Hurricane Fever by Tobias S. Buckell

Author:Tobias S. Buckell [Buckell, Tobias S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781429949286
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates
Published: 2014-07-01T00:00:00+00:00

15

A phone buzzed.

For a split second Roo couldn’t tell where he was. He was alone in the dark, the world shifting and tilting around him.

Sleep had struck him hard, and not stayed nearly long enough.

He blinked. The Spitfire heaved, shuddered down a wave, and struck the trough. Things clattered and fell, bouncing off shelves or knocking around inside cupboards.

The phone buzzed again. Rattling away against varnished wooden rails where it had fetched up.

Roo still clutched the gun in his hand. He faced the door to his locked cabin.

With a deep breath he grabbed the phone. “Yeah?”

Jacinta answered. “It’s getting full shit here, man. Already flooding coming up over Yacht Haven and into the streets through the barriers. How’s Njema treating you?”

Roo unlocked the door and peeked out a larger porthole in the corridor. They were riding fifteen-foot swells. Which explained the beating he’d gotten while sleeping. He’d been tossed all around his bed. He checked the wall clock. Almost time to relieve Kit from sailing.

Kit and he’d taken turns sailing all night, and now for most of the dark, stormy day. He’d let her take a spare room in the starboard hull for when she was off her watch.

With the waves crashing hard against the side of the ship, they had started zigzagging their way toward Aves so they could either sail into or with the swells. If they let the waves come at their sides they would flip the catamaran. Which meant it was going to take longer than he wanted to get to Aves.

“It’s okay,” Roo mumbled, bracing himself against the wall with one hand to keep wedged in place. It was disconcerting to feel the catamaran rocking from side to side, as it was usually so stable. But they were sailing south. The wind and waves coming from the east were large enough to rock the catamaran, though already clocking slightly more northish as trailing arms of the hurricane would be reaching them. That’s why it was still dark out. The sun was lost to them, the sky covered in ominous clouds as if the apocalypse had begun.

“Police scanner says your boat’s up and gone,” Jacinta said. “Where you holing up?”

“I’m not,” Roo said.

“You at sea?” Jacinta was shocked. “Where you headed?”

“Jacinta…” Roo said, rubbing his eyes. “You have something for me or not?”

“You never sent over the heavy metal you promised,” she said. “You know how I feel about broken promises, Roo.”

Shit.

Roo put his back to a wall and used a leg to steady himself. “Delroy’s dead.”

“I know,” Jacinta said. “I’m sorry.”

“I had to go after them,” Roo said.

“With a speargun?”

“Delroy’s dead.” Roo repeated that flatly.

“I’m not a corporation,” Jacinta said. “You don’t get billed by me for my services. You either pay me, or you don’t. I didn’t demand it up front because … you know.”

“Then I will either owe you a favor, or pay you the heavy metal when I’m next in town. You need the favor before I can pay you, I’ll settle up,” Roo said, knowing damn well he was going to pay her before she could call it in.

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