18
Makayla glanced around the kitchen one last time, adjusting the bag of toiletries in her hand. She swallowed down the fear and misgivings. This was it. If she was really going to do this, she needed to leave. In the back of her mind, she ran through all the safety and operating steps that Henry made her do every time they went out. The last couple of weeks, he had made her do everything.
“You never know on a boat, Makayla,” Henry had said as he stood beside her while she navigated along the Intracoastal channel toward the old drawbridge for the first time. “If I fell overboard or had a heart attack, you might find yourself having to handle the Defiance on your own. I want to make sure you can do it all. From now until I know you can do it by yourself as if it was second nature, you’re
