The First Step, page 21
They pushed off the sailboat and headed down the fairway about ten minutes later, having loaded up the boat with a half dozen life vests, some extra ropes, and some other gear Justin thought they might need.
“What now?” Reed shouted over the growl of the motor as they turned out of the marina onto the river.
“Now we pray that this baby can go faster than that current.” He nodded to the swirling eddies around them. “And,” he added as he veered suddenly to port to avoid a huge tree branch, “we need to make sure we don’t run into any debris.”
Reed understood enough about boats to know that unless you ran faster than the current, you’d lose control. Which might be fine if you were following a river to where it emptied into the ocean, but they needed to cross it.
“So where do we cross?” Reed asked.
“We don’t. We can’t. River’s so high, we won’t be able to fit under the bridge up here. We’ll head past the marine terminal and turn onto the Brunswick River.”
“That’s a long way.” Reed’s heart slammed against his chest. This was crazy dangerous. Since when has that ever stopped you?
“Yep.”
From the boat, the flooding on both sides of the river was more obvious. The low-lying areas were waterlogged, and only the tips of the high grasses were visible on the undeveloped side. On the side of the river they’d left from, water licked at streets and houses. The lights of emergency vehicles flashed from various points of the city, and a lone electric truck worked on the power lines near the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge.
“Tide’s starting to recede.” Justin confirmed Reed’s guess. “In twelve hours, the flooding might be even worse.”
“How can I help?” Reed asked when his nerves stopped screaming that this was insane and he wanted to be anyplace but on this tiny boat.
“I need to pick up some speed, but there’s a lot of debris. The last thing we want to do is wrap the prop on a line from a crab pot. Let me know if you see anything and what direction to turn.”
“Sure.” Reed slowly moved to the center of the boat.
“Hang on. It’s going to get bumpier from here.”
Reed grabbed the handles attached to the sides and steeled himself. Time to let go of being scared and trust Justin. “Ready.”
“Here we go.” Justin gunned the engine and the boat started to plane over the water.
I can do this. I can do this.
“Reed!”
“Yep.” Reed focused on the water. “I see. There’s something on the left, I mean port. Head starboard.” The black thing floating on the surface passed by them about a foot from the boat. It was a steel drum. Fuck. Oh fuck.
“How’s it looking?”
“Head to port. There’s something about two o’clock.”
Justin turned the boat. They bounced over something Reed hadn’t even noticed, and he held his breath. “It’s okay,” Justin said. “You aren’t going to be able to see everything, not with the skies this overcast.”
As if on cue, it started to rain.
They slalomed their way downriver. Reed’s fear dissolved into excitement as they sped past the Port of Wilmington. The docks were empty and dark, although a dozen or so workers cleaned up debris to ready the port to reopen.
“How long will it be before they let another boat into port?” Reed asked.
“Hard to say. It’ll depend on how rough the seas are and how dangerous the river is.”
How could he be so calm in the midst of this insanity? It’s what he does. Reed made a mental note to be sure to write about Justin’s preternatural calm and the kind of personality needed to become a pilot. Nerves of steel.
“Turn to starboard.” A dead fish whizzed by on the current.
“We missed out on sushi,” Justin joked.
“Oy. That’s the worst.”
Justin shifted to better balance the boat. “We’ll be coming around for a turn in a minute. Be sure to hang on tight. I need to take this fast to beat the current. This boat’s stable, but there’s always a risk she’ll capsize.”
Breathe. Just breathe. If Justin turned too soon, they’d probably lose control. Too late, and they’d be headed down the Cape Fear, and with the tide going out so fast, they’d never make it to Belville.
“Is that the Brunswick River?” Reed steadied himself as the river came into sight.
“Yep. Belville’s a few nautical miles up.” Justin gave the boat an extra boost of power. “Here we go.”
The boat turned hard. Even with the extra speed, Reed saw that they were being pushed sideways down the Cape Fear. Breathe. Just breathe.
