Page 72 of Dark Consequences

“Mommy!”

Her tiny voice reaches my ears, but she sounds so far away.

“Mei, where are you?” I tread water, searching desperately for my daughter. The sun has set, and I can’t see her anywhere. She can’t swim. So if she goes under, that’s it.

By some luck of fate or whatever, a light from the boat shines on a white dress standing out against the dark water.

“Hold on, sweetheart.” I pray she can hear me before I swim as fast as I can to her.

“Mommy,” she cries. Her voice is growing weaker. I can barely hear her now.

Another flash of light and I catch sight of her terrified face before she goes under with the next wave. Taking a deep breath, I dive, kick hard, reach out, and connect with her small arm seconds before she disappears into the dark abyss below. With another hard kick, we break the surface.

Supporting her tiny body against me, I push her wet hair out of her face. “Mei? Mei? Open your eyes, please.” I pat her cheek. “Mei, wake up. Please.”

She coughs and spits up water before opening her beautiful blue eyes. “Mommy?”

“Oh, thank God.” I hold her close, ensuring her head stays above the waterline.

“I’m scared, Mommy.” She shivers in my arms.

My heart squeezes painfully at the fear in her voice.

“Lily!”

I spin around and watch Enzo pull up beside us in a speedboat. He throws it in neutral and leans over the side. I hand him Mei first, and he helps her into the boat without a second thought. Then, gripping me around the elbow, he hoists me up like I weigh nothing with only one arm. He carefully sets me down, and I collapse in front of my daughter. She’s shaking from the frigid water and the adrenaline wearing off from her father throwing her overboard, but she’s alive, and that’s all that matters.

“Here.” Enzo shakes out of his jacket and wraps it around us. Warmth and his signature woodsy scent envelop us instantly.

“Are you okay?” he asks, bending down in front of us.

“No,” I admit honestly as I wrap my arms around Mei. “But we will be. Where’s Raphael? What’s happening?”

Enzo glances at the yacht with a tight jaw. His hand reaches for the throttle before he drops it and then reaches again. It’s like he’s torn about something. And then he makes whatever decision he was torn on. Throwing the throttle forward, he speeds the boat up…away from the yacht.

“What are you doing?” I shout.

“Raphael wants you and Mei safe,” he bites out.

“And I need him safe.” I stand with Mei in my arms and stumble to the large man. “Enzo, turn the boat around. We have to go back.”

He glances at me for a moment before shaking his head. “I can’t. I’ll get you two to safety, and then I’ll go back for Michael and Raphael.”

I grab his hand covering the throttle and squeeze. “Please, Enzo. If it was Evie would you leave her? Please…please. I-I love him.”

Enzo pulls back on the throttle with a deep sigh, and the boat slows. Bowing his head, he closes his eyes and groans. “Fuck. He’s gonna kill me for this.”

Turning the wheel, he points the boat back toward the yacht and presses down on the throttle.

Mei grips me tighter as we get closer to the yacht. “It’s okay, sweetheart. He can’t hurt you ever again.”

I can only imagine the shock she must be feeling over her father throwing her into the ocean. As terrible of a father as he is, he’s still her father and the only one she’s ever known. The betrayal of a relationship like that can be harmful, and I only hope she’s too young to remember any of it. That she can move on from this entire ordeal and be happy.

“I want Raphael,” she whispers into my neck.

I close my eyes and hug her closer. “Me too.”

“I need you to stay on the boat, Lily,” Enzo says as we get closer. “I’m already going against his orders to get you two far away from here. If you step foot on that yacht, he’ll definitely kill me.”

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