Read Online Knockdown by Brenda Beem - Free Book Online

water. The sun was low in the sky and the wind gentle. Except for the occasional groan and whiff of vomit, it was a lovely night.
    We passed by the city of Port Angeles, the last town on the coast of the Straits of Juan de Fuca. There was no sign of life in the deserted city. Soon, there would be no more towns and no more green trees.
    We were almost to the ocean. Gentle swells rocked the boat, growing deeper and deeper th e farther from land we got.
    “Race Rocks.” Cole pointed toward a group of rocks we were passing. “That’s the point we sail around during the Swift Sure Race from Victoria. We are now officially in the Pacific Ocean.”
    Nobody said a word. I watched the receding coastline. My heart pounded and it was hard to breathe. Doubts plagued me. I gritted my teeth. What had Dad been thinking? The Pacific Ocean is one of the roughest oceans in the world. How could Dad send us out to sea, all alone?
    Zoë moaned and leaned further over the side. Dylan scrunched his bruised nose.
    T akumi held his head in his hands.
    I took a bottle of water to Zoë and came back to the cockpit. My fingers rested on Takumi’s arm. “Your dinner was great. Really. I ate a ton and I’m fine. Your cooking didn’t make her sick.”
    “She threw up right after dinner.” He glanced at Zoë, who lay flat on her back with her eyes closed. “I think I should get rid of the leftovers.”
    Jervis ’ head popped up. “What? No, don’t do that. It was good. Really good.”
    “Everyone else is fine. Leave it.” Nick leaned back into the stern seat, his arm covering his nose.
    Zoë threw up again. Dylan gagged.
    Cole held the wheel and checked the wind. “Tomorrow’s going to be a hard day. I’m not sure we should turn the gas on at all. Not a good idea to be cooking when a boat goes over. And you made a lot. We can just eat it cold.”
    “I kinda planned it that way. But that was before Zoë got sick.” Takumi shook his head.
    “Quit talking about food,” Zoë groaned.
    “I’m surprised no one got seasick before this. Believe me. It wasn’t what she ate.” Cole adjusted the steering wheel.
    Zoë gargled with the water and spit overboard. Dylan sent worried glances her way. I’d never seen him so gentle and caring.
    The boat dipped, almost head first down into the bottom of a wave. Water splashed over the bow, soaking Zoë, and entering the open hatch in the bow cabin.
    Zoë screamed, bolted to her feet, and scrambled back to the cockpit. Sliding to a stop, she leaned into Dylan, who wrapped a dirty towel around her and pulled her onto his lap. “Take me back,” she whined.
    The boat headed into another wave. We could hear dishes shift and loud crashes from the cabin below.
    Cole yelled, “Toni, make sure all the hatches are closed and nothing is bouncing around down there.”
    The boat angled sharply again , heading into another deep swell. I held on and waited for it to bottom out, then hurried to the forward hatch and pulled it closed seconds before water crashed over the bow again.
    Takumi followed me. He braced himself in the galley, duct taping the top of the big pot of steak and vegetable stir-fry he’d made for dinner. Plastic dishes rattled and clanged in the double sink. He put the pot in the refrigerator and started picking the pieces of a broken jar of soy sauce out of the sink.
    “Need help?” I stumbled and fell into him. He steadied me and we clung together while hanging onto the sink. What felt like a bolt of electricity passed between us.
    We stared wide -eyed at each other.
    Another wave hit. I seized the overhead railing and stepped away.
    This time Takumi’s face was red. “I’m going to…I’ll try to…umm, wash dishes before anything else breaks.” He turned on the hot water.
    Before I could re spond, Dylan showed up and grabbed my arm. “Is there a bucket or something Zoë can use?” He made a face and began wiping vomit off his shirt with the kitchen sponge.
    “Don’t use…” I