“What a small world. I still can’t believe it.” He kept shaking his head and then laughed. I wish I’d been there to see you guys refusing to turn over your boat to him. I bet he was livid.”

  “He was angry at us, but even more so with his crew in the life raft. No one would follow his orders there either.”

  “Yep. That would seriously tick him off.” Kevin chuckled then took a deep breath. “So, tell me about this boyfriend of yours. Is it serious?”

  “Takumi?” I thought for a moment. “From the very first, we hit it off. He protected me during the tsunami. He comforted me when my brother died. He’s strong, smart, and caring. I can’t imagine being without him.”

  “He’s a lucky guy.” Kevin peered over his shoulder to check on Nick.

  Two men came by carrying a giant folded tent. They groaned with the weight. A young

  female sailor carrying a desk chair started past us.

  Her long dark hair glistened as she bent over and put the chair down. “Kevin! How was it out there? Are the refugees still rioting?”

  Kevin shrugged. “It went okay. The first convoy made it through.”

  “That’s great.” She studied me for a long moment, then stepped beside Kevin. “So, why do you get to sit around when the whole base is in frantic packing mode?”

  “I’m guarding two of the protestors.” Kevin glanced at me.

  “Major Conrad told you to escort us.” I frowned.

  The girl giggled. “She does look dangerous.” She held out her hand to me. “Hi. I’m Lieutenant Sastoka. Sassy for short.”

  I immediately liked her and took her hand. “I’m Toni.”

  “So, has my boy here been putting the moves on you?”

  “Sassy!” Kevin growled as his face turned red.

  “Hey! We women have to watch each other’s backs.” Sassy winked at me.

  I smiled. “I appreciate the warning, but it’s okay. I told him I have a boyfriend.”

  Sassy raised her eyebrows. “Honey, that’s not a problem for Kevin.”

  “I’m right here, ladies.” He scowled. Droplets of sweat had begun to form on his forehead.

  I looked from Sassy to Kevin. The electricity between them sparked the air. “He really has been a total gentleman.”

  Sassy picked up the chair she’d been carrying. “Glad to hear it. Maybe he’s finally growing up.” There was definitely history between these two. Kevin’s face was almost purple. I couldn’t tell if it was anger or embarrassment. Sassy laughed again. “Gotta go. The base won’t pack itself. Nice to meet you, Toni. Kevin, we have to talk about troop deployment. When you’re done with your dangerous assignment... She made the “call me” gesture with her fingers, and left.

  Kevin was steaming. He plopped back down on an overturned barrel.

  “She seems nice.” I bit my lip to keep from grinning.

  “Nice is not a word that is usually used to describe Sassy.” He stared at the path she’d taken.

  “She’s very pretty.”

  “What’s taking Nick so long?” Kevin wiped his brow.

  The flap to the brig opened and Nick appeared. “Hey, guys. Got our cell phones and the radio. I even spent a few minutes charging the phones.”

  “Great.” I grabbed my cell from Nick and powered it on.

  “Do you have any messages from Whistler?” I waited for my phone to come on.

  “No.” Nick frowned. “I’ll try the radio at four. Hopefully, Angelina will be listening.”

  My phone came alive. “No messages,” I moaned. Cell reception was getting worse and worse.

  “That’s too bad.” Kevin still seemed focused on the path Sassy had taken.

  “It is.” I shut off my cell. “Let’s go find Takumi.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  A canvas-covered truck was blocking our way to the door of the medic tent. A Marine held up his hand, and told us to wait while the truck was loaded with furniture.

  The hospital was even more hectic than HQ had been. Patients on gurneys were lined up along the walls. Hooks hung from the tent poles, but the partition fabric that had been hanging down between patients had been removed.

  Military personnel raced between helping patients and packing equipment. Boxes, full and empty, sat everywhere. Cords and electrical equipment lay strewn on the floor. We had to step carefully to avoid tripping on them.

  “Who’s in charge here?” Kevin stopped a uniformed woman holding a liquid-filled IV.

