suppose he could’ve hired us in the summer,” Mathew grumbled through chattering teeth.
“It’ll be worth it when your place is warm and your belly’s full.” Danny’s teeth were chattering too as he hugged himself against the bitter cold.
“Aye,” Mathew said, “but didn’t no one tell him the Atlantic is bloody cold in January?”
Danny laughed.
“Quit your belly-aching,” Francis called over his shoulder, shouting to be heard above the twin roars of the wind and the speedboat’s engine. “Or one of you can drive.”
“No, no,” Danny said. “You’re doing just fine.”
Francis muttered something that was lost to the wind and noise. Danny chuckled, tucking his hands under his armpits and burrowing his face into his coat. Francis had a point; as miserable as it was for Danny and Mathew, it was Francis who had to keep his head up and navigate the boat. The windshield helped, but not as much as huddling down as far as possible.
And at least they hadn’t gone out at night this time; that would’ve been even colder than this late afternoon. Today was their first run to Rum Row, and they were aiming to have the other boats—the two that would, God willing, be full of liquor—make their way in with the setting sun. If the speedboat Francis was piloting could keep the Coast Guard busy, the fishing boats would cruise past and cut a lazy path right into the sun. Of course the Coasties would still be able to navigate even with the sun in their eyes, but it would make the fishing boats harder to see. Any cover they could get was worth taking, as far as Danny was concerned.
“You two keeping watch or not?” Francis asked testily.
“We’re keeping watch.” Danny picked up the binoculars. “Still nothing.”
Francis made an aggravated noise. Danny mused that when Francis was cold and miserable, he sounded an awful lot like Bernard. He didn’t say it aloud, though. He and Mathew would probably have to swim back if they gave their cranky boat pilot any cheek.
“How long is it going to take?” Mathew griped. “We’ve been out here for ages.”
“Patience.” Danny kicked his friend’s calf. “They’re on bloody fishing boats. They can’t go as fast as this one.”
“Lucky bastards.” Francis turned the boat hard, sending Mathew tumbling into Danny with a yelp of surprise.
“Damn you!” Mathew tried to right himself, but the boat turned dramatically the other way. “What are you—ack! You bastard!” He and Danny tumbled again.
“They’re not even in sight yet!” Danny shoved Mathew off him. “What are you doing?”
“Getting the Coast Guard’s attention.” Francis sounded wildly pleased with himself. “They’ll get suspicious if we just suddenly start whipping about like lunatics.”
“That’s—Christ!” Danny grunted as Mathew’s shoulder slammed into him. “You’re not piloting after this!”
Francis howled with amusement.
Danny rolled his eyes—he’d probably just given the bastard exactly what he wanted. “All right, now would you stop so I can see if they’re on their way.”
“Can’t stop,” Francis called over the noise, “but I’ll keep her straight while you look.”
Muttering in Irish, Danny pushed himself up. Squinting against the icy wind that made his eyes water, he put the binoculars to his face. The sun was starting to get low in the sky, but the ships in the distance were still visible. And just to the south of the nearest couple of vessels, a smaller boat was cutting a lazy path inland. He couldn’t quite tell if it was the other lads, though.
“Circle round,” he called out to Francis. “There’s a boat coming in, but I can’t work out if she’s one of ours.”
Francis nodded sharply. He throttled the speedboat forward and carved a wide circle in the rolling waves. As the boat curved closer, Danny looked again. The other vessel was definitely a fishing boat.
“That isn’t—wait!” A distinctive white and green flag fluttered into view. “It is! It’s them!”
“Are you sure?” Francis shouted.
“I’m sure!” Danny surveyed the seas. “And there’s the second.” Lowering the binoculars, he turned to Francis. “They’re on their way in.”
Francis nodded sharply. “Hold on.”
Danny held on. So did Mathew. Francis had been tasked with piloting the speedboat like a madman to distract the Coast Guard, and he took his job seriously. The boat whipped one way, then the other. More than once, it crested a wave, went weightless, and then slammed back down hard enough to make Danny’s teeth snap together and nearly send Mathew over the side. Danny grabbed him, and they exchanged wide-eyed glances.
Abruptly, about the time Danny was ready to either