Horizons by Catherine Hart Read Free Book Online Page B

Zach altered his course, steering Roberts toward the bushes. As they passed Kelly, Roberts leered at her. “Yo! Sweet cheeks! You want to come hold it for me?”
    She leveled him a cool look of contempt. “I can see why your wife went man-hunting elsewhere. No doubt, it had something to do with your enchanting attitude, your wonderful manners, and your refined speech.”
    “You don’t know jack shit,” he retorted. He nodded toward Alita. “What about you, princess? The offer’s still open.”
    “In your dreams, hombre.”
    With Roberts secured to the tree, they located enough dry driftwood to start a fire. In the course of their search they discovered a banana palm, and several coconuts which they cracked open on a nearby rock. The milk tasted like nectar to their parched pallets.
    Sufficiently revived, at least temporarily, Zach announced, “I’m going to walk down the beach and see if I can find a road, or a house, or any indication of civilization.” He pointed toward the south. “I’ll go this way. Daniels, you try north. We’ll meet back here. Benson, you watch over the others until we get back. Keep a particularly sharp eye on our prisoner.”
    “Won’t you need light? A torch or something?” Kelly asked.
    Zach looked skyward. “We should be able to see fairly well if we stay out in the open. The clouds have passed over, and there’s supposed to be a full moon tonight.”
    Blair grimaced. “I should have known better than to fly during a full moon. Nothing good ever happens to me during a full moon.”
    “I love a full moon,” Alita intoned with a smirk. “It makes everything so romantico, so much more exciting.”
    “The better to ride your broom, my dear?” Benson inquired mockingly.
    Alita rounded on him. “You shut up, you little wimp!’ She threw the remnants of one shoe at him, narrowly missing his head. “In truth, you are probably just jealous. But I am used to that. Everyone is envious of me.”
    Kelly rolled her eyes. “You’re really going to have to work on that inferiority complex of yours.”
    “I’ll be back as soon as possible,” Zach said with a parting wave. “Hopefully, with help.”
    “And food.”
    “And water.”
    “Wait!” Alita hopped to her feet, flinging her other shoe aside. “I’m coming with you.”
    Zach was already several paces away. “You’d do better g o stay with the others,” he tossed back over his shoulder, not bothering to turn around. “This isn’t an evening stroll. I’m not going to slow my pace for you.”
    “I’ll keep up,” Alita assured him, huffing to catch up.
    “Probably afraid she’ll miss happy hour,” Blair grumbled.
    On hearing this, Roberts called out . “Hey! Send a six- pack back for me!”
    “All they’re gonna send for you is the local constable, or whatever passes for the law around here, to arrest you again. I know I will,” Daniels said as he set off down the beach in the opposite direction.
    “Now, where’s the Ku Klux Klan, when ya really need ’em?” Roberts shot back.
    “Under the sheets?” The words just popped out of Kelly’s mouth before she could help it.
    Roberts glared at her for a moment. Then, to everyone’s surprise, he started to chuckle. Blair joined in. Soon all of them were laughing, except Wynne. After all that had happened to them, the laughter, even intermingled with fear and anger and anguish, felt so good.
     
     
    I t seemed indecent, after such tremendous disaster, that the sunset over the ocean that evening should be so spectacularly beautiful, painting the tropical landscape in bright hues of orange and crimson. The sun, a huge red ball, seemed literally to sink into the sea—and as suddenly as if someone had lowered a curtain on a stage, it was as dark as midnight.
    Fortunately, they had the fire and the fruit, though they had yet to locate any source of fresh water nearby. The baby was fussing again, though she’d been extremely good most of the day. Blair was holding