Chapter 14
Mila had nothing left. She’d slumped at the back, hand gripping the rudder, staring out at the ocean as if it was her saviour.
They were almost somewhere they could rest, but he wanted to keep her alert.
“Who taught you how to use these engines?” He’d been impressed that she hadn’t even hesitated.
She glanced at him and forced a smile. “My dad. His company builds these. It’s how he and Mum met.”
“Nice.” He kept his surprise to himself. Her father must be worth a lot of money. The whole military used these types of engines because of their reliability. “Keep the speed low. We don’t want to damage the boat on any debris.”
She nodded.
If he’d had his team with him, he would have rowed, but he couldn’t make Mila do more than necessary.
As they cleared the point of the bay, he shifted past the dog to the bow and retrieved an oar to push debris out of their path.
No one had followed the dogs yet, but that didn’t mean they were clear. Agus had his boat.
The gunshot wound probably wasn’t fatal and Agus could go to the medical centre for treatment. It would keep him busy for a while.
He shook his head, unable to believe everything that had happened since he arrived. Up ahead was the islet where he hoped to rest. It was about five hundred metres offshore and he could walk around it in an hour, but it was uninhabited and that’s what he needed.
The unknowns were how shallow the reef was, what kind of state the shore would be in, and whether someone would spot them. There was still no word from the team, but they should have arrived back at the ship by now.
The debris was thinning out so he shifted to the stern next to Mila.
He placed a hand around her shoulders. “I’ve got this. Why don’t you rest up front?”
She leaned into him for a second and then nodded. “Is Trixie OK?”
He frowned and she nodded to the dog. “You’ve already named her?” That wasn’t good.
She smiled. “She looks like a Trixie, don’t you think?”
He was not getting caught in that conversation. “If you say so. Watch your step around the vomit.”
Mila grimaced and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for letting me save her.”
He couldn’t refuse after everything she’d been through, but he’d have to drop the dog somewhere. The islet wouldn’t be able to sustain her.
He nodded and waited until she shifted up the front and settled next to the dog with her arm around it, before he accelerated again.
The dog snuggled into her. It knew a good person when it found one.
Dobby sighed. So did he. He wanted to get to know Mila better, but would she want anything to do with him after they returned home? He might remind her too much of this traumatic time, or she might not be interested despite the kisses they’d shared.
Hell, he didn’t even know where she lived.
That was a problem for another day. Right now there was a boat at nine o’clock heading towards the island.
He put their boat into neutral while he fetched his scope. Mila glanced at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Just checking out who that is.” He pointed to the trawler-sized boat making its way through the debris, similar to them.
Mila squinted. “It might be the barge that brings supplies to the island.”
Hopefully it wouldn’t notice them. They should be far enough away to blend in with the surrounding flotsam and jetsam.
Because if whoever was onboard mentioned them to Agus, it became a whole new ballgame.
They’d have to keep moving rather than hide.
Dobby kept the boat in neutral, not wanting the forward motion to be something people on the boat noticed. He shifted lower as he scanned who was onboard.
The captain was on the top deck behind the wheel, his attention focused on the water in front of him. Another man, probably the first mate, was on the bow directing him, similar to the way Dobby had helped Mila.
A number of crew were on the main deck staring and pointing at the surrounding devastation.
Mila shifted low as well so only the dark pontoons of the boat were visible.
They should blend with the ocean and rubbish.
His hands clenched. He’d given up expecting things would go the way he wanted on this mission.
There was no reason for the boat to come over here even if the Zodiac was spotted. They had a delivery to make.
That was a good point. They might go on to the next island after the delivery was complete and Dobby wanted to be out of sight by then.
He moved the boat into drive and slowly crept them closer to the island. Mila moved to the bow, her body low as she gave him directions.
Dobby kept monitoring the barge but as they neared the island, the people on the deck moved to the bow to stare at the island in front of them. He increased the speed. They had about another hundred metres before they would be clear of the bulk of the rubbish.
Trees, leaves and coral combined in a treacherous mess on the surface. The occasional dead fish or bird also floated by, but thankfully no humans.
This side of the island had no beach to land on. High black volcanic rocks covered in trees soared above.
He skirted the island, wishing he had a depth sounder. “Watch for the reef,” he called.
