Bracing for the Storm

by Matt Lincoln

  “No way,” I muttered under my breath. Those were supposed to be seasonal, so what were they doing here?

  “¡Bon día!” I looked up to find a short-statured man in the window. He was wearing a white apron over a white t-shirt. Both of them looked like they’d been whiter once upon a time. He smiled at me and gestured along the window. “What would you like?”

  “Actually, I’d love the pasteles,” I grinned.

  “With rice and beans?” The man nodded to someone behind him in the kitchen, and they busied themselves with my meal.

  “Yes, please!” I pulled out my wallet and paid for the meal.

  I was presented with a flimsy paper plate and cheap plastic utensils, but the food on the plate was everything I remembered from my childhood. I walked over and sat down at the bench out front. This wasn’t just any rice and beans. This was arroz con gandules, rice and pigeon peas, and it looked identical to what my grandmother cooked when I was a little girl. One bite confirmed it, and I was right back at my grandmother’s dining room table, legs swinging as I sat in my chair, mashing up all of the spices in her mortero, her mortar and pestle.

  I fought back tears as I ate my meal. I couldn’t believe I was really here, really eating her food. My father would be thrilled. I looked around at the rainforest surrounding me, and a resounding thought kept echoing through my head: I live here.

  I was grinning so wide that my cheeks hurt by the time I climbed back into my Jeep. My stomach hurt from eating too much, but I had no regrets. I didn’t think anything could top that meal, and I knew I’d be making more trips here in the future just for that. I wasn’t on the road five more minutes when I saw a gap in the greenery up ahead to my right. I slowed down and glanced over to see a breathtaking waterfall. A little further ahead and to my left was a small parking area. I pulled in and hopped out, staring up at the sight as I wandered closer to it.

  The sign said La Coca Falls, and when I got closer, it must have been at least sixty or seventy feet tall. The water cascaded down over the rocks before crashing down onto the boulders at the base. A few people were climbing over the boulders to get closer to the waterfall, taking pictures and looking up at the waterfall in awe. I made a mental note to wear better shoes next time. I noticed a sign marking a trailhead off to the side. It was very warm out, and I wasn’t sure how ambitious I would be to tackle a hike through here in this weather, but I made a note of it anyway, in case I changed my mind later or found someone crazy enough to join me.

  I kept driving through the rainforest, stopping at a few more scenic spots along the way. All in all, it was a gorgeous day and the perfect way to relax and wash away the stresses of my job. The road did eventually wrap around and send me back downhill, allowing me to exit the rainforest the same way I had come in.

  On the way back home, I thought back to my conversation with Jake the day before. Jake had always been good for advice or assistance, and although he had made a great recommendation by getting me out of the house, it didn’t change how I felt about the drug busts. I wanted to feel like I was accomplishing something bigger, and getting out of the house didn’t bring me any closer to an answer.

  I thought back to all the advice Jake had given me through the years. The best advice he had ever given me had been when I was approaching my college graduation. Yeah, I was about to get my degree, but I had no idea what to do next. I confided in Jake that I was thinking of joining the military. I wanted to make a difference in the world. I knew he had plenty of stories to tell with his time so far in the military, and I was looking for his support.

  Jake had joined the Coast Guard right out of high school. He had been a few years ahead of me and hadn’t even had time to throw a graduation party before he was off to boot camp. I had gone to his boot camp graduation in Cape May. He looked great in his new uniform with the brim of his hat pulled low over his eyes. He told me it had been the hardest thing he’d ever done at the time.

  Then, several years in, he had opted to join the Navy SEALS. From what he’d told me, there was a program set up between the branches that allowed Coasties to go through BUD/S training to become a SEAL. I knew that had always been a dream of his, so naturally, he leapt at the opportunity. Sitting next to him as we edged closer to my college graduation, though, he seemed hesitant to support my decision.

  “Your dad would kill me,” he had muttered after I had told him what my plans were.

  “My dad would never kill you,” I responded. I missed my dad, and I knew Jake did, too.

  “I told him I would protect you and keep you safe.” Jake looked at me with sad eyes, but at the time, I was furious.

  “I don’t need your damn protection! I need your support!” I had stormed away, and it took Jake three days to find me again.

  We eventually talked, and I think he realized that there was no talking me out of this, so he told me the Coast Guard would be the best bet. He also encouraged me to become an officer as opposed to going the same route he had gone. I’d get myself into a leadership role quickly, and I’d be able to work myself up through the ranks quicker, as well. I trusted his judgment, so that’s what I had done.

  This was the reason I called him every time I had work-related news to share. He wasn’t just the one person who would understand. He also happened to be my biggest supporter, through every stage of my life.

  When I pulled back into my parking spot below my apartment building, I was no closer to feeling better about this whole drug bust scenario than I was before I had left, but at least I was in better spirits now. The clean, crisp air still sat in my lungs, and for just a few hours, I had forgotten my troubles.

  7

  Jake

  Maria really had found the perfect place for me, although it wasn’t in Aguadilla. Instead, it was a bit further east in a town called Isabela. I had a gorgeous waterfront property with a secure dock tucked below the building. With a little bit of ingenuity, I would be able to beef up the security easily, and Wraith would finally have a new home.

