Page 258 of The One
I tighten my arm around Mari, tucking her against my side. No way in hell am I leaving her alone while Sofia’s fate is unknown.
Bracing against the rocking boat, we step outside, the wind slamming into us. Rain whips through the air as I shine the torch down into the black water. Nothing.
We move along the railing, scanning every ripple, every shadow. My grip tightens on Mari as the waves churn below.
Then we spot it.
A speedboat, tethered to our yacht, rocking violently with the waves.
“That must be how they got here,” I shout over the howling wind, sweeping the torch over the small vessel. It’s empty. Good. No more ugly surprises lurking in the dark.
Mari shakes her head, baffled. “How did we not hear them?”
I don’t have an answer. The approaching storm, too much focus on getting ready to get off the boat—we clearly were too distracted and too damn careless.
We start toward the cabin, but Mari suddenly grips my arm, her fingers digging in hard. My pulse spikes as I whip my head around, scanning the deck.
Did she see something? Is Sofia back?
“What time is it?” she yells, panic lacing her voice.
My stomach drops.
Shit, shit, shit.
I shove back my wet sleeve, eyes locking on my watch. My heart stalls, and then slams back into motion.
“Oh, thank God.” I exhale sharply. “Eleven fifteen. Fuck. We better get a move on.”
Wouldn’t that be the ultimate irony? Sofia, even in death, getting her wish and dragging us down to the bottom of the sea because we lost track of time.
As we reach the cabin, I grab the storage box with the wetsuits and scuba gear, dragging it inside.
“We need to move. Get out of these wet clothes and into the suits,” I say, kicking the door shut behind me to block out the storm.
But Mari doesn’t move.
She stands frozen, eyes locked on something or rather someone.
A chill races down my spine as I follow her gaze.
A man lounges on the sofa, legs stretched out, a gun resting casually on his thigh.
Who the fuck is he?
I yank my gun from my waistband, but he’s just as fast.
A slow, cocky smile spreads across his face as he points his gun at us.
“Well, hello brother.”
Chapter Ninety-Eight
Mariella
“Brother?” I repeat, my gaze snapping to Teo.
He looks as shocked as me. His body tenses, and before I can react, he shifts, positioning himself slightly in front of me to shield me from this new threat.
