Nerd In Shining Armor Part 29

Genevieve almost laughed, but she stopped herself in time. She didn't want these two men to think anything at all was funny about their situation. And it really wasn't, but Jack still made her smile. "Seeing as how you don't know, you'd better let me do the talking. Just go along with whatever yarn I spin, okay?"

The prow of the boat crunched on the sand and the younger guy climbed out.

"I don't know about this," Jack said. "I think-'' "Hi, there," Genevieve said, walking toward the boat.

"Are we glad to see you!"

Chapter 21.

The younger guy, his teeth stained with tobacco juice, leered at Genevieve. "You looked very glad, jumping up and down like that."

She stuck out her hand. "I'm Gina and this is Jeff. What's your name?"

"I'm SI-"

"That ain't important." The older guy climbed from the back of the boat and jumped awkwardly to the sand. With a grunt, he tugged the boat a little farther up on the beach. "We're lookin' for a guy who said we should meet him here. Seen anybody around?"

"Here?" Genevieve pretended to be amazed. "Out in the middle of nowhere?"

"That's right," the older guy said. "He's about my height, brown hair, nice dresser. Real educated type. Easy to talk to."

Uh, oh. Nick charmed them, she thought. "Gee, we haven't seen anybody who looks like that, have we, Jeff?"

"Nope. And we've been all over this little island. n.o.body like that here."

"Well, s.h.i.t." The younger one spit into the sand. "I'll bet he drowned, Merv. I think we're outta luck."

Merv scratched under his beard. "d.a.m.n it all, Slick, I always thought this was a dumb idea. I shouldn't of let you talk me into it. I shoulda known the minute I saw that albatross flying around the boat a while back that this was a huge mistake."

"Maybe not," Genevieve said. "Maybe Jeff and I can keep this from being a wasted trip for you. The thing is we're on our honeymoon, and we took a boat for a little sail. We got way off course, and the boat sank. We're marooned here."

"Is that so?" the younger guy said. "You got any money?"

"Some," Genevieve said. "And we'd be glad to pay you to radio for help. Just one little message, so the Coast Guard or the-"

"Sorry, lady," Merv said. "Our radio's broke."

Genevieve stared at them, unable to believe they'd be stupid enough to come out here with no means of communication. "You must have something."

"Nope."

She felt dizzy with disappointment.

"Then we'll pay you to take us to Kauai," Jack said.

Genevieve spun to face him. "Ja-Jeff, is that a good idea, honey?" She couldn't imagine how they'd get Nick on the boat without causing themselves problems, and if they left him behind, he might die on them.

"It's the only idea, sweetheart."

"But-"

Jack grabbed her arm and steered her away from the two men. "Excuse us for a minute. We need to have a private conversation."

Genevieve leaned in close and lowered her voice. "Are you out of your mind? What about Nick?"

"We send somebody back later," Nick muttered.

"He could die in the meantime!"

"So could we! Listen, we can't let-"

"Uh, folks?" The older guy, the one named Merv, interrupted. "I'm afraid me and Slick can't take you with us."

Jack turned back toward them, his expression intense. "Why not?"

"We, uh, don't have no extra room." His gaze flicked up to the lump that was Nick under the towel.

They know something's going on, Genevieve thought.

"We don't need extra room," Jack said. "listen, we have four hundred dollars. We'll give you that if you'll take us to Kauai."

Merv was already backing toward his boat. "That's okay. We'll tell somebody to come and get you. Yep, we'll surely do that."

"Merv!" Slick said. "If the people want to give us four hundred dollars to take them to Kauai, I say let's-"

"Can't do it, Slick." He started shoving the boat back in the water. "Now help me get this tub afloat."

"Wait!" Jack said. "We'll give you more money after we get there! Name your price! A thousand! Two thousand!"

Slick looked really upset. "Listen, Merv, what's it gonna hurt us to take-"

"Into the boat, lamebrain."

"Can you spare us some food, at least?" Genevieve didn't think they'd get aboard that trawler now unless they used the gun, and she and Jack weren't the type to pull off that sort of maneuver.

"Don't have no extra food, neither." Merv yanked the cord to start the outboard motor.

"Water, then!" Jack shouted above the roar of the engine. "Have some common decency and leave us some bottles of water!"

Merv didn't answer as he headed the boat out toward the anch.o.r.ed trawler.

"d.a.m.n it!" Jack stared at the departing boat. "d.a.m.n it to h.e.l.l!"

"Something spooked them." Genevieve glanced back at Nick under the towel. She could see him moving. Probably Merv had seen that, too, and he didn't want any part of whatever was going on. She couldn't blame him, considering he and Slick were already working on the wrong side of the law and had something to be spooked about. But now she and Jack were in a terrible pickle.

"I thought of going up to get the gun, to see if I could force them to take us," Jack said.

"Me, too, but I decided we weren't the type."

"I should have done it, anyway."

Genevieve turned to him. "No, you shouldn't. Be true to who you are, Jack."

"Even if it means we won't make it?"

"We'll make it." She couldn't think otherwise. "And goodness, you offered them your life savings! What were you thinking? Two thousand dollars, indeed!"

His laugh was hollow. "Are you kidding? It would be worth twenty thousand, or twenty million, if I had it, just to make sure you're safe." He gazed at her, and his throat moved. "G.o.d, I want you to be safe."