  She brushed past him. “There’s an officer meeting down the hall.”

  “Wait here.” Kevin took off.

  Nick and I checked to see if Takumi was one of the patients lined up along the wall. Nick covered one side of the hall, I had the other. In a few seconds, we determined that Takumi wasn’t in any of the beds near us.

  Then I heard a familiar voice coming from down the hall. “I am not going to Santa Barbara. I’m not getting into one of those trucks.”

  Nick and I smiled at one another.

  “Go get him,” he said.

  I ran down the hall, leaping over cords and around boxes. I heard patients moaning as I

  ran past. Up ahead, a group of men and women were deep in conversation.

  Kevin was with the group and held his hand up for me to stop. “I told you to wait.”

  “But, I heard Takumi. He’s close by.”

  “Takumi? I’m his doctor.” The woman I’d seen outside the hospital tent earlier moved over to me. “He’s across the hall with his guard.”

  My heart thumped in my chest. Takumi was here.

  Before I could take another step, Kevin grabbed my arm. “Whoa, there. You aren’t going anywhere without me.”

  “Then hurry up.” I pulled him along with me.

  I saw Takumi before he saw me. He was arguing with a young sailor. Suddenly, I couldn’t move. Tears blinded me as I stared at him. He was alive. Relief and joy flooded over me.

  Takumi’s voice was full of frustration. “I am not leaving with you. You’ll have to shoot me again. I will not…”

  “Takumi?” I whispered.

  Takumi swiveled. Our eyes met. I broke free of Kevin’s grip, and Takumi and I were in each other’s arms.

  “Get back.” The sailor guarding him tried to pull me off Takumi.

  Kevin stopped the sailor. “It’s okay. I’ll take charge of him. I’m Lieutenant Wilson. Major Conrad wants me to bring Takumi to him straight away.”

  The sailor saluted Kevin. “That’s good, Sir. No one here knows what to do with him.”

  “Report back to your commanding officer.”

  “Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir.” The sailor saluted again and left.

  Takumi and I spoke at the same time.

  “No one would tell me what had happened to you.” He stroked my cheek.

  “I was so frightened I’d never see you again…” I couldn’t stop touching and hugging him. I must have been grinning from ear to ear. Finally, I threw my arms around his neck and kissed his mouth, his nose, and his mouth again.

  Kevin interrupted our reunion. “Hate to break up the love-fest, but Major Conrad wants to see us ASAP. You can play catch up on the way back.”

  Takumi wiped my happy tears away. I took his hand in mine and we followed Kevin back down the hall. Takumi seemed strong enough to walk on his own, although he protected his side.

  I filled him in on what all had happened to me since the riot, then asked, “Tell me about you. Did you need surgery?”

  “No. They just stitched me up. The bullet only grazed me.” He gestured at his side. “Still a little sore. The doctors have been worried it’ll get infected. They’ve run out of antibiotics. That’s why they kept insisting I go with them to Santa Barbara.”

  “Did you tell them we have antibiotics on the boat?” I said softly.

  “No, but I remembered we did.” Takumi looked around. “What about Nick?”

  “Ask him yourself.” I pointed down the hall.

  Nick was still standing by the tent opening. His face broke into a huge grin when he saw Takumi.

  “You’re alive,” Nick cried.

  “You too,” Takumi said. The guys gave each other quick ‘man hugs’. Takumi grimaced for a second, but recovered quickly.

  “Takumi, you should have seen Toni out there. She had the crowd eating out of her hand!” Nick patted my head.

  I made a face and brushed his hand away. “I just gave them hope. That’s all.”

  “You stopped the protest. You saved lives,” Kevin said.

  “Ready to go back to the boat?” Nick asked Takumi.

  “Thought you’d never ask.” Takumi draped his arm around my shoulder, his injured side facing away.

  “Boating sounds like fun, guys. But before you get your sights set on leaving, you need to talk to Major Conrad.” Kevin pushed the canvas door open.

  “Are we still in trouble?” Takumi and I stepped out of the tent.

