Page 41 of Corrupted Lies

Couldn’t even allow himself to go down that path for fear he might not be able to come back.

Another nod and she was off, hurrying back below deck. If they had to jump, dressed in nothing but the tiny sleep shorts and tank top she was wearing, she wasn't going to last long in the cold water. Too bad they didn't have proper wetsuits on board, those would help keep them warm in the water and not impede their ability to swim.

With no time to worry about that right now, Jake turned his attention to the boat. If he could find out what they’d done then maybe there was a way to fix it or at least minimize damage.

First things first.

What he should have done before allowing Alannah’s panic and his own to take hold was get out a distress signal. He could use the radio to let the coast guard know they needed help, then he’d use the satellite phone to call his brothers.

As he was reaching for the radio, the yacht gave another violent shudder.

Whatever was wrong was getting worse. This time the shudder was enough to send him to his knees, his hip crashing painfully into the side of the controls as he went down.

The pain registered only briefly as he snatched up the radio and shoved back to his feet.

Silence met him as he flicked the switch.

Nothing to indicate it was working.

Damn.

Had whatever these people done to the boat taken out the radio system so they wouldn't be able to call for help?

“Jake?” Alannah’s scared voice called out to him as her head appeared at the top of the stairs. “Are you okay?”

“Fine. You?”

“Yeah, okay.” There was a slight wobble to her voice, and he wasn't sure if it was because she was just afraid or if she’d hurt herself when the boat shuddered. There was no time to grill her about it.

“Radio is out.”

“Then we can't … can't call for help.” She appeared before him, dressed in a pair of leggings that would be easy for her to swim in if they had to bail, and a long-sleeved T-shirt that was also not bulky so wouldn't impede her ability to swim. She’d put her hair in a ponytail and slipped her feet into a pair of sneakers. Those would weigh her feet down, but if need be, she could always kick them off if they had to abandon the boat.

“We still have the satellite phone. Can you go grab it while I see what I can do here.”

“Here.” She shoved one of his long-sleeved T-shirts at him, then hurried back down below deck while he leaned over to assess the controls and see what he could do to keep them afloat and safe until they could get help.

Nothing.

As he looked at the control, he realized that was the answer.

There was nothing he could do to fix this.

Not a single thing.

Because the control panel was dead.

Whatever they’d done to sabotage the boat had taken out all power to the controls.

There was no way to fix that, especially since the boat seemed to be experiencing some kind of problem.

“Yes, he’s right here, I’ll hand you over,” Alannah was saying into the satellite phone as she came back up onto the deck.

Thank goodness.

At least they had alerted his brothers that something was going on.

A tiny flicker of light caught his attention right at the back of the controls almost hidden where the panel met the floor.

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