Chapter 31
Josephine
Kendrick stands at the helm, charting a direct course over the lake as we head toward the isle.
It’s a cooler evening. The sky is filled with clouds that cast full coverage over the half moon as they move. Each time they block out its light, the darkness that veils us is potent, eerie. Surely we’ve been out on similar nights, but tonight, my thoughts linger on the black sky and lack of stars.
Once we boarded, I sat on one of the speedboat’s cushioned benches and convinced Nicky to lie down with his head in my lap.
Kylian is seated across from us, the bright blue and white light from his phone reflected in his square lenses.
As I mindlessly play with Nicky’s hair, my stomach gurgles. Loud enough, apparently, for Kylian to hear from his side of the boat, by the way his head snaps up at the sound.
“You hungry, Hot Girl?” Locke asks, grinning up at me with the first genuine smile he’s offered all night. His eyes hold a warmth and affection that not even debilitating pain can mask. The glow of the moon peeking out from the clouds once more shines on his eyebrow piercing.
I can’t resist stroking my fingers over it and massaging his temple. “Always,” I finally answer, looking up to gauge how far we are from home.
We’re halfway across the lake when my stomach growls again.
Nicky chuckles, his head bouncing against my thighs with his laughter. “I’m sure Cap has plenty of food waiting for us.”
We’ve kept Mrs. Lansbury away from the house as much as possible this week. The camera crew is in her way more often than not, flustering her with their presence.
Decker offered to cook tonight since he would be home first, but he didn’t mention what he was making.
“I hope it’s pasta. I could really go for pasta and meatballs tonight.”
Nicky squints, holding back a snicker. “There’s a ball joke in there somewhere, but I’m honestly too tired to make it.”
“Ha. Ha.” I would play punch him if he wasn’t in so much pain. Instead, I press my lips into a straight line and hit him with my most unamused stare.
“Who the hell is that?” Kylian demands, standing.
He’s fixated on something off in the distance, in the direction of the marina.
“Camera crew, maybe?” Kendrick suggests, glancing over his shoulder.
I crane my neck to look for myself. I don’t want to jostle Nicky, so I stay seated. From here, all I can make out is a small yellow light glowing on the water. It’s quite a way off, but it appears to be increasing in size.
Shrugging, I drop my attention back to Nicky and stroke his hair again. “Looks like another boat or PWC.”
Kylian widens his stance and studies his phone. “No one new is scheduled to arrive until seven tomorrow morning.”
The feature coverage is meticulously scheduled, so as not to overcrowd the dock or interfere when we are coming and going for class and other commitments.
“Those fuckers are past the buoys now.”
Nicky sits up at that.
“The fuck?”
Kendrick alternates between watching the water ahead and peeking over his shoulder while the rest of us are focused on the singular source of light. Which, now that I’m paying attention, does seem to be traveling toward us at a fast clip.
A hushed silence blankets the group as we watch the light get closer at an alarming rate.
It’s not until my chest starts to burn that I realize I’m holding my breath.
As I exhale, two things happen: the other vessel’s engine revs, as if it’s accelerating, and Kendrick lets out a string of curses.
“Get a life jacket on her. Now.”
Kylian is by my side before I can blink, shoving one arm into a bright orange vest that he procured from under the seats. On my other side, Nicky does the same.
“What’s wrong?” I whisper, popping to stand between the guys.
No one answers.
“What’s happening?” I demand. The words come out in a shrill panic.
I look to the light, then to Kendrick, then to the light again.
“Sit down,” K barks when I meet his gaze.
I’m tugged backward, and when my calves hit the seat, I stumble onto my ass.
“Hold on!” he calls again.
We accelerate. The weightless sensation the movement causes makes my stomach turn as we fly over the choppy water and go momentarily airborne.
“What’s—Who—What…”
“Joey. Hey. Hey. Look at me. You’re okay.”
Locke’s words are soft, soothing, but his body language betrays the calm he’s trying to affect. He’s sitting up on the edge of our shared seat, wearing an expression of sheer torment as he looks from me to the pursuer. The longer I look, the more acute the panic swirling inside me becomes.
“God dammit, motherfuckers,” Kendrick curses, his voice barely audible over the engine. He’s focused on the lake, on the isle that seems too far away.
Kylian’s still standing in the middle of the boat, his stance wide to maintain his balance, rapidly typing on his phone.
“Hey,” Locke calls out to the others. “Should I strap her?”
Kendrick glances our way, but only for a heartbeat. We’re going too fast, and his attention needs to remain on the water ahead of us. When he looks at us again, I see the question nagging at him—the tightness of his jaw, the grit of his teeth.
Kylian lifts his head and drops his phone to his side, looking from me, to Locke, to Kendrick, then behind the boat toward our pursuer once again.
He has an entire conversation with K in the span of three seconds.
And yet neither says a damn word.
“Yes or no? Should we buckle up?”
My gaze volleys between the boys.
The vessel coming after us is close enough that the constant hum of the engine is audible.
Finally, it’s Kylian who shakes his head.
Just once. Decidedly.
“She can swim.”
My heart plummets. “Wait—what?”
He drops to his knees in front of me. “Jo,” he says, planting a warm hand on my knee. “Look at me.”
Though my breaths are coming faster and my chest feels tight, I do as he says.
“If I tell you to jump, you jump.”
“No. No, no, no, no, no.” The taste of tears I didn’t know I was shedding surprises me when I open my mouth to argue. They’re salty and familiar, merciless and hopeless.
“Baby,” Kylian soothes. “We’re okay. You’ll be okay. There’s only one boat following us. I checked the radar to be sure. If they don’t let up, and I tell you to jump—”
“No.”
Kylian lurches forward, catching himself on my knees.
A bolt of panic stabs at my chest. Certain we must have hit something, I turn to Kendrick—
“Brace yourselves,” he yells, gripping the steering wheel as he looks over his shoulder, his face etched in a mix of fury and fear.
Kylian falls right on his ass this time.
I slide off the seat after him.
Beside me, Nicky grunts in pain.
Tipping my head back, I blink up at the moon, stunned by its brightness as the cloud that has covered it for the last few minutes reveals its gleam.
Stunned and horrified.
Because our boat has been hit.