I lowered my rifle and let out a whoop. “They’re back! They must’ve had boat trouble since they’re all loaded up in one.”
Clutch narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the incoming boat for a long minute.
“Come on,” I said. “Let’s go meet them at the top of the ladder.”
He didn’t move. “I only count four on the boat.”
“What?” I asked. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
When I’d seen Jase, I hadn’t bothered counting the crew. I squinted in the sunlight as I counted. Clutch was right. Griz had gone out with two other scouts today. There should have been five on that boat. “Maybe the fifth man is still bringing in the other boat,” I offered hopefully.
“Maybe,” Clutch said. “Let’s get over there.”
We hustled over to where the rope ladder and pulley-driven elevator platform hung. Deb was already there, watching each man climb up the ladder. Consternation filled her face.
Jase was the second man up the ladder. I grabbed onto his shivering, wet form and helped him climb over the railing. He collapsed on the deck, and I wrapped my arms around him to share my body heat. “What happened? Are you hurt?” I asked.
Clutch put a hand on Jase’s back.
Deb kneeled by Jase. “Where’s Tack?”
“Don’t-know,” Jase replied between chattering teeth and started to pull himself up.
I helped Jase to his feet. “Let’s get you a hot shower.”
By then, the others had reached the top. Griz’s sleeves were wet, but everyone else was dry. He gave Clutch a hard look. “I think it’s safe to say Sorenson is headed this way.”
Clutch nodded. “I’ll meet you on the bridge in five.”
Griz and the other two scouts jogged across the deck, followed closely by Deb, who kept asking them about Tack.
Clutch looked up at Jase. “I need you to tell me exactly what happened.”
Jase nodded, his whole body shaking against mine, as we took slow steps toward the galley. “We-we drove until we s-saw the riverboat.” He sucked in a breath. “We c-cut the tube loose and took off. They must’ve seen Nikki or something ‘c-cause they sent a speedboat with—swear to God—our own .30 c-cal after us.”
“Shit,” I muttered under my breath. “Thank God you didn’t get shot.”
“Tack?” Clutch asked.
Jase sniffled. “When they got close, they shot out our engine. W-we were dead in the water. They kept their distance until we ran out of ammo. They came up alongside, and Tack and I got ready to take them on, but then he shoved me into the water and took on all three guys by himself.”
“Oh, God.” That sounded exactly like something Tack would do. Even though he was only a few years older than Jase, Tack had taken him under his wing. I figured it had something to do with the fact that Tack had a younger brother about Jase’s age. After the outbreak had hit, he searched but never found him.
Jase winced and then rubbed his hair. “I saw it all from the water. They tackled him. Then they tied him up and came after me. I had to ditch my life jacket and swim. I got lucky and hid under a tree trunk floating down the river. They got really close but I heard Sorenson on their radio and he called off the search. I think he assumed I was a goner.”
He looked at each of us, his eyes pleading. “We’ve got to go back and get Tack.”
“We will,” Clutch said without hesitation. “We don’t leave any of our own behind.”
I hugged him. “We’ll get him back. We have a hundred times the firepower that Sorenson has.”
“What if they’ve already killed him?” Jase asked.
“If they wanted him dead, they would’ve gunned you both down in the water. I’m sure he’s safe. Sorenson needs Tack as a bargaining chip,” Clutch replied.
I tried not to frown, but whenever Clutch threw in extra words like “I’m sure” or “maybe”, he didn’t really mean it. A chill ran down my spine. Did he really think Sorenson would kill an innocent man? I swallowed and made a mental note to ask him as soon as we were alone.
When we reached the galley, Clutch stopped, lifted himself on his crutches, and turned to me. “You got this?”
I nodded. “Yeah, we’ll be fine.”
He started to climb the stairs to the bridge while Jase and I headed inside and down to the crew quarters. I propped my rifle against the wall, and helped Jase strip out of his gear and boots. His fingers were shaking too much to unbutton his shirt, so I took over, gently brushing his fingers away. Once he was down to just his pants and a t-shirt, I opened the utility closet near the shower and kicked on a generator hooked up to a small, tankless water heater Wes had brought on board. Within seconds, warm water came out of the shower. Jase stepped under the spray without bothering to take his pants off and stood, leaning against the stall.
I went to his bunk and sifted through his trunk for a change of clothes.
“You don’t need to stick around for me.”
“It’s okay,” I said, putting on a smile. “I’ve got nothing better to do.
He lowered his head under the spray. “To be honest, I could use some alone time,” he said after a bit.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I’ll see you above deck.”
I waited for a moment before taking a step back. “Okay, but I’ll be here if you need me for anything. Anything at all.”
“Thanks. I’ll be fine,” he said all too quickly with that deadpan tone.
I wasn’t surprised that he was closing himself off, but I was still disappointed. I sighed. “I’ll leave your clothes on the chair.”
With that, I set his clothes down and headed back through the crew quarters. I heard shouting and I ran up the stairs, through the galley, and onto the deck.
One of the scouts was pointing to the river. “The Lady Amore is a couple clicks to the south, heading our way!”
Tyler was running down from the bridge, followed closely by several others. Clutch, being so much slower, brought up the rear. I caught up to him quickly. “Sorenson’s here,” I said, though I knew he’d already figured that out.
“We need to be ready for a fight,” he said as he settled into his chair. “Do you have all your gear?”
I winced. “Shit. I left my rifle below decks with Jase’s stuff.”
“You might need your rifle for this one.”
Griz’s voice came over the loudspeaker from the bridge. “All scouts report to the deck. Everyone else, please go to barge Number One immediately. This is not a drill.”
“I’ll be right back,” I told Clutch and headed back to the galley, only to have Jase nearly run into me.
“You left this.” He handed me my rifle.
“Thanks.” I checked my rifle and slung it over my shoulder.
“Is it the riverboat already?”
My body shook with anger. “Yeah,” I replied, and I narrowed my eyes. “Let’s go.”
We ran to meet up with Clutch and Tyler. Griz was just coming down from the bridge. He held an extra rifle and looked around. “I guess none of you need one.”
Clutch, who already had his Blaser on his lap, grabbed it. “I’ll take a spare.”
“Do you see Tack yet?”
I jerked around at the voice to see Deb right behind me.
“You should be in the barge right now,” I said.
Deb’s lips tightened.
“Or you can stay,” I quickly added.
I turned my attention to the incoming riverboat. We were in a shallow part of the river, which meant a few zeds washed up on the island every day that we’d have to dispatch. It also meant that the Lady Amore couldn’t get very close without hitting the river bottom, which was the first perk I’d seen about being on a boat that didn’t go anywhere.
Deb’s hand flung over her mouth. “Oh, God.”
“What is it?” I asked.
Deb pointed to the riverboat. “No.”
Every pair of eyes followed.