He took his backpack and saw Asher grab a duffle bag from the boot before he closed it. The man approached, a beanie pulled low, his face in shadow. Without a word, he got in the driver’s seat and drove the car away, and Asher headed toward the darkened jetty.
Harry fell into step beside him. He was sure his ankle was only sprained. Badly, but not broken.
A face flashed in the dark from the back of one of the old fishing boats. Another man, older with grey hair underneath a beanie, a fishing coat. He unwound the mooring with no more than a nod, and Asher climbed aboard.
Harry followed, down below deck, into a small and dimly lit room that stunk of fish and saltwater. There were two long wooden bench seats. Asher sat on one, Harry on the other.
“How’s your ankle?”
“Fine.”
“Bullshit.”
The engine on the boat rumbled loudly and the boat began to move. The noise, the rocking of the ocean... Harry couldn’t decide if it was unnerving or comforting.
Asher slid his duffle bag up one end of the seat and lay down, using it as a pillow. He closed his eyes. “We’ve got two hours. Get some sleep.”
Asher clearly had no issue in trusting Harry. Enough to close his eyes and sleep while Harry sat just two feet away. Well, it was either trust or Asher fancied his chances against him.
Harry was too tired to care.
Using his backpack as a pillow, he lay down, slowly lifting his foot up onto the seat. He hissed at the pain, and he knew that boot wasn’t coming off for a while. Having it raised was a good relief though.
He’d never minded a little pain. He actually liked a bit of it. It reminded him he was alive. What he hated was being a hinderance. Being a liability. He felt like a wounded animal that needed to recoup in its den until it healed.
There was no safety of a den now. And no time to heal.
He tried not to think about how his handler had made no contact. Did they assume he was dead already? Had they really cut him loose without so much as a fucking word? Had they put a contract out on him? After all he’d done...
Knowing no answers would come tonight, Harry closed his eyes.