Page 8 of Mated to Team Shadow

But the boat engine stuttered, and the vessel jolted us with a lurch and then stilled in the water.

"What the hell. Damon?" said Ryker. "What happened?"

"Don't know."

"I'm on it," said Kane. "Raise the engine hatch."

Damon hit the switch to lift the engine hatch at the stern, and the back seat rose to reveal the engine.

"Yep," I said. "It's an engine."

"Smart ass," muttered Kane.

"What do you think you will do?" said Jeanine. "We're in the middle of the ocean."

"Astute observation," he said. "Check the fuel line, the spark plugs, see if I can find a simple fix."

"We call him Doc," I said, "and not just because he's our medic."

"Yeah," said Kane wriggling his hands with a smile. "I'm the man with the hands."

"Stop jawing and get going," said Ryker. "We need to make tracks."

"Can't you just call the cutter to retrieve us?"

"Sure," said Ryker. "If we want to give Morgan a clue where we are. Why do you think he's such a successful pirate? He has a bunch of ships in these waters searching for easy pickings. They are listening for SOSs, sat phone GPS signals, anything that will give them the ship's location."

Her eyes widened, but she asked a question I did not expect.

"How many ships?"

"Three, we think?"

"Have you been watching them for long?"

"What the hell? What's with the questions? And why were you in Morgan's cabin anyway going through his desk? Who the hell are you?"

"No one," she mumbled. Jeanine put on the hoodie as she stared out over the water. And her scent shifted too, with a subtle note of fear, like she's lying.

Ryker's eyes narrowed with suspicion too.

"Gunner," said Kane. "Make yourself useful and find me some tools. They stowed none by the engine."

I looked in the storage sections under the seats, and Damon went below deck to the tiny sleeping space.

"Nothing there," said Damon.

"I've got nothing," I said. There was a length of rope, a blanket, a flare gun, and a first aid kit, and a bottle of whiskey. But no tools.

"Oh for heaven's sake," huffed Jeanine. She fished in her bra and pulled out a metal nail file. "Try this."

Kane smiled with appreciation as he took the thin piece of metal. "A gal after my heart. You know how to improvise, don't you?"

She crossed her arms and settled back in her seat.

"Anything to get us moving," she said.

"Shut your mouth and work," said Ryker. "And you, Gunner, survey the resources."

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