CHAPTER SEVENTY - THREE

She slipped her goggles up on her head and lit a gas lantern when she entered the cabin, pleased to see that everything had been stowed somewhere and no one was injured.

“Sorry about that. I forgot to warn you that we had to go through the eddies at the mouth. The tide was incoming, and that’s the worse time so I’m afraid it was a little rough.”

“Are we in Columbian waters now?” Urs asked softly in Spanish, his goggles on top of his head too.

“Just. Seb, would you put on your goggles and go up with Neto. You will be staying with the boat later and I’d like you to get the feel of the engines.”

“I’m am fine, Elena,” he said in stumbling Spanish, a little peeved that she would consider him not part of the rescue team.

“I know you are, Frenchie. We are powerless if we lose the boat, would have no way of escaping, so I’d like you and Neto to stay with it, Neto because I know how good he is with weapons and to judge the depths when you come for us and you because with your pilot training I don’t think the boat could be in better hands. Urs and Carlos speak excellent Spanish and David’s isn’t bad if it becomes necessary and they are the strongest swimmers….. remember what Armando said…’keep flexible’.”

Sebastien was a little happier now and went above to join Neto. Elena came over to sit on Urs lap with her arms around his shoulders at the small table. There was a tiny galley and a head behind it, 2 narrow bunks in the curved prow and storage along the opposite wall from the table. The motion of the boat on the calm ocean was gentle, a back to front and side to side roll that wasn’t unpleasant. Thankfully the skies were clear so they wouldn’t have to contend with bad weather…… And possible sea sickness.

“How long before we reach Jurado?” Urs asked, unable to resist nuzzling his head against her chest.

“About three hours the way the sea is running. We have one tricky part where we have to sneak past an island on the land side to avoid a patrol boat that always moors on the ocean side to sleep their shift away, but other than that it should pose no problem.”

David played with the 2 burner stove and got it going to make coffee, quietly took some up to Neto and Seb and came back to sip his at the table and offer to take on the loser of the chess game Urs and Carlos where involved in. Carlos won, handily, though Urs claimed that Elena distracted him and pouted so she took him up on deck to spell Neto and Seb for a while. He watched for lights on the horizon while she kept them on course, both quiet, absorbed in their thoughts.

**

Urs came back and leaned close to Elena to whisper in her ear.

“Faint lights at your 10 o’clock.”

“Warn them…the slightest noise carries over water.”

Urs slipped silently to the transom and hissed lightly against it. The lantern was dimmed instantly and Neto raised the black-out curtain. Urs relayed the message and received a silent nod. He went back to stand beside Elena as she throttled back and swung the prow closer to shore to edge past the small island on the landward side. He could see that she was nervous, shaking a bit so he put his large, warm hand on her waist, squeezing gently and she smiled but kept her eyes on the water ahead of them.

It took a full five minutes to glide silently past the island then another five to get out of range before she opened up again and eased further out, away from the coastline and the rocky shallows she remembered from her other trip.

Elena leaned toward Urs and pulled his head to hers to whisper in his ear.

“We’re an hour out. Seb and Neto should take over now and the rest of us should get used to the dark, keep watch. Ask David to make us a last pot of coffee before he comes up. Bring your own mugs. And Urs… I love you.”

He grinned at her and stole a quick kiss, before going to the cabin.

Soon they were all on deck, posted at intervals to watch for lights or any other boats running dark, sipping on coffee for the caffeine buzz they would all need soon. Seb was at the wheel, following the course Elena had given him, making minute corrections without prompting.

**