Free Fraud: A Stepbrother Romance by Stephanie Brother Page A

are? My boys in
Chicago and D.C. will rip your head off and shit down your throat!” he shouted
at King and Tanner.
    Sam was furious.
    “Look, asshole,” said Tanner, “you knew
the score when you came on board the organization. Mr. King gets seventy
percent, you get fifteen, I get five, and the rest is ‘administration’.”
    “Then, explain how it is that I am only
getting two fucking percent, Tanner?” said Sam.
    “I had a look, and you are getting all my
excess inventory at cost. You’re then shipping it god knows where, and I see
the invoices are for ten times the sticker. So, where the hell is my cut,
King?” he said.
    King just looked at Tanner, and made this
weird face. His eyes kind of rolled back in his head, and his tongue stuck out
a bit.
    Tanner spun Sam around, and punched him in
the stomach. Sam’s breath whooshed out, and he crumpled over.
    King walked around to the other side of
Tanner, and did something, but I couldn’t see what it was.
    The next thing I know, Tanner had somehow
managed to get Sam to stand near the side of the boat, and that’s when I saw
what was about to happen.
    I jumped out from my hide, inside the life
raft, and ran towards the three of them.
    Just then, a huge wave crashed over the
bow, sending me off-balance.
    King saw me.
    “So, Mr. White! You’ve decided to join
us!” he said.
    “Back off, King!” I yelled.
    “You too, Tanner!” I said.
    Tanner pushed Sam, and timed it just as
another wave smacked the boat. We all went reeling, but I could see Sam was
about to go overboard.
    “You bastard!” I shouted at Tanner.
    I grabbed for Sam, just as Tanner yanked
the rope that entangled his feet.
    Sam slipped backwards, and I heard him hit
his head on the side of the boat.
    Another huge wave hit just then, and Sam
fell overboard, stunned by the impact.
    Sam Parker’s eyes were wide as he fell
into the roiling sea.
    But, there was no sign of life in them.
    He’d been knocked unconscious by the blow,
or stunned into incapacity.
    Either way, he was dead.
    I saw the rope around his feet trailing
him, and leapt at it.
    The motion of the boat caused me to fall
down, right where he’d been standing.
    “Come about! Get the life preserver and
toss it over!” shouted King. “Hurry, George!”
    When I got up, he was gone.
    There was no sign of him in the water, with
the waves crashing all over the place.
    He must have sunk almost immediately.
    Suddenly, Tanner and King were shouting
and trying to push me aside.
    They manhandled me and I saw Tanner toss a
life-ring far out into the ocean.
    There was no way to tell if Parker had
caught it, nor if it even was near him. 
    “Why the fuck are they bothering?” I
thought.
    Sam Parker had gone to Davy Jones’s
Locker.
    There’d be no more barbecues or arguing
about politics or anything like that with Uncle Sam anymore.
    Sam Parker may not have been my most
favorite person, but he didn’t deserve to die like that.
    “George! Assure that Mr. White doesn’t
escape! He pushed Sam Parker over the side!” King shouted.
    What the fuck? I thought.
    Suddenly, I looked at the cabin and saw a
small red light blinking on and off, and figured it was time to get out of
there.
    Tanner jumped in front of me, and I
pounded my right fist into his face. I’m pretty sure I broke his nose.
    He fell backward to the heaving deck, and
I jumped overboard, into the ocean.
    The “Punta Gordo II” was lost among
the waves.
    I heard it going away from me, as my
flotation vest kept my head out of the worst of the waves. I used my snorkel to
breathe, letting the waves pick me up and put me down. I floated, letting the harsh
seas do all the work. I knew that the general direction of the current would be
north, along the Gulfstream. My extraction point was only a few miles from
where I’d leapt off, and I knew that my team would get the EPIRB beeps, and
come find me.
    It was more boring than dangerous.
    At least, it is when you have the