Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Rain cut through the night, the gusting winds blowing it across the drenched ground at a forty-five.
It sliced through Saylor’s clothes like tiny knives as she stepped out of Zain’s truck, the lingering beam from his headlights outlining the sheer magnitude of damage from the missiles the previous night.
While she’d known nothing had survived the twin blasts, seeing it piled in a charred, chaotic mess brought it all home. That she’d lost everything.
Her apartment.
Her stuff.
Her damn mind.
Not that it couldn’t be replaced. Rebuilt. But there was a hollowness to the place she hadn’t felt before. A sense of belonging that had been lost, along with her favorite pair of boots.
Zain grabbed the few supplies they’d brought along, motioning her toward the twin Zodiacs bobbing against the dock. He shielded her from some of the gusts, ducking beneath the hardtop on her boat before glancing over at the debris. “This can’t be easy.”
She chuckled, more from the absurdity of the situation than anything else. “Staring at the burnt remains of my life or the prospect of facing my ghosts?”
“All of it.”
She shrugged. “In the grand scheme of things, I’ve definitely had worse days.”
Zain brushed his fingers along her jaw. “You don’t have to do this. You’ve got nothing to prove.”
“Except, I do.” She silenced him with her finger over his mouth. “Not to you, or Coast Guard, but to myself. How can I ever make peace with the past if I’m too afraid to face it? Right a few wrongs?”
Zain kissed her finger, then leaned in. “By living. Nothing pisses off old wounds more than finding a way to love the scars.”
She pressed her cheek into his palm, staring into those gorgeous blue eyes, hoping this wasn’t the last time she’d see them.
Because she knew, without a doubt, that if anyone had to make a sacrifice on this mission, it’d be Zain.
“Does that mean you’re going to stop doing all those night maneuvers? ”
He chuckled, getting insanely close. “Let’s not go too crazy, but I’ll make you a deal. You get us there and back in one piece, and I’ll cut it down to once a night.” He touched his lips to hers in a soft kiss. “As long as you’ve got my six.”
She dragged him back to her when he eased up. “Kiss me like you mean it, and you’ve got a deal.”
He smiled, then struck, crushing his lips to hers as his fingers combed through her hair, holding her head captive against him. She ate at his mouth, sure her hair would have burst into flames if it wasn’t already wet.
Zain brushed his thumb across her lower lip when he pulled away, the gleam in his eyes nearly taking her to her knees. “We’ll pick up there once we’re back.”
She nodded, afraid if she answered, her damn heart would do the talking. Confess how far gone she was. That she couldn’t imagine her life without him in it.
Footsteps sounded behind them, twin boots pounding along the wet pavement, splashing through the puddles as they raced from Chase’s truck over to her boat.
Chase stopped short of getting onboard, giving her Zodiac the once-over. “Call me crazy, Saylor, but I thought we’d be taking the Zodiac without the bullet holes.”
Saylor grinned at Chase as she waved him and Greer aboard. “None of the bullets did any structural or mechanical damage. Just a couple holes and a slightly deflated outer ring, which I already patched.”
Chase eyed her. “And the hole in the windshield?”
“Consider it temperature control.” She nodded at Zain when he motioned to the lines tying them to the pier. “We’ll be fine.”
“You just don’t want to run the risk of ruining both vessels, right?” He waved the question away. “Don’t bother answering because the only other option is that you’re worried this is a one-way trip.”
“If I thought it was a one-way trip, I’d take the other craft. Give myself that luxury. Personally, I see this baby as good luck. She got me and Zain out in one piece. She can do it, again.”
“You got shot.”
“It was a scratch, and it could have been much worse. But this trip…” She pointed to the seats directly behind her.
“Everyone wears a life vest and stays under the hardtop unless I say otherwise. I know it’s a tight fit, but the water’s too rough to chance being more than an arm’s length apart.
And if something happens, and you end up in the water, just focus on staying afloat until I can circle around. I won’t leave anyone behind.”
Greer tightened the straps, looking as if she was having second thoughts. “And if you’re the one who goes over?”
Saylor smiled. “Then, it’s because the entire vessel’s going under. I’ll get us there. Guaranteed. I just hope everything turns out, and I have a chance to bring us back.”
Chase shook his head. “And here I’m thinking the assault is the easy part. Remind me not to talk Kash out of volunteering, next time.”