Justin struggled to keep the boat pointed toward the Brunswick. He worked the boat sideways a bit, then used the extra boost to make a bit more progress around the bend. After several of these small maneuvers, the boat rounded the turn.
“Impressive.”
Justin shrugged. “Most of boating is about patience. And timing.” He suddenly veered right to avoid a tree branch, nearly knocking Reed off the seat and onto the pile of gear near the bow. “You okay?”
“Sorry, I should have been paying attention.”
“It’s okay. There’s a lot going on.” Justin’s smile made Reed feel a lot less like an idiot.
“Head to port.”
“Aye-aye.” Justin easily avoided another crab pot.
Reed grinned back at Justin, then looked forward again. Something big and brown bobbed in the water ten feet ahead. “Port! I mean starboard! Shit. Starboard! Starboard!”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
JUSTIN GLANCED down at Reed, who’d ended up flat on his back in the dinghy with the last course correction. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” Reed pulled himself up to sitting and shook his head. “Guess I need a little help with my nautical terms.”
Justin chuckled. “No worries. The minute you shouted, I saw it too.” Good thing, since the wood telephone pole might have knocked out the propeller.
Justin swerved again to avoid something else floating in the water as they fought their way up the Brunswick. Here, the tide wasn’t as powerful as on the Cape Fear, but that didn’t mean they could let up their focus. Piloting a little boat wasn’t all that different than the big ones—the mechanics were about the same. The only real difference was the speed at which everything happened. Instead of long, well-planned movements, he was forced to make the same decisions at a rapid-fire pace.
Justin glanced at Reed, who pointed out yet another obstacle on the water and smiled back at him. In spite of their slow progress and the way the boat bucked underneath them, Reed kept his cool. Justin had spent enough time working on the water that he could compartmentalize his anxiety in this type of situation, but he was impressed that Reed seemed to be able to do the same.
“Like riding a horse,” Reed joked.
“Yep. When I was a kid, I used to do this for fun.” Justin wiped water from his face. “Now I’m just happy if I don’t get too wet.” He was thankful they’d grabbed two waterproof jackets from the sailboat, along with all the other gear. Even if the rest of their bodies were soaked, they’d be warm enough.
“So what do we do once we have these folks aboard?”
“We can’t make it back upriver.” On a good day, Justin knew enough not to fight the current on the Cape Fear in his more powerful sailboat. The way the river was running, they’d be lucky to maintain their position at full throttle, and that wasn’t an option, especially given the half-empty fuel tank. “There’s a private marina across the Cape Fear a little below where we turned onto the Brunswick. We’ll pull in there.”
“You make it sound easy.”
“It won’t be. And we’ll be slower too, assuming we’re able to locate the people Jim was talking about.” His split-second decision to mount a rescue still felt like the right one, but even with his experience—or perhaps because of it—he knew this wasn’t going to be easy.
“And if we don’t make it there?” Fear crept into Reed’s expression, controlled but still obvious to Justin. He was right to be afraid. Crossing the Cape Fear would be the most dangerous part of the trip.
“We’ll head downriver and try to find somewhere to beach the dinghy where we can walk to safety.” This really wasn’t an option, given most of the shore was flooded, but he hoped it might help reassure Reed.
“We’ll make it.”
A few minutes later Justin spotted something barely sticking out of the water. Shit. “That’s the bridge.” He’d hoped they might be able to climb onto the bridge to reach the houses, but it was almost entirely submerged. “Can you grab the binoculars and see if there’s anyone around those houses on the left?”
“Houses?”
Justin pointed to the dark, angular structures barely visible from the water. Reed’s mouth dropped open as he realized they were seeing the roofs of the houses.
Reed fished around in the dry bag and pulled out the binoculars.
“What do you see?” Justin asked.
“A couple of people on the next row back from the water. Two, maybe three? A dog. They’re standing on a patio. No, not a patio. A deck. A second-story deck.” Reed sounded incredulous.