  “I don’t think so.” I took Takumi’s hand and we followed Kevin. “Oh. And I forgot. Guess who Kevin’s uncle is?”

  “Kevin?” Takumi glanced around.

  I gestured at the lieutenant. “Takumi, this is Kevin. Kevin, this is Takumi.”

  Nick looked back at us and bashed his shin into a stack of tent poles. “Aww, man!” He rubbed his injury. “Who’s his uncle?”

  “Commander Wilson from Santa Barbara! Can you believe it?”

  “The Coast Guard, Commander Wilson?” Takumi asked.

  “The very same,” Kevin smiled. “Thank you guys, so much, for saving his life.”

  “That’s unbelievable. Wow!” Nick looked incredulous.

  “He’s a nice man,” Takumi added. “I spent some time with him on the base in

  Santa Barbara.”

  “He’s a fun uncle, but a tough officer,” Kevin said. “What’s the base like?”

  As Kevin and Takumi discussed the base at Santa Barbara, I couldn’t stop staring at Takumi. He held my hand in a tight grip. It had only been three days, but he looked thinner. Watching him made my heart leap and I knew a huge grin was spread across my face.

  “Careful,” Nick cried as I almost stumbled into a short stack of boxes.

  Takumi stopped my fall. The pain on his face as he caught me made me feel guilty for not paying attention to where I was going.

  “I’m okay,” I assured him as we continued forward. I shoved my free hand into my pocket and touched my cell. Had Dylan texted me? It was all I could do not to power up the phone and check. I would have if I’d had even one full bar of power. My brother would wait for us, but not forever.

  I hated that we were headed away from Whistler and going back to HQ. I decided that no matter what Major Conrad wanted to do, I was finished with the military. Whistler was home, and we were going home.

  I jumped out of the way as the tent next to us collapsed. We sped up until we were almost jogging. I was pleased Takumi could keep up. Another tent went down. Trucks honked and whizzed past us. The camp was quickly being dismantled.

  The one tent marked ‘Headquarters’ was still up. Kevin entered first. We were told to wait.

  “What’s Major Conrad like,” Takumi whispered.

  “He’s fair, but firm,” I told him.

  “He likes Toni,” Nick grinned.

  Kevin motioned for us to follow him.

  “He likes Toni?” Takumi’s eyes narrowed.

  “He’s an old man.” We wove between crates, and stood in the back of the tent.

  The area was crowded. The last of the boxes were being hauled out. Both uniformed and non-uniformed people were working and talking softly. I spotted Major Conrad. He stood with his back to us and gestured wildly as he explained how he wanted something done to two Marines. As soon as they left, he began reading pages on the clipboard his assistant handed to him.

  “Toni!” A voice off to the left called to me.

  It took me a few moments to find the owner. “Raymond! How did your group do? Were you able to come up with an agreement?”

  Raymond nodded. “He’s reading it now.”

  We stood and waited. I held up crossed fingers. Raymond raised his too.

  “Who’s he?” Takumi asked.

  “That’s Raymond. He’s the spokesman for the refugees here. He hid me right after I escaped the military prison.”

  “You escaped from the brig?” Takumi stared at me.

  Major Conrad laid the notebook down and held out his hand. “Pen!”

  His assistant handed him one.

  We watched as he crossed out lines written on the proposal. He scribbled notes here and there. It wasn’t looking good for Raymond’s people.

  Finally, he was finished.

  “Raymond. Thank you for putting together a concise list of expectations. I wish I had enough people and supplies to fulfill all your needs. I don’t. Here’s what I can do.”

  I saw the concern on Raymond’s face as Major Conrad told him that only fifty sailors had offered to stay and help resettle the refugees.

  “I need twelve Marines to stay here to protect the border. Twenty-two of my men and women will travel to the farms and get them working again. We need to produce food, Major Conrad said.

  Raymond started to speak, but the commanding officer held up his hand for silence.

  “The other twenty-two will help with the resettlement on the coast. Their main roles will be protection and leadership. You and your committee members will decide who goes where. I will allow the sick and very young to ride on supply trucks. All others will walk. I will send enough food for two weeks.”

