Sara was sweating her ass off as she laid out on the deck of the boat as they traveled down the Florida coast. Her mother was down below inside the boat with the A/C going. Lucas was piloting the boat, but wasn’t looking to well today.

“Do you want me to take over dad?” Sara looks up towards Lucas.

“I’ll be fine Sara. It’s just a stomach bug.” Lucas didn’t know why he was feeling like he was. He woke-up with his stomach bothering him and feeling nausea. His abdomen was hurting him.

By the time they docked, he was in severe pain. Sara had to dock the boat herself, while Emma called the paramedics. Lucas had to be taken to the hospital. Emma and Sara took a cab to the hospital and waited to find out what was wrong with Lucas. After a few hours, they find out that Lucas’s appendix had burst, and they had to go in and operate on him.

Emma had to call her supervisor to let them know Lucas was in the hospital and might be in there for a while. His appendix had rupture and was in surgery right now. She was informed another agent would be sent out and would join her to protect Sara. Emma informs Sara about what her supervisor had said.

Max Gibson Houseboat:
Max watches as the sun set. He reaches down in the cooler and grabs a cold beer and pops it open. The scars on his chest stood out as he sat on the deck of his house boat and enjoys the cold beer and the sunset. He has been on forced vacation for the past week. During his forced time off, he has been thinking that it might be time for him to leave the bureau.

Things were becoming to political and he was getting tired of the dumbass in the White House. He had done his years of service in the Navy as a Seal and took a job offer with the FBI. He’s been an agent for the past seven years. He had a PhD in oceanography.

The last assignment he had been assigned too had been a rough one. It nearly cost him his life. The bomb that someone else had constructed had detonated prematurely and caught him and the people he had been sent in to gather evidence on. The explosion killed them and would had killed him if he had been any closer to it.

He takes a sip of his beer and finishes it off. He grabs another and opens it.

Max’s thoughts are interrupted when he hears a familiar voice. It was coming from the front of his house boat.

“Hey Max, you home?” Gordon had been sent to tell Max he was wanted. He had tried to call Max, but it went straight to voice mail.

“Yea, I’m around back.” Max had grabbed his gun out of habit.

Gordon walks around the pier Max’s house boat was tied up too. He finds him sitting in one of his lounge chairs drinking a beer and looking out towards the water.

“So, this is what you have been doing lately. Watching the sunset and drinking beer?” Gordon sits down in the other lounge chair and grabs a beer out of the cooler.

“Yep, just enjoying the sunset and a nice cold beer.” Max takes a sip of his beer.

“It’s not a bad life. Especially on a hot and humid day like this.” Gordon pops opens his beer and takes a sip of it. It wasn’t the brand he normally drunk, but it was nice.

Max glances sideways and wonders what brought his former partner to his house boat. He takes a sip of his beer and tosses some bread crumbs out on the water.

“So, what brings you this way?”

“Well, I tried calling you partner, but it went straight to voice mail.” Gordon takes another sip of his beer. “Director Daniel has an assignment for you. I think you’ll like this one.”

“Why do you say that?” Max takes another sip of his beer.

“Well, it’s a combination of vacation and protection. One of the agents that was on this case came down with appendicitis was rushed to the hospital a few hours ago. His partner and the person they are protecting are holed up in a nearby hotel room with another agent right now.” Gordon takes a sip of his beer.

“Who are they protecting and what is the other agent’s name?” Max finishes his beer and grabs another one.

“They are guarding a Sara Ann Williams and the other agent is from our Jersey office and her name is Emma Williams. Her partner Lucas
Price was the one that came down with appendicitis.” Gordon had been informed before he was sent to fetch Max.

“Why are they protecting this Sara Williams person?” Max looks towards his old partner.

“She’s a witness against the Russian Mafia for sex trafficking. She also witnesses the murder of a State Senator from New York.” Gordon takes a sip of his beer.

“Why aren’t the Marshal’s protecting her?” Max was curious about that.

“Because she called our office when she got down to Chesapeake, Va. Also, you won’t believe this, but she sailed down the intercoastal waterway all by herself from New Jersey and she is only twelve years old. That’s where our agents from Jersey met up with her. They have been traveling down the waterway to here in Florida.” Gordon thought this was all amusing.

Max couldn’t believe it. A twelve-year-old girl traveled down the waterway all by herself.

“Where are they now?” Max takes a sip of his beer.

“They are in Daytona Beach and docked at Yacht Harbor. Agent Lucas Price has been admitted to Halifax Medical Center.” Gordon felt sorry for Mr. Price.

“And you say the director wants me to come and take this assignment?” Max couldn’t believe it.

“Yep, he wants you to come in and take Mr. Price’s place on the boat.” Gordon finishes off his beer.

“Do you know how long the assignment is going to be?” Max figures he could get his neighbor or his cousin to take care of his place like he normally does.

“Nope. Only the director does. So, grab your go bags and I’ll give you a lift back to the office.” Gordon puts his empty bottle with the rest of the ones Max had.

“Alright , give me thirty minutes to pack and make arrangements.” Max finishes his beer and takes the cooler inside prepares to leave.

He makes arrangements with his cousin to come by and stay at his place while he's gone. He heads towards the Miami Office to speak with the director.