Crap. That meant the entire first floor of the house was submerged. Good news for getting the boat up to the house, but the rocks used to keep down erosion along the banks of the river were still visible between the boat and the houses. There was no way the boat would survive floating over that, and it was far too heavy to carry.
“I’m going to make a quick pass,” he told Reed. “I’ll need your help finding a place to beach the boat. Someplace with a softer bottom. Once we spot it, I’ll turn the boat around and gun it.”
“Got it.” Reed had clearly been nervous when they’d started out on the water, but with each new challenge, his skills and confidence had grown in leaps and bounds. Taking Reed along hadn’t been the burden Justin expected. Quite the opposite. Having Reed at his side made everything easier.
As they passed the development, the people shouted and waved. Reed waved back and tried to signal that they’d be coming back.
“There’s a flat area about thirty yards upriver.” Reed pointed. “Probably someone’s yard, but it could be a street or a driveway. We could pull the boat over that and use the paddles to reach the house.”
“A yard,” Justin confirmed. “I’ve been over here a few times, and I don’t think the street comes this far toward the water.” He turned the boat around. They picked up speed immediately as the current carried them downriver. “Hang on tight. I’m going to have turn hard again. It’s going to be rough.” He prayed like hell they’d stay upright.
He waited until Reed grabbed the handles, then turned the boat and powered her up at the same time. Water spilled over the bow, soaking them both. Justin was thankful it was relatively warm out, although the water still felt cold.
“You good?” Justin asked.
“I probably should have worn a bathing suit.” Reed grinned.
Justin was happy to laugh about something. “Wetsuit might be better.” The landing spot came into view. “Here we go. Grab the anchor and be ready to jump when I tell you.” He gunned the motor again and the boat sped toward land. At the last moment, he pulled the motor up so it sat at the very top of the water. Even with all their speed, the stern began to turn with the current.
“Ready?” Justin eyed the grassy area. They needed to get a little closer before Reed could safely disembark and pull them the rest of the way in.
“Yes.”
“Jump now!” Justin shouted.
Reed hopped out of the boat. Justin held his breath, hoping the water wasn’t too deep. If he had to, he could still reach Reed to pull him back to the boat. He’d seen too many swift-water rescues go bad. If Reed got swept downriver, they might never catch up with him.
“I’m good.” The water was waist high, but Reed seemed stable enough. After a moment he began to work his way to where the water ended. He slipped and slid over the mud and vegetation, ending up on his hands and knees but finally making it to the patch of grass. He shoved the anchor into the grass and gave Justin a thumbs-up.
Thank goodness. Reed wiped his muddy hands on his shorts as Justin shut off the engine and jumped out of the boat. His bare feet sank in the muddy bottom, making the way difficult. Reed gave him a hand up, and he climbed onto the grass.
“Thanks.”
“Good look for you.” Reed pointed to Justin’s muddy ass.
“Thanks.” He tried to clean off the dirt but only managed to get it all over his legs too. He was going to take a really long shower when they made it back. A long shower with Reed, if he had his way. Something to look forward to.
Together he and Reed pulled the boat onto the grass. “This is going to be a lot harder going the other way,” Reed said.
“Yep.” For the first time since he’d heard Jim mention there were people stranded here, the enormity of what he’d done hit home. He’d never forgive himself if his split-second decision ended up getting Reed hurt.
“I love you, you big idiot.” Reed’s words echoed in Justin’s brain. Justin knew Reed had said them as a joke. So why did remembering make him feel so good? Because you don’t want to be the only one who’s a big sappy fool. Or the only one whose heart hurt when this thing between them ended. Because even if they made it out of this in one piece, Reed would be going home in a few days and life would return to normal. The thought made his chest ache.
He and Reed dragged the boat the rest of the way and set it once again in the water. Justin untied the small foldable paddle, and they climbed aboard. Since the water here was cut off from the river, there was no current to fight, and it only took them a few minutes to make it over to the house, where three people—a little girl who looked all of four years old, a woman Justin guessed was her mother, and an old man who sat on a rickety white plastic chair—waited. A dog barked at Justin and Reed as it patrolled the perimeter of the deck, which was surrounded by water on all but one side.
