Gale Force

65

Okura waited until he could no longer hear the voices of the men outside. Then he waited longer, until he couldn’t breathe the rank air in the locker for one minute longer. He crawled to the door, listened a moment, and slid the door open to the galley beyond.

Relief. Even the stale galley air was fresh, compared to what he’d been breathing. And nothing moved amid the mess of spilled food and kitchen equipment. The galley was dark. The men were gone.

Okura loosened his grip on his pistol. His fingers ached, he’d been holding the weapon so tight.

He navigated the hazards that littered the galley. Made the bulkhead door and pulled himself up to the long central corridor. Crept down to the stateroom where he’d made his nest. Dropped in, and felt under the bed for the briefcase.

It was there. The men hadn’t taken his money.

The crew was gone. They hadn’t discovered him, and they’d left the briefcase. But Okura knew he would have to be careful while he waited for the salvage team to finish their job. They would be wary now.