The dark clouds neared the boat as the waves built in size. The captain stood gripping the wheel while water battered the side of Miss Behavin,’ very heavily. The engines whined when the boat dipped into a huge trough. The pack braced themselves and hung onto anything which didn’t move.

“Come on you fuckin’ bitch,” Andy yelled. The boat rocked and bucked on the waves which built up underneath them. “The beach isn’t far away. I’m going to ride a wave in and dump her onto the beach.”

Gabriel stood, he was gripping the side of the cabin while water washed over him. He gasped and wiped his face with the palm of his hand.

“Is that safe?” he yelled over the din of the storm.

“We can’t moor any other way. The tail end of the storm’s catching us in this sea.” Gabriel looked around, and Declan lunged forward and gripped hold of the railing to Gabriel’s side.

“Are we going to make it?”

Andy turned, and a huge grin appeared through his seawater-drenched beard. “You bet your sorry ass we are. I’ve been in worse,” he yelled. His hands pushed the engine levers back and forth when the boat rose and dipped. “Tell everyone to brace themselves.”

Declan scrambled back around the pack on deck and then made his way below deck. “Brace yourselves; the captain’s planning on grounding the boat on the beach.”

Dustin sat with his life vest wrapped tightly around his shoulders. Declan saw fear in his eyes for the very first time in his life. “It’ll be okay, it seems he knows what he’s doing.”

Declan made his way back toward the deck. He pushed hard against the galley door while water smashed into his face. He spat into the wind and climbed the steps. He looked up to the sky as the clouds began to be sucked into the vortex.

Fuck me, the storm’s close.

He peered over the top of the cabin. The coast of Cuba stretched across the horizon. He hoped they were ready for them and the second part of the storm. Andy already explained the tail end wasn’t as bad as the leading part of the storm. Cuba would’ve felt the full brunt of it, but the second wave of wind and rain would be enough to make another mess.

Lights appeared in the distance. It was a mile or two to shore. The waves settled as the water shallowed underneath the boat.

“Have either of you two ever been surfing?” Andy screamed. The front of the boat hit the water, and the engines churned away at the rear of the boat.

“We’ve done a bit.”

“Well then, you know how I’m going to ride the crest of a wave and ground this motherfucker,” Andy belted out into the wind. “You need to be ready to moor the boat. Tie it to the nearest solid objects.”

Declan nodded as he and Gabriel made their way to the front of the boat. Gabriel looked behind him while plumes of smoke and spray rose from the powerful engines. The boat surged forward.

“Don’t waves come in sevens?” he asked Declan.

“Something like that, why?”

Gabriel grabbed the mooring rope in one hand.

“Five.”

The boat rose and dipped when the wave washed under them. Declan spotted what Gabriel was talking about. He took hold of another rope and the railing on the opposite side of the boat.

Six. The front of the boat dipped.

Declan looked back. The captain peered from the side of the canopy.

“Are you boys ready?”

They nodded. The captain rammed the levers forward. The full rage of the engines coughed and spluttered. They spewed water and diesel fumes into the air as the seventh wave hurtled toward the rear of the boat. The boat began to lift. Declan watched while the boat rose on the crest of the wave and lunged forward.

Andy screamed out, “Here we go!!”

The boat skimmed on the surface of the ocean. The largest wave carried them faster than both the engines could muster. Declan spotted the jetties and the palm trees. The golden sand of the beach now littered with palm leaves and blown-over trash cans. Lights flashed from the Cuban coastguard as Andy yelled into his radio. He tuned into his wolf senses and looked through the rain. The beach was filling with water and creeping toward the road. He turned to Gabriel and yelled for him to brace himself and get ready. It was a couple of minutes before the boat was beached.

The boat rose. Declan watched as they passed the end of the pier. The beach had vanished under the swell of the ocean. Andy glanced from the canopy. They were almost there. A few more meters and the boat would slam into the bea...

The hull of the boat dug deep into the sand while the waves washed backward under the boat.