The tenderness and longing in his eyes was so strong, so potent, it nearly hypnotized her. She didn't believe any man had ever looked at her like that. She could get hooked on Jack's brand of adoration. But she couldn't expect it to last. He'd forget her when he was able to return to his true love, computers, and she'd be left hanging like a ham in the smokehouse.

"Gen," he said. "Listen, I-"

"Here's your water! Three whole bottles!"

Genevieve turned, and sure enough, Slick was in the boat, a bottle of water in one hand.

"I'll toss it to you!"

Genevieve ran to the surf line just in time to catch the first bottle as it sailed toward her.

"Give it here," Jack said.

She pa.s.sed it off and darted forward to catch a second one. After lobbing it back to Jack, she had to leap in the air for a third. Then she raced toward Jack. "Water! We have water!"

"Yeah." He was grinning.

"We need to go check on Nick. Even if you don't want to, we have to give him some of this water."

"I know. But let's each have one swallow first. We worked d.a.m.n hard for this." Carefully he set down one bottle and twisted the cap off the other.

Genevieve followed suit. "We have water. Thank you, Jack."

Jack smiled at her. "Here's lookin' at you, kid." Then he raised his bottle in her direction.

In that moment she felt something happen to her heart, like it was swelling and might just bust out of her chest like the crick when it flooded its banks. She hoped it wasn't love.

Annabelle could tell that Matt wanted to turn around. He'd warned them that he wanted to save enough daylight to head back to Kauai, and they were pushing that limit now. She sat on a bench seat in the c.o.c.kpit next to Lincoln, who was plugged back into his earphones. Annabelle used the binoculars to scan the ocean.

About two minutes ago she'd noticed an island glimmering on the horizon, almost like a mirage. She wanted to see what was on that island, but they weren't going that far.

Matt had vetoed the idea of anchoring there for the night after he'd looked at his charts. Too many submerged reefs surrounded the island. A sudden storm could push the boat and cause the anchor to drag along the bottom. The coral beds would rip the hull to shreds. Besides, the island wasn't big enough for a plane to land on it.

Standing up, Annabelle brought the island into focus. Imagining Genevieve was on that island was probably only wishful thinking. She wasn't giving up hope, would never give up hope, but any fool could see that the odds were not good out here.

Then she saw a boat coming toward them from the general area of the island. "Matt, should we stop that boat and ask them if they've seen anything?"

"Let me take a look."

Annabelle lifted the strap from around her neck and handed the binoculars to Matt. When their fingers brushed, the warmth of his skin rea.s.sured her. At a time like this, a person needed a human touch.

She had a feeling Matt knew that and would have comforted her even more if he could. He'd probably sent Lincoln after her when she'd lost control a while back. She hadn't liked having Lincoln see her cry, but his firm hug had helped her pull herself together.

Matt handed the binoculars back. "I'm not sure it's a good idea to flag them down, Annabelle. I have a feeling they might be up to something illegal, like fishing in protected areas. I don't know how they'll react to being stopped."

Annabelle trained the binoculars on the boat. "What makes you think they're breaking the law?"

"Their speed, for one thing. I saw them earlier going in the other direction. Either they're not worried about the reefs out here or they know these waters a heck of a lot better than I do. They really move out."

"It's about time for us to turn around and go back, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I know you don't want to, but-"

"I'd feel better about it if we tried to talk to the people on that boat. At least they've been as far as that island."

Matt gazed at the boat as it rapidly closed the distance between them. "Okay, but I'm keeping my distance. They're probably fine, but I'm not taking any chances. Pirates still exist, you know."

"They do?"Annabelle's heart beast faster as she studied the boat through her binoculars. "I don't suppose they fly the skull and crossbones to warn a person about their intentions, either."

"Not if they're smart pirates."

"Pirates?" Lincoln pulled off his earphones and stood next to Annabelle. "You think that boat might have pirates on it?"

"I thought you couldn't hear us with your earphones on," Annabelle said.

"I can't, but I can read your lips." He glanced at the oncoming boat. "I don't think they're pirates."

"I hope not." Her heart quieted after he'd said that, though. She probably counted on Lincoln's intuition more than she should, but he was so often right that it was hard not to rely on it.

Matt slowed the engine and tooted a signal on the boat's horn. At first it seemed that the green and white boat wouldn't answer, but then it tooted back. As the distance closed between the boats, Annabelle sized up the two men through the binoculars. Lincoln had better be right, because they surely looked like pirates to her. All they needed was a patch over one eye and a knife between their teeth.

With the engine on idle, Matt called across the water. "We're looking for three people! My partner, a guy about forty, left Honolulu in a private plane yesterday morning, and now the plane is missing."

"That's too bad!" a guy with a beard yelled out. "You looking for them?"

Annabelle felt relieved that the guy sounded reasonably normal. He hadn't waved a gun and told them to prepare to be boarded, or whatever it was pirates said.

"Yes, we're looking!" Matt shouted across the s.p.a.ce between the boats. "My partner had two people with him, a young woman, light brown hair, pretty, and a tall guy with dark hair and gla.s.ses."

Annabelle had to admit it sounded crazy to be out in the middle of nowhere asking if folks had seen so-and-so, like you were strolling through a friendly neighborhood. But she held her breath and waited for the answer, anyway, even though she didn't expect to hear anything promising.

"Sorry," the guy with the beard called across the s.p.a.ce. "We ain't seen n.o.body." Then he tugged on his ear. "Sorry about that," he said again.