Barbara Silkstone - Wendy Darlin 01 - Wendy and the Lost Boys by Barbara Silkstone Read Free Book Online Page B

anemic clang. So much for mustering the troops.
    “Let’s pretend I’m in charge,” said Captain Henry at the helm. He hit some buttons on the control console but nothing happened. The silence was deafening.
    “What the hell?” Hook screamed.
    Captain Henry shook his head and punched the buttons again.
    Tinkerbelle buried her head under my arm. I thought about the helicopter. Maybe Jaxbee would help us get away. I could pay her with my next real estate commission… if I lived long enough. Kit and Roger! Where were they? The chance of them getting caught in crossfire was real.
    “Where’s Jaxbee?” I yelled at Henry.
    “Jax and Dale are putting the mini-sub in dry dock.”
    From my vantage point I saw the crew scramble onto all four decks like mice flushed from a storm drain. Dressed in white Armani shirts and shorts and armed with M14 rifles, some with shotguns, all had handguns holstered on their hips. Would it be less painful to get hit by well-dressed friendly fire? As I cowered, my back against the control panel, I felt Hook at my elbow. He was fully armed, a .40-caliber Glock in his hand and still erect in his bathing trunks.
    “Shouldn’t you see what they want first?” I asked. “Maybe they’re Greenpeace. Have you harpooned any whales lately?”
    Hook shot me an angry look. “Give me Tinkerbelle.”
    I tried to hand him the dog but she growled and bared her teeth.
    “She’ll be safer with me, but I need a gun.” I held her close to my chest.
    “There’s one in your suite in the bottom drawer by the bed.” He turned away and yelled to the captain. “Are they in range of the water cannons? Announce the order for everyone to go to earplugs, give them sixty seconds then activate the LRAD.”
    “Just tried to put it in standby mode and it failed. I can’t activate the LRAD. And the cannons aren’t responding either,” Captain Henry yelled.
    I couldn’t hear the reply or anything else over the din of my thudding feet and beating heart. Roscoe, the Haitian chef, whammed into me as he ran in the direction I’d just come. I hit the deck hard and Tink, still clutched in my arms, barked at the man as viciously as a puffball can. I pushed myself up with my free hand.
    Roscoe held out his hand to help me but I was already up and racing to my suite, which I reached in record time. Tink licked my nose and I started to breathe again. We were safe. From my initial tour of the ship and all its security, I was confident the attackers couldn’t get on board.
    Then it hit me. The swim platform was in the down position this morning when Kit and I were hanging out in the Water Sports Marina. If it was still down, we might as well be handing out refreshments for the attackers.

Chapter Twelve
    I found the gun and slipped on a bright yellow lifejacket. As I hid in my suite with the gun in one hand and the dog in the other, I heard stomping at the stern. That answered the question about the swim platform. Prepare to serve coffee and donuts.
    All hell broke loose with a burst of sonic vibrations painful even down here in my stateroom. Tinkerbelle howled. I felt like the centerpiece in a Quentin Tarantino flick and checked myself for bloodstains.
    Had Henry managed to activate the malfunctioning LRAD and now it was backfiring? I jammed one ear against the side of the bed and covered one ear with my hand. I put my other hand on Tink’s head and pushed her floppy ears into her ear holes with my thumb and middle finger. I joined her howling.
    The suite door flew open and Kit dove in. In my run for cover, I had forgotten about him. His 6’4” gym-toned body was almost naked except for a lavender Speedo and coconut scented tanning oil. He slid to a stop beside me with his fingers in his ears. We stayed in that position until blessed silence engulfed us. The blast had lasted only two minutes, but my head ached and my eyes throbbed.
    Kit looked at my lifejacket/black bikini combo. “You look like a bumble-bee.”
    I