Free Sail by James Patterson

they could. Through the sheets of rain, the deck light was all but useless. They could barely see Jake as he leaned like a phantom over the side of the boat.
    Still, they could tell something was wrong already. He was having trouble. Was it his footing? Was the anchor line caught?
    Jake’s voice shot back to the helm. “Mark, I need you up here now! Hurry!”
    Mark scurried away in a flash, too fast for Katherine to stop him. Not that she could. His face showed fear, but there was something else there. Purpose.
    The only thrill-seeking he’d ever done until now was through drugs. But here was this dangerous storm, a new and entirely different kind of experience.
    As scared as Mark was, dodging up to the bow with the boat violently tossing, a part of him seemed to be enjoying the hell out of all this.
    At least for the first five steps.
    Then came the sixth.
    Chapter 31
    THIS WAS the biggest wave yet, hurtling fast at
The Family Dunne
with a whitecapped curl that wasn’t going to miss. Crashing high above the boom, it practically swallowed Mark whole.
    As he disappeared from sight, Katherine involuntarily let go of the wheel. It was a natural impulse but potentially devastating, as she realized right away.
    The boat angled sharply to port, knocking her flat on the deck again.
    When she finally staggered back to her feet, she still couldn’t see Mark. He’d gone overboard! She was almost sure of it.
    “Jake!” she bellowed. “Mark is gone!”
    There was no response.
There was no Jake!
The giant wave had apparently flushed him over the railing too.
    Katherine didn’t know what to do next. She had no answer. Who would? That’s when she heard a gurgled yell from the ocean.
    Mark!
    She was only twenty or so feet from his voice, but as another wave slammed the boat, it might as well have been a mile. She could barely stand up, let alone get to Mark.
    Getting onto her knees, she began to crawl. It was the only way. “I’m coming!” she yelled. She grabbed anything and everything along the deck, pulling herself forward as fast as she possibly could. Finally she reached the side and looked over.
    My God, there he was!
    Tethered to the boat by his line, Mark was bobbing amid the enormous swells, struggling just to stay afloat. Even with his life jacket, the force of the waves was way too much.
He was being sucked underwater again and again.
    “Mark, hold on!” screamed Katherine. “We’ll get you up.” Somehow.
    Katherine knew there was no way Mark could pull himself back to the boat. She’d have to do it for him. But how? And where was Jake?
    With both hands she grabbed hold of the line and pulled as hard as she could, using every ounce of her strength. But the line wouldn’t budge more than a couple of feet.
    The more she tried, the more it felt like her muscles were going to rip from her bones. It was no use. She couldn’t do it herself.
She needed help.
    Chapter 32
    I’M DEAD MEAT,
thought Jake as he dangled from the side of the bow.
I’m through.
    With one hand he’d barely managed to hold on when the wave flipped him over the railing. Now that one hand—four fingers, to be exact—was slipping from the edge.
    Portside, stern, starboard—anywhere else and his harness could save him. Not at the bow, though. Not in this kind of storm. Not with the boat seesawing so violently
.
He’d be drawn under the waves the second he dropped. And then crushed by the weight of the hull.
    If only he could reach up with his other hand.
    But he couldn’t. The reason was simple: he had no leverage. The side of the boat was too slick for his feet to grip, and he couldn’t push himself up.
    “Mark!” he screamed futilely. “Katherine!” Where were they? Had they gone overboard? Had they noticed he was missing?
    His throat burned as he desperately called out their names. He couldn’t possibly scream any louder, but he was afraid they couldn’t hear him against the crashing waves and thunder. Hell, he could barely hear