Free By Sea by Carly Fall

and Brody dropped to the ground and pounded out fifty push-ups. He flipped over and crushed one hundred sit-ups. Feeling much better, the happenings of the previous night flooded him as he stepped into the warm shower spray.
    He had gone back to the very beautiful Mona’s hotel room—bonus points for remembering her name—and he’d stumbled home when the sun came up. He smiled as he recalled her soft skin and the way her eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight as they sat on the beach sharing lazy, languid kisses. The sea gently lapped against the shore, and he could see dolphins about a hundred yards out rolling through the water, the moonlight glistening off their backs, obviously as content as he had been.
    As he quickly shampooed his hair, he wondered what time it was, and what Joe wanted. Perhaps it was time to take on another client.
    Stepping from the shower, he studied his reflection in the mirror. Baggage from the night before circled his dark eyes, and running his fingers through his black hair, he decided he needed a haircut. After throwing on some shorts and a t-shirt, he made his way up to the main deck and stopped by the galley. “Good morning, Danny,” he said to the chef. He fought daily to keep the pounds off as he consumed Danny’s amazing cooking.
    “Good morning, Brody,” he said, his eyes never leaving his frying pan. “I’ve got eggs benedict on tap for you, but since it’s almost eleven, it will be a brunch type deal.”
    Brody nodded. Danny’s dark as night skin shone under the fluorescent lights, his graying hair worn close to his skull. How the guy remained so skinny was beyond Brody’s comprehension as everything he cooked was nothing short of a miracle being dropped on the taste buds. “Sounds good,” Brody said. “I appreciate it, man.”
    “No worries,” Danny called as Brody moved into the Main Salon. Katie was busy cleaning the flat screen TV on the wall. “Good morning, Katie,” he said.
    “Hello, Brody!”
    While Heidi was young and pretty, Katie was in her forties, rail thin, buckteeth, and plain brown eyes and hair. However, she had the disposition of good faeries, unicorns, and leprechauns: everyday was a gift and a new adventure to her, and she never stopped smiling. She could also hit the bull’s-eye of a target at a hundred yards and was a black belt in karate. Brody considered her his most important team member besides Jason.
    Speaking of . . . where was he?
    “Katie, have you seen Jason yet?”
    “I haven’t, but if I do, I’ll radio you!” she chirped as she moved to the back deck.
    The rest of the crew didn’t have any funky abilities like he did that he was aware of, and Brody hadn’t shared his with them. They often commented about the pod of dolphins that never seemed too far away from the yacht, but since his arrival, Brody had been calm and happy, and the sea had mirrored his mood.
    Danny brought out the Eggs Benedict just as the satellite phone rang. Brody nodded thanks to Danny, took a quick bite of his breakfast and answered the phone by the third ring.
    “Hey, Joe,” he said, trying to chew his food, but not let Joe hear him doing so.
    “Good, afternoon, Brody. Is it safe to say that you had a nice evening?”
    Brody chuckled. “You could say that.”
    “Good. It’s very important for you and the crew to let off steam when not working. I know your jobs can be stressful.”
    Brody really appreciated the way Joe cared about the boat crew. He wanted them all happy so their commitment to the assignments didn’t waver. In a nutshell, sometimes they had people’s lives in their hands, and they all needed to be in top form. That included being given time to rest, relax, and have some fun.
    “Thanks, Joe.”
    “Of course. However, it is time to get back to work, Brody.”
    “Great. What’s next?”
    “Have you ever heard of Margarita Garcia?” Joe asked.
    “Nope. Should I?”
    “It would be a possibility if you are into the pop culture, but