  This worked out for a few reasons, not the least of which was that I wanted to stay relatively close to Linda. I know that Carl asked me to keep her safe, and that was a promise I intended to keep. I also knew Linda was a bit hardheaded, so instead of waiting for her to need me, I figured I’d take a preemptive step by remaining close by. That last phone call from her did nothing to put me at ease about the whole situation.

  On the other hand, setting up a work station here in Puerto Rico meant I was centrally located to where most of my jobs sent me. I could get a call at any time, day or night, and as long as I was here, my response time would be incredibly fast, especially with Wraith in my corner.

  Wraith was a supercavitating stealth boat. Clad all in black, she was insanely fast and was able to avoid most radar systems. She was beautiful, and she was all mine. Since getting out after my time with the SEALs, I had set out on my own missions, some good, some bad. I had a loyal team that I had hand-selected with the utmost scrutiny, and only a couple of people were set up in Wraith’s command center in case of emergency.

  To this date, I had only needed to utilize that once. Ethan Marston and I had run together with the SEALs for a bit, and I trusted that man with my life. Despite that, even he only got limited access to the controls. Yeah, maybe I have trust issues. It had worked, though. Marston had gotten us to safety while Rosa tended to my wounds.

  I had no intention of letting that happen again, not with Marston or anyone else. What I did was dangerous as hell, but after all that we’d seen as SEALs, there was no way I was taking the easy way out. The job had to get done.

  I thought back to the last job that I had taken on. It was a search and rescue mission that I had not anticipated. Every so often, I found myself with some downtime, and inevitably I’d end up on Wraith with the radio on, listening to the communications among the boaters nearby.

  When I heard the distress call that day, I knew that I would be the closest thing to help they would have.<
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  “Help! Help! My boat is taking on water! It’s, it’s fast! I… oh, crap… help!” The panic caught in the man’s throat as his transmission came through, and I went from sunbathing with a beer in my hand to sitting upright and focusing intently.

  No one answered his call at first, and then his voice came back on.

  “Please, someone, help. My son…”

  I shot up to the pilot chair and slammed the button down to communicate. “Sir, what is your location?” I snapped.

  “Uhh… I don’t know. Please help…”

  “Sir, give me your coordinates. I am on the way.” I sat there with my hands hovering over the controls, waiting for some sort of direction.

  “Oh! Here it is…” The man read off his coordinates as I quickly entered them into my navigation systems, and I saw that he was only a few minutes away.

  “Hang on, sir!” I yelled as I closed the hatch and eased the throttle forward, sending Wraith floating through the water in almost complete silence.

  “Please hurry…” The man’s voice was shaking as he spoke now, and I only hoped I would arrive in time.

  I picked up speed quickly as Wraith cut through the clear water, aiming straight for the coordinates the man had read out to me. When I pulled up, the small fishing boat with peeled white and blue paint was sitting far too low in the water, smoke emanating from a source I couldn’t narrow down, and I saw a man in a polo shirt and khaki shorts standing on the main deck with a teenage boy propped up in a seated position against his legs. The boy was in a similar outfit, his eyes were closed, and the water had risen up to his waist as the boat swallowed the surrounding seas. I turned Wraith sideways to drift up alongside the sinking boat and opened the hatch down to just above the water.

  “Sir, I am the one who received your radio transmission,” I quickly announced as I walked back to the open hatch.

  When I looked down, however, I noticed something else. Through one of the portholes, I saw a woman’s face. The water hadn’t hit her compartment yet, and the look of terror on her face was palpable.

  “Who is the woman?” I snapped, looking up at the man before me. His face lost all fear and instead became resolute.

  “None of your business,” he replied angrily. “Just help me with my son.”

  This would have been a great time to have someone here on Wraith for backup, but with no time to spare, I had to go it alone.

  I discreetly felt beneath one of the side panels for the small raised section and pressed the pad of my index finger against it. Upon reading my fingerprint, Wraith completely powered down, leaving access to nothing other than my dive gear.

  “Fine,” I said agreeably. “Let’s get you onboard.” The man hoisted the teenager up from beneath his armpits and brought him up to the edge, and together, we pulled him over to Wraith’s deck. I helped the man over to me and then shifted gears.

  “Turn around and hold out your arms,” I ordered. The man didn’t move.

  “Why?” He regarded me with caution, and I scanned him up and down quickly, taking in as much detail as I could. I noticed his right hand was twitching, and there was a slight bulge on the right side of his waistband. He was wearing shorts and a tank top, so the only place to conceal anything would be around his waist.

  “You’re on my boat now, and I need to ensure my own safety.” I watched his every movement carefully as he laughed.

  “Not a chance,” he quipped. He reached into his waistband with his twitchy right hand, but I was faster. I pulled out my Glock and aimed it straight at him before he could properly undo his holster.

  “I disagree,” I snarked. “I say there’s a great chance you’ll do exactly as I say. If you don’t, you will get shot.”

  “You can’t shoot me,” he taunted. “Not without just cause.”

