Page 185 of At First Catch

Miguel

Power out at marina. West dock taking water. We need hands.

I stand so fast my chair scrapes hard against the floor.

Richard looks up sharply.

“Nolan?”

“I have to go.”

His mouth tightens. “This offer expires soon.”

I shove the proposal folder under one arm.

“Then I guess it’ll have to wait.”

I’m already moving toward the door when my phone buzzes again.

Hadley

Are you okay?

For one second, I stop in the hallway, rain slamming against the windows beside me.

I want to answer honestly.

I want to say no.

I want to tell her I’m scared and cornered and so tired of pretending I know how to keep everything safe.

Instead, another message from Miguel flashes across the top of the screen.

Miguel

Cable’s straining. Hurry.

I type fast. Too fast.

Me

Yeah. Just busy.

The second I send it, I know it’s wrong because it’s exactly the kind of answer that keeps putting distance between us.

I shove the phone into my pocket and run into the storm anyway.

By midnight, I’m soaked through, exhausted, and one snapped dock cable away from losing my mind completely.

Rain crashes sideways across the marina while emergency floodlights cast harsh white reflections over violently shifting black water. Wind tears across Back Bay hard enough to rattle the dock pilings while workers shout over the storm, securing boats and reinforcing the western slips.

Chaos. Absolute chaos. Yet my brain still keeps drifting toward Hadley.

“PIERCE!”

I turn sharply.

Miguel points toward the outer dock where one of the charter boats slams hard against the slip restraints again.