Apocalyptic Pirates 5, page 29
For a long moment, the Commissioner just prodded rice around on his plate with his eyebrows beetled together in an intense frown.
We all glanced at each other in trepidation over what might come next.
Sergeant Rodriguez looked the most concerned out of all us. He opened his mouth to say something, but just then, the Commissioner sighed and looked up.
“You’re right.” His voice was strained. “I don’t like to admit it. I hate to think about it. But you’re right.”
“Think of how many people can be healed as a result of the dragons’ arrival, though,” Letty pushed. “Think about how many people will have their lives improved.”
“If they can afford it,” I pointed out.
“Well, yes, that’s the problem.” Letty lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “They’re a fantastic resource, but they’re going to get exploited by whoever can control them.”
“So long as one country holds the monopoly of power, things are going to be exploitative,” I agreed.
“And when that power falls into the wrong hands,” Shannon added.
“It’s complicated,” Ally said with a sigh. “There’s no real good answer to it yet. But things will change. They have to change.”
“I hope you’re right.” The Commissioner raised his glass, and the light from the chandelier hanging over the table made a white star in the decorative cut-glass pattern. “Let us toast to the future, and celebrate our success while we can.”
We all raised our glasses.
“Cheers,” I said and sipped the cool water slowly.
“When will the video go live?” the Commissioner asked.
“I want to wait until we’re out of Panama,” I said. “It’s a dead giveaway to our location if we post it now, so I’ve been trying to only post videos once we’ve left that place behind.”
“A wise plan.” The Commissioner nodded. “I have made arrangements for you to travel to the Port of Panama tomorrow morning where you will board a transport vessel that will take all of you and your yacht across the bay to Coiba Island. The journey will only take a day, so very soon you will be on your way again with your fuel tanks filled and your cupboards replenished.”
“Thank you, Commissioner,” I replied.
“Yes, thank you sir,” Shannon said.
“Thank you, sir,” Dia echoed, and Ally and Letty both nodded.
“No, thank you.” The Commissioner looked around the table. “I cannot overstate what an incredible thing it is that you have done for us. All of Panama owes you a debt of gratitude.”
“Oh, well…” I said with a self-conscious laugh. “There’s not much I can say in response to that.”
“Then don’t,” the Commissioner said with a twinkle in his eye. “Just eat your dinner.”
“Now that I can do,” I chuckled.
After the main course, we were served a choice of custard flan or coconut ice cream. Or, as in Dia’s case, both desserts together in one bowl. And when dinner was over, we retired back to our rooms.
The women and I decided to try and squeeze in one more Pirates of the Caribbean movie before bedtime, so we grabbed all of our quilts and made a nest with them and the sofa cushions on the floor of my room.
But we were all more tired than I think we realized, and before Jack Sparrow came face to face with King George, Ally, Shannon, and Dia were all fast asleep.
Letty and I persevered for a bit longer, but it wasn’t long before both our heads were drooping. I glanced up blearily once to see something happening with a map and a mermaid, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open, and I fell into a deep sleep.
I woke up with the sun streaming in through the curtains.
I yawned, stretched, and then realized that I was still on the floor. The women were cuddled up around me, and I smiled to myself.
It had been nice having my own bed and my own suite, but I would be very happy to get back on the yacht.
After a breakfast of pancakes and coffee with Sergeant Rodriguez and the Commissioner, we all went down to the ground entrance where there was a car waiting for us.
The Sergeant shook my hand with a firm grip.
“Thank you, Drew,” he said, and his intense hazel eyes held mine. “It’s been an honor serving alongside you.”
“Thank you, Sergeant,” I replied as I gripped his hand. “The feeling’s mutual.”
“And you, uh, guys, uh, ladies,” the Sergeant said awkwardly and held out his hand to Ally.
“Oh, come on, Sergeant,” Ally chuckled, and she pulled him into a quick hug.
The Sergeant’s face over Ally’s shoulder was bright red with embarrassment, but he didn’t shy away when the other women hugged him, and by the end of it, he was smiling through his awkward blushes.
I think Shannon would have died from mortification if any of us had tried to hug the Commissioner, and luckily the older man avoided any uncomfortable moments by holding out his hand firmly to all of the women in a way that staved off any other type of goodbye.
“Thank you again, Drew,” he said as he shook my hand. “I hope we meet again someday.”
“Hopefully not in an attempt to avoid international conflict,” I said with a chuckle.
“Hopefully not.” He inclined his head gravely.
The women were climbing into the car, and I followed them and took my place on the leather seat.
The driver started the engine, and we pulled out of the parking lot with the Sergeant waving and the Commissioner standing gravely at attention.
“I’m going to miss that guy,” Ally said with a sigh.
“Who, the Commissioner?” Letty teased.
“Ooh, no, Shannon’s going to get jealous,” Dia giggled.
“Oh, my god,” Shannon groaned.
I chuckled and peered out of the windows. The tinted glass made it difficult to make out much of our surroundings, but I could see that the streets were clear.
I bade a silent farewell to Panama as the car wound through the city’s streets and finally ended at the port where an enormous red, white, and blue transport vessel was waiting for us.
We quickly climbed aboard, and the huge, hulking vessel blew its horn before slowly chugging out of the harbor.
“It’s so nice to be back on a deck,” Ally sighed as we walked up to the railing and saw the wide expanse of Panama Bay opening up in front of us.
