Page 99 of Uncharted

I set my bag down and walk up to Penny like nothing’s amiss. But her ears dart back immediately. She knows. “It’s all right, girl.” I’ve got Penny’s life vest behind my back, but she already knows. She hates lots of things, but this vest is top of her list. “Sit down, Penny.”

Penny drops to her haunches and takes a few steps away.

“Do you want to go see Haley?”

Penny cocks her head to the side and then drops down on to all fours. She’s not making this easy for me, but I wrestle her into the vest the way I imagine a toddler has to be wrestled into a snowsuit. A sixty-pound toddler with an attitude and odd haircut. I’ve never been great at cutting her hair, but I’ve had to do it. Otherwise, she’d be looking like a sheep by now.

I pull up the zipper on the back and attach the leash. “Let’s go,” I say as I pick up my backpack. Calvin has the tender ready. It’s not that hard to drop into the water by yourself. Pulling it out, though? That’s a pain in the ass. Dante has two medium containers of canned goods and other things on the dock.

I hop into the tender, and Dante helps Penny. It’s more of a push as she whines. Her amber eyes glare at me. She’s not happy. Dante pulls the ropes and we’re off.

It’s the first time the Rock Candy’s been empty since we left port. Sure, I went to the beach once, but Penny stayed behind. Not that she would have protected the ship. She would most likely have licked the pirates into submission. The waves are rough, and Penny lies on my feet, her head tilting up at me with each wave. Like, why in the hell did I choose to be a captain, anyway? There are moments I wonder whether I should have left her with Jenifer. Then I remember what a horrible, selfish woman Jenifer is and push the thought out.

We pull up onto the beach. There’s no one waiting for us. But then, why would there be? They had no idea we were coming. The WaveRunner’s not in sight. Which is good. I have to scour the tree line to find it covered in palm fronds.

“We’ll come back down and move the tender later,” Calvin says.

“No, let’s move it now.” I lift Penny from the tender, and she freezes. She looks back at me like this must be a dream. Then she levitates, jumping straight up, barking over and over again. “Hold on. Let me get your vest off.” I set my backpack above the tide line in dry sand and wrestle the life vest off her. She glares at me and then shakes, sending the small amount of water on her fur all over me. I glare back and toss her vest in the tender. Calvin’s got the motor. “Let me help you.” It’s at least eighty pounds.

“I’ve got it,” he says.

“I’ll just run up ahead and let Haley?—”

“Fuck, here, take half.” He twists, letting me grab the housing. We walk it up to the WaveRunner. Penny zooms up and down the beach, away from us until I can barely see her behind the big rocks and back. She’s prancing. And damn if it doesn’t make my heart lighter. She needed this.

Calvin and I grab the tender and pull it next to the WaveRunner. Once the palm fronds are spread over it, I turn, but Penny’s not zooming back. “Fuck, where did she go?”

“She followed Dante.” Calvin grabs his bag from next to mine. “Up the path to the treehouse. This way. We’ve been working on camouflaging the path better.”

It hasn’t been that long since I’ve been here. At least, it doesn’t feel like it to me. But if I wasn’t following Dante’s tracks in the sand, it would take me a while to find it. The trail goes into the forest but cuts to the right and then zigs again, creating a blind. We head up the path, and that’s when we hear the commotion.

Chapter43

Liberty Call

Haley

“Pepper?” I call down from the platform. I’m back from my bath at the waterfall with Easton. Things are still swirling in my head. But he was so tender with me, so kind. It’s something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.

Penny howls again, and it’s followed by a long hiss.

“Penny?” How is she here?

Zane and Easton have gone off to the stream to collect water. I’ve been sweeping out the sleeping platform and tightening the rain flaps. Zane’s improved our windows a lot with panels from the back of the Rock Candy that snap into place over the swim platform. They were for letting people fish while staying out of the rain.

Pepper hisses again.

“Pepper?” I head down to the living platform and then down the stairs. Penny barks.

“Hey, Sassy, we’re home.” Dante puts two boxes down in the kitchen area, tucking them out of the way.

Pepper’s back is arched, and she slowly moves backwards as Penny inches forward. I ignore the danger of her scratching and biting me. She might look like a full-grown cat now, but she’s still a kitten to me. I scoop her up. “It’s okay, Pepper. Penny is our friend.”

Penny barks.

“You’re not helping.” I crouch down. I’m not sure if that’s what I should do, but it feels right, letting Pepper see Penny face-to-face.

Pepper lets out a warning growl but curls up in my lap. Penny inches closer and lies down at my feet, her nose dangerously close to my leg and Pepper’s claws. She lets out a long sigh.

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