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We called the boat Big Bessa. She was slow and heavy, but solid enough to withstand big swells and the shifting weight of a number of people running from one side to the other in search of whales.
She would have to do.
“That one,” I said and directed Deacon onboard. “Get in the cabin, up there.”
I made short work of untying Bessa from the dock, jumped on the deck, paused long enough to grab a couple spare lifejackets from the port-side storage, and then met Deacon up on the bridge. I threw one at him. “Put this on.”
He stopped palming rainwater out of his eyes long enough to look blankly at me. “But we’re inside the cabin.”
“That lifejacket won’t do you any good if you’re not wearing it,” I said and followed my own example, shrugging the other one on.
Luckily, Deacon didn’t argue. He watched quietly as I started the engine—Bessa usually took a few tries, but for some reason, she started at once. Her engine was a chugging purr as if eager to get out.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Deacon asked.
I flashed a smile over my shoulder at him. “Not really. Just sit over there and look pretty.”
He returned the smile tensely.
I backed Bessa away from the dock, and within a few minutes we were out in the rolling sea.
Deacon was fidgeting, drumming his fingers, and standing up for a few moments to pace around before sitting back down again. He was the type of man who needed something to do. I pointed to a set of binoculars hanging off the wall.
“Scan the water ahead. Chances are, they’ll be low in the water.”
He shot me a look. “Because you think they’ve sunk?”
Probably, I thought. “No, because the swells are very high right now, and our best chance of seeing them is when we’re up high and they’re in a trough between two other swells.” I caught a look at his pinched face and added, “If they have any sense at all, they’ll be wearing lifejackets, too. So, train your eyes to look for anything orange.”
“Got it.” He stood next to me, his binoculars up and scanning.
I didn’t tell him it was way too early to see anything. This was busy work.
After a few minutes, he grunted and said, “It looks like there’s a break in the clouds ahead. Maybe the rain will let off?”
“And the winds will pick up,” I replied, fiddling with the radar that showed the EPIRB signal. Thank goodness that when those things turned on, they tended to broadcast on all frequencies. It wasn’t hard to find what I was looking for—a frantic beeping on the main channel. I made a note of the direction and gunned Big Bessa forward. “Be prepared for a rocky ride. You don’t get seasick, do you?”
I didn’t think he did, but he shook his head anyway, the muscles in his jaw standing out like granite from stress.
Was it because he was incredibly worried for Lauren, or did part of him still love her?
I shook my head, trying to banish that unworthy thought. There were at least two people out there in real trouble. I couldn’t let myself be distracted.
I adjusted the coarse and glanced up from the control in time to see a monster swell loom up in front of us.
“Hang on!” I yelped and hit the throttle, plunging us forward.
It was a huge rogue wave—a monster at least two times the height of its peers. If we had hit it broadside, we would have capsized for sure. As it was, Bessa climbed over the swell, and I had a dizzying thought of mine and Deacon’s hike a few days ago when we ascended the steepest part of Mount Doom.
I threw myself against Deacon, pressing him against the back wall for stability. His strong arms wrapped around me, and we held each other.
Amazingly, Bessa made it up and over without plowing straight through and getting swamped. We landed down the other side with a crash that made the wood groan around us. But we were still in one piece.
“That… wasn’t normal, was it?” Deacon asked, shaky.
I shook my head, drawing back. “Rogue wave, but… uh, keep a look out for those, too.”
The problem was, rogue waves were completely unpredictable.
