“Looking for dockage for a night or two.” He slurred his words, which the women on the boat found hilarious.

“Drunk at nine a.m.,” Mac muttered to Luke as they leaned against pilings to watch.

“You’re lucky the Coasties didn’t see you pouring on the coal in the harbor,” Big Mac said, keeping it friendly even though he was pissed. Drinking and driving was a problem on the water, too.

The guy’s insolent grin infuriated Luke, who was painfully aware of how much a drunk driver had taken from Sydney. Judging by the stiff set to Big Mac’s shoulders, he was none too pleased either. He pointed the forty-foot boat to a dock close to the end of the main pier, away from where he usually put families.

Good call, Luke thought. He’d have done the same, but then he’d learned from the best—party boats at one end, families at the other.

Big Mac loved to say that half these guys probably bought their boats yesterday, and since there was no operating license required, they could take to the water the next day with a hugely powerful machine and no clue how to operate it. This captain was the worst of the worst—all about showing off how much power his boat had.

Luke noticed that the action on the dock had come to a stop, and everyone was watching. Since it was low tide, the boat was far below the standing pier, which made for a more difficult landing. One of the women managed to get a stern line to Big Mac, who wrapped it around a piling while Luke ran up to catch the bow line. It fell short and dropped into the water. The skipper reacted by pouring on the coal. Unprepared for the boat to lurch forward, Big Mac tried to keep a grip on his line.

Luke watched in horror as Big Mac suddenly disappeared off the dock.

Mac let out a scream that chilled Luke to his bones as he watched his friend jump in after his father.

“Someone call 911!” Ned shouted.

“We’ve got guys in the water!” Luke yelled, but the captain was so caught up in showing off for the women, he didn’t hear Luke.

He again threw the boat into gear, engaging the propellers.

“Shut it down!” Mac yelled from the water.

Without a thought to possible implications, Luke threw himself onto the boat ten feet below, landing with a great thud on the back deck, which finally got the captain’s attention.

“Kill the power, now!” Luke lay on the boat’s deck, his left ankle at an unnatural angle. “We’ve got two guys in the water!”