The Tide (Tide Series Book 1) by Anthony J Melchiorri Page B

been draped across the rubber gunwale of the Zodiac until he’d pushed it into the sea. The cries of the other beasts had filled the air after him. A couple had even tumbled into the churning waves to swim after him.
    But he’d lived; he’d made it. Unlike Corey. A deep pang of regret filled him again. He couldn’t help but wonder if his friend’s death had been worth it. Probably not, he decided. He probed at the bandage across his cheek, a lingering reminder of all he’d been through.
    “Is it bothering you?” Ryan Zimmer asked, his hands on the wheel. “Do you need painkillers? Antibiotics, maybe? I mean, that was a bioweapons lab, right? Better to be safe than sorry.”
    “Already took them,” Jay said, “and it’s not bugging me so much anymore.”
    And it was true. The slash across his cheek had caused only a slight pain. It was the memories that haunted him now.
    “Still can’t believe Corey’s gone.”
    “Yeah.” Jay slumped into a chair behind Ryan but said nothing more. Ryan no doubt wanted to know what else had happened—and why he’d come back alone—but Webb had sworn him to secrecy. Despite Ryan’s role in the mission, even he wasn’t privy to the same sensitive intel Webb had provided Jay and Corey. She hadn’t wanted anything that happened on the mission, anything they would find on the oil platform, to get out. After what Jay had seen, neither did he.
    A strip of green vegetation appeared along the horizon on their starboard side. Jay recognized the sight as they motored closer to the woods along the coast. Cape Charles. They would traverse up into Chesapeake Bay and dock in Annapolis on return from their “deep-sea fishing expedition.” Even before Jay and Corey had boarded the Zodiac for the platform, they’d spent enough time with their fishing lines dangling in the ocean to gather a plethora of snapper, grouper, and triggerfish in their stores to bolster their alibi.
    He checked his satellite phone again to confirm Webb’s initial payment had gone through to the Cayman account. It was there, but her second deposit hadn’t been made. He sent her a short encrypted message about it. Maybe he didn’t deserve compensation. Corey had lost his life, and they were unable to tell Webb what the hell had been going on. The mission had been an outright failure.
    But Jay had learned one thing from the mission: it was time to get out of the United States. From what he could tell, the scientists and researchers on the IBSL had been turned into those bloodthirsty monsters. And if the biological agent or drug responsible for the disaster might be let loose on America, he didn’t intend to get swept up in the chaos. He would escape to the Caribbean as he’d planned. Hell, maybe somewhere farther, more remote.
    Ryan pulled a hand through his mud-brown hair. “So I’m just never going to get the full story on Corey, am I?”
    “Even if I could tell you...” Jay let his words trail off and shook his head. He ignored the exasperated look from Ryan and meandered out of the wheelhouse and down the stairs outside. The gunwale beckoned to him, and he leaned on it. A cool sea breeze rushed across his face and tickled his skin. He soaked in the salty air as gulls swooped and squawked overhead. He needed this escape from Ryan’s unquenchable curiosity.
    When he had escaped from the rig and boarded the yacht, he’d told Ryan there had been more armed mercenaries on the rig than expected. They’d prevented him and Corey from probing into the bioweapon secrets Webb had directed them to find. It wasn’t so far from the truth. Just replace mercenaries with monsters.
    Cape Charles grew larger. Jay could make out the individual trees and houses now, along with the sandy beaches and the piers jutting out over crystal-blue water. Other boats and ships kicked up their own wakes. They were drawing nearer to civilization. Home.
    Ryan’s earlier words repeated in his head. Better to be safe than sorry.
    He