his life jacket.
He couldn’t leave a little girl to drown, but…
Shuddering, he flinched as if Shorty was there again, his palm cracking down on Parker’s bare flesh. Shorty or anyone else could be out there, wanting to hurt them. Waiting. Using a kid to do it. It would be a risky trap to set given the storm, but it wasn’t out of the question.
But what if the kid was a prisoner?
He glanced at Adam, who peered anxiously off the starboard side. He’d never know if Bella changed course. Parker could tell him the boat must have sunk, and they could stay safe, just the two of them. It wouldn’t even necessarily be a lie given the ferocity of the growing waves…
In that moment, Parker hated himself possibly more than he ever had in his life, and that was saying something.
“There!” Adam pointed into the swirling gray.
He pushed his horrible thoughts away. He wasn’t going to trust anyone, but he wasn’t going to become a sociopath either. “Take the wheel!”
After cranking the winch and bringing down the sails completely, Parker peered at the dangerously listing boat to starboard. He cursed these people for still having the sails up and luffing wildly, flapping in the howling wind, then shouted for Adam to turn on the engine, giving them as much control as possible as they neared. The boat was smaller—twenty feet long, and it was going to capsize any fucking second.
Scanning the frothing sea, Parker searched for survivors, running through the emergency checklist in his head. There was a flash of orange and blond hair before a wave swallowed it. Muffled shouts echoed dully, and he spotted a man and boy braced on the tilting deck. No sign of a little girl.
“Adam! Cut the engine! There’s someone in the water. Throw them the life ring!” Parker’s frozen fingers barely cooperated, but he finally got the knot around his waist undone. Down in the dinghy, it took three desperate yanks to get enough juice to the outboard motor. It was thirty feet to the crippled boat, and he spit out saltwater, practically blind in the relentless rain but trying to spot anyone else in the waves.
“Parker! Come back!” Adam’s shout was nearly lost in the wind.
Parker ignored him, because if they were going to risk everything to save these people, he was going to save the hell out of them. They were clearly clueless, and if this was a trap, they’d be sorry.
He pulled up alongside, relief flickering through him as he got a good look at the man: tall and slim, African-American. No one from The Good Life. Parker called out, “Uncleat the main and jib!”
The man looked up from a tangle of lines and shouted, “What?” He and the boy were braced on the side of the cabin, the boat tilted and close to capsizing. They were wearing life jackets, at least.
After choking down a surge of irritation that they’d even be at sea, Parker yelled, “Come on! Get in.” The sails flapped violently overhead, the mast leaning out at an unnatural angle.
The man nodded and held the boy’s arm as the kid tried to walk down the sloping deck without tumbling.
“Get on your butt!” Parker shouted.
The boy, a skinny white kid around thirteen, did as instructed and slid the rest of the way before climbing over the railing. He blinked down at Parker from about ten feet up, gripping the rail, his dark hair in his eyes.
“It’s too far!” The boy had one leg over the rail.
“I won’t let you fall!” Parker attempted to sound as reassuring as possible.
“Get in the boat!” A woman’s voice reached them through the roiling thunder of rain, and Parker spotted the blond who’d been in the water now stumbling on Bella ’s deck, Adam at her side. “Jacob! Do it!”
The man was suddenly there, crashing into the railing, taking the impact with his legs. A girl of about eight was wrapped around him. After a suspended moment, Jacob lost his balance, plummeting into the dinghy and bouncing half out. Parker hauled him back and
He couldn’t leave a little girl to drown, but…
Shuddering, he flinched as if Shorty was there again, his palm cracking down on Parker’s bare flesh. Shorty or anyone else could be out there, wanting to hurt them. Waiting. Using a kid to do it. It would be a risky trap to set given the storm, but it wasn’t out of the question.
But what if the kid was a prisoner?
He glanced at Adam, who peered anxiously off the starboard side. He’d never know if Bella changed course. Parker could tell him the boat must have sunk, and they could stay safe, just the two of them. It wouldn’t even necessarily be a lie given the ferocity of the growing waves…
In that moment, Parker hated himself possibly more than he ever had in his life, and that was saying something.
“There!” Adam pointed into the swirling gray.
He pushed his horrible thoughts away. He wasn’t going to trust anyone, but he wasn’t going to become a sociopath either. “Take the wheel!”
After cranking the winch and bringing down the sails completely, Parker peered at the dangerously listing boat to starboard. He cursed these people for still having the sails up and luffing wildly, flapping in the howling wind, then shouted for Adam to turn on the engine, giving them as much control as possible as they neared. The boat was smaller—twenty feet long, and it was going to capsize any fucking second.
Scanning the frothing sea, Parker searched for survivors, running through the emergency checklist in his head. There was a flash of orange and blond hair before a wave swallowed it. Muffled shouts echoed dully, and he spotted a man and boy braced on the tilting deck. No sign of a little girl.
“Adam! Cut the engine! There’s someone in the water. Throw them the life ring!” Parker’s frozen fingers barely cooperated, but he finally got the knot around his waist undone. Down in the dinghy, it took three desperate yanks to get enough juice to the outboard motor. It was thirty feet to the crippled boat, and he spit out saltwater, practically blind in the relentless rain but trying to spot anyone else in the waves.
“Parker! Come back!” Adam’s shout was nearly lost in the wind.
Parker ignored him, because if they were going to risk everything to save these people, he was going to save the hell out of them. They were clearly clueless, and if this was a trap, they’d be sorry.
He pulled up alongside, relief flickering through him as he got a good look at the man: tall and slim, African-American. No one from The Good Life. Parker called out, “Uncleat the main and jib!”
The man looked up from a tangle of lines and shouted, “What?” He and the boy were braced on the side of the cabin, the boat tilted and close to capsizing. They were wearing life jackets, at least.
After choking down a surge of irritation that they’d even be at sea, Parker yelled, “Come on! Get in.” The sails flapped violently overhead, the mast leaning out at an unnatural angle.
The man nodded and held the boy’s arm as the kid tried to walk down the sloping deck without tumbling.
“Get on your butt!” Parker shouted.
The boy, a skinny white kid around thirteen, did as instructed and slid the rest of the way before climbing over the railing. He blinked down at Parker from about ten feet up, gripping the rail, his dark hair in his eyes.
“It’s too far!” The boy had one leg over the rail.
“I won’t let you fall!” Parker attempted to sound as reassuring as possible.
“Get in the boat!” A woman’s voice reached them through the roiling thunder of rain, and Parker spotted the blond who’d been in the water now stumbling on Bella ’s deck, Adam at her side. “Jacob! Do it!”
The man was suddenly there, crashing into the railing, taking the impact with his legs. A girl of about eight was wrapped around him. After a suspended moment, Jacob lost his balance, plummeting into the dinghy and bouncing half out. Parker hauled him back and
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