many years have I been fishing for these stupid things without actually landing one?”

Scully laughed. “I think this is year thirty.”

“You are correct.” I began testing the vertical range by tilting the harpoon up and down.

“You only try a couple times a year just about every year, and we don’t always spot one.”

“My luck landing one surpasses my inability to eat a cheeseburger in peace.”

“Can’t catch one if you don’t try,” Scully said with a smile.

“Yeah, yeah.” I aimed the harpoon straight out over the bow, then relaxed my grip on the control bars. “I’m beginning to wonder if both are linked to my curse. I have odd luck.”

“Well, do you try to eat a cheeseburger every time we hit port?”

“Pretty much.” O’Toole stepped onto the deck and began running around like he was chasing invisible butterflies or something. Sam appeared behind the Irishman, shortly followed by Jessie, Mido, Ed, and Ted. Those four headed for me and Scully, and Sam followed O’Toole down starboard side.

“Port’s where we run into the most trouble, so it’s no coincidence really, if you think about it.”

I considered his logic a moment. “Okay, you got me there.”

“Yep, and that’s also why whale flounder go for a hundred grand at port. They’re frickin’ hard to catch.”

“They’re frickin’ huge!” I said, exasperated.

“It’s a frickin’ huger ocean,” Scully pointed out.

“I know but still, they shouldn’t be that hard to find.”

“Find what?” Ed asked. The two techies pulled up with an arm around each other’s shoulders.

“Whale flounder,” I said.

“Never heard,” Ted said. “What does it look like?” The two let go of each other and glanced at the ocean.

“A flounder the size of a whale.”

Scully said, “They’re around fifty feet long with a thirty-foot span. They basically look like a grey, lopsided pancake floating on the water, and they’re white underneath.”

Jessie said, “They’re very good eating.”

“But very expensive,” Scully said.

I said, “Oh, you’ve had some before?”

She nodded. “Someone caught a smaller one and shared it with the whole town.”

I gaped. “That fisherman just gave away a year’s salary!”

“We didn’t know until later, but I don’t think he cared. He was already well off.”

“So we all playing lookout?” Ed asked.

I said, “A hundred extra bucks to the person who spots the fish I land. If multiple people spot it together, you split it. No complaints.” I smirked. “But good luck beating O’Toole to the punch. He’s the champion fish finder.”

My three newest members gave me puzzled looks as Mido and Scully gave me knowing grins. Ted said, “How’s that? I thought he’s just autistic.”

“I’m not the only supernatural thing on this ship.” That reminded me, we had yet to see what supernatural qualities Jessie was doing a superb job of hiding.

“He has his own curse?”

“He has his own strange powers.”

Scully said, “He’s immune to the effects of quasi-children, and for some reason he starts acting extra strange when we get close to a whale flounder.”

Mido said, “If you see him suddenly stop and stare out over the ocean, grab him. He will jump in and start swimming towards the fish.”

Scully sarcastically said, “That was a fun day when we learned that.”

“Duly noted,” both techies said, then Ed added, “We were wondering why you have O’Toole. How did you find him?”

“Long story short: he more or less found us in Ireland. Two years ago, I met his parents who, sadly yet fortunately, wanted to give him up to a good home. I took him after they demonstrated his ability to make quasi-children disappear.”

“Why do you find his immunity useful? Quasi-children sightings have gone way down over the years.”

“I carry a handgun, remember?” I patted my chest. “Now, do you all want to help me fish or what?” Ugh, Ed’s question killed my good mood. Wasn’t gonna make it worse by answering it. These three were a nosy bunch. However, I’d take them over stupid any day. Inquisitiveness meant they were learners. Learners kept themselves alive longer.

“Of course,” Ed said. Both techies looked at Mido. “What are we using for bait?”

“Time,” Scully said. “They feed on krill and plankton, and filter out the nuclear pollution in the water.”

I said, “They weren’t around a couple hundred years ago. They’re giant freaks of nuked nature who’re cleaning up after us.”

“Lucky us,” Ted said.

“Just keep an eye out. Happy hunting.”

“Is it okay if I don’t help?” Jessie asked with a frown.

“You’re missing out on the bonus, but yes. Why, what else do you want to do?”

She made fists and raised them slightly. “Train.”

“Fair enough,” I said with a shrug. Quite honestly, I needed her ready for Le Havre. “If we yell down to you, run up and watch the fun unfold.”

“But don’t hold your breath for it,” Scully said.

“Hey!”

“Your words.”

I opened my mouth to say the first thing on my mind but thought better of it. I turned to Jessie. “Have fun. Hit hard. And try to make my buy a replacement punching bag if you can.” I pointed at her. “With your practice gloves. Use the studded gloves on it and I take them away. Got it?”

“Yes, sir,” she said with the same wicked grin she wore when I told her I was giving her steel toe boots.

“Oh, man, Captain,” Scully said. “You’re making her dangerous!”

*     *     *

Mido said, “Too bad Jacobi doesn’t like you. He’s the best fighter of everyone on this ship.”

Jessie led them down the stairs as they headed for the sleeping cabins. “You know how to fight, too.”

“Just some street and sword fighting, and some grappling. You have to know in this industry. I know for sure we’re gonna have a run-in with either pirates or mercenaries near Le Havre. We do every time.”

Jessie stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “Then why do you keep making deliveries there?”

