Savage by Thomas E. Sniegoski Read Free Book Online Page B

Martin had used her foot to keep the door from blowing wide open again and was trying to smoke, but the wind kept pushing the smoke back in her face.
    â€œI’ll be good,” she said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
    Sidney gave her a wave and headed out the other door to say her good-byes to the front-desk staff.
    â€œHeading out for the day,” she told them. “Everything cool?”
    â€œA-okay, captain,” Pam said. “Going anyplace good?” she asked as Sidney placed her back against the door, ready to push her way outside.
    Again she made the face. “Rather be going to a funeral,” she said, opening the door wide as she and Snowy left the building, escorted out by the laughter of Pam and Michelle.
    But in all honesty, she really would have.

CHAPTER NINE
    In a way, Cody Seaton was glad about the coming storm.
    It had little to do with what the damaging high winds, rain, and pounding waves could do to the marina, and everything to do with the amount of work he and his harbormaster father had to do to maintain the safety of the boats still moored there.
    It had everything to do with being distracted.
    Cody moved down the docks. All the boats that could be removed had been yesterday—hauled back to homes or stored in the nearby boatyard. The remaining crafts were too big to move, and although ultimate responsibility for the safety of those boats rested with the owners, Cody still took it upon himself to make sure that they had been properly prepared. As he walked, he checked that all the lines were doubled and that chafing protection was in place where the dock lines passed through the fairleads and chocks or over the sides of the vessels. He checked to be sure that all the boats had ample fenders to protect their hulls when the waters became increasingly choppy.
    Everything was looking pretty good, and he desperately started to go through his mental checklist to find the next thing that he could do to occupy his time.
    To keep from thinking about . . .
    Too late. He’d already opened that door. Before Cody knew it, his mind was racing, bringing him back to that night when his girlfriend did the unthinkable.
    Just the thought of Sidney and what she had done to him filled him with equal parts anger and hurt. She had said that she didn’t want to hurt him, but then turned right around and ripped the heart from his chest and threw it into the harbor.
    She might as well have just shot him in the head.
    Sure, they’d had their problems over the years. Who didn’t? No one’s relationship was 100 percent perfect, but he was at least willing to work on things.
    She had said that she needed a clean break, a fresh start. But what about him? Had she even taken the time to think about what he might want? They had been together for so long, he couldn’t imagine their lives separately, and that just made him feel sick to his stomach.
    The wind was picking up, and rain had started to spatter him and the docks. Cody pulled the hood of his Windbreaker over his head and reached into his back pocket for his phone. He’d promised himself he wasn’t going to do this—constantly checking to see if Sidney had called or texted—but he did anyway. She hadn’t, and it made him feel all the more terrible.
    All he wanted was a chance to explain his side, how he would do anything to be with her. Things didn’t have to change so dramatically just because she was heading off to college. He wanted an opportunity to be a part of that life, for them to experience it together.
    He looked around the marina. His father expected him to take over as harbormaster once his dad retired, but if he had the opportunity to leave the island with Sidney . . .
    His father opened the door of the office at the end of the main dock and motioned for Cody to join him. The young man slipped his phone back into his pocket and jogged over.
    â€œEverything all