60 |

East of the Azores, Atlantic Ocean

 

Thatcher sat in his cabin, pulling at his hair as he rocked back and forth. Everything was falling apart. Everything he had dreamed of was no more. Fleming had said he heard gunshots, which likely meant Spud and Tark were dead—they couldn’t reach either of their cellphones, and had stopped trying once they realized that perhaps the authorities had them and they could be traced.

And if that were the case, it was likely too late for him and his remaining crew.

He had already posted a message on a private Internet group to the other teams, telling them what was going on, and to go into hiding. Their website and anything else that might incriminate them was being removed, but it would at best delay their capture. They had never hidden who they were—after all, until these past few days, they had never done anything illegal. They were advocates, at worst agitators.

Yet they had crossed a line when this new plan had become possible. And they had done it willingly. They all agreed to the plan unanimously, and were all prepared to be arrested. The publicity surrounding it would have furthered their cause.

But now nothing had been accomplished, and they were all going to jail uselessly. They’d be labeled terrorists, and nobody would pay them any mind.

A gentle knock on his hatch had him wiping the tears that had run unnoticed down his cheeks. “Yeah?”

The door opened and Giselle stepped inside. Her eyes were red, her dark cheeks stained. “Can I come in?”

He nodded. “Yeah, misery loves company.”

She smiled weakly and closed the hatch, joining him on his cot. “What’s going to happen?”

He sighed, leaning against the bulkhead. “We’re going to be arrested and thrown in prison, and no one is going to have even heard our message.”

She pushed back against the wall then leaned on him, resting her head on his shoulder. “This sucks.”

He grunted. “Yeah, that’s the understatement of the year.”

She drew her legs up under her. “I’m going to miss you.”

He put his arm around her and squeezed. “I’m going to miss you too. Something tells me that after today, we’re never going to see each other again.”

She looked up at him. “Surely that can’t be true.”

He shrugged. “Prisons aren’t exactly coed. Maybe we’ll see each other at the trial, but after that…” He sighed. “You know, I always liked you.”

She squirmed closer. “I know.”

He chuckled. “You did?”

“You’re pretty easy to read.”

He frowned. “Oh, well, sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

She patted his leg. “If you had, I would have told you. You know me.”

“Yeah, I guess I do.”

“Why didn’t you ever make a move?”

He grunted. “I guess I was always intimidated by you.”

“Now it’s my turn to be sorry.” She looked up at him, her eyes narrowing. “You know, come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with a woman.”

He smiled slightly at her, staring at her beautiful face. “I’ve only ever had eyes for you.”

Hers widened. “You mean you’ve been single for over seven years because you’ve had a thing for me, and you never acted on it?”

He blushed, turning away. “Yeah, I guess I’ve been a fool.” He felt her hand on his cheek, pulling his face back toward her.

“Yes, you have. All you had to do was ask.”

He stared into her eyes. “You were way out of my league. Still are.”

She smiled at him. “Always underestimating yourself. That’s one of the things I like about you.” She closed her eyes and leaned in, sending his heart pounding. He stared at her, unsure of what to do, then took the plunge.

He kissed her, and his heart raced faster as it grew more passionate, seven years of fantasies and built-up frustrations finally being realized and released. He didn’t care if she loved him like he loved her, all he cared about was that in this moment, they were together, doing what he had always dreamed of doing from the moment she had introduced herself all those years ago.

She pushed him back on the bed and wrapped her leg around him as they lay on their sides, their bodies intertwining until he knew his ultimate fantasy was about to come true. She stared into his eyes, and he smiled.

“I love you.”

She smiled, kissing him hard, but saying nothing. It was too much to ask that she love him back, and it hurt for a moment, maybe even a little longer. She was here to forget her own pain, her own disappointment, and do something nice for him. Perhaps in time, she would love him too, and he could wait.

Yet there was no time to wait.

All they would probably have was this moment. For before the day was out, their lives as they knew them would be over, and he would never see the love of his life again.