The Tide: Breakwater (Tide Series Book 2) (18 page)

No other Skulls appeared. But as Meredith gazed around, she saw the tattered remains of several crewmen’s uniforms clinging to bloodied bones.

Dom kicked the Skull’s corpse. “This was the goddamned captain.”

Holtz had said the captain was sick—and now it looked as if he’d killed his crew.

“Fuck.” Dom punched a fist against the bulkhead, causing Meredith to jump. He shot her a look. A look she could tell at once wasn’t meant for her, but was rather an unintentional view into his thoughts. She could see the anger, the frustration, and the sorrow over losing Hector.

And she knew why. After all, what had they gained on this mission other than to reaffirm their knowledge that the Skulls were dangerous?

She didn’t envy Dom’s position. It must have felt to him as if the responsibility of saving the world rested on his shoulders. General Kinsey had been reluctant to support further scientific efforts that might thwart the Oni Agent, and the man hadn’t ordered any active rescue efforts, instead choosing to withdraw his forces and reorganize. To what end, they couldn’t be sure.

As the Hunters scoured the pilothouse, Meredith reminded herself she’d been the first to put Dom in this terrible position. She’d sent him to the IBSL and unwittingly mired him in the resulting mess.

She trudged up to Dom. “What now?”

“We get Hector and we get the hell off this ship. We get
everyone
off this ship.” Dom pressed his finger over his earpiece. “
Huntress
, this is Alpha team. Can I get a sitrep on the safe zone efforts?”

“Alpha,
Huntress
.” Chao’s voice rang out over the public comm link line in Meredith’s ear. “We’ve got a potential site to establish a more permanent shelter, and we think we’ve identified targets to help defend the location.”

“Thank God,” Dom said. “I’m going to need you to open comms with your potential reinforcement targets. I need boats on the water to ferry these people off this ship.”

“Copy that, Captain. We’ll do the best we can, but I think we’re going to need the Hunters to do a little work to help our new recruits.”

“And why’s that?”

“They’re currently surrounded by Skulls. But according to our satellite imagery, they seem to be holding out.”

“Kill it with the suspense, Chao,” Dom said. “Who are we talking about?”

“The Academy.”

“The midshipmen at the Annapolis Naval Academy?” Miguel asked. “They’re practically kids.”

“From what I’ve found, the Academy has a modest supply of weapons and ammo they use for firearms practice,” Chao said. “And a lot of it’s outdated. MP5s, some old M11s.”

“So they might not last long,” Dom said. “Hunters, hear that? We’re moving out immediately. Miguel, Andris, grab Hector.” He started toward the door, shouldering his rifle.

“One more thing, Dom. They’ve got boats. Sailboats and yard patrol craft. That small fleet should work for ferrying the passengers.”

“Good to know,” Dom said. “We’re headed your way immediately to resupply. Prep all the intelligence you’ve got, because we’re going to need it for Annapolis.”

Meredith followed Dom into the passageway. The Hunters covered each other, advancing through the bloody, gory remnants of the previous battle. They stepped over the Skulls’ broken bodies and the bones of passengers and crew members whose flesh had been mauled and devoured. Miguel and Andris hoisted Hector between them, and the Hunters retraced their steps until they were on the first deck near where they had entered this tomb of a ship. They made it out of the lower decks without incident.

A wave of relief washed through Meredith. She turned off her NVGs and headed outside into sunlight. That brief respite was quickly replaced by the chaos of the shouting passengers. People wanted answers regarding where they were going, what would happen to them. She saw their faces turning red and their fists shaking in the air. Children crying, adults shouting.

A hand grabbed her arm and she spun. Lauren faced her, hair matted by sweat and her skin sporting a red hue, no doubt a combination of sun and stress.

“What’s going on?” Lauren asked. “Is Hector—”

Meredith nodded. “He’s gone.”

Dom rounded up the Hunters around Lauren’s medical team. “We’re leaving the ship. There’s no way we can guarantee people’s safety inside that shithole. It’s best to leave all the hatches and doors secured and make sure no one, or no
thing
, gets in or out.”

“You’re leaving us?” a middle-aged woman asked. “We’ll die out here.”

Dom whipped around to face her. “The best thing we can do for you is leave.” He cupped his hands together and yelled at the passengers. “I need quiet. Quiet!”

