Randall extended the GPS jammer as far as his arm would reach. Against the massive wall of the hull, their efforts seemed Lilliputian.

“Hold tight!” She reached down and pushed the throttle back to max. The yacht lurched and bucked closer to the ship.

“You’re too close!” Randall yelled.

“No! Look! It’s working!” The bow of the ship had veered slightly eastward.

Kate used her entire body to steady the wheel as the yacht slammed through the waves. Randall hung off the starboard side of the deck, one arm wrapped around a halyard, the other extending the jammer.

Don’t drop it in the water.

The ship veered several degrees more to the east. Kate turned the wheel to keep abreast of it. A wave caught them broadside.

They slammed into the hull of the ship. There was a crunching sound.

Focus, Kate. She righted the wheel, keeping the yacht as close to the ship as possible.

“Kate!” Randall called. “The hull is breached!” Randall pointed to the starboard side where the yacht had hit the container ship.

“Is it bad?”

“It’s taking on water.”

“We’re slowing down!” Kate could feel the drag on the boat. They weren’t keeping pace with the container ship.

Randall raced back to the cockpit, still holding the jammer. “I’m going to tie this onto the wheel, and then bail the bilge.” He deftly tied the jammer to the wheel, and then scrambled down the companionway into the cabin.

Kate heard a muffled expletive as Randall started the bilge pumps.

We aren’t sinking too much. But the ship is getting further away.

Had it changed course at all? Or were they too far away for the jammer to work now?

Kate’s phone rang.

Panic hit her. If her phone worked, it meant the jammer no longer worked. She propped the phone in the crook of her shoulder.

“It’s Ell—” The signal dropped for a few seconds.

Her heart leapt. Let the jammer work.

Then Ellis’ voice came back on the line. “…worked…enough, Kate… Captain has control of the ship. He can avoid a collision…” The phone broke up. “It will run aground. You need to get the hell out of there.”

“We’re sinking.” Water sloshed past her ankles. Ex Parte was barely responsive now. “We have a hole in the hull.”

“Hold on—” Ellis’ voice cut in and out. “…coming…you.”

The phone went dead. The battery had died. “Jesus.”

A wave pushed the yacht into a list. And then another wave hit. Suddenly, water rushed into the cockpit on the leeward side.

“Randall!”

The wheel was completely unresponsive. Kate ran to the companionway and peered down below. Randall lay on his stomach, frantically bailing. Water surged from the hull.

“You need to come up now,” she called. “There’s water coming in the cockpit.”

The yacht shifted over again. “Randall, come now.” They were sinking rapidly.

And then the wave hit them.