Chapter Twenty-Five
A double knock sounded on the bathroom door. “It’s me. Open up.”
My heart stopped then started twice as fast as I pushed up off the floor from where I was huddled in the corner. I couldn’t open the door fast enough.
So tall he almost hit the top doorframe, his shoulders filling the width of the opening, he took in my borrowed shirt. “You ready?”
Afraid to leave the sanctity of the bathroom, terrified not to, I hesitated.
His shrewd gaze measured my hesitation, and he took my chin. “Okay, sweetheart, listen carefully.”
Unblinking, I stared back.
“We’re going to walk through the living room. Then you’re gonna wait inside while I disable the guy on the deck. Once he’s down, we’re gonna stick to the shadows and double-time it to the dock. When we get there, no matter what I tell you to do, you do it. No hesitation. You understand?”
I nodded, because for some reason I couldn’t bring myself to speak.
“You know how to shoot?”
I shook my head.
Seemingly unfazed by my lack of verbal communication, he pulled a gun from his waistband and flipped it, handing it to me handle first.
Hands shaking, I took it.
He pointed. “Safety on and off.” He moved a small clip-like thing down then up again before positioning my hand on the trigger. “Trigger and trigger guard.” He moved my finger off the trigger. “When you’re not shooting, rest your finger there. If you need to shoot, both hands, arms out, aim and fire. Questions?”
Now completely terrified, I shook my head.
He repositioned another gun in his waistband and took the rifle hanging on his shoulder in his right hand. “When we get to the docks, wait for me to clear the three guards there, then we’re going to the yellow speedboat. If anything happens to me, or if I tell you to, you get on that boat and go. No hesitation. Keys are in the ignition. Do you know how to drive a boat?”
I nodded.
“Okay, good. Any other questions?”
I had to ask. I held up three fingers.
“Don’t worry about it. I can handle three guards. You ready?”
No, but I nodded.
“Let’s go.” His left hand fell to my back, and he led us out of the bedroom.
With the gun weighing heavily in my hand, I didn’t know if I wanted to drop it or fire at every single person who wasn’t Ty.
Lowering his voice, Ty pushed me into a corner. “Wait here.”
Before I could nod, he was stepping through the slider. “Hey, kid.”
The younger man glanced at Ty with a smile on his face. “Boss?”
“Turn around,” Ty ordered.
“Oh-kay,” the younger man said hesitantly, but he turned.
“Sorry, kid,” Ty muttered, putting him in a choke hold faster than I could inhale.
The younger man went limp in Ty’s arms, and Ty laid him down. Stepping over him, Ty held his hand out to me, and I saw the first indication of any kind of strain on his face. His eyebrows drawn together, he made a come here gesture. “Come on, come on, let’s go,” he clipped in a hushed whisper.
I stepped on to the deck.
Taking my good arm, Ty led me to the steps. “Stay one step behind me. Keep to the shadows. Gun in front of you, but not aimed at me. Got it?” He spared me a quick glance.
I nodded.
“Double-time, you ready?”
I nodded again.
He didn’t waste any more words.
We were moving.
Shockingly quiet, he flew down the steps and waited for me at the bottom. When I was one step behind him, he took off across the sand, half crouched with his rifle in front of him. My heartbeat pounding so hard it was deafening, I followed suit.
Ignoring the small shells and hard pieces underfoot, desperate to stay close to him, I ran through the sand. Too quick, we were at the foot of the dock. At the other end, under the one light, three armed men stood.
Fear soaked me in a blanket of panic, and I grabbed the back of Ty’s shirt.
Grasping my wrist, Ty pulled me to his left and down into a crouch. “You’re not going to make a sound, not matter what, understood?” he whispered.
I nodded.
“When the last body drops, you run like hell down that dock and get on the yellow boat. I’ll be right behind you, okay?”
Body. Not man, not person, not living, breathing thing, body .
“Hey,” he whisper-snapped. “You got this?”
Biting my lip, still not able to force any words out, I nodded.
He stared at me in warning. “Do not hesitate.”
I nodded again.
“Deep breath,” he commanded. “Count to three.”
Inhaling, I sucked in salt air and fear and started to count, but I didn’t even get to the first number.
His rifle aimed, Ty stood and fired off three shots.
One, two, three.
A deafening punch of three blasts rang in my ears, and my mouth opened on a silent scream as three bodies dropped.
One, two, three .
Blood, brain matter, limbs twisted, one body falling off the dock with a splash. So much blood.
“Move, move, move!” Ty whisper-yelled.
Onetwothree, onetwothree, onetwothree, I moved.
I didn’t run down the dock.
I sprinted.
My legs pumping, my arms swinging, I kept my eyes on the yellow boat.
Until I couldn’t.
Two bodies and a bloodbath in the way of my freedom, I had to look or risk falling.
Dreading it, fearing it, welcoming it, I looked.
Then my running step fell in a pool of fresh blood, and I leapt, once, twice, and cleared the bodies. And in that moment, I realized he was right.
They were bodies, not men.
Bodies that would have kept me from my freedom. Kept him.
And that was my only thought as I cut left at the end of the dock and ran toward the yellow boat.
Escape.
Escape, escape, escape.
I jumped on to the boat, but my blood-wet foot slipped, and I fell to my knees on the deck. My hands went out in front of me to brace my fall, and I dropped the gun.
The weapon scattered across the deck, and I scrambled for it as two heavy-booted feet landed next to me a split second after a thick rope thunked onto the deck.
My fingers curled around the heavy metal as Ty twisted the key and the loud twin engines came to life.
I sat up and the boat lurched forward.
One hand steadily holding his rifle, his other moving from throttle to wheel, Ty pulled away from the dock, and the speed boat shot off toward open waters.
The engines roared.
The wind blew.
My bare foot smeared a dead man’s blood on the deck.
I smiled.