Fathom by L. Standage (spanish books to read .TXT) 📕

so kind and protective of me. I regretted not using my time with them more wisely. Would I ever see any of them again? The thought made me feel a brush of sadness and a desire to cling to the boat like a barnacle.

I dreamed about sitting on a swaying, rocking park bench before I awoke with a start. The galley was dark, the sea and sky black as ink through the portholes. On the other bench across from me, Samantha slept on. Behind me, Walter’s snores came from one of the bunks in the cabin. I frowned and rubbed my stomach. The swaying and rocking hadn’t been a dream. I got up from my bench-bed to look for more medicine. The clock on the microwave showed almost four in the morning.

The bag of dried mango sat on the table, so I took some to nibble on and felt my seasickness subside again. I yawned, fumbled in the dark for the medicine bottle and some water, then stumbled back to bed. As I shifted to lie down, there came the sound of a boat motor. It wasn’t the Imbali. I looked toward the door, now wide awake.

I crept up the steps and opened the door to the deck. Seidon and Cordelia both sat awake, staring at a light in the distance.

“What is it?” I asked as I closed the door behind me.

“Another boat. They’re coming our way,” said Seidon.

“Is it Linnaeus?”

Cordelia shook her head. “I can’t tell for sure.”

“I can let you know when they’re gone if you want to wait inside.” I brought the hood of my sweatshirt over my head and sat in the lounge chair Seidon had been sleeping on. They hurried into the cabin below and shut the door behind them. I shivered from the cold of the ocean all around me. The nameless boat came closer every minute.

Soon I saw someone standing on the deck of the other boat. Her long, dark hair blew in the wind. Her pale hands gripped the chrome railing. I squinted as the boat came closer. Only when it was about thirty feet away could I recognize her.

“Natasha!” I said, relief spilling over me. “I was so worried about you. How did you find us?” I stood and walked to the railing of the Imbali as the boat Natasha rode approached on our side.

“I hired a boat,” she said. “Used a GPS.” Her teeth chattered.

“Here, can you climb over?” I said. She lifted a long ladder with hooks on the end and handed it to me. I hooked it around the railing. She crawled across. I gave her a hand as her feet came onto the deck.

“Your hands are freezing,” I said, reaching for one of the blankets on the lounge chair. “Here. Do you want to come down and get some sleep?”

“Go have Uther warm up some tea for me,” she said. She looked sad. She must have had a terrible time showing up at the marina only to find we had gone without her.

“Why don’t you come below and warm up?”

“I’m fine. Just need some tea.”

“Okay. I’ll be right back.”

She nodded and I hurried into the cabin.

“Who is it, Olivia?” Sam asked as I came down the steps. She and Seidon sat together on her bed.

“It’s Natasha. She hired a boat to bring her out here. She wants some tea, she’s freezing. I’m going to go let the others know she’s here.”

“Oh, don’t wake them up. They’re probably exhausted,” said Sam.

“They’ll want to know Natasha is safe.” I crossed the room and knocked on the door of the cabin. It took a moment, but the door opened and Calder stood there, looking sleepy and disheveled.

“Oh, hey…” I said, a little unprepared to see him. “Could you wake up Eamon and tell him Natasha made it?”

“Natasha?” he said, a confused crease forming between his eyebrows. “She’s here?”

“Yeah, just outside.”

“How’d she get here?”

“Hired a boat. I’m going to heat up some tea for her.” I turned.

“Olivia, wait.” He grabbed my wrist to stop me. “Natasha wants tea?”

“Yeah, she’s cold. She asked for some tea.”

“Natasha doesn’t drink tea. She hates it.”

I shrugged. “Maybe she’s in the mood for some now.”

But Calder, looking more serious than ever, slid past me.

“Stay here.” He walked between Seidon, Cordelia, and Samantha, then went up the steps to the main deck. I ignored his command and followed him.

I wish I had listened.

When the cold of the outside air met my face, I screamed and stumbled sideways as the boat pitched hard to the left. Natasha was still on the boat, but she was no longer alone. Four others surrounded her and more waited on the boat connected to ours. All of them had guns. One of them held Natasha close, a gun pointed at her head. I recognized his lanky hair and missing pinky. Another stood with his weapon aimed at Calder’s chest…and foremost among them stood none other than Doran Q. Linnaeus.

“Well done, my dear,” he said to Natasha. She held her hands balled into trembling fists and as I watched, a tear ran down the side of her cheek. I pulled myself upright and moved as if to join Calder, but Linnaeus raised his own weapon and pointed the barrel at me.

“I wouldn’t move if I were you,” he warned. He came closer, hatred radiating in his eyes. “Olivia, is it? Olivia what?”

I kept quiet.

“I said, Olivia what?” His hand flew before I could react and the back of it smacked across my cheek. My head jerk with the momentum. The pain delayed a second; I fell as a struggle between the others ensued. Then my cheek ignited, throbbing with pain. The bald Englishman and another big guy held Calder back. Both pointed their guns at his face.

I didn’t answer, my gaze moving from Linnaeus to Calder. His jaw clenched in fear as his eyes fixed on me. Linnaeus stood over me. The ocean waves grew. Or maybe it was my