Beyond Beauport by Jim Masciarelli

Author:Jim Masciarelli
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-63393-657-7
Publisher: Koehler Books
Published: 2015-01-17T16:00:00+00:00

Shannon insisted on pulling her own way up from the galley. Near the top, her threadbare bathrobe caught on a hook. She stumbled sideways into the helm station. She grumbled and tossed the robe down into the galley, retied her gray sweatpants and rolled up the sleeves of her son’s Gloucester Fisherman ice hockey team sweatshirt.

She squinted at the late morning sun and sat near Paddy in the U-shaped bench seat. “I need a drink. What the hell happened?”

He handed her a pair of sunglasses. “The bar is closed.”

She noticed fishing rods, tackle, and a white five-gallon bucket sloshing across from her on the deck. Pointing, she gave him a questioning look.

He stepped to the bucket, removed the wet towel, and lifted up the large redfish. “Tonight’s dinner.”

Shannon opened her mouth with a silent wow.

Paddy baited a rig and handed her a rod. Shannon moved slowly, studied the wind, currents, and rocky structures just above the water. She leaned slightly over the rub rail and flicked a cast. She jigged the rod absently with her brows knit.

“I’m fishing for clarity here. Tell me more.”

“I figure you were in that hold for thirty-six hours before the Doc guy got you out of there. He kept you on IVs, sedated you, and he did his best to protect you. When we neared the coast of Matanzas, Cuba, an open boat brought ten Cuban nationals to the Second Wind.”

Shannon blew out her cheeks. “I don’t remember any of that. I do remember Franco threatened my kids. What else happened?”

“We were press-ganged by smugglers who used the Second Wind as a decoy to move illegals and drugs. Mateo squealed like a pig when I interrogated him. Franco was a foreman in the operation. He played it safe staying on the trawler for the switch in cargoes close to US territory. I think he was trying to prove himself to an organized syndicate.”

Shannon scratched over the new bandages. “What else?”

“Stop scratching,” he said. “From the men’s chatter, I gather they have connections beyond South America, the US and Caribbean, to Eastern Europe.”

“That scares me more.”

“Trust me, Shannon. You and your kids will be okay.”

“How can I be sure?”

“We take the threat seriously and get on with living.”

Shannon sighed. “I hate being scared of anything. What can we do?”

“The most important thing is to avoid contact, let things cool down. Franco has more to deal with than chasing down your family. He told me to keep our traps shut on this, or he will retaliate. They did not intend to hurt anyone, and they did set us free. We survived.”

“That’s it?”

Paddy set his chin with a grim smile and put a hand on her shoulder. “Yes, and stay out of it.”

“All right. But I need to see my kids.”

“Okay, let’s take it easy today, get some rest tonight, thoroughly check the Second Wind in the morning, and report to customs in Marathon. When I think you’re ready, we’ll visit Delphina and Grandbaby Paula in North Carolina.”

“You are the best.

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