Chapter 6
Daniel
Off the coast of Corfu, Greece
A month earlier
Daniel had been planning on travelling around Europe for a month before he began on board theNightingalewith the Hartfords. He had been on back-to-back charters for most of the last two years. Since he’d made captain, he was more in demand than ever. He was looking forward to spending more than a day on land.
He was googling ‘best restaurants in Athens’ when the agency called. He considered simply not picking up. He already knew they were going to ask him to do ‘one last job’ – that’s how the job he was currently on had been sold to him.
Eventually he reached for the phone, and Natalie’s mewling voice trickled through the speaker. ‘Daniel, howareyou? Still the best captain in town?’ Daniel was a patient person, but he was also an efficient one and there was something about sycophantic small talk that rubbed him up the wrong way.
‘I’m fine, Natalie. What do you want?’ He immediately felt guilty for his tone, which had sounded more cutting than he’d intended. But Natalie seemed unperturbed, and she did getright to the point. ‘We need you,desperately.’ This last word was breathy and dramatic. ‘We’ve had a bit of a situation on board theLady Thalassaand we need a replacement before they set off for a six-week tour around New Caledonia.’
‘As in, Australasia?’ Daniel was feeling exasperated, but he tried to keep calm. It wasn’t Natalie’s fault, he had to remind himself. ‘I’m around Corfu at the moment. Surely you have someone a little closer to the action?’
There was a long pause. Daniel was sure he could hear the cogs in Natalie’s brain turning, and then he was struck by a pang of guilt. The agency could be unreasonable, sure, but he had been with them since he started, and they’d always got him work; maybe he could show his gratitude with ‘one last favour’.
Natalie sighed. ‘I guess maybe I could try calling Captain Mary out of retirement, although it does seem a shame, just when she seems to have settled into it …’
Natalie had, rightly, concluded that a guilt trip would be the most successful strategy.
Daniel held out. ‘I would’ve liked a little wind-down before I go to the Hartfords, make sure I’m on top form.’
‘Of course, I completely understand, and to be honest I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t think that you could handle it. You are one of our most competent, discreet, professional, hardworking …’
‘Fine, I’ll do it,’ Daniel interjected impatiently. If there was one thing that made him more uncomfortable than a sense he was neglecting his duties, it was flattery. Natalie squealed so energetically that Daniel had to pull the phone away from his ear.
‘AMAZING! We’ll get you on the flight from Athens on the 4th. Is that OK with you?’
Daniel sighed. His month break had just been reduced to forty-eight hours, but he was hoping he’d still get the time to squeeze in a visit to the Acropolis.
‘Yes, that works for me. What’s the job anyway?’
‘It’s a fun one! It’s a mega yacht, which you haven’t done much of, but I’m afraid I can’t give you the name of your employer yet. I have to let him know that you’re up for it and then he’ll call and introduce himself.’
‘Sounds intriguing,’ Daniel said flatly, feeling distinctly un-intrigued. The mega rich always liked to act as though being in their very presence was grounds to make you sign an NDA. He suspected it was probably some paranoid oil guy, or maybe a Middle Eastern prince.
‘And what happened to their old captain?’ It seemed like an innocent enough question, but Natalie’s response unnerved Daniel.
‘Well, I mean I shouldn’t really say …’ she began. He knew full well that she had a weakness for gossiping. ‘But it’s some dodgy stuff, and well, let’s just say they’re in need of amalecaptain now.’
That did not sound good, thought Daniel, regretting having already agreed to take the job. But it was only six weeks, he reasoned.Buckle down, get on with it,and then he could sail off into the sunset with the Hartfords, and finally captain a boat he could call his own. Until then, he’d take the money and the goodwill and keep his head down.
‘Right … OK, that’s all I need to know. Thanks, Natalie. Send over the boat specs and flight info when you can.’ Hehadn’t got to where he was today by asking questions he didn’t want the answers to.
The next day he got the call from Agatha, who explained that ‘her employer’ was looking for someone discreet. Daniel knew the drill:sign the NDA and don’t go posting anything on social media. He always found that request amusing; maybe it made sense to ask that of the Gen Z junior crew, but Daniel was a captain now. Surely they didn’t really think he was in the habit of putting shirtless pictures of himself clasping a bottle of Grey Goose on the internet?
Sometimes he would remember, with a start, that many of the crew were not much younger than him. He supposed that it wasn’t that insane to imagine that a twenty-eight-year-old might want to disseminate a ‘thirst trap’ every now and again, but Daniel had always been an old soul.
When his classmates were getting Facebook for the first time, he was buried in an aviation magazine, or a book about tractors. Anything with an engine had always fascinated him. His interest in boats specifically hadn’t solidified until his later teenage years.
Agatha explained the staffing structure, which seemed a bit excessive for only three permanent guests: Agatha herself, her employer and his daughter.
‘And before I go on, I did just want to confirm that you have understood the terms of your NDA? I saw that your agency returned the form with some amendments …’ Agatha sounded irritated.
But this wasn’t Daniel’s first gig. He was more than happyto commit to not revealing any personal information about his employer in public but the severity of this particular NDA seemed overzealous and he didn’t like making promises he wouldn’t keep.
