Page 63 of Wild Tides
I gave her my most charming grin. “We’ll just call this adventure book research.”
“It’s only research if you live long enough to write about it later.”
I held her gaze. “No matter what, I’m not letting anything happen to you, Violet Fenwick. Not now that you’ve finally noticed all my finer qualities.”
Her attempt at a snort was forced, but I appreciated the effort.
“Wait a minute. You have finer qualities? Murphy, we need to come out of this in one piece. This, I’ve gotta see.”
I gestured to the flare gun. “You know how to use that?”
“Point and shoot?” She shrugged. “I’m so cold, I doubt I can aim worth shit.”
“Fuck, Cupcake. I’m sorry.” I shrugged out of my jacket, handing it to her. “Put this on.”
We drew closer until we could make out the figures in the other boat. They’d had to slow down in the cove to avoid rocks. Chaz Underwood was easy to make out. His wife was harder to spot. At least Anya’s parents weren’t abducting her. Chaz and Megan were crooks, but as far as I knew, they wouldn’t resort to murder.
The second man shifted, revealing his profile, and I stilled.Shit. Anya’s ex-boyfriend looked all too calm, maneuvering the boat closer to their plane. Was he their pilot? It all still begged the question: what did they want with Anya? Was this Owen’s twisted idea of revenge?
We needed to rescue her, or we might never know. I pushed theLast Chapterharder, using the memory of umpteen previous trips to remember where the rocks were on this side of the cove. Guess wrong, and Vi and I would need our life jackets. Luckily, at this distance, we could swim to shore.
It’d be cold and miserable, but we’d live.
I set a heading for the plane. If I could get close enough, I could cut off its ability to take off by blocking the step. Without room to gain speed along the water’s surface, the plane wouldn’t be able to get airborne. Or that was my theory. I’d only flown in seaplanes a couple of times. My knowledge was limited at best.
The other boat beached in the cove. The figure I thought was Owen grabbed Anya roughly by the arm and forced her onto shore. My gut lurched—if they hurt her, Drew would never recover. None of us would. Chaz and Megan grabbed suitcases, wading out and tossing them into the back of the plane. This wasn’t meant to be a confrontation. It was an exit strategy. They were running.
Owen lifted his arm, and I yelled, “Duck!” I grabbed Violet and forced her to the deck.
A sharppingcarried over the wind, metal on metal, the bullet glancing off. It’d serve the bastard right if the ricochet clipped him. I sheltered her with my body, my breath coming in gasps. “Asshole is shooting at us.”
Another crack split the air, punching into the glass windshield. A spiderweb of cracks bloomed, but the glass didn’t shatter. A third shot struck the windshield. The crack was louder this time, a heavywhumpbefore the glass gave way. Either the impact was more than the glass could handle, or Owen had found a weak spot – fragments rained down, stinging my skin and tinkling across the deck.
Vi’s eyes darkened, her expression sharpening. Not quite shock, not quite fear. I was one breath away from full-blownpanic, but not Vi. Heat bloomed in her cheeks, righteous anger where terror should have been.She was pissed. Damn those Fenwick vengeance genes.
I clamped my hands over her shoulders, trying to keep her low, my body a wall between her and the gunfire. If even a single piece of shrapnel hurt her, I’d never forgive myself. “Stay down,” I grated out, low and fierce. Even as every instinct screamed to protect her, she resisted.
Violet twisted from beneath me, peeking over the edge of the hull, the flare gun gripped tightly in both hands. “He’s too close to Anya. My aim isn’t good enough to be sure I won’t hit her.”
“It’s not worth the risk.” I applied pressure to her shoulder, trying to pull her back down to safety and grounding myself because, at least for now, she was whole. Here.
“If he hits the gas tank, will we blow up?” Violet asked.
I gritted my teeth. “Unlikely but not impossible. We might have to swim for it.”
Violet moaned softly. “I don’t think swimming is going to make us less of a target.”
“It will if I keep his attention fixed on our boat.” And I would. For as long as it took.
“No,” Violet fixed me with a sharp look, “I can’t let you do that. Remember – explosions possible?”
“But not likely. I’ll get us as close as I can. Be ready to bail.” At least she’d have a shot at safety.
“I won’t leave you.”
I pressed a quick, adrenaline-fueled kiss to her mouth. “Youwill. Someone still has to save Anya.”
And I had to save her.