“Now,” Andy yelled. “Get those fucking ropes tied to something!” Declan and Gabriel jumped over the side of the boat. Water splashed around their ankles when they dragged the huge ropes up the beach.

“The railing,” Gabriel yelled. He fell because the length of rope was too heavy. “I can’t drag it any further.”

Declan roared and changed into his inner wolf. His feet dug into the wet sand. He tugged on the rope and fastened his around a concrete pillar which sat at the foot of the steps. He dashed back to where Gabriel leaned on his hands and knees. He pulled him to his feet with the scruff of his shirt.

“Give me the rope.”

Gabriel handed Declan the end of the rope. He flexed his neck and began dragging the rope across the beach. He was an arm’s length away from the railing. He glanced back to Gabriel who pulled up the slack.

“You’d better fasten the rope, or the boat will skew and sink,” Andy yelled out from the cabin.

“I’ll have to push the boat.” Declan handed Gabriel the end of the rope.

“Be fucking quick. That was wave four.”

Declan ran through the breaking surf to the rear of the boat. He screamed for Dustin and Kelvin to help. The door on the deck burst open as Kelvin and Dustin appeared.

“Andy! Cut the engines. We’re going to push.”

The water crashed into the rear of the boat while Declan pushed his back hard against the rear of the boat. Kelvin stood at his side as Dustin coughed and spluttered from being so close to open water.

“On three,” Declan yelled. Their wolf forms strained and muscles bulged. The rear of the boat listed as the boat inched forward. “PUSH!!”

The boat moved slowly. Declan looked back to the open sea. Wave seven was on its way toward them. The water swelled. Gabriel screamed from the railing. He’d tied it, and they needed to get out of there.

Kelvin waded around the boat, and the wave crashed into them. Declan hung onto the side of the engine when water swallowed him. He rose to the surface, coughing and spluttering. The water receded, and he shook his head as he heard a voice from above him. He looked up, and Andy was leaning on the railing. His arm outstretched while his finger pointed back toward the ocean.

“What’s up?” Declan yelled.

“Man overboard.”

Sanders sat in the rear seat of the vehicle. Lizeth sat at his side and gripped hold of his arm. He watched the wipers that were at full speed. However, the rain lashed at the vehicle faster than it could be cleared. The vlad driver tilted his head.

“We won’t make much progress like this, and if it gets any worse, I’m gonna have to pull over.”

Sanders leaned forward and curled his long fingers around the driver’s throat. He leaned closer so the driver could feel the hot breath on his neck.

“I give the orders. You do as you’re doing and drive,” he snarled.

His fingernails dug into the driver’s neck when he let go. Sanders looked at the dark crimson covering his fingers and wiped it on the vlad driver’s jacket. He leaned back and sighed. He heard the coochy coo of the maid as she played with Drake. Drake started to cry when the first lightning bolt struck, afterward, he had his face pushed against the glass and waited impatiently for the next flash. It was either that, or he looked up to the sky hoping the moon would break through the dark clouds way above them.

The vehicle slowed when they neared a flyover. An eighteen-wheeler hung down from the road crossing overhead.

“Now we aren’t going anywhere,” the driver said. “The cops have closed the road.”

“You’d better find another way. The weather won’t improve in the next hour or so, and if you think I’m sitting here for so long, you’ve got another thing coming.”

The driver sighed under his breath and started to spin the vehicle around. Others had the same idea, and a merry dance of turning vehicles filled the road. Horns beeped and cars bumped into each other as they couldn’t see what was in front or what was behind them. The driver looked at his satellite navigation system while it updated with a new route. He set off, now following the red line on the screen.

“It’s added another two hours so far, if we get caught again it’ll take even longer.”

“Just fucking do what you can.” Sanders turned to Lizeth. He held his hand out toward her. “Phone please.”

She reached into her bag and pulled out the cell Sanders had given her to keep dry. He turned it on and went to the message app.

Delayed even more. There’s a tropical storm here. No idea when we’ll get to Houston. Find something to keep yourselves occupied.

