Gale Force

77

McKenna felt the barrel of the stowaway’s gun in the small of her back, her fear fighting with the realization that this ridiculous, improbable set of circumstances was how she was going to die.

Shot to death in the cargo hold of a shipwreck. In the middle of Nowhere, Alaska. Why? Who knows.

She might have laughed, if she hadn’t been so scared.

The stowaway prodded her down the stairs to the cargo holds. He was silent behind her, his breathing heavy. He didn’t want to shoot her, McKenna could tell, but she figured he’d made up his mind.

The worst part was not knowing why.

“Listen, what is it you want?” she asked him, trying to keep her voice light, conversational. “Why are you here? Whatever you need, I can help you.”

The stowaway didn’t answer.

“This is my ship now,” she said. “It’s worth a heck of a lot of money. Is that what you want?” She laughed. “Let’s make a deal.”

The stowaway laughed, too, but there was no humor in it. “You don’t have enough money to negotiate, I’m afraid.”

“Are you serious? My cut on this ship is thirty million dollars. That isn’t enough for you?”

“No,” the stowaway said. She felt his hand on her arm, firm. “Stop here.”

They’d reached deck eight. The stowaway nudged her toward the bulkhead door, and she caught his meaning and turned the wheel to unlock it. Opened the door, and stepped through. Walked a couple of paces into the first row of cars, the hold lit by a few feeble emergency lights and the beam of her headlamp.

She turned around. Slowly, so she didn’t freak the guy out, though she supposed it didn’t matter. If this guy was going to shoot her, she was going to see it coming.

No Rhodes ever died on her knees.

The stowaway winced as he looked at her. “I’m sorry,” he said, and McKenna knew this was it. And then, just as the stowaway steeled himself to finally pull the trigger, just as McKenna closed her eyes and prayed it would be quick—

Court freaking Harrington poked his head out from the stairwell behind them. “Captain Rhodes? You down here?”

And the stowaway spun at the sound of Harrington’s voice, and then he really did pull the trigger.