Read The Left Series (Book 6): Left On An Island for Free Online

around a foot from the deck.
    “All aboard,” Smith said.
    Smith clambered into the boat with ease, followed by McPherson and Hannigen, who immediately took up his position behind the steering wheel and the central control panel. I struggled to make it over the side, weighted down by the heavy belt and air tanks. Duffy and Dunne assisted me, roughly shoving me over the spongy rubber boat’s side.
    I tumbled inside the small craft and righted myself, sitting at the back of the boat on a wooden board. Smith glanced at me from the opposite side of the vessel.
    “You okay, kid?”
    I nodded, my facemask bobbing around while dangling around my neck. My mouth was dry and I felt incredibly nervous. Talking about diving was one thing but actually carrying out the procedure was something else entirely. Once again, I had the bad feeling I was going to let Smith down. He trusted me and I always felt as though he was testing my limits. Maybe he saw something in me I hadn’t recognized. Perhaps he always thought I was actually a better human being than I thought I was. I knew in the military they liked to bust you down to build you back up. Conceivably, that was what Smith was doing with me. He was a former U.S. Marine and during some of our drunken, late night sessions, he’d spilled the beans about his experiences in several combat zones. From what I remembered him telling me, I wouldn’t like to be the guy on the receiving end of Smith’s wrath.  
    Smith made a whirring motion with a raised finger and McElroy hit the winch lever, lifting us in the boat and outboard from the ship. I clung on to the side as the boat rocked under the motion. McElroy lowered us down to sea level. I felt a little sick but stopped myself from vomiting, swallowing down the stomach bile infiltrating my mouth.
    The bright sun glinted across the clear sea and as the boat lowered, I could see the hulk of the warship’s side, wedged firmly against a black mass below the surface. What the hell had we done? A bunch of amateurs trying to coast around islands surrounded by reefs and rocks. It had taken the Europeans centuries to navigate the Caribbean Islands and we thought we could do it in one attempt. It was almost laughable if it wasn’t so serious.
    “Got a smoke?” Smith asked McPherson.
    McPherson nodded and offered his pack. Smith lit up and we shared the cigarette as the boat hit the water.
    “What was it they said during World War Two?” I said, tossing the butt into the sea. “A last smoke before they got shot by the Nazi firing squads.”
    Smith grinned and pointed at me. “The bad guys in that war had the best equipment and the best uniforms. Tough on them they had a complete asshole directing the field operations.”
    “Adolf Hitler would have won that war if he hadn’t invaded Russia,” Hannigen interjected, turning his head. “That was his big mistake.”
    Smith laughed. “Weren’t you guys neutral during that war?”
    Hannigen grimaced, gritting his teeth as he glowered over his shoulder. “You should breeze up on your history, Smith. Belfast took its fair share of bombing during the Blitz, so it did. I think you’ll find the Republic was neutral, not the North. We stood alone as one until you American boys joined the party, very late on. 1941 was it?”
    Smith smirked. “Discussion to be continued, Hannigen.” He waved up to McElroy then pointed to McPherson. “Release the strops, dude.”
    McPherson nodded and leaned forward across the boat. He unhooked a big yellow clasp that held together four sturdy straps connecting the boat to the winch. The straps fell inside the boat and McPherson brushed them to the sides.
    “Good to go, Hannigen,” Smith said.
    Hannigen fired up the boat’s outboard motor and moved us forward and slightly away from the ship’s side. The boat’s propeller churned up the sea behind us as we moved slowly forward. The boat wasn’t going to have to move very far to reach the warship’s bows.
    I