Adam swings his flashlight beam toward the sound of Gigi’s panicked confusion.
“I don’t understand,” I say, gripping the doorframe beside me as the boat pitches forward at a sickening angle. “Nojan was so adamant about our safety ... How could this happen?” An image of Courtney emerging from a stowage compartment invades my mind, her long red hair swirling in the wind as she pushes Nojan over the side. A strange tightness coils around my chest as I tell myself that’s impossible.
“Wasn’t he wearing a tether?” Emma asks.
Adam shines his flashlight on Emma. “There weren’t any tether lines in the water. That’s why I came below, hoping he was down here.”
There’s a tremor in his voice. A cold, slithering shiver works its way down my spine.He’s panicked.
“How long has he been missing?” Gigi asks.
Adam runs a hand through his hair. “I’m not sure. I went to bed four hours ago, at the start of Nojan’s watch. The last entry he made in the logbook was right after that, even though we’re supposed to make a log every hour we’re on watch.”
Four hours.My heart sinks, recalling Gigi coughing up water, pale and exhausted, shivering with cold, when we pulled her onto the boat after being in the ocean only ten minutes.
“Shit.” Panic permeates Beth’s voice as she lifts a hand to her forehead. “What the hell are we going to do? We’re going to die out here. Oh my—”
The floor tilts in the opposite direction as it did a moment ago. Beth falls into me, sandwiching me between her and the wall. It feels like we’re inside a washing machine moving up and down, side to side, and front to back, sometimes all at once. Gigi shrieks as Adam stumbles, his flashlight beam illuminating a wave pummeling the window above her head.
“We’re not going to die. We still have Adam,” Gigi says, her voice firm. “He can sail us out of this.”
“Adam?You mean this guy you hired for his looks?” Emma scoffs. “He might be a chef, but he’s no sailor. Beth’s right. We’re in deep shit, and this is all your fault, Gigi.” Emma jabs her finger through the air as Adam’s flashlight beam swings toward Gigi. “You risked all of our lives by bringing us out here with a photogenic male deckhand who doesn’t know the stern from the bow.”
I don’t have to see Emma’s face to know that she’s fuming.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Gigi balks, shooting Adam a blank look.
Adam raises a palm toward Emma. “Right now, everyone needs to stay calm. I know how to sail.”
Despite his attempt to sound confident, there’s a tremor in his tone.
“And I wasn’t hired for my looks,” he adds.
Emma crosses her arms, keeping her gaze fixed on Gigi as the flashlight’s beam illuminates her face. “Whatever the reason, he’s incompetent. We need to get the power back on so we can call for help. Doesn’t this boat have a generator?”
“This is a brand-new boat. It’s not equipped with any extras yet.” Ignoring Emma’s accusations, Adam regains his footing after the boatheels to the other side. “I need to man the helm. But I’m going to need some help. This storm’s getting dangerous. And we’re sailing blind with no lights and no radar.”
“Is there anywhere else the captain could be?” Beth asks. “You checked the bathrooms?”
“Nojan!” Gigi yells.
“Yes, I checked the bathrooms. He’s not here.”
My shoulders relax slightly. If Adam has checked everywhere, that means Courtney can’t be here either. Unless she’s hiding somewhere she knows we won’t look. I shake that last thought from my mind. Courtney’s not here. She died in that forest twenty years ago.
“I’ll help you,” Emma says. “Just let me grab my life jacket.” She disappears into her stateroom for a moment before following Adam toward the companionway door. “I sailed with my grandparents a lot as a kid. And I’m going to check the tether lines again.”
“I’m coming too,” I say, praying we’ll find Nojan asleep on the deck somewhere Adam overlooked. Or maybe Nojan hit his head and is lying unconscious somewhere on the boat.
“Is there another flashlight?” Beth asks.
Adam turns around when he reaches the stairs. “Not that I could find.”
“I’ll get my phone.” Beth turns for our room.
“I want everyone to clip a tether line to their life vest before getting on deck.” Adam turns to Emma before opening the companionway door. “I’ll clip my tether and hand you one to clip on before you come on deck.”
“Wait for us,” I spin around and run smack into Beth as she emerges from our cabin with her phone’s flashlight illuminated.
