Dream Sky by Brett Battles Read Free Book Online Page B

frustration.
    Los Angeles , he thought as he opened his eyes again. There had to be a survival station there.
    If the Gables had gone anywhere, that would be it.
    With renewed purpose, he headed back outside.

6
     
    LIMÓN, COSTA RICA
    2:53 PM CST
     
    A FTER FINDING NOTHING he could useat the port, Robert hopped into the fuel truck and drove through town toward Puerto Moin, the smaller auxiliary port west of the city.
    His route afforded him a view of the sea, and it wasn’t long before he spotted the ferry meandering along just offshore, heading in generally the same direction he was. He increased his speed and quickly outdistanced the boat.
    Puerto Moin was built along a small offshoot of the Caribbean that dead-ended several hundred yards from the sea. The dock took up the entire eastern edge of the miniature bay, allowing ships to pull right up next to the shore.
    Currently, two freighters were moored at the southern edge, each looking as though it had been unloading when work was abandoned. The northern end of the port was empty. Robert raced to that end and stopped very close to the edge before hopping out.
    Dammit , he thought. On at least two occasions in the past, he’d seen a speedboat tied up to the dock, but it wasn’t there now. He looked over at the freighters, thinking one of them might have a smaller vessel on board he could use.
    There, mounted on the wall of the pilothouse of the nearest ship, was a Zodiac. The small rubber craft wasn’t the perfect solution but it appeared to be his only choice.
    He ran over to the ship and up the gangway. As he made his way to the pilothouse, he caught sight of a much smaller dock on the other side of the channel. Lashed to it were three tugboats. He thought they would be too complicated to pilot, but the coast guard skiff moored next to them should be a cinch.
    He raced back to the truck and drove around to the other dock, a plan beginning to form in his mind. It would take more time to execute than he’d have liked, but it would give him the best chance of success. Climbing out of the truck, he looked out toward the open water and saw the ferry continuing its trek up the coast.
    Good , he thought. He had worried the ship had turned out to sea, that he had lost it.
    He hustled down to the skiff and checked the gas tank. It was almost full, but given what he had in mind, he knew it would likely not be enough. He located several spare gas cans in a shed on shore and filled them from the tank on the pickup. Once he’d secured them in the skiff, he checked the craft’s built-in storage containers, looking for something he could use as a weapon. He found bottled water, diving gear, a blanket, and a first-aid kit, but no knife or gun.
    Another check of the sea showed him that the ferry had moved past the point straight out from the port. In a few more minutes, the trees along the western edge of the channel would block it from view.
    He jumped out of the skiff and hurried over to the first tug, where a quick search produced only a long metal pole with a hook on the end. He tossed it into the skiff and moved on to the second tug. Here he had much better luck. First he found a plastic case holding a flare gun and nine ready-to-use flares, and then he hit the mother lode—three identical handguns and two boxes of 9mm ammunition. One of the boxes was half empty, but the other was full.
    He knew he should check to make sure the bullets fit the guns, but he couldn’t afford to waste any more time. He could check once he was underway. He located a canvas bag and stuffed everything inside before hurrying back to the skiff.
    The ferry was out of sight now, but that was okay. They couldn’t have gone far, and he was sure his little boat would travel a lot faster than the big ship could.
    He untied the skiff from the pier and started the engine. The boat was indeed fast, and he was able to zip to the end of the channel in no time and enter the sea.
    He spotted the ferry