Stuart Woods' Deep Water

by Brett Battles

Genres: General Fiction; Action & Adventure; Thrillers; Suspense

Synopsis

In the latest action-packed adventure in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, Stone Barrington must avenge attacks on two of his dear friends.

When Stone Barrington meets one of his clients, Trenton Sidney, for a sunset drink on Trenton’s new yacht, the last thing he expects is to be a victim of a shipwreck. As one of the four survivors of the incident but with little memory of the sinking, Stone finds himself diving straight back into work. His first task? To reach out to the beneficiaries in Trenton’s will.

But when new evidence that points to foul play comes to light, Stone must probe the tragedy in more ways than one in order to uncover the identity of the perpetrator . . . before they find another lethal way to get themselves out of deep water.

Release date: June 2, 2026

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons

Print pages: 320

Sample

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Chapter 1

Sixty miles south of Long Island Sound, late.

"Would you like one?" Trenton Sidney asked, his hand hovering over the cigar box. "They're Cuban. Picked them up myself last week."

"Tempting, but I'll pass," Stone Barrington said.

Trenton pulled out a cigar, cut the end, and lit it.

The two men were on the upper deck outside the dining room of Trenton's new yacht, the Amanda Jae. He'd commissioned its construction two years ago and had finally taken possession of the boat a week earlier.

Trenton had not been born to a wealthy family but had earned his fortune through hard work and keen instincts. The company he'd started had specialized in cloud storage, before cloud storage had become the norm. His focus on superior technology had translated into quick success, and it wasn't long before the company had become an acquisition target for several of the big players. When all was said and done, Trenton had walked away with just under a billion dollars.

He had since more than doubled that amount by becoming an angel investor in several successful start-ups.

Stone was a partner at the prestigious law firm Woodman & Weld and had assisted Trenton with several legal matters, both business and personal. Through their dealings, they had developed a friendship. Which was why Trenton had invited Stone on the Amanda Jae's maiden voyage. This was the second of two planned nights at sea, and they would be heading back to port in the morning.

One of the crew members stepped onto the deck, carrying two glasses of cognac.

"Ah, perfect timing," Trenton said. "Is that the De Luze?"

"Yes, sir," the steward said and set the drinks on the table between the two men. "Will there be anything else?"

"That'll be all for now, thank you." After the crew member left, Trenton said, "I don't think I've told you this, but when I was a kid, my dream was to own a yacht like this."

Stone lifted his glass. "To a dream achieved."

They took a drink.

As Stone set his cognac down, he was hit with a momentary spell of lightheadedness.

"Are you okay?" Trenton asked.

"Just a little tired, I think," Stone said, then stood. "If you don't mind, I'm going to call it a night."

"Not at all. I'll see you at breakfast."

"Sounds good."

Stone headed inside to the lounge. He was halfway across the room when the dizziness returned with a vengeance. He pressed a hand against the wall and squeezed his eyes shut, hoping the spell would pass.

"Do you need assistance, Mr. Barrington?"

It took a moment for the question to register. He blinked and turned to the voice.

The steward was hurrying toward him, looking concerned.

"I'm not feeling too well," Stone said, his voice suddenly weak.

"Here," the man said as he slipped an arm around Stone's back. "Let me help you to your room."

Before Stone could even say thank you, everything went black.


Stone opened his eyes, then immediately closed them again as a wave of pain rushed through his head.

As it subsided, he became aware that he was lying on what seemed to be a bed.

He felt like he'd had too much to drink but couldn't remember having done so. Even if he had been drinking, it had been years since he'd had enough to black out. It just wasn't something he did.

Before he could guess what might have happened, his eyes shot open as the bed lurched, sending him tumbling to the floor.

"What the hell?" he said.

Gravity was trying to roll him toward the wall opposite his bed.

His eyes whipped around the room in confusion.

This wasn't his bedroom in Turtle Bay, nor was it one in any of his other homes.

It looked more like a room on-

A boat.

That's right. He was on the Amanda Jae. But the Amanda Jae was not a sailboat, which would have explained the tilt.

Stone struggled to his feet, then staggered to the door and out into the corridor. Water sloshed across the floor as more poured in from somewhere unseen.

He stumbled to the stairs, then hurried up them and out onto the deck.

