Page 23 of Gideon

“Stay beside me,” I said, wrapping an arm around her as her body trembled. It didn’t take long for the police and firedepartment to arrive. I turned to Laney. “The fire department and police are here. Let me do the talking. I don’t want them hauling you off.”

She nodded reluctantly. “I’m going back inside with Haley,” she said. “Please make sure he’s dead before you leave the beach. If he survived that explosion… kill him.”

When the police arrived, they asked what had happened. Raven stepped forward and started talking, his tone calm and measured.

“We heard them yelling something about trouble with the boat, and then it blew up.”

“Do you know how many people were onboard?” one officer asked.

“No, but I saw at least four,” Raven replied before turning to me. “What about you, Gideon?”

“Yeah, four,” I confirmed. “Could’ve been more, though. The boat was large. They came pretty close to the beach. Not sure if anyone jumped overboard. Do you think they were drug runners?” I asked, feigning curiosity as I glanced at the officer.

“I don’t know,” he said, looking toward the water where their boats were already searching for bodies.

I turned to Raven and Sean. “Why don’t we give you a hand? We’re Army Special Forces and have worked on operations like this before. With the motors off, it’ll be easier for us to use canoes and spot anyone floating before the sharks show up.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” the officer started, but Sean and Raven were already sliding the canoes into the water.

I took one of the canoes from Sean and climbed in. Together, we started paddling across the water, scanning the surface.

“We’ve got someone!” a voice called out. Raven and I paddled over to them and saw the body—clearly dead.

Then, another man was found, and they pulled him into the police boat before we got there. My heart clenched when I saw who it was: Jonah Reeves. He was alive.

I met Raven’s eyes. No words were needed. We both knew he couldn’t survive. If Jonah lived, Laney and Haley wouldn’t.

“We need someone to help this man!” the policeman shouted.

“I’m Army Special Forces,” I said, paddling over to their boat. “I’m also a medic. Let me take a look.”

Climbing aboard, I knelt beside Jonah. My face stayed neutral, but inside, I burned with rage. I leaned in, pressing my thumb to the side of his neck, cutting off his blood flow. While I pretended to examine him, I ensured he’d never take another breath. All the while, I kept up the act, pretending to resuscitate him.

“He didn’t make it,” I finally announced, sighing heavily. Then, as if the realization had just dawned on me, I said, “Wait… this man is Jonah Reeves. He’s the head of the Chicago mob. They must’ve been running drugs.”

That was all it took to shift the conversation.

“Why would the head of the Chicago mob be out here running drugs?” one officer asked skeptically. “He’s got plenty of men to do that for him.”

“I have no idea,” I said, shaking my head. “There were at least four men on that boat. I hope you find them before the sharks do. No one should be in the water with all this blood—it’ll bring them in fast. You’ll need to shut down the beach for a few days while you search.”

Raven held the canoe steady as I climbed back in. I gave the officers one last look. “Good luck finding all the pieces,” I said before we paddled away.

12

Laney

I couldn’t stop shaking.I killed all those men on that boat. I know how many people they’ve killed, but that didn’t mean I had the right to kill them. But they came here to kill me and take Haley away.

I stepped into the shower and didn’t realize I was crying until I heard Gideon’s voice. I stopped crying and rinsed my face off. “Gideon, what are you doing in here?”

“You were crying, and Haley came and got me. She was scared. She left with Raven. I know why you are crying. You have to remember he came here to kill you and take Haley away. He would have ruined her life if he didn’t kill her. What you did was something you knew had to be done.”

“I know. It’s just that I didn’t think I would feel like this.”

“If it makes you feel better, he didn’t die, so I killed him. Does that help?”

“Yes, thank you. I am so happy he’s dead. I no longer have to worry about him killing me and taking my daughter. The bastard is dead. Okay, you can leave now, and I’ll get out.”

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