was a breath away from showing his fangs.
“I just wanted to say thank you.” The man held up his hands defensively. “I’m sorry.”
Parker cleared his throat. “It’s okay. Everything’s fine. We’re all good. Let’s just get out of this storm.”
He hoped there wasn’t another one brewing.
*
The cove would have to do. Parker had sailed them around to the other side of an island off the main coast, where the rain still pummeled them but at least they were protected from the crashing waves. If his calculations were correct, they’d reached an animal refuge. He couldn’t see any other signs of life, but asked Adam to make sure. Not that they had many options on where else to wait out the storm.
Adam did his Terminator thing, scanning in each direction with a look of intense concentration, then gave Parker a thumbs up. The newcomers huddled in the little seating area beyond the wheel. After dropping anchor and cutting the engine, Bella rocked from side to side. Parker kept his voice even. He had to act normal. The people were probably fine. And if they had something planned, he was ready for them. Not to mention the fact that Adam could shred them in a heartbeat.
“Let’s get below deck,” Parker called. “Wait this thing out.”
The little girl stumbled by the steps, and Parker reached out automatically to take her arm. She looked up at him and then promptly doubled over, puking on his bare feet.
The man surged forward and scooped her up. “Lilly!” To Parker, he added, “Oh God, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. In seas this rough even the saltiest sailors can end up feeding the fishes.” Parker tried to smile at the kid.
Her father froze. “Sleeping with the fishes?”
He raised his voice in the storm’s din. “No, feeding them. Puking over the side.”
The man’s smile was tense. “Ah. Right.”
The visitors hurried into the hatch while Parker climbed down to the dinghy platform and rinsed his feet. When he came back up, Adam waited.
“You okay?” He watched Parker carefully. Too carefully.
Shoving away a burst of irritation, Parker forced a light tone. He wasn’t going to cry over puke for fuck’s sake. “Yeah, of course. What self-respecting college student can’t deal with a little vomit? Not that I’m a college student anymore, since I guess college doesn’t exist. But whatever, it’s fine.”
“No, I mean…” Adam shook his head, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Well, they seem okay to me.”
“Yeah. We’ll see. So far, so good.”
They shuffled down to the saloon, Parker sealing the hatch behind them. The visitors sat in a single row along one padded bench, still wearing their life jackets. Lilly’s was too big, cinched with a belt that had to be her father’s. Adam unzipped his, but Parker shook his head. “We should all keep our jackets on until this is over. You never know.”
Although it was morning, the light coming through the long portholes and the square skylights above the saloon was murky at best. Parker flipped on a lamp, but then thought better of it and switched it off. “Just in case there are any infected on the island. They’re attracted to light.”
The woman nodded. “We discovered that. We were holed up with some other folks in a cabin. It… It was a bad night.”
Eyeing the transparent plastic openings, Parker mused, “We should cover them up at night all the time, actually. Don’t want to attract other people either.” He thought of Shorty and how far light could be seen out on the water.
He sat stiffly on the bench across from their guests, who perched uneasily on the banquette. After standing for a few moments and probably doing another silent werewolf radar sweep, Adam joined him.
Everyone was soaked to the skin in T-shirts and casual clothes, and Parker clenched and unclenched his fingers into fists, trying to get some feeling back. He’d need his hands to be functional if things went south. The gun pressed
“I just wanted to say thank you.” The man held up his hands defensively. “I’m sorry.”
Parker cleared his throat. “It’s okay. Everything’s fine. We’re all good. Let’s just get out of this storm.”
He hoped there wasn’t another one brewing.
*
The cove would have to do. Parker had sailed them around to the other side of an island off the main coast, where the rain still pummeled them but at least they were protected from the crashing waves. If his calculations were correct, they’d reached an animal refuge. He couldn’t see any other signs of life, but asked Adam to make sure. Not that they had many options on where else to wait out the storm.
Adam did his Terminator thing, scanning in each direction with a look of intense concentration, then gave Parker a thumbs up. The newcomers huddled in the little seating area beyond the wheel. After dropping anchor and cutting the engine, Bella rocked from side to side. Parker kept his voice even. He had to act normal. The people were probably fine. And if they had something planned, he was ready for them. Not to mention the fact that Adam could shred them in a heartbeat.
“Let’s get below deck,” Parker called. “Wait this thing out.”
The little girl stumbled by the steps, and Parker reached out automatically to take her arm. She looked up at him and then promptly doubled over, puking on his bare feet.
The man surged forward and scooped her up. “Lilly!” To Parker, he added, “Oh God, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. In seas this rough even the saltiest sailors can end up feeding the fishes.” Parker tried to smile at the kid.
Her father froze. “Sleeping with the fishes?”
He raised his voice in the storm’s din. “No, feeding them. Puking over the side.”
The man’s smile was tense. “Ah. Right.”
The visitors hurried into the hatch while Parker climbed down to the dinghy platform and rinsed his feet. When he came back up, Adam waited.
“You okay?” He watched Parker carefully. Too carefully.
Shoving away a burst of irritation, Parker forced a light tone. He wasn’t going to cry over puke for fuck’s sake. “Yeah, of course. What self-respecting college student can’t deal with a little vomit? Not that I’m a college student anymore, since I guess college doesn’t exist. But whatever, it’s fine.”
“No, I mean…” Adam shook his head, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Well, they seem okay to me.”
“Yeah. We’ll see. So far, so good.”
They shuffled down to the saloon, Parker sealing the hatch behind them. The visitors sat in a single row along one padded bench, still wearing their life jackets. Lilly’s was too big, cinched with a belt that had to be her father’s. Adam unzipped his, but Parker shook his head. “We should all keep our jackets on until this is over. You never know.”
Although it was morning, the light coming through the long portholes and the square skylights above the saloon was murky at best. Parker flipped on a lamp, but then thought better of it and switched it off. “Just in case there are any infected on the island. They’re attracted to light.”
The woman nodded. “We discovered that. We were holed up with some other folks in a cabin. It… It was a bad night.”
Eyeing the transparent plastic openings, Parker mused, “We should cover them up at night all the time, actually. Don’t want to attract other people either.” He thought of Shorty and how far light could be seen out on the water.
He sat stiffly on the bench across from their guests, who perched uneasily on the banquette. After standing for a few moments and probably doing another silent werewolf radar sweep, Adam joined him.
Everyone was soaked to the skin in T-shirts and casual clothes, and Parker clenched and unclenched his fingers into fists, trying to get some feeling back. He’d need his hands to be functional if things went south. The gun pressed
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