The Accidental Existentialist Read Online Free PDF

He then reached into his other breast
pocket and unzipped it. In his hands, he held a small remote
detonator, sealed in a Ziploc freezer bag. Pressing his thumb
through the folds, he found it difficult to push the switch into
the “on” position.
    “ Come on, come on!” The
boat would soon be out of range.
    Finally, the switch clicked into
place. A green LED lit up.
    With his thumb on the detonation
button, Chris took a deep breath.
    And pressed it.
    But nothing happened.
    Chris swore and pressed it again. And
again. “No!”
    Either the boat had indeed sailed out
of range, or the package of C4 had dislodged. Only one way to find
out. He began to swim towards the boat. But he didn’t have to do
that for long.
    Like a bandolier of firecrackers, gun
shots resumed and crescendoed. Chris ducked under the water. The
boat was turning around and coming at him.
    Perfect.
    He stayed under until he had to
breathe again.
    Then lifted his head and swam, so as
to give away his position and lure them towards him.
    A deep breath and then under the waves
again. He looked at the detonator in his hand. The power light
still glowed. But he noticed some water seeping into the
bag.
    The boat was coming closer.
    But there was no way he could tell if
the package was still stuck to the hull.
    He pressed the button.
    Nothing.
    Out of breath. He surfaced
again.
    This time a bullet flew right over his
ear and hit the water. He looked up and was shocked to find them so
close.
    Under again.
    The green power light
flickered.
    It was starting to short
out.
    Like rain drops in a bucket, bullets
hit the water all around him.
    Come on, dammit! Chris pressed the
button repeatedly.
    The boat must not have been more than
fifty feet away. But nothing happened. He would never know now if
he’d failed because the package had fallen off, or if the remote
had been damaged by the water. Probably both.
    It was over.
    Images of Marlena and Robbie floated
through his mind. Her smile, during those carefree days before he
joined the CID with Masterson. He saw his sons, Ben and Robbie, as
newborns. Holding them for the very first time, his chest swelling
with pride. And he saw the tiny casket that held Ben’s body.
Something no parent should ever see.
    I’m sorry. I’ve let you
all down.
    His lungs grew urgently tight. He had
to surface and get shot, or drown.
    The Yatch loomed just about ten yards
away now.
    He started swimming to the
surface.
    Through the salt water, he could feel
tears streaming from his eyes as the green light grew dimmer and
dimmer.
    Ben’s death, his own. All in
vain.
    Just as he reached the surface and
gasped for air, Masterson began to shout. Weapons drawn, the men
all ran to the side of the boat facing Chris.
    Oh God, help
me.
    Exhausted, he shut his eyes. Squeezed
the button one last time before…
    A sudden blast rocked the air. Shards
flew all over, splashing into the water. A black plume expanded and
tongues of fire licked wildly into the air. Like a blossoming rose,
the entire yacht expanded in a dazzling array of black, yellow and
amber. Chris blinked, and wiped his eyes. He could not imagine a
more beautiful sight.
    It didn't bring Ben back, but it sure
felt good to know that the people who'd held the lives of countless
innocents in their slimy fists were gone. And their American
enabler, whom Chris would never forgive himself for colluding with
in order to get to Khrenikov, had paid for what he did to Ben, and
God knows how many others.
    He swam in the direction
of the abandoned Potemkin as best as he could recall. But the euphoric
sense of relief and closure overshadowed his need to find it.
Instinctually, he reached into his pants pocket. He wanted to look
at pictures of Marlena and Robbie on his iPhone. But as it had been
soaked in sea water, it was, of course, dead. No way to contact
anyone, even if there was a signal out here.
    Didn’t matter.
    He'd gotten the message out in time
while they were still in cellular range. And