She’d never experienced anything quite like the sunrise, watching a fiery orb ascend from the abyss to brighten the sky, revealing a gray sea that slowly morphed into an aqua miracle surrounding them. The crossing had been an almost mystical experience for her, alone in the dark with the captain, battling the elements—and it had definitely been a battle. She felt oddly close to him, although she didn’t know him at all.
Why did she feel she’d come to know him on some basic human level?
Yeah, she was definitely tired.
Javi returned from the deck and grabbed the binoculars out of a cubbyhole in the cockpit. Focusing on the sea ahead, he nodded.
“We’re there.”
“You see the marker?” she asked.
“Right where it should be.”
He started the engine. Its grating rumble told her the journey was at an end. Would the noise rouse Joan and Debbie? Doubtful. As Javi predicted, her friends hadn’t reappeared since going below. Cat hoped they’d feel better when they got to dry land.
“Head into the wind,” he instructed. “I’m going to drop the main.”
While she motored up a clearly marked channel, mangroves passing on either side, the captain lashed the sail to the boom and stowed it inside a cover. Next he raised a yellow flag with a Q on it.
“What’s that?” she asked when he’d returned to the cockpit.
“Quarantine flag. We have to fly that until we’re cleared.”
The captain took the wheel and steered them into a crowded harbor full of moored boats of all sizes. Marinas full of megayachts from all over the world lined the shores. Rigging clanged against masts. A strange-sounding siren wailed in the distance. When a giant motor yacht passed them in the channel, its wake rocked the boat so hard Cat was forced to sit down.
North Bimini reminded her of the chaos of the busy World Orchid Conference on opening day.
“So much for a quiet anchorage,” Cat said.
“Yeah, this place has really changed since they built the resort,” Javi said. “It’s expensive to dock these days, but I have a buddy who’ll let us tie up for the time it’ll take to get clearance.”
“How long will that be?”
“You never know.”
He steered Spree into a dock with four or five fuel pumps. After they’d secured the boat, the captain hurried away with a stack of papers they’d worked on last night to present to Bahamas Customs, including their passports and a Maritime Declaration of Health.
She hoped seasickness wouldn’t count against the occupants of Spree.
When Javi disappeared inside the fuel dock’s office, Cat went below to check on Joan and Debbie. They couldn’t leave the boat until the captain returned with official permission. She creaked open the door to her friends’ cabin, and an unpleasant odor washed over her. She hoped they hadn’t been sick in the room, which understandably wasn’t nearly as neat as when they’d departed.
Neither of her friends reacted to her appearance. Lying on her side, Debbie snored loudly, probably thanks to a bottle of sleeping pills on the table next to the bed. On her back, Joan didn’t stir. Likely she’d been able to keep a sedative down, as well. Probably for the best.
Cat considered waking them, but decided to wait until the captain returned with permission to go ashore.
After tidying up the galley—a task impossible in the dark while sailing—she took a quick shower, which wasn’t as cold as she’d feared, and changed into clean clothes. Refreshed but hungry, she prepared a bowl of cereal and went on deck to eat and watch the world sail by. Another siren howled in the distance.
She was comfortable alone—the way she spent most of her time—but hadn’t expected this vacation with two old friends to be so solitary.
* * *
TWO AND A half hours later, with Bahamian clearance in hand, Javi returned to Spree. His time with customs took longer than it should have, but Sunday morning was the worst possible time for quick service. Plus, his bad luck, there’d been a robbery of high-grade pharmaceuticals last night in Nassau, which had put the Royal Bahamas Defence Force on high alert.
Intrigued, he’d tried to learn details, but the authorities weren’t cooperative other than telling him two cops had taken fire.
Not his problem, anyway. He was on a sail charter, and his FBI badge gave him no jurisdiction in the Bahamas. He’d declared his service weapon, which caused additional complications, more time. The authorities had reluctantly allowed him to retain it, but weren’t happy.
As he hurried down the concrete dock toward the boat, he spotted Irish in the cockpit under a huge straw hat wearing white sunglasses. She had a book on her lap, and raised her head when a Jet Ski raced by rocking Spree. Since he’d been gone so long, he thought she might fall asleep, and couldn’t decide whether it was better or worse that she was awake.
If asleep, she couldn’t put up any arguments.
Much to his surprise, she’d been great last night, and he’d enjoyed working with her. It’d been a hell of an exciting sail, reminding him how much he loved Mother Ocean. He’d bet his shield Irish had enjoyed parts of the crossing, too. Not so much her friends. Once they got out of this busy port, maybe the week would flow more smoothly.
Although who knew how charterers would react when things didn’t go their way.
“Javi.”
He halted when his friend Heathbow Smith hailed him.
“I need that space,” Heathbow said. “Sun’s getting high. Customers need my dock to buy fuel.” Sweat dripped off the Bahamian’s face. “I hope you’re planning to leave soon.”
“Soon as I top off the tank, Heath.”
Heathbow grinned, revealing a gold tooth. “Good.”
“Do you know anything about what happened in Nassau?” Javi asked. If anyone knew details it would be Heath. He’d retired from the defense force, and his brother remained on active duty.
Heathbow’s smile disappeared. “Bad business. Two cops shot, one DOA.”
Javi cursed. No wonder customs had been jumpy. A cop killed in the line of duty was an unusual event in the Bahamas.
“Perps stole a boat. They halfway to Jamaica by now,” Heath continued. “Bad weather coming, though. Tough luck for them.”
“Right. Hey, thanks, buddy. I owe you,” Javi told him, shaking his hand.
“That you do.” Heath’s grin reappeared. “I’ll collect another time.”
Irish looked up with a smile when he tugged on Spree’s dock line. She’d evidently showered and changed clothes, now appearing fresh and relaxed. Good for her. He felt grubby and anything but relaxed. He’d traded on his long-standing friendship with Heathbow too long. No telling how many sales the man had missed with Spree blocking one of his fuel pumps.
“All set?” Irish asked as she rose.
He handed her the clearance papers. “I hope your friends didn’t go ashore,” Javi said.
“They’re asleep in their cabin,” she said with a cursory glance at the paperwork. “I’ll wake them now that you’re back.”
“Don’t. We have to gas up and get out of here pronto.”
Her smiled faded. “What? We can’t stay for a while?”
“No. This