The Amanda Jae was already listing so far to starboard that the edge of the deck was only a few hand lengths from the ocean's surface.

Stone looked around for Trenton and the crew, but the deck was deserted.

His eyes alighted on a bench seat, below which was a sign that read: life vests.

He wrenched the seat upward, grabbed one of the vests, and pulled it over his head. Once it was secured, he headed back to the stairwell, intending to alert anyone he could find.

He was but a few steps away when the yacht lurched again. His hand ripped free from the railing, and he somersaulted through the air and into the ocean.

For several seconds, he had no idea which way was up. When his head finally broke the surface, the yacht was at least a dozen yards away and drifting farther from him.

His immediate instinct was to try to get back to it, but he stopped himself. The starboard edge of the main deck was now below water, and it wouldn't be long before the entire boat was consumed. If he was anywhere near it when that happened, he might get pulled under with it.

So instead of returning to the yacht, he swam in the other direction, until he felt he was far enough away.

From there, a short time later, he watched the Amanda Jae disappear into the deep, dark sea.

Chapter 2

Not long after four a.m., Andre Parker guided the small Zodiac boat down the Long Island coast, checking his phone every few minutes. On its screen was a map, upon which a red dot flashed, marking his destination.

He moved closer to shore and grinned when the private pier came into view.

The summer house to which the pier belonged was owned by a wealthy, elderly couple who hadn't used the place in several years, making it perfect for Andre's needs.

The couple also owned an Ocean Sport 30 motorboat that they had used in their more active days.

Normally, it was kept in an onshore boathouse, next to the dock. But a week prior, the company that provided a caretaking service for the property had been notified that a guest of the owners would be staying at the house for a few weeks. The company had been instructed to put the vessel into the water, so that the guest could use it whenever they wanted.

Which was why the Ocean Sport was currently floating beside the dock.

Andre guided the smaller Zodiac to the pier and tied it to the larger boat. After he moved onto the Ocean Sport, he released its mooring lines and motored back to sea with the Zodiac in tow.

Once he determined he was far enough from shore, and the radar showed no other vessels nearby, he released the ropes connecting the two boats, pressed the remote in his pocket, and watched the Zodiac sink into the Atlantic Ocean.

He returned to the dock and resecured the Ocean Sport in the exact spot it had been in when he'd arrived. Then, even though he'd been wearing gloves, he wiped down every surface he had touched.

People in his profession could never be too careful.

Tomorrow, the caretakers would receive an email informing them that the guest's plans had changed, and no one would be using the house after all. The company would be asked to return the Ocean Sport to the boathouse, and not a soul would know that Andre had been there.

Andre made his way to the property's stand-alone garage, behind which was the stolen sedan he'd left there a few days ago. He'd equipped the vehicle with motion activated cameras, so he already knew that no one had stumbled upon it.

Two hours later, he used a stolen badge to let himself into the airline employee parking lot at JFK. He parked the sedan in an empty spot, knowing it would probably be days before anyone noticed the unauthorized vehicle.

Next came the part of his plan he'd been looking forward to the least: the long walk to the AirTrain, which he would take to Jamaica Station, and from there the subway home.

As he started to make his way, he retrieved a throwaway phone from his bag and called the number he'd memorized.

"Yes?" a voice answered.

"It's done," Andre said, then hung up.

He popped out the SIM card and broke it in two, then he broke the phone apart and disposed of the pieces one by one.

Chapter 3

Stone grabbed a padded seat from one of the yacht's lounge chairs as it floated by. It wasn't sturdy enough to use as a raft, but it helped him keep his head above water.

Sometime after, he thought he heard distant voices. He scanned around but saw nothing in the dim starlight. Then the voices stopped, and he wondered if they'd been the result of wishful thinking.

He had no idea how long he'd been clinging to his makeshift float when a rhythmic whooshing sound began echoing off the water. It was low at first, and he wondered if the noise was another delusion. Instead of going away, however, the sound only grew louder and louder.

A light in the sky flared to life and began sweeping across the surface until it landed on Stone.

Something splashed into the water nearby, and the next thing he knew, a pair of men in diving suits appeared beside him.

"You're going to be okay, sir," one of them said. "We're here to help."

"Are you hurt?" the other asked.

