Page 65 of Sail Away
“I see that,” Reid said. “Mind clueing me in?” He caught Darcie’s stoic gaze. His heart squeezed. He couldn’t have saved Erin from herself. But he could have prevented this from happening. He should have seen fucking Preston and his games coming from a mile away.
But he hadn’t, and now he had to fix things for Darcie.
“Get on the tender.” Preston pressed the weapon into the center of Reid’s back.
Reid did as instructed, stepping over two sets of scuba diving suits and tanks.
Interesting.
“How are you involved in all of this?” Reid stood in front of Jim and glared.
“Same way you are,” Jim said.
“I doubt that.” Reid made his way to the other side of the small motorboat. “It would mean you are being blackmailed.”
“Maybe I am,” Jim said. The right side of his mouth lifted in a snarl. “Your business partner here is a real piece of work.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Reid said, kneeling in front of Darcie. “Are you okay?”
She nodded.
“Can I take this off of her? I don’t think anyone is going to hear her out here now,” Reid said.
“Go ahead.” Preston gestured with the gun.
“I’m sorry, but this might hurt.” Reid tugged at the corner of the tape, holding the other side tight. “Ready?”
She blinked.
In one quick motion, he yanked.
“Shit. That hurt.”
He rubbed his thumb over her lips before giving them a quick kiss. “Sorry. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m not dead.”
“What a tender moment,” Preston said, sitting on the edge of the boat. “Take us to our final destination, Captain Jim.”
Jim pressed the throttle and turned the steering wheel, heading north.
Wonderful.
“Are we going for a swim?” Reid rested his hand on Darcie’s shoulder, giving her a gentle massage. The boat came around an island and entered a larger body of water. The waves grew bigger as they drove farther away from shore and there wasn’t another boat in sight.
Not good.
“Two of you are,” Preston said.
Death by scuba accident. Interesting. “Which two, and what’s the headline? Because I read my suicide note. This isn’t jiving with what you wrote.”
Preston jerked his head. “How did you manage to find…? Never mind. It’s not important. And you’re right. You’re not going to die in a scuba diving accident. Darcie and Jim will.”
“Excuse me?” Jim pulled back slightly on the throttle. “You’re going to do what now?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Jim. You’re no longer useful to me. Did I neglect to inform you of that?” Preston waved his gun. “This is working out better than I planned.”
“I don’t see how,” Jim said.