Their voices only carried higher and louder, crashing like waves against rock. Meredith waited for him to fire his gun into the air to silence the crowd. But Dom did no such thing. Even fueled by rage against the Skulls and pity for his fallen Hunter, he maintained a relatively cool head. “Hunters, med team, back to the Zodiacs!”

“And leave these people?” Lauren asked, closing up her medical kit.

“I’m not losing anyone to a mob of civilians. We’ll be back with help, whether they believe it or not.”

The medical team hopped into the Zodiacs first. Dom helped keep back the passengers threatening to trample each other and force themselves on the small craft. The other Hunters boarded the Zodiacs. Meredith moved to follow Renee down the ladder when someone squeezed her shoulder. She looked up to see Holtz, the ship’s steward.

“The captain’s dead, isn’t he?”

Meredith nodded.

Holtz’s brow creased in wrinkles. “You can’t leave us stranded.”

“We’ll be back. But there’s nothing we can do now.”

Holtz turned away. “I hope to God you aren’t lying.”

Meredith knew there was nothing she could say to convince him otherwise. “Take care of these people, and we’ll make good on our word.”

Meredith descended the ladder. Dom jumped into the Zodiac. “Go, go, go!”

The crowd pressed against the gunwale, almost spilling over into the bay. The nimble Zodiacs raced into the open water to the
Huntress
. People yelled as they were trampled by their fellow passengers. There was nothing Meredith could do to help them except pray that they really would be able to liberate the Academy and come back to save these desperate souls. So desperate for escape, for deliverance, that they’d fight among themselves and stampede over each other to get off the cruise ship.

Since the Oni Agent outbreak, Meredith had quickly learned how dangerous Skulls could be. But she’d neglected to consider the danger that even healthy humans now posed. She turned away from the ship as it became an indistinguishable white blob on the horizon.

Dom had wrapped an arm around Hector to ensure he didn’t fall over the side of the craft as it bounced over rolling waves. Meredith sidled up next to him. She kept one hand on the gunwale and placed the other on his shoulder in a reassuring gesture. She expected him to shrug her off, to hide behind a wall of stoic determination.

But instead he reached up and placed one gloved hand over hers. He left it there, and in that moment Meredith realized something. As the world went to hell, as humanity devoured itself—literally and figuratively—there was no one’s team she’d rather be on than Dom’s. A formidable and compassionate leader, a daring and intelligent captain, a dependable and selfless friend. She knew he’d do anything in his power to help his family, his friends, and his crew. And now Meredith knew that she’d follow him to the ends of the earth, to hell itself and back, if that was where he needed her to go.

––––––––

D
om entered the medical bay with Meredith at his heels. She hadn’t left him since they’d gotten off the Zodiacs, but he found he didn’t mind. Her presence gave him stability and comfort. He wasn’t used to those feelings, bouncing from mission to mission, never knowing what covert op he faced next. The threat of the Skulls, the constant disorientation of a world turned upside down and an enemy that could hardly be considered human, had made his job of being the steadfast captain of the ship harder. But Meredith made that burden a little easier to bear.

“Dad!” Sadie said, jumping off a patient bed. She sprinted to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Maggie pressed her furry body against his legs and whined. Her tail thrashed all the while.

He saw Kara awake and alert. Fresh bandages covered most of the left side of her face. His mind was at once overwhelmed by a combination of intense joy to see her alive intermingled with a father’s pain of seeing her bedridden and injured. He locked his gaze on her uncovered eye, expecting her to be equally relieved at his return. Instead, he was met with a stare colder than Medusa’s.

“You can’t just leave us without telling us what’s going on,” Kara said.

He was taken aback by his daughter’s annoyance. “Glad to see you’re doing better.” He stepped forward and took her hand. “You were completely out of it when I left. I’m sorry.”

“So do you have some time now to talk? Maybe fill me in on where you’ve been for the past couple of decades? Catch me up on your life outside of Frederick?”

Dom turned away for a moment. Meredith was speaking with Sadie and scratching Maggie’s head. “I would,” he said, “but I just came to check on you. I’ve got to get moving again. Another mission to prepare for.”