"W-w-what?" Stone said, teeth chattering and mind teetering on the edge of delirium.

One of the men reached into the sky and suddenly had hold of a rope and harness.

"Are you hurt?" the other man asked again, slower and louder this time.

"I-I-I don't know."

The one with the rope said, "That's okay. We're going to get you out of here."

"Out of here?" Stone asked. He was having a hard time grasping what the man meant.

The two men maneuvered Stone into the harness.

"You might feel a little jerk, but don't panic," one of them said. "Everything is going to be fine."

The next thing Stone knew, he was yanked into the air and pulled into a helicopter.

A man and a woman, both wearing military-type jumpsuits, helped him out of his life jacket and onto a stretcher. The moment he lay down, exhaustion swept over him, and he could barely keep his eyelids open.

"Sir, can you tell me your name?" the woman asked.

"S-S-Stone B-B-Barrington."

"Thank you, Mr. Barrington. Are you hurting anywhere?"

"I-I-I don't know. I can't f-f-feel anything."

"Not a problem. We'll check you out."

As she draped a blanket over him, her companion strapped something around Stone's bicep, and then whatever it was squeezed Stone's arm.

Numbers were shared between the two, and hands probed his limbs and torso. Words were spoken, but Stone didn't understand what was said.

He tried to focus, but his eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand pounds each.

"You can rest, Mr. Barrington," the woman said. "We'll take care of you."

He wanted to stay awake and ask what was going on, but as if her words were the permission he'd been waiting for, his lids shut, and the world around him faded away.


Stone woke to the sound of rhythmic beeping.

He blinked several times, letting his eyes adjust to the bright ceiling light.

"Well, look who's decided to return to the land of the living."

Stone turned toward the voice.

Dino Bacchetti stood by Stone's bed, smirking. Dino was Stone's best friend and the police commissioner of New York City.

Stone tried to say something, but his throat was dry and it came out as an unintelligible croak.

Dino held out a cup. "Here. Have some water."

Stone drank until it was all gone, then asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I think the better question is: What are you doing here?"

Stone looked around. "I don't even know where here is."

"NYU Langone Hospital."

"What am I doing here?"

"You don't remember taking a swim in the middle of the ocean?"

"A swim . . ." Stone's voice trailed off as the memory of the Amanda Jae going down hit him.

"Oh, shit."

"You do remember!"

"I thought I was going to die."

"I'm told you have your life vest to thank for that not happening."

"What do you mean?"

"It was equipped with an emergency beacon that activated when you went into the water. The Coast Guard picked it up when they neared the accident site."

The door opened and Mike Freeman entered, carrying two cups of coffee. He ran Strategic Services, which was one of the top security companies in the world, and he was also partners with Stone at both the Arrington Hotels Group and Triangle Investments.

"He's awake," Mike said.

"How long have you two been here?" Stone asked.

Mike handed one of the coffees to Dino. "A couple hours for me. Dino's been here since this morning, I think."

"And last night," Dino said. "I want to make sure I get all the credit I can."

Stone's face scrunched up. "How long have I been here?"

Dino looked at his watch. "It's almost four p.m., so about twenty-seven hours."

"Twenty-seven?"

"Unless you meant since you were pulled out of the water. Then we're talking more like thirty-six hours. The Coast Guard took you to NYU's Long Island hospital before you were transferred here."

Stone had lost a day and a half.

"There's an investigator here from the Coast Guard who's been waiting to talk to you," Mike said. "Do you feel up to it? Or would you like me to tell her to come back tomorrow?"

Stone shrugged. "Sure, I'll talk to her."

"Be right back."

Mike stepped out and returned moments later with a woman probably in her late thirties, wearing a Coast Guard uniform. She had short black hair and did not look like someone on whose bad side you'd want to be.

"Stone, this is Commander Julie Choi."

"Mr. Barrington, I'm glad to see you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Like I spent a month in a washing machine," Stone said honestly.

"That doesn't surprise me. You survived quite an ordeal."

"And not one I'm anxious to repeat."

"I'd feel the same," she said. "I don't know what Mr. Freeman might have mentioned, but I'm in charge of the investigation into why the Amanda Jae went down. Do you mind if I ask a few questions?"

"Not at all. Though I'm not sure how much help I can be."