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Back Blood in the Water
Chapters (82)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY
  54. FIFTY-ONE
  55. FIFTY-TWO
  56. FIFTY-THREE
  57. FIFTY-FOUR
  58. FIFTY-FIVE
  59. FIFTY-SIX
  60. FIFTY-SEVEN
  61. FIFTY-EIGHT
  62. FIFTY-NINE
  63. SIXTY
  64. SIXTY-ONE
  65. SIXTY-TWO
  66. SIXTY-THREE
  67. SIXTY-FOUR
  68. SIXTY-FIVE
  69. SIXTY-SIX
  70. SIXTY-SEVEN
  71. SIXTY-EIGHT
  72. SIXTY-NINE
  73. SEVENTY
  74. SEVENTY-ONE
  75. SEVENTY-TWO
  76. SEVENTY-THREE
  77. SEVENTY-FOUR
  78. SEVENTY-FIVE
  79. SEVENTY-SIX
  80. Praise for Blood in the Water
  81. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  82. Newsletter Sign-up

When she woke, she was in a panic. Everything was dark, and she thought for a moment that the blow to her head had left her blind. As she thrashed, she felt coarse fabric scratching her face, and she realized that they had pulled a sack over her head. The knowledge that she still had her sight eased her fear, but only slightly. They had bound her wrists and ankles with duct tape, and she was unable to sit up or get her bearings. It was a utility vehicle with a gritty metal floor, and she slid back and forth, slamming into the sides with each turn.

She thought about trying to keep track of the turns so that she might be able to figure out where they were taking her, but she was so disoriented that it was no use. Besides, she had no idea how long she had been unconscious, so she had no starting reference even if she had been able to keep track.

She called out in fear once, begging to know what was happening, but one of the men kicked her hard in the leg. A moment later, he pulled the bag that covered her face up high enough to slap a length of duct tape over her mouth. Then he pulled the bag down again. She struggled to breathe through her nose, and had a moment when she thought she might actually suffocate right there on the floor of the van. She managed to calm herself down, though, and with a little focus was able to take in enough air to keep herself alive. All she could think about was protecting the baby she was carrying.

Eventually the van stopped on a rough, uneven surface, and the door opened. Two men pulled her out and carried her by her arms some distance. Her feet dragged on the gravel. They were speaking Spanish to each other, and she could hear the soft sound of water lapping on the shore. The gravel gave way to concrete, and then she was pulled onto a boat and pushed onto the floor of a cabin. She had spent most of her life on or around the water, and based on the wooden floor and the angle of the hull’s roll, she guessed that she was on a commercial fishing boat. She could smell diesel fumes and the sickening stench of fish guts, and for a moment she thought that she was going to throw up. With her mouth taped, and her head covered by the bag, she knew she would have drowned in her own vomit within a matter of moments, and she fought to keep the bile down.