Chapter 20
Aleck was pissed—so angry he was having a hard time thinking straight. His options were also severely limited. Shawn was fucking insane, but he wasn’t stupid. He’d made it extremely difficult for anyone to do anything to stop him.
As far as he could tell, the bomb was legit.
He wasn’t a bomb expert, and for a second he wished the former SEAL Mustang had mentioned meeting in California—when he’d flown out for their friend Phantom’s Admiral Mast—was there.
Dude was his name. He had a reputation for being one of the best explosive experts the SEALs had ever had.
He’d know if the bomb was real or not, and how to take this asshole down without turning the beach into one giant crater.
But he wasn’t here. And Aleck had to figure out how to end this situation without setting the damn thing off.
He guessed Shawn hadn’t activated the bomb until he’d arrived at the restaurant. Mercury switches could be tricky, and tilt mercury switches even more so. One jerky movement could make it blow, and Aleck wasn’t going to do anything to put Kenna in more danger than she was already in.
But the thought of this asshole torturing her made his adrenaline skyrocket. Aleck would sacrifice himself before letting Shawn get away with Kenna.
He hadn’t missed the way the man’s gaze had constantly flicked toward the ocean, not that he could’ve seen much through the rain and wind.
The most obvious escape route was the water.
Cops would be converging on Waikiki by now, and there was no way he’d be able to escape by vehicle or on foot.
Not after threatening to take down an entire damn building.
As pissed as Aleck was, he was proud of Kenna. She hadn’t panicked. Hadn’t done anything rash. Was staying reasonably calm under the circumstance, probably waiting to see how he would get her out of this.
The bitch of it was—Aleck had no idea. Shawn had the upper hand.
The second Aleck stepped onto the beach after leaving the shelter of the restaurant, he was soaked to the bone.
If the situation hadn’t been so precarious, he might’ve been awed by the power of the storm currently raging around them.
The normally calm and serene Waikiki Beach was anything but.
The ocean surged and frothed angrily. While the waves weren’t quite North Shore worthy, they were as high as anything Aleck had ever seen on this side of the island.
It was the one thing working in his favor. The storm might hinder any quick escape Shawn had planned.
Jag and Pid hadn’t gone far when they’d exited the bar.
He knew they were at his back as he stalked his target.
But Aleck had no idea what they could do to help mitigate the situation.
There was no place for them to hide on the beach; Shawn would see every move they made.
His mind raced as he attempted to come up with some sort of plan, but at the moment, all he could do was wait for Shawn to hopefully screw up—and not start shooting again.
Shawn and Kenna were about thirty feet in front of him. Aleck was scared to get any closer. Scared Shawn would hurt Kenna.
“Let her go!” Aleck yelled, making himself heard over the howling wind.
“Fuck you!” Shawn shouted back, dragging Kenna as he shot off another round.
Aleck felt the bullet graze his leg, but he didn’t even stumble.
He wasn’t going to die here. No fucking way.
Not after all he’d seen and done in his lifetime.
He’d faced down some of the worst terrorists the world had ever seen.
Men and women who held no respect for human life.
He’d been beaten and tortured, hiked for miles and miles through every type of terrain, had gone a week without eating… had even been shot before.
No, this asshole wasn’t taking him down—not when this was the most important mission of his life. Keeping the woman he loved safe. He hadn’t found Kenna, only to lose her now.
He couldn’t. He wouldn’t survive it.
Shawn was backing into the water—and dread swamped Aleck. The crazy asshole knew how little it would take to set off the bomb. Why was he risking going into the rolling waves and possibly losing his balance?
Nothing the man was doing made sense.
“Easy,” he muttered, more to himself than to the insane man in front of him.
“You want me? Come at me, asshole!” Shawn yelled. “You won’t take me alive, and if I’m dead, so is this bitch!”
Aleck heard more people now. The police had finally arrived. When they didn’t immediately begin shouting at Shawn, or threatening to shoot him, he knew they’d been briefed on the situation. Probably by either Jag or Pid, who were still somewhere behind him.
“Stand back now, sir,” the closest officer said. “We’ve got this.”
But Aleck didn’t retreat; instead, he took a step closer to the water.
Adrenaline coursed through his veins, fighting with the anger and frustration, urging him to act.
To rush toward the woman he loved and snatch her away from danger.
But he couldn’t do anything, not without possibly hurting or killing her.
He wasn’t in a position to help Kenna.
He’d never felt more helpless in his life.
Sheets of rain were still coming down from the sky with a vengeance, as if Mother Nature herself was pissed off on his behalf.
Shawn looked behind him at the ocean again, and Aleck realized he was searching for a boat.
That was his escape plan. Either his partner was late or he’d capsized in the storm.
Aleck couldn’t help but hope it was the latter.
