The Girl Beneath the Sea (Underwater Investigation Unit #1)(85)

Jupiter . . . Keep thinking. What else? Why is something buzzing in the back of my mind?

Blue Ocean Marina. It’s near there . . . Why am I remembering that?

Oh snap. Run’s buddy owns the place. They have a lift and a huge warehouse where they store boats. It would be ideal for hiding the Kraken.

I bring the nose of the sub up and breach the surface. The vessel’s belly slams down into the water, and I bump my head into the porthole.

Pain can wait. I take out my phone and check for signal.

One bar.

Good enough.

I dial the only number I can think of.

“Hey! Are you okay? We’re worried sick,” Run answers in a near shout.

“I’m in a stealth submarine off Jupiter Beach. Dad’s aboard Fortune’s Fool and needs help right away before a team of rogue ex-SEALs kills him and George.”

To Run’s credit, he doesn’t miss a beat.

“What can I do to help?”





CHAPTER SIXTY

GUNWALE

Tropical Storm Baker is raining billions of gallons of water into the Everglades and the streets of Jupiter, causing a massive current of water to flow through the inlet and out into the ocean, which makes navigating the Kraken underwater next to impossible.

The surge is so powerful the craft begins to get dragged backward and almost smashes into a seawall until I realize that piloting it close to the surface, limiting the amount of drag, is the only way I’m going to keep it going upstream.

The battery gauges are flashing, warning that the drain is too high and I’m going to be drifting soon. I already tried to start the engine that recharges the batteries but gave up when I couldn’t figure out Winston’s controls.

At the moment, I’m cruising through the inlet, exposed for anyone to see. Thankfully it’s dark out, and no sensible person would be on the water right now.

I bring the Kraken around the next bend, trying to navigate from memory. When the tall metal warehouse for Blue Ocean Marina comes into view, I feel a wave of relief.

A smile spreads across my face when I see Run standing out in the rain by the ramp next to a boat trailer, his black polo shirt drenched and his tan legs poking out from equally soaked shorts.

There’s something about the way he seems immune to the forces of nature that makes me feel at ease.

At first he doesn’t see me, then an expression of bewilderment crosses his face. The Kraken is a strange sight. The best description I can think of is that it resembles a stubby stealth bomber about to sink.

His shock only lasts a second before he grabs a hook from the winch on his boat trailer and wades out into the rushing current.

I aim the Kraken at the ramp and gun the motors, afraid that the current will broadside me and send me downstream with dead batteries.

The craft lurches forward, and Run races to meet the nose. He peers in through the porthole and smiles when he sees my face.

The hook snaps shut, and Run hurries back to the winch to start the motor. My sub swings away from the ramp, then gets yanked back as the trailer pulls me in like a tractor beam.

As soon as it’s on the skids, I pop the loading hatch on the top and slide down the winglet, taking a breath of fresh, albeit humid, air.

“Dad and George?” I ask.

“The radio said a coast guard boat caught up with them. They’re being towed into Palm Beach.” Run stares at the Kraken. “What the hell is this?”

“Narco sub. Right now there’s a few hundred million inside here. We need to get it inside. Fast.”

He shakes his head in disbelief. “Nothing is ever easy with you McPhersons.”

I help him secure the Kraken to the boat trailer. Run hops in and pulls the truck through the open door of the warehouse. I stand to the side, guiding him, because the Kraken is so wide.

Once we’re inside, Run bolts from the truck and presses the button that closes the door to the marina. We both stare out into the storm as it closes, making sure we weren’t observed.

“Kevin sent everyone home,” Run explains, “but the building should survive a category five. In theory.”

Five-story metal racks holding almost a hundred boats line the walls. Most of them are in the twenty-to forty-foot range. A few sixty-footers rest on the floor around us.

An absurdly tall forklift is parked near the office, and a huge overhead crane dangles almost exactly over the Kraken.

Rain is pelting down hard on the metal roof, and the wind howls all around, yet the enormous space feels safe. For the first time in my life, I’m glad to be back on land.

“Mom!” Jackie’s voice echoes across the interior as she comes running toward me from the front office.

Skinny arms embrace me, and I turn to Run with an accusing tone. “Why’d you bring her here?”

“What was I supposed to do? Gunther had to go. I couldn’t leave her with my mother.”

“There are people out to kill me.” I squeeze Jackie’s head into my chest. “They almost did.”

“Tell me what to do,” says Run.

I want to yell, I’ve done all I can! You tell me what to do now. But that’s not how it works. I’m the one with the gun and the badge. It’s my responsibility and my call.

“You did the right thing,” I say. “How are you doing, Fish Face?”

Jackie has a worried look. “Who’s trying to hurt you?”