Unlawful Chase by C.J. Schnier (new books to read .TXT) 📗

of my boat. "At least you remembered to tie it off last night" I thought to myself. Several beer cans littered its fiberglass floor, mirroring the salon and cockpit. It had been pure luck that the water cops had not stopped us.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, or FWC for short, was the state-funded extortionists of the waters and woods. They did not play games when it came to any perceived infraction. It wasn't uncommon for them to levy massive fines for minor infractions. Nor was it uncommon to turn a blind eye to major offenders. The entire organization appeared to be in the pocket of the highest political bidder.

In Marathon, the FWC seemed to take an inordinate amount of pleasure in harassing the tenants of Boot Key Harbor. As corrupt as the organization was, I had to obey their laws. I couldn't afford to get arrested and risk losing my captain's license. It was all I had to put money in my pocket. And right now those pockets were empty.

Letting out a sigh, I pulled the dinghy closer and hopped in. I flung a few beer cans into the cockpit of Paramour. I stepped on the loose life jackets and heard a muffled crunch. Underneath them I found my sunglasses, bent but intact. I straightened the frame and slipped them on. They rested a little crooked on my face, but they gave my eyes a much-needed break from the merciless sun.

Anna came up on deck as I finished cleaning out the dinghy. When the sun hit her hair, it caused it to glow like hot embers. She was much prettier than I had realized, and I cursed myself for drinking so much last night. Lithe, with curves in all the right places. It occurred to me that in a town like Marathon, a place full of tourists and dirty old sailors, she probably got hit on constantly. My pride swelled, as did something else. And to think, she came home with me.

"Are we ready to go?" she asked.

"Sure, I was just cleaning up my mess from last night. Where did all these beer cans come from?" I asked, holding one up, "I don't even drink Modelo."

"You did last night. A friend of yours gave you an entire case when we got to the dinghy dock. He was as drunk as you were. He said something like his wife wouldn't let him have them."

I rubbed my temple. "I wish he hadn't," I said. "Now hop in, let's get you back to shore, I guess."

Anna squatted to climb down into the dinghy, but hesitated. A small cuddy-cabin fishing boat rounded one of the nearby sailboats. Its dull blue hull headed straight for us. I knew the boat at first glance. I had spent countless hours on it over the last few months.

"What are you up to, Jeff?" I yelled out as the power boat glided to a standstill a few feet from Paramour.

"About five foot four," came the reply from the covered helm station. A sharp wolf-call whistle followed. "But never mind, that. Who is this gorgeous lady you've got on board?"

"Anna, this lowlife is Jeff. Jeff, this is Anna. Now don't go getting any ideas, you dog. I was about to drop her back off on shore."

"Who me?" Jeff asked, trying his hardest to appear hurt before breaking into a smile and giggling. "Damn. You know me too well, Chase."

"What brings you around this early?"

"I have the day off from shuttling tourists to the reef, so I thought I'd do a little fishing. Would you like to come along?"

"Above or below the water?" I asked, noticing the absence of fishing rods on the boat.

"Underwater, of course! Why would anyone want to sit up on deck and bake in the sun when they don't have to? And besides, it might do you some good. You're looking a little green around the gills. Did you two have too much of a good time last night?"

"One of us did, at least," Anna said with a giggle of her own.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I grumbled. Part of me wanted to hide in the dark v-berth and be lazy. Another part of me yearned for the sense of peace and serenity spearfishing gave me. In the end, it was my anemic wallet and empty pantry that convinced me to go. "Sure, I'll come. I could do with some fresh fish. My cupboard is a little bare at the moment. But first, I need to drop Anna off on shore. Would you mind giving us a ride to the dock?"

"No problemo, Chase. Grab your gear and get onboard."

I nodded and climbed back out of the dinghy. I tied the little boat off to my stern cleat and let it drift behind Paramour. Jeff maneuvered his boat so we could both board by stepping onto his stern. While he was lining up his boat, I opened up one of the cockpit storage lockers and withdrew a long black mesh bag. It contained all the dive gear I would need.

Once we were aboard and settled, Jeff piloted his boat to the city marina's docks. He found an open section, and we helped Anna onto shore. She took a step toward the parking lot, stopped, and turned back. Her breathtaking long red hair flipped over her shoulder in a cascade of flames.

"Chase?" she mewled, barely audible over the idling diesel in the boat.

"Yeah?"

"I hope I see you around. Take care of yourself," she said. And then, almost as an afterthought, she added, "You'll never find what you're looking for in the bottom of a bottle."

I considered her words and nodded my head. She was right, but hiding in the confines of a bottle was much more appealing than reality. "See ya," was all I could say as she walked away.

Jeff and I watched her walk down the dock into the crushed shell parking lot before pushing off from the dock and heading out to one of Jeff's favorite reefs.

◆◆◆

My lungs