  “Two weeks! That’s not enough food,” Raymond wailed.

  “We can’t keep supplying you with food we don’t have. Your people are going to need to fish and hunt until the farms start producing. Toni tells me seaweed is good for you.” He made a face. “Besides setting up the camps and repairing the farms, the sailors and Marines will instruct your men and women on the use of firearms. A limited number of small arms will be handed out.”

  “This isn’t good enough. We need more… more of everything!” Raymond pleaded.

  “This is the best I can offer. I suggest you accept it.” Major Conrad stared at him.

  “I need to talk to my committee.” Raymond headed to a group huddled together in the corner.

  I glanced in sympathy at Raymond, then stepped forward. “We are ready to head back to our sailboat, Sir. My brother and our friends are waiting.”

  “This must be your boyfriend.” Major Conrad glanced at Takumi, then took another clipboard full of documents and studied it. “I have one last request of you.”

  I shook my head. “Sir. We need to leave…”

  “You and your friends will ride with the lead truck to the coast. My people are well trained on how to survive on their own, but I could use your help convincing the refugees. And you’ve seen the coastal base near Santa Barbara. You can tell them about how it is run. Once my people have established a protected area close to fresh water, you’ll be free to leave.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Takumi, Nick, and I sat in the backseat of a large, canvas-covered delivery truck. I was told our cargo was tents, cots, and blankets. The goal was to set up the tents before the refugees showed up. We were headed to the coastline, where the Tijuana River flowed across the beach and into the ocean. All I cared about was getting our job done, and finding Whistler.

  The trip from the border was only about ten miles, but they were slow miles. A team of Marines worked ahead, clearing the roadway. We had a lot of stop and go. Unblocking the highway wasn’t too difficult. They’d just shoved cars off to the side and towed dividers away. Then we drove on what was left of a surface street. Not only were vehicles blocking it, but in some places the streets had been totally washed away. In other places, debris from buildings and trees had to be removed.

  “It’s almost four,” Nick said. “Think the radio will work out here?”

  Lieutenants Kevin and Sassy rode up front. Sassy was driving. They had been quiet most of the drive. Strange for them.

  “Who are you planning to call?” Kevin asked.

  “We told Whistler that we would check in everyday around four. We haven’t checked in with them in two days,” I said.

  Nick pulled out his handheld radio. Static filled the truck cab.

  “Hey!” Kevin’s eyebrows cinched. “That’s a military radio. Where’d you get it?”

  I held my hand up. “Relax. We found it on a partially sunken boat in the harbor. I promise we didn’t steal it from the base.”

  “Really? It looks just like one of ours.” Kevin scowled.

  “Once we get to our sailboat, we can prove it. There’s three more just like it on board,” Takumi said.

  “Fine. I believe you… I guess.” Kevin didn’t look convinced.

  Sassy glanced over her shoulder at me. “The radio in our truck is probably stronger than your handheld one. What frequency are you calling on? You’ll have to stay off the military channels.”

  “That’s not a problem. We use channel eighteen.” Nick leaned forward and studied the radio on the truck’s dashboard. “Angelina should be listening. Whistler has a built-in radio too.”

  “It’s almost four. Give it a try,” Sassy said. “Wait. Hold on. Bump!”

  We cleared the pothole, and Sassy yelled again. We swerved off the road, into a large muddy puddle, and then back up onto the pavement. The truck didn’t have seatbelts, and we held onto the backs of the front seats to keep from smashing into each other.

  When the ride finally smoothed out, Kevin flipped on the truck’s short-wave radio, dialed channel eighteen, and handed the mic to Nick. The mic was attached to a short cord, and Nick had to lean across the middle of the front seat. I scooched over and onto Takumi’s lap to make room for him.

  “Whistler. Come in. This is Boots on the Ground, over,” Nick said into the handpiece. We waited, but all we heard was static.

  “Boots on the Ground? Are you serious?” Sassy giggled. It was the first time since we’d left the base that she sounded like herself.