Leaving the car was a nerve-wracking relief. The car was a beacon. Almost literally a neon sign that said, “here are the people you are looking for,” but it was also fast and powerful: there weren’t many cars on the road that could rival a custom-built LC500. If spotted, they had a fighting chance, or at least it felt that way, even if they were both aware it made capture a near certainty if the police got involved.

  On foot, carrying a bunch of backpacks? Well, that didn’t feel safe at all, and it wasn’t. Having parked on the main land they now had to cover about a mile to get to the ship, and only then would they find out how screwed they were.

  If the ship isn’t ready to sail, there is no plan B, Kaori thought. Still, she was glad there was a plan A at all. By all rights, her story should have ended with her mangled body splattered over the pavement below the hotel’s window, several hours ago—or at best severely wounded and captured. Her luck only had to hold a few more hours and she would be safe. We will be safe, she corrected herself. It had not escaped her Ma?l’s life was being completely upended for her sake, and he might end up dead in the process. That was a sobering thought.

  She needed all the help she could get and she wouldn’t survive very long without him; at the very least, she had to consider his safety too. She peered at the bridge ahead of them. No one seemed to be around. It would work. It had to.

  A few minutes later, they arrived in front of the dock. Ma?l stared in wonder at the Asahi, a white Lagoon 620 catamaran gleaming under the moonlight. For a brief moment, he had forgotten entirely about the urgency of the situation, admiring the yacht. Up to that point, he had merely been focusing on getting here, viewing the ship as nothing more than a way to escape the country, but, damn, she was doing things in style!

  “Come,” urged Kaori, climbing on board. Ma?l followed her, dumping the backpacks inside the salon—that thing had a real salon!—and into one of the cabins. The ship was massive, bigger than most apartments.

  This is it, thought Kaori as she lifted a corner of the king-sized bed to expose a hidden safe. She punched the code nervously and breathed a sigh of relief as it unlocked.

  The ship’s key fob was there. At least they could start the engine, if it worked. The safe also contained the ship’s paperwork, some invoices, a bit of jewelry and, to her surprise, Aiko’s passport. The girl probably thought she had lost it somewhere. Key in hand, Kaori scrambled up to the cockpit. Her luck seemed to hold so far. The fuel tank was almost full, as were the freshwater tanks. The water might not be all that great, but it would have to do—it’s not like they had another option anyway. If they managed to escape Japan, there would be plenty of opportunities to refill.

  She stood on the bridge and flipped the engine start switch on. The moment of truth. If the ship didn’t start, there wasn’t much they could do.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  The engine puttered to life before settling into a steady purr.

  She turned to Ma?l:

  “I’m going to need you to release the lines.”

  “The lines?”

  “The ropes tied to the dock. They need to be released in sequence. First, you need to untie the ropes from the stern—the back of the ship and throw them on board. When you are done with that, I’ll shift the boat a little and give you a signal to remove the ropes from the front of the ship. Then, you’ll have to come on board fast with the ropes.”

  Ma?l nodded. He’d never been aboard a sailing ship but moving ropes and jumping on the deck were well within his capabilities and less than a couple of minutes later, he was back on the deck, the ship free from the lines. Kaori began the tricky process of extricating the Asahi out of the port. They were fortunate, for leaving the dock didn’t involve complex maneuvers. They had been located at the tag end of the pier and their exit was quite straightforward, or more accurately, straightbackward. Either way, it was easy to navigate.

  Kaori stood at the helm, focused. Her path was illuminated by the moonlight and she guided the ship with a sure hand. It had been a while since she last sailed, but she only needed to back up straight till the end of the jetty, then make a small turn starboard to exit the harbor. Just a few minutes later, she passed the red and green lights at the entrance of the port and proceeded to sail around the island and into open sea.

  Soon, they left the flat calm of the bay for the soft swell of the ocean. The feeling was exhilarating. Ma?l stood at the front of the ship, watching for…. He had no idea what he was supposed to be watching for, but fortunately, Kaori didn’t seem to need his help at all. He stole a glance back at her.

  She was bathed in the moonlight, her face illuminated by the glow of the navigation equipment. She truly was the most beautiful woman in the world. She had to be.

  She called at him and he rushed to her, appearing by her side an instant later.

  “We are going to switch over to sails.” she said, turning the ship into the wind before shutting off the engines. The ship was rocking gently on the waves, the sails hanging slack.

  “This is what we call being ‘in irons’. We are now going to hoist the main sail. That’s the big one in front of us. I’m going to stay here to control the helm, so I’ll need you to handle the sails. First, you need to remove the cover.”

  Ma?l climbed on the roof of the cabin and removed the cover without any difficulty. He was no sailor, but his balance was remarkable, and Kaori’s instructions were clear and precise. Just a few minutes later, the main sail was flapping gently against the mast and the rigging. They worked well together.

  “Come back here, we’re ready to go,” Kaori said. She spun the wheel, rotating the ship on the spot. Slowly, the breeze began to fill the sail, lazily pulling the ship forward. It picked up the pace and pretty soon they were gliding smoothly over the calm coastal waters. They stood side by side in silence.

  Over the horizon, the first rays of sunshine lit the sky with the colors of hope and freedom. They had done it!