The wind whipped her red waves around her face, and she pushed them back with one hand and smiled into the sky.
“Hold on.” Shannon frowned and pointed. “What are those?”
I followed the direction of her finger, and my mouth dropped open.
We’d been in such a hurry to board the transport vessel as quickly and quietly as we could that I hadn’t had enough time to really take in the rest of the activity in the port. But now that we were up here, we had the perfect vantage point to look out over the Bay.
Where there was an entire fleet of Coast Guard ships docked.
There must have been about fifteen or twenty ships there in total. They were weighed down with cages covered in tarpaulins, and I knew that they had to contain live dragons. The ships that didn’t hold cages were full of crates and boxes like the ones we’d seen at the Coast Guard camp in the forest.
“Holy shit,” I breathed.
“This is insane.” Letty’s eyes were wide. “They’ve got all of this activity out in the open. They’re not even trying to hide it.”
“They’re so fucking arrogant, they probably don’t think they need to bother with secrecy way down here,” Shannon spat.
“That could be a good thing,” I noted. “Arrogant means cocky, which means they can make mistakes.”
“Yeah, that’s true,” Shannon acknowledged.
“It’s fucking insane.” Dia shook her head. “I mean, just look at the number of ships down there. And if they’re all carrying eggs and dragons on board…”
“That’s a huge investment for someone,” I stated with grim finality.
The transport vessel was already pulling away from the port and out into open water, and the women turned away from the unpleasant sight before them and went to stand at the other end of the ship.
I stood there for a little longer and watched the fleet of Coast Guard ships getting smaller and smaller behind us. The wind ruffled my hair, and a seagull mewled overhead. It was another beautiful day.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed a familiar number.
“Dad!” Sammy cried.
“Hey, Sammy.” I smiled at the sight of her face even as my heart wrenched with longing for her. “How are you doing, kiddo?”
“Oh, I’m okay, Dad, how are you, though?” Her light-blue eyes were wide and anxious, and she peered at the phone screen to try and get a look at my surroundings. “Where are you? Are you on the yacht? It looks different.”
“No, I’m on a transport vessel,” I told her.
I swung the phone around so she could get a good view of the ship behind me and then of the scenery in front.
“Whoa!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing there?”
“Well…” I began.
“Is that my Drew-boo?” My mom’s face suddenly appeared behind Sam’s shoulder, and then my dad popped up as well.
“Hey, Mom, hey, Dad,” I said with a smile. “How are you guys doing?”
“Never mind that!” my mom exclaimed. “Where are you, Drew?”
“Well…” I began again.
“You know, Sammy and I looked up how long it takes to get through the Panama Canal,” my mom interrupted. “And it doesn’t take that long at all– you can do it in less than a day, but it’s been so long since we heard from you!”
“There was the storm,” Sam pointed out. “It messed up the cell service.”
“Oh, but that was days ago!” my mom protested. “Drew, you should have been out of the Canal by now! What’s taking you so long?”
“Well…” I tried.
“There can hardly be many ships there making the crossing now,” my dad observed with a wise air. “So it’s not like traffic is slowing you down.”
“Oh, Drew-boo, is there danger?” My mom pressed her hands against her mouth. “Are you safe? Are you hurt? Is the yacht okay? Are the girls alright?”
“Guys!” I exclaimed and then laughed. “It’s okay. I’m out of the Canal. I’m on a yacht transport vessel that is taking me, the women, and the yacht around the coastline to Coiba Island.”
“Why don’t you just sail on the yacht?” Sammy’s brow furrowed in a puzzled expression.
“Well…” I blew out my breath and smiled at her. “It’s a long story…”
End of Book 5
End Notes
Thank you for reading Apocalyptic Pirates 5! I’ll start working on the next book as soon as this one hits 100 reviews, so please leave a review right here. Thank you!
Don’t forget about my Patreon! You’ll get advanced audio chapters (for your ears) or written chapters (for your eyes), and nude/sexy versions of my covers (for your… uhhh… well…) I also have an audiobook subscription so you can get 3-4 of my books every month at a discount along with all the other stuff. Check it out here! Or search for my name on Patreon.com.
Amazon doesn’t update readers when an author comes out with a new book unless you follow that author on the store. Make sure you click this link and then click on the follow button. Then Amazon will update you a few weeks after my next book comes out.
If you want to get notified of my books the day that they come out, make sure you follow my Facebook author page and join my Facebook fan group. If you don’t follow me on Amazon or join my Facebook page, you’ll never get alerted that the next book is out.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2023 by Eric Vall
….
Patreon
Don’t forget about my Patreon! You’ll get advanced audio chapters (for your ears) or written chapters (for your eyes), and nude/sexy versions of my covers (for your… uhhh… well…) I also have an audiobook subscription so you can get 3-4 of my books every month at a discount along with all the other stuff. Check it out here! Or search for my name on Patreon.com.
Amazon doesn’t update readers when an author comes out with a new book unless you follow that author on the store. Make sure you click this link and then click on the follow button. Then Amazon will update you a few weeks after my next book comes out.
If you want to get notified of my books the day that they come out, make sure you follow my Facebook author page and join my Facebook fan group. If you don’t follow me on Amazon or join my Facebook page, you’ll never get alerted that the next book is out.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2023 by Eric Vall
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