Mila gave him a thumbs up as they came around the northern side of the islet.
With the barge now out of sight, Dobby relaxed a little. He slowed and scanned the shoreline.
The tsunami had devastated this island as well. Trees were flattened and what had been a sandy shore was covered in logs and branches. It would be difficult to pull the boat onto the shore, particularly with only two of them.
He called out to Mila, “I’m going around the western side.”
She nodded.
The sun beat down, heating the black rubber of the Zodiac, radiating it back at them. Sweat dripped down his back.
Mila wore only her strappy dress and would get burnt to a crisp. “Do you still have my shirt?”
“Yeah.” She dug it out of her bag and put it on.
Good.
He rounded the point and breathed out a sigh of relief. Finally a bit of luck. The western side had toppled trees, but the receding wave had pulled most of them from the shore and there was a clear sandy section.
The downside was, most of the trees were floating in the bay between them and the shore.
He cut the engine and lifted it from the water.
Mila glanced at him. “What are you doing?”
He grabbed an oar. “We’re both going to need to clear the water.” He plotted their path to shore and pointed it out to her.
As they rowed, he considered the next steps. It would be difficult to carry the boat through the greenery in order to hide it, but he didn’t want to deflate it in case they needed a quick getaway.
So that left hiding it in plain sight and hoping no boats or aircraft coming this way would notice it.
Anything out of the ordinary would catch the searchers’ attention.
He brought them right onto the sandy beach next to some trees.
He jumped off and then helped Mila disembark. She whistled and Trixie leapt off the boat and came to heel.
She exhaled, straightened her shoulders and asked, “What now?”
“I want to camouflage the boat and make it appear as if it’s part of the debris.
” He pulled it higher up the shore until he was happy the tide wouldn’t drag it out, cleaned out the dog vomit, and spread branches and leaves over the boat.
“Then we regroup. I want to try the team. They’ll be back on the ship by now.
” The satellite phone was a last resort, but there was also no other way to contact base without Radar’s sig gear.
He helped her over to the shade of the forest. “Rest your ankle.”
She winced as she put some pressure on it, so it was probably hurting her more than she wanted to admit.
When the boat was covered, he placed his pack on his back, covered their sign on the sand and then joined her, scanning the forest. “We need to get under cover.” He picked her up in his arms.
Trixie growled.
Shit.
“No, Trixie,” Mila said.
The dog continued to growl, posture stiff. Dobby had worked with some military dogs in the past and though Trixie wasn’t well-trained, he gave the hand command to stand down. Trixie relaxed and so did he.
He carried Mila further into the forest, looking for a place she could rest. It was the same as the rainforest of the region, large trees, palms and vines, and leaf litter on the ground.
She only had her strappy sandals and with her sprained ankle, she wouldn’t be able to walk far. “Rest here.” He handed her the canteen of water. “I’m going to scout the island, see if there’s anything useful.” And ensure it was deserted. “I might be an hour.”
Her wide eyes showed her concern, but she nodded. “Plan F?”
Beyond exhausted.
“Something like that.” He pulled her in for a hug. “You’re doing amazing, Mila. Hang in there. We’ll be out of here soon.”
“Damien?”
He liked hearing her say his name. Most people called him by his nickname, but it felt right hearing his name from her.
She pressed her lips together. “Are your team likely to come back for us?”
“They’ll want to.” That he could guarantee.
“But they may not be permitted to,” she answered for him. “Where were they headed?”
“We were doing friendly manoeuvres off the coast. They’ll have gone back to the ship to stabilise Hawk. One of the doctors on board should be able to help him.”
“The government will send a relief team to the area,” Mila said. “They’ve done it before.”
He nodded. “They may have dropped personnel in the main village as cover for picking up the team. If that’s the case, the boat will be back to support them, but it will take time to arrive.”
“And if they didn’t?”
“Then the ship will sail past and head for the mainland.” The relief efforts would be concentrated on the more populated areas, rather than the three small islands around them.
She glanced around. “So we wait here until it arrives?”
“I’m going to find the highest point so I can get a clear view of the surrounding ocean to see who’s around. Then I’ll call the ship.” He wasn’t sure what his reception would be and he didn’t want to worry Mila.