“I guess the end of the world waits for no one, right? But at least this time you were nice enough to make sure I knew you were leaving.” The steel in her gaze vanished, replaced by a younger version of Kara, the one Dom had tucked in at night and assured no monsters lay in wait for her in the closet. And here came the veiled emotions, the ones Kara tried to hide with a toughened exterior—not so different from him, really. “Come back soon, okay?”

“I promise.” But Dom’s thoughts turned back to Hector. Lost in what should’ve been a relatively straightforward mission. He had no delusions that this mission would be any easier.

Meredith placed a hand on Dom’s shoulder. “I’ll make sure he gets his ass back aboard this ship.”

Kara smiled and looked up at Meredith. “I’ve seen her in action. I trust her.”

Dom squeezed Kara’s hand. She wrapped her thin fingers around his. “I won’t fail you or your sister.”

“Or Maggie,” Sadie added, forcing a slight grin as she ruffled the dog’s ears.

“Or Maggie.” Dom stood straight again and let go of Kara’s hand. He hated feeling her fingers slip from his. But there were lives—so many lives—depending on him and the Hunters. “I’ll be back soon. Love you both.”

“Love you, too,” Sadie and Kara echoed.

“I mean what I said, Dom,” Meredith said. “I’m making sure you get back to your daughters if it’s the last thing I do.”

“I appreciate it.” And he did. But he steeled himself for what he knew was the right thing to say, the right thing to do in a position with his responsibilities. “But remember, the mission’s got to come first. There’s a whole ship full of people and who knows how many survivors in Annapolis depending on our success.”

Meredith looked like she was about to protest but nodded instead. She narrowed her eyes slightly and scrunched her brow. It was the look she’d given him a thousand times, dating back to the days they’d worked in the CIA together. It meant:
You can trust me.
And he knew he could.

Dom placed his hand on the door to the electronics workshop. He paused before opening it. His thoughts turned to Hector. Another man gone, another Hunter killed by the Skulls. And his crew wouldn’t even have time to mourn before he shipped them off on their next mission. He prayed they wouldn’t lose anyone else before they saw the end of this nightmare.

“Something up?” Meredith asked.

“You don’t need to go to Annapolis.”

“I’m not sitting on the sidelines.”

“Things are only going to get more dangerous,” Dom said. “When was the last time you were really out in the field?”

“I can handle myself just fine.” Meredith glared for a second, and then her expression turned questioning. “What’s this really about, Dom?”

Dom let out a deep exhalation and wrapped a hand around Meredith’s. “I don’t want to be responsible for you getting hurt out there.” He shook his head, finding it hard to find the right words. “I couldn’t bear that.”

“You won’t be responsible. I’m volunteering for this of my own free will.” She shook her head, her long red hair flowing over her shoulders. “If I would’ve taken my discovery of the IBSL straight to the top of the CIA rather than doing my own investigation...Dom, I’ve got to do this.” She jabbed a finger at his chest. “And you aren’t responsible for my choices.”

Dom gritted his teeth. She wasn’t understanding what he was trying to say. Hell, he didn’t quite understand it. He looked down the passageway to make sure it was still empty. “Meredith, it’s just...I don’t want to lose you.”

Meredith looked up at him, and her eyes softened. “Dom...”

He let go of her and pushed open the door to the workshop. He’d already said too much, and they didn’t have time to untangle the complexities of their relationship in the bowels of a covert-ops ship. It was time for work. For action. He and Meredith joined Thomas, Miguel, and Renee at a table. Chao and Samantha sat on the other side.

“What do you have for me, Chao?” Dom asked as he settled into a seat next to Meredith. He felt her hot gaze leave him. She too must know their emotions had to wait. They’d figure things out later.

If there was a later.

Dom watched the comm specialist run his finger along a touchpad. The glass tabletop lit up and projected a map of the Chesapeake Bay. Chao pinched his fingers on the pad, and the map zoomed in on a large island between Annapolis and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. “Kent Island. Largest island in the Chesapeake. Connected to the mainland via US 50.”

“So this is your proposed safe haven?” Dom asked. “An island seems like a good idea in practice, and Kent Island might be big enough for evacuating nearby survivors. But even assuming the Skulls can’t swim well, what’s to stop them from following US 50? We’ll need to take out the bridge to truly isolate the place.”