It was a bloodthirsty thought, but anyone who was in cahoots with Shawn, who’d planned to help him kidnap an innocent woman, deserved to die.
Pain and regret filled Aleck as he watched Kenna struggle in Shawn’s grasp. What use was all his SEAL training if he couldn’t employ those skills when he desperately needed them most—to save the woman who meant more to him than anyone else on the planet?
Kenna wasn’t as calm as she seemed on the outside. In her head, she was screaming bloody murder. But letting Shawn see how petrified she was wouldn’t help her or the situation.
She kept her eyes on Marshall, mourning everything they’d never have a chance to do…
Shaking her head, Kenna banished any defeatist thoughts. She wasn’t dead yet. Neither was Marshall. If anyone could get her out of this, it was him.
But even from a distance, through pounding rain, she could see the fear and frustration on his face.
Marshall and his teammates couldn’t risk charging them. The bomb would definitely go off, killing them all in the process.
Shawn backed them right into the surf, and Kenna frowned in confusion. “What are you doing?”
“Shut up,” Shawn said.
But she ignored him. “Are you going to swim away? That’s insane! You’d be killed. This storm is unlike anything I’ve ever seen and—”
“I said, shut the fuck up!” he snarled. “I’ve got a plan. We’re getting out of here, gonna have some fun together. When Carly’s delivered to me, you’re dead. And I’ll make sure that bitch knows she’s the reason. My word is law. She’ll regret even trying to break up with me…”
He continued to mumble under his breath—and Kenna realized the man had completely lost it. She’d had a feeling he wasn’t exactly stable to begin with, but now, unable to get his hands on Carly and with his plans falling apart…he’d gone over the edge.
And a crazy man, a bomb, and a gun was never a good combination.
Marshall yelled, “Let her go!” and Kenna jerked in fright when Shawn fired the pistol.
“Stop it!” she screamed, anger overtaking her fear. “You’re gonna kill him!”
“That’s the idea.” Shawn laughed. “Asshole thinks he’s a badass. Who’s in charge now?”
The waves were crashing against their calves, and every time one of them hit, Shawn staggered a bit. Not enough to be obvious…but enough that it gave her an idea.
The sand was already sucking her feet down, and the farther into the ocean they went, the harder it was to stay upright. It was only a matter of time before Shawn lost his balance and fell, taking her down with him, and setting off the damn explosives strapped to his chest.
Eying the distance between the restaurant, Marshall, and where she was standing in the surf, she knew this was the best chance she had to mitigate damage to property and other people, while also getting away.
Any farther, and she wouldn’t be able to run through the churning water fast enough to get any distance between her and the bomb.
And just like that, all the noise around her disappeared.
Kenna had no idea if her plan would work. He might shoot her in the back the second she moved. But she refused to just stand there docilely and let Shawn kill her—or haul her into the boat he was obviously waiting for.
The arrival of a swarm of police forced Shawn’s attention away from Marshall.
The hand on her arm loosened a fraction.
Kenna met Marshall’s gaze one last time. She could practically see the tension vibrating off his body. He was about to do something. She could feel it.
But Shawn still had his gun. He’d kill the man she loved before he could even get close. She knew that as well as she knew her own name.
Mouthing I love you to Marshall, she took a deep breath.
He shook his head, fear swamping his features—
And at that moment, a wave crashed against their legs.
Shawn shifted to keep his balance.
And Kenna moved.
Jerking her wet arm out of his grasp, she took off, lurching through the waves doing their best to knock her off her feet, their momentum actually helping to push her toward the shore.
Another wave crashed against her as she stepped out of the water. Kenna stumbled forward, gaining her balance and running as fast as she could in the sand, away from the gun. Away from the bomb. Hoping and praying the police would deal with Shawn.
For an excruciating moment, she heard nothing.
Then several shots rang out.
Kenna ran faster.
A heartbeat later, a massive explosion erupted and a shockwave hit her so hard, Kenna was thrown forward. She landed hard, her chin bouncing off the sand.
A wave of heat seared her back. She heard the sound of windows shattering even over the howling wind and crashing waves.
Kenna lay still, not daring to even breathe. She was in pain—but she was alive.
“Kenna!”
She’d never heard a sound so beautiful in her entire life.
Swallowing a moan, she rolled onto her back and looked up at the man she loved with all her heart.
“Kenna, talk to me! Are you all right? Shit, your chin is bleeding!”
She smiled. Rain was falling into her eyes, making her blink rapidly. Her arm hurt. Her head hurt where Shawn had hit her. Her chin throbbed. But she was still breathing. As was Marshall.
So she felt fucking fantastic.
Reaching up, she wrapped her hand around the back of Marshall’s neck and pulled him toward her. “Told you I didn’t need a man,” she said weakly, her voice a little wobbly. Then she kissed him as if her life depended on it.