Chapter 33
Decker
“Cap?”
Thank fuck.
My heart is pounding so hard there’s a good chance it’ll beat right out of my chest, but I push the terror away and tamp it down. For her. I have to keep a level head for her.
“Siren. You’re okay. You’re okay.”
It’s a question and a statement and a mantra I’m determined to manifest into reality.
“I’m scared,” she whimpers.
I’m fucking scared, too.
“You’re safe,” I assure her.
It’s a hollow offering, but it’s all I have to give right now.
“Decker, if something happens, and—”
“Stop,” I snarl. “I can fucking see you, Josephine. I’m standing outside.
I can see the boat. I can see you on the phone.
You’re heading right to me. You’re coming home.
” I swallow over the lump in my throat, willing my voice not to waver.
“You’ll be in my arms in a few minutes. Don’t you dare think a single thought to the contrary. ”
I take the stairs from the upper deck two at a time and pause halfway down so I can survey the status of the speedboat carrying my family and the motherfucker on the modified WaveRunner chasing after them.
At least there’s only one of them.
But the parallels are astounding and abhorrent. The nightmare of what my mom endured, the visions of what it must have looked like, how she must have felt.
I’m standing on the isle, helpless, witnessing it firsthand.
This time, it’s not just one person I love. It’s all of them. The friends who’ve stood by my side no matter what. The family we were forming as we fought for a future.
I close my eyes and inhale four counts.
“Decker?”
I hold the breath in until it burns through every bronchiole and my body screams at me to exhale.
“Yes, Siren?”
“I love you.”
My eyes fly open.
“I just want you to know, in case—”
The line goes silent at the same second I hear the boat accelerate.
Straining to see in the dark, I survey the water. They’re close now. Close enough they could swim if they had to. If we were sure the maniac chasing them wouldn’t pursue them in open water…
I launch down the steps two at a time and take off at a sprint for the dock.
I’m halfway there before I realize that Kendrick’s not aiming for the dock. He’s coming in for a hard landing.
Halting to a stop in the middle of the yard, I keep my eyes on them. I watch it happen in slow motion.
I watch it happen thirty yards from where I stand.
Powerless. Useless.
I can’t help them. No amount of control or effort I assert will make an iota of difference.
The bottom of the boat crunches and scrapes against rock, the sound like nails on a chalkboard, but the landing is good. The speed and angle are just right.
Kylian.
The sound of the personal watercraft catches my attention. It whips around, and the driver throws himself to one side, causing the vessel to spray a violent stream of water that makes it impossible to see the make or model.
I laugh, cold and emotionless, because it doesn’t fucking matter.
Nothing does.
If I can’t protect them… if I can’t keep her safe…
I take off toward the boat, desperate for confirmation that my people are as okay as they can be, given the situation.
Kylian’s got his back to me. I can’t see Nicky or Josephine. Kendrick, though, is at the helm. He meets my gaze and nods.
“Thank fuck,” I choke out on a sob.