Category Five Read Online Free

time.”
    Donovan buckled his seat belt as the driver nodded. The Toyota lurched forward and headed toward the gate that led out of the airport.
    â€œMy name is Ian.” The driver said in a clipped British accent. He put out his hand as he braked hard and waited for the gate to open.
    â€œI’m Donovan.” He returned the firm handshake. Donovan felt a small measure of relief that Ian’s sense of urgency seemed to match his own. He saw the look of determination on his ebony face.
    â€œWhat kind of car are we looking for?” Donovan asked, quickly.
    â€œIt’s a white Mercedes sedan.” The gate inched back just enough for them to pass and Ian gunned the Toyota through the narrow opening out onto the empty road. “It has a government seal painted on the side.”
    As they sped away from the airport, Donovan wasn’t sure what he dreaded most: that something terrible had happened to Lauren, or how he would feel when he was face to face with her.
    Donovan stiffened as they rounded a curve and Ian stepped hard on the gas pedal. Ahead of them was the causeway that stretched across Castle Harbour. He’d been over the bridge many times, but never when such big waves were breaking against the pylons. Geysers of water exploded into the air where they were ripped apart by the raging wind. Donovan could feel his leg muscles tighten at the sight. Each large swell dashed rhythmically against the concrete, leaving a frothy wake on the road itself. Ian held the Landcruiser steady as they plowed through the axle-deep water. Donovan felt his skin turn warm and clammy. He wanted to close his eyes as the water arched toward them and broke over the Landcruiser. Donovan held his breath. His heart palpitated in his chest—the pounding moving up through his neck and finally hammering at his temples, threatening to crush him as each wave reared up and splashed against the metal of the Toyota. He took his eyes from the waves and looked up at the clouds. Donovan tried to reason with his demons. In his mind the wild ocean had become a living, breathing entity—a forbidding creature that would, on a whim, turn deadly and murderous. From firsthand experience, Donovan knew what a cold, calculating killer it could be. Once upon a time, the sea had taken everything from him.
    Donovan sat frozen, unable to stop the barrage of memories. With vivid clarity, he could picture the sudden early morning storm: the deafening thunder and horizontal rain, mountainous waves that had built relentlessly, finally capsizing and smashinghis family’s chartered schooner. He’d been fourteen years old, and in the chaos of the storm, he’d been thrown overboard, flung helplessly into the giant waves of the southern Pacific Ocean. It was the day he’d become an orphan.
    â€œMan, I’ve never seen the harbour looking quite like this.” Ian held the wheel steady as they pushed across the bridge. “I’d say she’s a bit riled up.”
    Water crashed into the side of the Toyota. Donovan tried to control his breathing. It was as if the sea were attempting to reach in and snatch him from the vehicle. He clenched his teeth, trying to convince himself the weight of the Landcruiser was stronger than the waves. Donovan knew that if he were somehow washed into the ocean it would surely kill him. The sea had been waiting over thirty years for a second chance.
    â€œWhoa.” Ian turned the Landcruiser hard into a big wave. The vehicle skidded on the blacktop.
    They were almost across. Donovan let out a breath of thanks as they once again crossed over onto solid land. It had been years since he’d been threatened by such close proximity to an angry ocean. He tried to blot out the image of how awful it would be if he were once again adrift in such a sea. Ian slowed as they veered right. Donovan noticed a sign; they’d just turned onto Blue Hole road. He thought of the return trip he’d