Kathy yelled over the sound of his chopping, “Do you want me to help you?”

He glanced up at her and shook his head.

Kathy felt heat rise up her neck and into her cheeks as she realized he was using the only tool they had. What am I thinking? The only other cutting tools we have are steak knives.

She felt helpless as she watched Brad struggle with the mess. After another ten minutes, he roared with frustration, jumped back into the water, and swam back to the boat.

Seconds later, Kathy helped Brad as he struggled to lift himself back into the boat.

With a final heave, Brad clambered over the transom and collapsed onto the deck. “Sorry, babe. There’s just too much crap tangled up in there. And I think the weight of it all drove part of the gate into the silt. I don’t think we’ll be able to move it without heavy equipment. I know you didn’t want it to come to this, but I think we have to call for help.”

As he climbed to his feet, he winced, and Kathy noticed his right ankle looked bruised and had begun to swell.

“What’s wrong with your ankle?”

“It’s just a sprain.” Brad waved dismissively and grabbed the sat phone.

###

“I know this is private property, but it was the only shelter from the typhoon we could find. Can you just help us get the path clear so we can sail out? That’s all I’m asking. We don’t need to be airlifted or anything. Our boat’s fine.”

Brad held the phone away from his ear and gave Kathy a look that said the conversation wasn’t going as well as he’d hoped. The first call, to the local maritime authorities, had gone all right, but then they’d routed him to whatever company owned the island, and that’s when the conversation went south.

“No, we won’t be taking anything from your damned island. We just want to get as far from it as we can.” Brad ran his hand roughly through his hair, exuding a sense of frustration. “Thirty-six hours? Nothing quicker than that?” He sighed. “Okay, fine. No, we’ll be on the boat waiting for you.”

Brad stared at the phone, shook his head, and clipped it to his waist.

“So,” said Kathy. “A day and a half hanging out here.”

“Yup. Evidently there’s some company that has a long-term lease on this island. They got real pissy about ‘trespassing’ when I gave them my location, but seems like they’ll get us out. Though they made a point to tell me that they’ll be charging us for the inconvenience.”

“And you’re surprised by that?”

“No, I suppose not.” A sly expression crossed Brad’s face, and he hitched his thumb toward the island. “You know, as long as they’re pissed with us for trespassing…”