33HarperYoga
Harper
Yoga
Harper dusted off her hands and stood back, feeling proud of herself, like all her engineer co-workers would approve of her work.
The engine manual had been invaluable. It even had diagrams. If she had calculated correctly, the boat was about to get stuck in gear, which would then cause it to overheat and ultimately conk out the engine.
She picked up the manual again and flipped to the coolant system section. It seemed like there was more she could do there.
The door opened, and Harper looked at Stephanie’s permanently dissatisfied face.
“Come on,” snapped Stephanie, gesturing to her to exit the room. “Oh, my God, are you reading the manual? What is wrong with you?”
“I was bored,” said Harper.
Stephanie rolled her eyes, and Harper shrugged. Other people might have inquired what Harper was doing with the manual and thought to investigate, but Stephanie lacked imagination.
Stephanie took her back out to the big room and pushed her onto the couch.
Emma had changed to leggings and a sweatshirt and was sipping from a Hydro Flask.
Her trench coat hung over the back of one of the chairs, and a yoga mat was on the floor.
Somehow, the idea that Emma was doing yoga while Harper was locked in the engine room made Harper angrier than the kidnapping.
The boat gave a funny lurch, and Emma grabbed the window frame, but Stephanie didn’t notice.
Stephanie continued to poke at her phone, and Emma took a sip from her water bottle.
A man hurried past the window, went to the boat’s back, and looked over the edge.
He was wearing an anorak and crisp white pants.
Then he spoke to someone on a walkie-talkie. Emma watched him with a frown.
“We’re going kind of fast, don’t you think?” asked Emma.
“It’s fine,” said Stephanie. “The crew know what they’re doing.”
“I thought we were putting her out at Bell Harbor. Shouldn’t we be slowing down?”
“Emma! Let it go!”
Emma glared at her sister and took another sip from the pale blue Hydro Flask. The double-walled water bottles were so popular that Piper had made fun of Harper for having one, but Harper had pointed out that they were highly functional and could last for years.
Another crew member was out on the deck. There was more running this time, and Harper felt a little gleeful spurt of rebellion. Her sabotage was about to get noticed. She wasn’t sure what would happen then, but it probably wouldn’t make Stephanie happy.
“OK,” said Stephanie, poking at her phone and then turning it around to face Harper. “Tell Ash you’re fine. Honestly, I don’t know why he’s overreacting so hard.”
The call clicked open, and the phone focused on Ash’s face. He had a very hard expression, and Harper thought it made him look more like his older brothers.
“Hey, baby!” said Harper.
“Harper, are you OK?” he asked.
The boat jerked, and the crew members ran back toward the front of the yacht.
“Yes,” said Harper, “but I saw an eagle.”
Harper saw Ash process the statement.
“Baby, have you been bad, or do you just have poor impulse control?” asked Ash, and while she had never thought that baby was a good nickname, she had to admit it was kind of sexy when Ash used it.
“What the hell are you two talking about?” demanded Emma, obviously picking up on the undercurrent.
“Both,” said Harper, ignoring Emma.
There was an odd surge and the faint sound of yelling from above them in the cockpit. The boat bounced again. This time, Stephanie staggered, and Emma’s Hydro Flask slid off the table, rolling toward Harper’s feet.
“Meet you at the emergency exit,” said Harper.
“OK, that’s enough,” said Emma, grabbing Stephanie’s phone and flipping it off.
“Hey,” protested Stephanie.
Harper reached down and picked up the water bottle by the neck.
“Look around,” barked Emma. “Something’s wrong with the boat, and those two are flirting.” She whirled on Harper, pointing Stephanie’s phone at her. “You did something, didn’t you?”
“Did you think Ash and I would give you whatever you want?” asked Harper.
“You will do what I tell you,” said Stephanie. “And so will Ash.”
Emma made an unhappy growl and headed for where her trench coat was draped over one of the chairs at the table. Harper realized that Emma was going to get her gun and decided that she was tired of being threatened by socialites.
Emma fumbled in her coat pocket as Harper stood up.
“Sit down,” snapped Stephanie. “Everyone just stay calm. This will all be over soon.”
“Hey, Emma,” said Harper, ignoring Stephanie. “I really think you should stop listening to your sister.”
“Oh, shut up,” said Emma as she turned back toward Harper.
Harper swung the Hydro Flask as hard as she could. The water bottle made a highly satisfying ponging noise as it hit Emma on the side of the head, and the gun went flying across the room, bouncing off the wall and skittering toward the door.
“You hit my sister!”
“Yes,” said Harper, and punched Stephanie.
The boat jerked just as she swung, so her fist didn’t connect as much as she hoped it would, but Stephanie staggered sideways.
Harper realized she did not have a backup plan or any Ash-type skills, so she just went for what worked on the sixth-grade playground and shoved Stephanie as hard as possible.
Stephanie went down hard, landing on her butt and staring up at Harper with a shocked expression. The boat slowed abruptly, and Harper flailed, tipped, and landed back on the couch.
Stephanie turned over onto all fours and scrambled for the gun. Harper wobbled off the couch. She made it to the door and kicked the weapon as she yanked the door handle.
She could see Ash running toward her on the dock, blond hair flying behind him. It gave Harper a warm glow to know he was in full save-the-day mode.
Then there was a jerk, and the engine noise changed. Then, the boat began to reverse course. The captain person must have figured out what she’d done.
Harper could see the dock getting further away. She could also see a sticky-out part of the dock that was low in the water. It didn’t look too far away. She could probably make that.
Ash had jumped into a boat. She was moments away from being saved.
“I’m going to fucking shoot you,” snarled Stephanie, standing up. She was holding the gun, and her blonde hair had come unwound from its perfect chignon.
“Well,” said Harper, “this has been an experience, but I think I’ll see myself out.”
“What?”
Harper ran outside and kicked off her shoes. She could see Ash was on his way, so she took a deep breath and dove over the side just as Stephanie gave an ear-splitting shriek of rage.
Harper hit the water, and the cold hit back.
The frigid temperature knocked the air out of her lungs, and she surfaced with a gasp.
She had intended to keep her dive shallow and get a decent distance from the boat, but the swells of green-gray water obscured her vision.
She had no reference points and dog-paddled frantically, trying to keep the next wave from swamping her.
There was a heavy throb of a motor, and the wood-paneled side of a boat pulled up in front of her.
She headed in that direction, still unable to form words and barely able to form thoughts.
Ash reached down and grabbed her under the armpits.
With a tremendous heave, he pulled onto the edge, then grabbed a handful of ass and pulled her all the way into the boat.
He planted his hands on both sides of her face and kissed her hard. His warmth and strength finally allowed her lips to move.
“Stephanie. Gun.” Harper flailed one arm back toward where she thought Stephanie might be.
“Right. Don’t move.” Ash hurried back to the steering wheel, and the next moment, the boat was accelerating. The wind and stinging rain hit Harper in the face, and she huddled on the floor of the speed boat and shivered.