Page 12 of Crash Over Us
Josie hesitated. “He acted like he couldn’t sit still. He got his truck and followed the officer back to base.” Before I could say anything, she interrupted, “But he has clearance and can still get on base.”
“Thank you for telling me the truth.” If Caleb’s dad was on the base, then it was bad. It meant I needed to be there too. There was nothing I could do at the Blue Heron, except worry in silence. Apparently, now Ethan was there to worry instead of me. I didn’t like the idea of him at the cottage, but he seemed like he had a genuine interest in helping.
Josie veered the car toward the main gate. The crossbars were down, and one of the guards walked toward the open window of the driver’s side.
“ID?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Hi, Charlie. It’s me. Josie?”
He ducked lower to peer inside the car. “Oh, hey, Josie. Couldn’t see you inside the car. What are you doing here?”
“Well, I brought Caleb O’Connor’s girlfriend. She knows he and Gabe are missing. Can we wait here for him to get back?”
He shuffled back and forth on his feet. “Josie, I can’t let you in without a pass. You probably know that, though.”
I lunged across the car, grabbing the steering wheel. “Please. I’ll go anywhere you ask. I’ll sit at the docks. I’ll wait in his room. Please. I can’t stay home if he’s out there.”
Josie tried to push me back into the seat. “Shh. Let me talk to Charlie, okay? I’ve got this.”
Charlie stared at us. “I’m real sorry, Josie. I can’t let you on base. It’s the law. I can’t break the law even if it’s for you.”
“It’s for me,” I screeched. “And Caleb. I need to be here when he gets back.”
He twisted his lips to one side and then the other. “I get it. I do, but it’s a military law. I can’t let a car on base.”
Josie threw the car into park. “Can we talk for a second, Charlie? Just us?” She opened the door, and I saw him step aside and allow her enough space to exit. What the hell was she doing?
I needed to get through the gates. The only thing keeping me from being where Caleb needed me to be was Charlie.
Josie started to ask him about whom he could call at command. They went back and forth. She pivoted and he turned. Now, his back was to the car, and I had a chance.
I stepped one foot out of the car and then another. Then I made a run for it.
“Margot, no!”
SEVEN
Caleb
It was clear we only had one choice. We were going to have to fight our way off this boat. We had steered miles off the coast. The sun had set, and it was dark. The theory that they would leave us on one of the barrier islands seemed to be falling apart. The farther we went out on the ocean, the more I considered they might dump us here for the sharks. It was too far to swim to shore. The conditions were perfect for second-degree burns, dehydration, and a shark attack or two. We could make it twenty-four hours only if we didn’t have visitors with big teeth.
I nodded to Gabe to follow my directions. The captain of the boat had cracked open a beer and every few seconds lifted his bandana to take a swallow. The next time he did would be our chance to strike. He would have two hands off the wheel.
The guy with the gun pointed at us had started to doze off. His legs were propped up, and he leaned back in the fishing chair.
The fishing boat that had lured us to the site either kept a steady pace or sometimes tried to pass on the right before dragging in the wake again. To them, it was a big party. A joke. A heist that was a couple of boys out on a joyride. I was certain they didn’t realize the severity of assaulting, kidnapping, and stealing from U.S. military officers. The consequences for them once Gabe and I escaped were going to be life-altering.
First, we had to get off this fucking pirate boat.
“Buddy, grab me another beer,” the captain hollered.
He captain took another sip. I raised my fingers to Gabe to count down when we needed to strike. We had been trained for almost any emergency situation, but this one was on us. Our instincts. Our combat skills. Our will to survive over our assailants.
Gabe responded with a wink. He knew the plan, and we were ready to attack. All we needed was for the captain to crack open the new beer Buddy handed him from the cooler. The seconds it took for the beer to travel across the boat deck felt like an hour. My entire body was rigid with adrenaline and the anticipation of timing. We had one shot to get this right.
“Aye Aye, you piece of shit.” Buddy handed the captain his beer.
“Shut the fuck up, Buddy. We’re almost there.” Buddy turned away from the wheel and shuffled a few paces.
