Submersion Read Online Free

lighten the seriousness with his familiarity, as he reached out to take my mug. ‘You in or out? I need a quick decision and then I need to get on.’
    My eyes were uncovered for the first part of the journey, as we travelled east of the city in Jessie’s own speedboat. It is smaller than the one which took Elinor to school, with a smaller engine and tank, but big enough for the work we did. And it was the only visible sign that Jessie made a good profit; no one else I knew - at least, no friend or family – had their own speedboat. We sailed beyond Jessie’s road, at the top of which there was a crossroads. Once controlled by four sets of traffic lights, it was by then a free-for-all, but as with most of the river roads, the traffic was light. Most people had neither the means nor the inclination to travel far from their homes. We sped straight over at the crossroads, curled along a mile long fir tree lined avenue and then Jessie stalled the engine.
    ‘Time to cover up,’ he informed me, although I’d guessed that was the reason for stopping the boat. He tied an old, silky scarf around my head, folding it wide enough to block out my sight entirely. Even through the war-time face mask, my nose caught the scent of the fabric: oil. The effect of the two facial visors combined was sufficiently disorientating; there was no way my senses would be able to map out the route in my mind.
    ‘You’ve put a dirt rag across my face?’ I protested, lightly, trying to break through the darkness with a little humour.
    ‘Put your hands out front, where I can see them,’ he instructed, avoiding an answer and, when I complied, the unexpected happened. I felt and heard cold steel crunch around my wrists.
    ‘What the-.’
    ‘I’m taking no chances, old pal. None. It’s not worth either of our lives.’
    ‘Don’t you trust me?’
    ‘I just need you to trust me for this one. I don’t need yours in return – I’ll just cover my arse with a bit of security.’ I heard him move back to the engine and pause. ‘Do I have your trust, or do you wanna go back?’
    Thirty minutes later, the engine stalled again and cuffs and the scarf were removed. We had arrived at our secret destination.
    ‘Okay, brace yourself,’ Jessie instructed, as I gazed ahead, blinking, taking in the sight before me. ‘See why I had to blindfold you?’
    Oh yes, I said inside, nodding as my external response. Oh yes I do.
     
    It was dark when we were done, darker still once I was back in the boat, hands secured, eyes covered by the oily silk rag. Jessie didn’t bother to remove either until we were moored outside his place again. Before I went, he insisted on handing me an envelope.
    ‘I’ll pay you more once the job is complete, but here’s a little something for now.’
    This was out of the ordinary. I knew the deal with Jessie – you only got your cut when Jessie got his. But this time was different; he was still safeguarding his back. The handcuffs and the improvised mask were not enough to replace his trust after all – he felt the need to buy my silence as well.
    I took the envelope, nodded and stepped back into my boat.
    ‘Tris, not a word to anyone, or we could be in more trouble than you can imagine,’ he warned, untying my boat for me and flinging the rope into its shell. ‘I’d not have gone ahead with it if you hadn’t agreed. Wouldn’t have trusted the others.’
    I rowed away, pointing north to Agnes’ house, thinking how he had redefined trust by making me his captive for the day.
     
    When I reached Agnes’, it was immediately evident that something was up. There were three – not one – small boats moored out the front. We had visitors and, if I recognised the boats correctly, family visitors. Inside, there was no buzz to accompany the increase in numbers; just a dull murmur of somber voices that confirmed the visit was one of seriousness.
    Agnes’ local family consisted of a band of five: Jimmy and Penny, her uncle and