Page 64 of Wild Tides
“That’s dirty pool, Murphy.”
I shrugged, forcing a charming grin. “That’s the only kind I play, Cupcake.” I pressed another quick kiss across her lips. “Just promise me, whatever happens, you live. If we have to letAnya go, memorize the tail number on the plane and hide. We can let the authorities handle it.”
Violet snorted. “Because we’ve done such a good job of letting them handle it already?” Her chin firmed, her expression mulish. “I’m not losing either of you.”
“Baby, I love you. Hold that thought.” I pressed another kiss to her mouth, lingering this time. Memorizing the shape and feel of her lips against mine. The words tasted like forever and saltwater. I didn’t care that the timing was wrong. If this was it for me, I’d say it as many times as I could. “Get ready to swim,” I said, adjusting our heading.
I peeked over the hull. Thankfully, Owen had shifted his attention to their plane, more focused on escaping than at taking potshots at us. I had to get theLast Chapteron course before he could shift their position and trajectory.
Playing chicken with a float plane wasn’t in my plans for tonight. I thought Vi and I would be wrapped up in bed by now, not wrapped up in crime fighting. At least it’d make for a good story later. I didn’t think my accountant would even give me grief if I wrote the fuel off as book research. Getting involved in an honest-to-God chase scene with criminals seemed like as legit a reason as any.
Unfortunately, staying in front of their plane meant I couldn’t land and let Vi out safely.
“Honey, I’m sorry. You’re gonna have to wade the rest of the way. Stick to the starboard side. The bottom’s mostly tumbled rock on that side, slick but not razor-sharp. Watch your balance and you’ll be out of Owen’s sightline that way. Come up on the far side of the plane. The Underwoods don’t appear to be armed.”
“Don’t worry, Murphy. I got this. According to Gran, I’m a bonafide dragon.”
She slipped over the bulwark and into the frigid ocean. Her rough inhale as she found her footing made me hold my breath. She bobbled, and my heart climbed in my throat, but she recovered, gliding forward. Every muscle was tight, ready to dive for her if she went under.
Waves slapped against the jagged rocks in the cove. At least we were in water only hip-high for her, but it still had to be bone-chillingly cold. Her dress floated out behind her, a trail of luminescent ink in the moonlight.
Her soft “fuck-fuck-fuck” through chattering teeth sent a fresh wave of frustration rippling down my arms. My fingers clenched around the wheel, turning white. Ending this quickly was our best bet for getting her warm and safe. That required focus. One wrong move and we’d be nothing but debris floating in the dark.
I locked on Owen’s plane. Just our luck that Anya had dated a competent criminal. Why couldn’t he be the kind of villain who couldn’t drive a stick, let alone fly a plane? TheLast Chapterseemed tiny compared to the plane as we floated closer. Owen picked us up in his landing lights. The cockpit light illuminated his pissed-off expression before I floated into the blind spot near his pontoons.
It would be easy for him to pop out with his gun and take shots at me. At this distance, he’d pierce the boat. Which could mean blowback he wasn’t ready for. I didn’t want to find out how many bullets it took to explode a fishing boat. This close to his plane, I doubted he wanted to find out either. We were piles of flammable shit atop a body of water. That math wouldn’t work out for either of us, leaving me with the only advantage I had: a big floating object to block his escape route. If he couldn’t navigate the plane around me to pick up speed for takeoff, they were going nowhere.
I could only hope he’d do the sane thing, abandon their original plan, and leave Anya to escape into the trees. His odds of evading the authorities were much better on his own.
The cockpit door swung open. So much for sanity. Owen’s dark figure appeared, silhouetted against the moon overhead.
“Move!” his voice boomed over the water. “Two minutes and I open fire. Get your fucking boat out of my way.”
A spotlight struck Owen, pinning him in its glare. Chaz and Megan used the distraction to slip into the trees, gone in a blink.
“This is the Coast Guard. Put down your weapon.”
The command echoed across the water, the Coast Guard boat’s capabilities far beyond those of a private vessel.
I held my breath, waiting to see if Owen would comply. Shooting me wasn’t out of the question, but it’d be an irrational act of frustrated rage. Firing on me in full view of the Coast Guard wouldn’t leave him much plausible deniability when he got caught. He dropped the weapon, extending his hands over his head.
I held my position, scanning the shore for Violet. My eyes ached from straining to track every shadow, every ripple of movement in the moonlight. The Coast Guard could have Owen. Until I saw Vi – alive, safe – none of it mattered.
There.
Dark hair plastered to her cheeks, flare gun still clutched in one hand like she meant to go down swinging, she crouched with Anya. Relief hit so hard, my knees went weak.
Chapter 30 – Violet
Ihuddled close to Anya, trying to share body warmth. Her dress was sodden, her hair dripping. She shook so hard, I worried she’d fall to pieces. Drew was probably frantic. I hugged her tighter, trying to proxy for my brother. Lee’s jacket surrounded us, giving meager warmth while we hid behind the only cover on the beach.
The Underwoods had fled at the first sign of trouble, taking off into the bushes. I was too focused on getting Anya out of Owen’s clutches to care, helping her wade ashore with me. I had to wonder what they’d been doing with Owen. Anya’s teeth chattered too hard for me to question her. She needed warmth more than I needed answers.
My pulse hammered, each beat rattling my chest as I struggled to steady my labored breathing. Fear for Lee clawed at my insides. He was exposed, unprotected—while I cowered and hid.
Not very dragon-like of me.
I swallowed hard, forcing down the instinct to stay hidden. Staying with Anya wouldn’t help Lee. And it sure as hell wouldn’t stop Owen.