  “That’d be true if I had anyone to answer to.” I shrugged dramatically. “I don’t, though. Luckily for that woman down there, I am the only one who answered your distress call. So, you can either turn around with your arms up so that I can disarm you for my own damn safety, or I shoot you. Either way, I’m giving you ten seconds to decide. That woman needs help quickly.”

  The man laughed. “I don’t believe you!” He quickly pulled his gun out of the holster and began to raise it in my direction, but since I was already prepared, I pulled the trigger. The crack split the air before the round hit its target, and the man stumbled backward and fell into the water with a heavy splash.

  The unconscious teenager was still sprawled out on my deck. I gave him a quick pat-down before zip-tying him to one of the foldout chairs, and then quickly donned my dive gear before meeting the cool water.

  Swimming through the boat, I quickly found the hatch that led me to the trapped woman. The handle was wedged in place with a two-by-four, and once I shouldered it out of the way, I was able to open the hatch and gain access. Water flooded the compartment, but I saw the woman take one last breath before it overtook her. I wrapped my arm around her waist and guided her quickly to the surface. By the time she was able to take a breath of fresh air, the boat that had kept her captive was completely submerged under the surface. I helped her onto my deck and found that the teenager had regained consciousness. He looked confused as to his surroundings, but I was glad he seemed to be okay.

  I ran the pad of my index finger along the side panel again to wake up the controls before freeing the teenager and offering them both a seat. I quickly took them to shore so that they could seek medical attention.

  On the way, the woman began talking to me, but unfortunately, I could not understand what she was saying. She seemed sad, but she was grateful to see land. I gathered that the man had sunk the boat on purpose and neglected to factor in the porthole that would expose her face to the rescuers, although I never did find out the reason behind it.

  It had definitely been one of my least favorite missions, but I was glad to know that she and the kid were alive and safe. I found myself wondering how many more women like her were out there, and if there was anything more I could do about it.

  For now, though, I simply needed a safe place to keep Wraith secure. Back at my old place, I sat down to complete the paperwork with Maria. I knew the sale would happen very quickly, and meanwhile, I needed to work on the tech for my private dock security. The timing would probably work out perfectly.

  We were sitting at a small bistro table with two chairs pulled up to it out on the balcony adjacent to the dining room. Down below, a sea of palm trees swayed in the breeze, with the water to my right. The water was the perfect shade of blue. I could pick out exactly where the drop was, where the water suddenly got darker.

  Maria looked as flawless as ever this morning, her silky smooth dark hair hanging over one eye and reflecting the sunlight as she flipped through the papers before her. Her pink button-down shirt fit a bit too snugly, and her short black skirt showed much more of her legs than the skirt she had been wearing yesterday. I felt that last night may have had something to do with that.

  “Alright,” she said, her voice soft. “Sign here, and we will be all set.”

  She rotated the last page to face me, and I signed the bottom before handing her pen back to her. She quietly put all the paperwork back in her briefcase and tucked her pen inside the front pocket. When she sat back up, she looked at me expectantly.

  “We’re good,” she said expectantly. “I’ll process these, and that’s it.”

  Her words hung in the air. I knew she was tempting me to respond, and not with words.

  “Thanks,” I replied, standing up. “I have to get going. Let me know once it’s all processed?”

  A look of disappointment flitted across her face. “Umm, yeah… yes. Absolutely.” She smiled up at me and shook my hand. “Call me if you need… anything else.” She looked me up and down once more before turning and walking out.

  I did not want to give her the impression that I was looking for anything long-term. With my work, my trust issues, and, let
’s face it, my commitment issues, I didn’t want to lead anyone on. It was better to leave this all the way it was. One night of fun with zero expectations.

  I was happy with my new pad. It was nice, with an open floor plan that allowed the breeze to flow through even better than this place. The overhang allowed me an unrestricted view of the perfectly blue water, and there was an empty corner that would be perfect to set up my home bar. Once I ironed out the security details, it would truly feel like home. Once Linda was back from her patrol, I hoped to be able to show her. If things went according to plan, I was hoping to be able to move in within the next few weeks.

  Speaking of Linda, her words still echoed in my head every time I slowed down and took a moment to myself. Who was I kidding? It was only a matter of time before I got roped into one of her schemes.

  I walked over to the coffee table and picked up my cell phone. I dialed Xavier’s number. He picked up on the first ring, as usual. Xavier was my version of an IT guy, except he went way beyond the basics. All of the tech aboard the Wraith had been custom designed by him, and all of my security measures were handled by him and him alone. He might be a little odd, but he more than made up for his social awkwardness with his brilliant mind.

  “Yes?” The deep voice on the other end was sharp and quick.

  “Xavier,” I sat down on the armrest of my sofa. “I need your skillset. I’m emailing you some photos of my new dock. I need it fully secured, along with the rest of the building.”

  “I’ll look for it,” Xavier replied briskly. “When do you need this?”

  “In two weeks,” I informed him. “It’s happening quickly.”

  “I’ll contact Rosa. You meeting us here?” My favorite thing about Xavier was his brevity. He was quick and to the point, and never needed details.