Page 58 of No One Aboard
Tia seemed to hesitate, which drove Rylan crazy. He was desperate to regain the ease of their friendship, back when the only secrets they had were from the world, never each other.
“Tell me,” Rylan pressed. He couldn’t sit up, with the cat like a paperweight on his torso, but he tried to round his eyes persuasively.
Tia made a throaty, exasperated sound, and Rylan knew she’d relented.
“I’m going to the chart house. Nico and I found where we’re going, and he’s on watch now, so this is the best time to contact whoever’s nearby and try to get off this ship.”
“Oh.”
“I stashed the paper with the coordinates on it in your raincoat pocket, just so you know.”
Rylan frowned. “Why my coat?”
“Because I want you to be part of this too,” Tia said.
Rylan heard what she didn’t say.Whether you like it or not.
Tia’s jaw popped as she yawned. “So you should come with us. Since you’re already up.”
Rylan wanted to be a part of things, but not if it meant sleuthing behind Francis’s back.
“I don’t know...”
It was Tia’s turn to make her pupils into disks. “Come on,Ry. I’ve been having a really hard time since MJ. It’ll be like when we were little, playing with the ship’s log. Please?”
Shehadbeen having a hard time since MJ’s death. Rylan swallowed. Tia knew exactly how to find an exposed nerve and flick it.
“Fine,” Rylan said at last. He carefully scooped Pirate into his arms as he got up, petting the cat profusely to keep him from slipping away.
He hugged him to his heart and followed Tia out into the hallway and onto the deck. Pirate shifted in his arms, on edge.
Nico waved the twins over from the cockpit, and they took their seats on the cockpit bench.
“Tia drag you into this?” Nico joked, then glanced between them. “You look like you didn’t sleep a wink.”
Pirate wormed out of Rylan’s arms and wove between Nico’s legs. Rylan watched Pirate. If he needed any more confirmation that Nico was trustworthy, it was this.
“We’re good. We need to call in on that radio,” Tia said.
“Probably easier if I go down there myself since neither of you know VHF. Can you take the wheel, Tia?”
Take the wheel? Tia couldn’t steer the ship—she didn’t know how.
“Sure I can.” Tia traded places with Nico, and Rylan stared at her. Since when could his sister helm a sailboat?
Tia turned her face up toward the stars, as if she knew what they said.
Nico put a hand on Rylan’s shoulder, snapping him out of it. “You can help me in the chart house. And I can show you the spot we think they’re taking us to. Francis ordered our heading changed to one hundred and ten. We’re officially off course now.”
Rylan followed Nico to the chart house companionway.Belowdecks, Lila and Francis were asleep. But what if they woke up?
Nico put a finger to his lips and pointed down into the chart house. Rylan looked and froze.
Alejandro was slumped on the counter, snoring. The ship’s log sat by his outstretched hand. What was he doing there? Had he known Tia and Nico planned to look at the log book? No... no, he must have fallen asleep doing navigation work. Or something.
Nico crept into the chart house, apparently unconcerned by his uncle’s presence, though he took care to be quiet as he thumbed through a stack of maps. Rylan stayed rooted to the spot, afraid of making noise if he tried to help or retreat. Nico gestured with his other hand for Rylan to come see a map.
Rylan held his breath and tiptoed closer. Nico pointed.