“We both know why you did it, and that’s not changing anytime soon.” Saylor checked the instruments. “You’re going to have to shout if you want to be heard, otherwise hang tight. This is going to be ugly.”
Zain jumped back onboard as Saylor maneuvered the Zodiac away from the pier, timing the waves as she dodged the boat through the raging breakers. Large swells covered the ocean, the tops curling over in a violent display of pure fury .
He shuffled closer, one hand gripped around a handle on the left side of the console, the other loosely palming her back. Shielding her left side from the worst of the biting wind.
“It’s surprising how much colder it is standing here.” She gave him a nudge. “You can take that last seat beside Chase if you want. You’ll be warmer.”
Zain shrugged. “I don’t have to pilot the boat. Just let me know if you’re having trouble, you can have my jacket.”
“While I normally would jump at the chance, you need to stay warm if you’re gonna be ready to face Watson. And yeah, I have no doubts he’ll be there.”
He nodded, staring out at the ocean. “You gonna be okay running into him?”
She glanced at him. “I’ve got you. I’m golden.”
“Just remember that when I hand the guy his ass. Assuming he doesn’t try to shoot us. If that happens…”
Zain would do whatever was necessary.
He didn’t say it, but Saylor knew that’s what he meant. That he’d be the one to make the tough decisions — live with the guilt. Just another reason to fall harder for the guy.
She smiled. “If I leave enough of him still standing for you to deal with.”
He didn’t call her on the statement, and they fell into an odd silence as she piloted the boat through the raging storm.
Slipping into one swell, only to shoot out onto the crest of the next before the wave curled over — took them all down with it.
The wind howled through the struts, blowing rain and spray across the helm, but she kept the boat on track, following the line they’d calculated from Buck’s notes.
The visibility worsened as Saylor plowed ahead, banking the Zodiac hard to port when an immense rolling breaker appeared off the starboard side.
White water frothing across the crest. A deep trough trying to lure her in.
She gave the boat a boost of speed, catching some air when she hit the next wave a bit late — missed the crest by a couple feet.
The Zodiac bounced, spraying water up and over the bow, spilling it across the floor before it dissipated, just an inch or two remaining between the molded boards.
Having to bank, again, to avoid another disaster in the making, put them a bit farther off-course.
Had her weaving her way back to the track line.
Zain used his arm to wipe away some of the mist and condensation as he peered into the inky darkness. “How are you even keeping this thing afloat? I can’t see five feet in front of the bow.”
She shrugged. “Part experience. Part luck.”
“I doubt it’s luck. Not with how you’re dancing through the swells and the breakers.” He looked over at her. “You’re incredible.”
“Remember that when I have to shut down all the lighting because we can’t afford to be seen. Which’ll be any minute now. We’re getting close to their last sighting.”
He grabbed her wrist. “You’re going to shut down all the lights?”
“It can’t be worse than hunting cartel drug boats in the dark. ”
“Was the ocean trying to kill you then, too?”
“Sometimes. And the assholes onboard definitely were. I got this, just yell if you see anything concerning.”
He swallowed, rolling one shoulder. “Honestly, I could start now, and I don’t think I’d ever stop.”
She gave his hand a squeeze, took a breath, then shut down the lighting. Not that the navigational lights had spread a beam across the surface. More of a psychological booster. Having everything fade into utter darkness…
A shiver wove down her spine, but she pushed on, using the sounds and the wind to guide her. The hint of brightness not far off on the horizon. What could be a ship or just her mind playing tricks on her. More remnants of that night bleeding through.
She shoved the thought aside. She could wallow in the past later, after she’d kept her promise and gotten them safely to the Nexus .
God, she hoped she was right. That this wasn’t a wasted trip, especially when the increasing storm front seemed determined to capsize them. Or pitchpole them beneath a massive crest.
The Zodiac bobbed through a series of rough waves, more water flooding the deck when an eerie groan sounded above the wind and the rain — her pulse pounding inside her head.
She picked a new line, barely avoiding another deadly swell, when that light on the horizon appeared through the rain and the clouds, thrashing back and forth as the massive ship rose and fell.
An immense black shadow amidst the darkness .
Zain leaned in — dropped a kiss on her mouth. “Hell, yeah. Let’s take a look at what we’re up against, then, we’ll board her. Finish this.”
Saylor held their position as best she could as Zain peered through his scope, making a few hand signals to Chase before easing back.