“Oh, thank goodness,” the woman said, her voice breaking as she burst into tears. “The water keeps comin’ up. We were gonna have to move to the roof if y’all hadn’t come.”
“We’ll get you out of here before that,” Justin said.
The dog barked again. “He’s friendly,” the woman said. “Bless his heart, he’s a little scared, I think.”
“Is there anyone else in the house?” Justin asked. “Or anyone in the neighborhood you know about?”
She shook her head. “All of ’em evacuated. My dad wasn’t feelin’ very good, so we decided to ride the storm out. We done it before, so we figured…. Stupidest thing I ever done.”
“I’m Justin Vance. This is Reed Barfield.” Justin tied the boat onto one of the posts and jumped onto the deck before pulling on the rope to make sure it was secure. He offered Reed a hand up.
The deck vibrated with each step. Justin prayed it would hold until they’d loaded everyone onto the boat.
“I’m Tammy. Tammy Walker.” She pushed her dark hair out of her eyes and offered Justin a timid smile.
“Good to meet you, Tammy.” Justin shifted into professional mode, hoping to reassure her. “We’re going to get you loaded up and take you someplace safe. Can your father walk?”
“I don’t know. He’s usually on oxygen, but we had to leave it in the house. I think this is all too much for him.” Tears streamed over her cheeks. “He can’t walk hardly, and I didn’t know what we’d do. If you hadn’t come….”
“It’s all right.” Justin nodded reassuringly, then bent down so his face was at the same level as the old man’s. “What’s your father’s name?”
“John Calhoun,” Tammy said.
“Sir?” Justin smiled at the man. “Mr. Calhoun, sir, would it be all right if I pick you up?”
John nodded but said nothing.
“Reed,” Justin said, “can you please help Ms. Walker and her daughter into the boat and get them life vests?”
“Sure.”
“Come on, baby. They’re going to take us someplace safe.” Tammy patted her daughter on the head, but she refused to move. “My husband’s in Afghanistan,” she told Reed. “It’s been hard on her with him gone ’n’ all.”
“I’m sure it has, ma’am.” Looks like it’s been hard on her momma too. The years he’d spent in the Navy, he’d been thankful he hadn’t had someone at home worrying about him. But he’d also envied the men and women he served with who had.
“And what’s your name?” Reed kneeled and smiled at the little girl, who’d been hiding behind her mother’s legs. She stared back at him but didn’t answer.
“Melissa, you can talk to him. He’s the good kinda stranger.” Tammy patted Melissa’s head again.
“I don’t bite. Really.” Reed waited patiently as the little girl seemed to size him up.
“I’m gonna be five,” Melissa said proudly.
“Wow. That’s big. Are you going to kindergarten soon?” Reed asked.
She nodded and pointed to the dog. “That’s my dog.”
“Really? What’s his name?”
“Charley.” Melissa looked away, then grinned at him.
Leave it to Reed to charm the kid too. Justin had come to like that about Reed. Sure, sometimes he turned on the charm to get something he wanted, but Justin realized that most of the time Reed was just, well, charming. It came naturally. Suckered you in good.
“We’re going to take Charley along too,” Reed said without hesitation. “Do you think you can help me make sure he stays inside the boat?” Reed pulled a length of rope from his jacket pocket. “We’re going to use this like a leash, okay?”
“Yeah.” Melissa nodded emphatically.
“Think I can pet him?” Reed asked.
“Yeah. He likes that.”
Reed showed the dog his fist, then petted his back as soon as the dog began to wag his tail. “Good boy.” Reed tied the rope to the dog’s collar.
Justin handed Reed a lifejacket. It was a little big for the girl, but it was better than nothing, and it would keep her face out of the water if the boat capsized. Reed winked at Justin and secured the PFD around Melissa’s chest and waist. He grabbed another vest from the boat and gave it to her mother, then helped the old man with his.