He turned the cell off and threw it onto Lizeth’s lap. He explained Megan would be pissed and her message would be a wild rant. He wasn’t interested in anything of the sort. He was more concerned about getting out of the crappy weather. If the wind stayed the same, it’d follow them all the way to New Orleans.

“What about the others, do you think they’re stuck like us?” Lizeth asked.

Sanders looked across the dark sky toward the ocean. Lightning struck over the horizon, and the clouds turned a reddish burnt-orange color. He frowned, now trying to think what Gabriel and Declan were up to.

“If I were in their shoes, I’d look for another way. But, doing that I reckon flights from Miami are grounded and no one’s crazy enough to go via the sea,” he stated. “That’d be suicide.”

Lizeth asked the question again but using different words.

“How do you think the pack’s coping with this shitty weather?”

Sanders turned to face her. “I don’t know, but I hope they’re grounded like we are going to be soon… if it doesn’t stop.”

She put her hand on his leg to comfort him. She said it’d all work out right once they got past New Orleans. Then it was pedal to the metal and drive as fast as they could to Houston and pick the girls up.

“How long do you think it’ll take us to get into the mountains?”

“It’s going to be a couple of days before we get to where we need to go, and the trek won’t be easy,” he replied.

“I’ve never traveled outside of the country; this will be my first time.”

Without looking, Sanders replied, “This isn’t a freaking vacation, this is strictly business.” Lizeth rubbed her hand up his thigh.

“I’m sure we can find some time to have a little fun.”

“Senor!” Juanita said.

“What is it?”

“Baby, he fill diaper.”

Sanders pushed his hand to his face and shook his head. There was no chance she was going to change Drake’s diaper inside the car. Sanders leaned to the driver and told him to pull over somewhere suitable. She could change him while they grabbed something to eat and drink, and then they could hit the road again. The driver spotted a diner ahead. The parking lot was empty, although the lights were on. He slowed and pulled into the parking lot. Sanders made sure he pulled as close as he could to the door. He wasn’t in the mood to saunter across the lot in the torrential rain.

The side door opened and Lizeth dashed to the diner door with her raincoat over her head. She pulled the door open and held it as Sanders used his vlad power to spring from the vehicle into the dry of the diner.

“Wow, you didn’t even wet your shoes,” Lizeth commented.

Juanita scrambled over the rear seat and walked toward the door. Her coat pulled over Drake’s head to keep him dry. She stepped inside and was soaked to the skin.

“Senor, take baby. I dry myself.”

She thrust Drake into Sanders' arms and vanished toward the restroom. Lizeth chuckled and walked to find a table. Sanders froze and stood with his arms outstretched. His hand pushed under Drake’s armpit.

“What the fuck are you laughing at?” he said to Drake.

A few gurgles and another sound from his already-filled diaper, and Sanders’ face changed.

I’m going to kill that fucking maid.

Juanita emerged from the restroom and sauntered over to Sanders. She took Drake from his grasp and walked back to the bathroom.

“Don’t ever vanish again,” he called after Juanita.

Juanita paused and turned. “Senor. Estás pero si bien pendejo.” She smiled and vanished into the washroom with Drake. He walked to the table next to the window and sat next to Lizeth. She had her head pushed against the window and was watching the beads run down the glass.

“Don’t you just love the rain?” she asked.

“I was enjoying it until the cop showed up and you vanished faster than Juanita did,” he remarked.

“I told you why I ran off,” she said. “You wouldn’t want to bail me out now, would you?”

Sanders picked up the menu. He sighed. “I’d have left you there.”

“Sandy, that’s not nice.”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. Who the hell calls me Sandy? That’s something your momma says. Not a future queen.

“All I can say is that you’d better not run off again,” Sanders said. “And the other thing you bett...”

The waitress butted in and asked to take their order. Sanders ordered steaks all around, and as rare as they could be. The waitress walked away.

“You were saying?” Lizeth asked.

Sanders turned. “Don’t ever call me Sandy again.”

“I awoke this morning in a different guise, lines and bags under my eyes hid my surprise.”