Clark of the Future Sea

12. What it was All For

Henry stood in his bedroom, staring at the gun in his shaking hand. He shoved the 9mm into the drawer of his side table, before tossing back the last of his whiskey. He then reached for the pack of cigarettes and the lighter sitting on the bed. He removed one and tossed the pack onto the chair behind him.

Henry struggled to light it as he approached the open deck door. A gust of cool ocean air greeted him as he walked out onto the deck. The ocean was calm tonight, the polar opposite of how he felt at this moment. He took a long drag from his cigarette, releasing it all in one large exhale.

"What happened?"

He turned to look over his shoulder to see Clark standing in the doorway to his room."You're awake, I wasn't sure how long you'd be out."

"What did he do to me?" She rubbed her head.

"I don't know, what do you remember?" He asked.

"I think he drugged me. Gave me something in a glass of champagne. When I woke up, I was hanging off the back of the boat and then I lost consciousness again."

'Scumbag.' Henry took another drag of his cigarette and looked out at the almost full moon. He was glad he killed that asshole.

He let the smoke out of his lungs. "Yeah, that's how I found ya. Hanging off the end of the ship with a gun to your head."

"What did you do?" She asked.

He could hear her footsteps creak against the hardwood as she approached him.

"I shot him." He took another drag of his cigarette and turned to look at her. By her expression, he could tell she wasn't sure how to take the news. He blew out a plume of seashell white smoke.

"I brought you some dry clothes, but I couldn't bring myself to undress you. So you can change in the hall, I'll be here." He gestured to the sweatpants and t-shirt sitting on the dresser.

Once she had left, Henry sunk back into one of the chairs on the deck. He hissed as his leg began to ache, he rubbed at the area around the tender wound. Henry rolled up his pant leg and saw that blood had soaked through his makeshift bandage. Irritated he rolled his pant leg down and leaned back into his chair. He took another puff of his cigarette, holding it in a moment before releasing it into the night air. He was out on the open sea, but he'd never felt so trapped before. Any future he had hoped to have for himself was now gone. Where could he go? He had just saved the life of the one person who could put him in federal prison for life. What could he do? Kill her? It wouldn't make sense to kill her now. He just saved her. Even if that had convinced her not to testify against him, it wouldn't matter anyway. Anywhere he went he'd be hunted down for the rest of his life. Whether it was the government or Sebastian's powerful family that chased him, he'd never have a moment of rest, of that her was certain. The second he had killed Sebastian, he had signed his own death warrant.

Henry took one last drag of his cigarette. The cotton filter had become hot and he flicked it off the edge of the ship. What did it matter if his life was over? He was an old man and all he had ever done with his life was lie, cheat, and steal. This young girl was a good person. Naive but innocent. If he could get her home safe, maybe some good would have come out of his life.

He heard her soft footsteps before she joined him on the deck. He turned to look at her. Her firey red hair seemed to glow in the moonlight. For once in his life, he had wished he hadn't been such an old bastard. She was gorgeous. A natural beauty. He could imagine there was someone waiting at home for her. Clark turned to look at him and only then did he notice her emerald green eyes.

"Everyone that I had started this with is dead now." He pulled the necklace out of his pocket. The beautiful ruby in his hand shined in the light of the moon, much like her hair.

"Did you know that this is what it was all for? This ruby necklace. It was the whole reason why you have been kidnapped and spirited away to the open sea. It's the reason that Tony and Kade are dead. And it is the reason that Sebastian wanted to kill you. If you ask me that's too high of a price for a shiny necklace." He wiped the salty residue from the gem before shoving it back into his pocket.