Van reached up and opened the door as slowly as he could. Thanks to his diligence to keep his houseboat well-maintained, it didn’t so much as squeak.
His pulse spiked as he took the first step outside, gun in hand, eyes scanning the immediate area for the first sign of a threat. Seeing nothing but the night sky, black waters, and the back deck of his own boat, Van moved slowly until he was fully outside.
A noise came from what sounded like the bow of the boat, and he felt Kam press her palm against his bare back.
“There!” she whispered softly. “Did you hear that?”
Yeah, he sure as hell had.
With no way of knowing for sure what had caused it—or how many potential threats there could be—he didn’t want to risk leaving Kam out here alone while he cleared the other side.
“Stay right behind me,” he told her in a low, hushed voice. From over his shoulder, he saw her head nodding in immediate agreement.
It wasn’t the ideal situation for either of them, but since she clearly didn’t want to wait for him inside…
Van began walking down the starboard side of the deck, his gaze focused on all that he was able to see. Luckily the moon was big and bright, which helped, but there were still too many shadows and places for an attacker to hide for him to consider letting his guard down for even a single second.
With Kam’s hand still resting against his back, the two walked in tandem along the length of the deck. When they got to the boat’s bow, he scanned the area with stealth and ease.
There’s no one there.
The sound came again, and this time, when it did, the boat rocked as if something had just bumped up against its side. Van stumbled to the right, briefly losing his balance before regaining control of his six-six frame.
After making sure Kam was secure in her steps, they continued moving as one until they’d checked the bow and the length of the port. And still, there wasn’t anything or anyone that he could see.
Van led her back to the front of the boat, keeping his weapon up and at the ready, just to be safe. When he was confident there weren’t any intruders on his boat, he opened his mouth to tell her as much when they heard the sound again.
They were standing near the railing just before the slight curve of the bow. And this time, Van didn’t just hear it with his ears…he finally saw the source.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
“It’s a whale,” he grumbled, letting his gun-wielding hand fall back down to his side. With a quick flip of his thumb, he secured the pistol’s safety before looking Kam’s way.
“A what?” Her eyes were as big as saucers.
A reaction he’d expect from someone who grew up where she did.
“A whale,” Van repeated moving closer to the railing near the sound’s most recent origin. He glanced down into the water in time to see the enormous creature as part of its back broke through the shimmering surface. “Looks like a humpback.” He pointed so Kam could see. “See it there?”
She eased her way to the railing, stopping right next to him. When she spotted what he was trying to show her, the woman’s soft gasp of surprise cut through the late-night air.
“Oh, my gosh!” Her excitement was impossible to miss. But then she looked up at him and asked, “Is it dangerous?”
Van gave a quick shake of his head. “Not to us, it’s not. Those guys eat things like krill, shrimp, or plankton.”
“You’re sure?” She clearly wasn’t convinced. “Because it looks to be quite large. Couldn’t it…sink the boat or something?”
He found himself fighting the urge to grin. “Trust me, Kam. There hasn’t been a single attack by a humpback against a human on record.”
“Not ever?”
“Nope. Their throats are too small to swallow a human, so even if they wanted to, they couldn’t.”
She looked back over the railing again, and this time, Kam leaned in for a better look. And for the next several minutes they watched in awe as the gigantic whale continued exploring the area of water right next to where they were anchored.
The impressive mammal grabbed hold of Kam’s attention, and from that point on, she was completely enthralled. While she watched the whale slowly dance beneath the light of the moon, Van found himself unable to tear his eyes away from her.
Her hair was in a slight state of disarray from having woken up not long before. She was dressed in the pink, silky pajamas Cassie had loaned her, and the look on her face was…