“People need their stuff.” He stopped before her. “Until we see the day where planes fill the sky again, we need to keep taking these risks. Now why we stopping?”

Jessie planted a kiss on his lips. Mido leaned into it and cupped her cheek. She found herself needing brief moments like these since they couldn’t sleep together anymore. She remained in the same cabin as Ed and Ted, and neither she nor Mido dared ask for a bunk shuffle. They enjoyed the moment of privacy until she felt like they’d pressed their luck long enough. She slowly pulled away. “That,” she said. “I’ll meet you in the cargo hold.”

“Okay,” he said, then they headed off in opposite directions.

Jessie headed for her new sparring gloves with pleasant thoughts of Mido flitting around in her head, but stopped and zeroed in on reality when she reached the galley. Jacobi was seated at the table, sipping at a sports drink and reading a book. His broken leg was propped on a fold-up chair. He looked up, pale eyes full of hate. With exception of his leg, he was in peak physical condition. He looked big enough to take Mido down with one swing. The solar-powered light hanging over the table made his bronzed skin look like he was made of copper, extra tough and intimidating.

She mentally yelled at herself to keep moving. Mido would get worried if she took too long. The last thing she wanted was to put crew members at odds with each other, especially over her. Sure, the men bickered with and yelled at each other from time to time, but in the end they were all good friends. This was another reason she found it so hard to fit in. She walked past him with her chin up and his hateful eyes followed her. He said nothing but his glare spoke plenty.

Jessie thought of going on deck for her return trip, then going back down, just to avoid Jacobi, but she didn’t feel like explaining her lengthy detour when she reunited with Mido. Besides, she needed to keep building courage. If she couldn’t stand up to stupid people like Jacobi, then she wouldn’t be fit to help lift Dyne’s curse. She grabbed her sparring gloves and ignored him on her return trip through the galley, but stopped dead in her tracks when he spoke.

“What the hell are you doing with sparring gloves?”

She slowly turned around. His crap attitude pissed her off, yet at the same time his deep voice intimidated her. She wanted to bolt for the cargo hold; however, she also wanted a little more respect. She didn’t deserve this crap. “What do you think?”

Jacobi dumped his book and surged to his feet, then grabbed the table to keep his balance. “Don’t cop an attitude with me. I will put you in your place, unlike the captain.”

“My place is bodyguard.”

“Your place is anywhere but this ship.”

“That’s not for you to decide.” She clenched her gloves.

Jacobi took a step closer with his good leg. “Doesn’t matter. Squeaky wheel gets the grease. I’ll get Captain to see things my way.”

“I’m here to help lift his curse.”

“Bullshit. You’re just here for the free ride, along with a ride on Mido’s dick. I heard about your escape attempt.”

Jessie clenched her gloves harder as she resisted the urge to punch Jacobi. He was proving to be an expert at getting under her skin. Anything she tried to say in her defense about her runaway attempt would sound like a lie.

He took another step closer. “Yeah, that’s right. Once you get home, you stay there. Stay away from my friend and crew mate, and stop playing with his dick.”

“Why? Are you jealous?” The venomous words slipped and she half regretted them. She wanted to piss him off as much as he’d pissed her off, but that really wasn’t a smart idea. Jacobi gave her a look of death. Good, they were evenly pissed. She backed up a step in case he was premeditating harming her.

He spoke in a menacingly low voice. “Maybe I should take a page out of Tethys’s book and use his tactics to put you in your place. How would you like that?” He took another step, putting him in kicking range.

Jessie swung her steel toe at his injured leg. The cast wouldn’t completely protect him. He let out a cry and clutched his leg. Jessie said, “As much as you liked that. Don’t you ever dare try to lay a hand on me.”

“Just wait until my leg heals and we’ll see how confident you feel then. Go home and stay home if you don’t want to find out.”

Jessie wanted to kick him again but she had a feeling her element of surprise had vanished. As much as she wanted to physically and verbally rip him a new one, she made herself head to the cargo hold. She slammed the door open and navigated the maze of crates, then dumped her gloves and began beating the crap out of the punching bag before Mido could finish greeting her. She imagined herself bashing Jacobi in the face with every blow.

“Whoa. What happened?” He picked up her gloves.

“Nothing,” she said flatly between blows.

“Then why are you pissed off?”

“I’m not.”

Mido stuck a hand between the bag and her fists. She stopped and he shimmied between her and the bag. “I don’t mean to piss you off further, but you’re a lousy liar.”

“Then just forget about it. I don’t want to talk about it.”

He hesitated before moving out of the way. “Well I do,” he said unhappily. “I don’t like seeing you upset, but I’ll let you burn off some energy first. Are you at least not too angry to let me teach you how to fight?”

She heaved an anger-releasing sigh. “Yes. Let me put my gloves on.” She slipped them on one at a time. They fit snugly halfway to the elbow, yet allowed full range of motion with her fingers. She gripped the rods in her fists and tapped her padded knuckles together, then did a couple of experimental swings at the air. For some reason wearing the gloves made her feel invincible. She felt like she could take on a recovered Jacobi.

“Now there’s an interesting smile,” Mido said. “What brought that on?”

“I’m liking my new gloves. For some reason I feel really good with them on.”

Mido took her hands in his, then slid his touch to her elbows and gave her a kiss. “That’s because you have a fighter’s spirit.”