Chapter 51
FIFTY-ONE
He had the throttle wide open. Lachlan absorbed the relentless pounding of the hull against the waves with bent knees, his eyes locked on the horizon. Dead Man’s Island was straight ahead and growing larger off the bow every second.
He tapped his earpiece when his phone rang with his brother’s ringtone. “Grey.”
“I’m with Rafe and Blaine,” Grey said over the distinctive sound of rotors thumping in the background. “Stop immediately, and do a thorough sweep for a bomb. Hear me?”
A boat appeared around the southeast point of Dead Man’s Island, headed his way. He whipped up his binos. Saw Maddy and another woman speeding toward him. “I see them. They’re headed straight at me, there’s no time to—”
“You can’t save her if you’re fucking dead. Do it.”
Fucking hell. Jaw clenched, he eased back on the throttle, bracing his feet apart to adjust to the sudden downshift in momentum. The bow came down to rest on the choppy surface.
“Okay, I’m looking.” He stole another glance at Maddy’s vessel, coming on fast, then spun and began a search. Tossing things onto the deck as he looked under the seats, along the tubes, down in the head. “I don’t see anything.”
“Check again. Closer.”
“There’s nothing in the—” He was just about to climb back up on deck when he spotted a faint light out of the corner of his eye.
He knelt. Saw the digital timer attached to the wall under the sink.
“Fuck me,” he breathed.
“What is it?” Grey demanded.
“A bomb.” It was wired into what looked like C4. Small enough that he would have missed it if he hadn’t been outright looking for a bomb. “It’s placed right under the pilothouse.”
He’d barely had time to absorb that when the timer suddenly lit up. His heart rocketed into his throat when it started counting down from ten seconds.
“Shit, it activated.”
“Get out of there,” Grey snapped.
“On it.” He raced up onto the deck. Off the bow Maddy’s boat was close now but had pretty much stopped. “Shit, Maddy’s in trouble.” She was fighting the woman.
“Get out!”
The only way to help her was to swim for the other boat before his blew up.
Hold on, sweetheart.
He stepped onto the port side tube and dove, slicing through the water only a few seconds before the explosion hit.
Maddy’s tackle had caught Eve off guard.
The impact drove Eve into the helm. Maddy fought to keep hold of her gun wrist, wrenching it back as they fell to the deck. Maddy landed on top of her, and the pistol fell with a thud.
Eve screeched in rage and attacked. Maddy thought she’d been ready for it, but Eve was trained. Bigger. Stronger.
Pain exploded across her face and the side of her head as the blows rained down one after the other. All she could do was throw up her forearms to try and block them. But even through the pain, she knew her life depended on getting that pistol.
Another punch caught her cheek. Her head snapped around. She kicked. Threw a punch blindly, connected with flesh and heard a grunt. Through watering eyes she darted a look around for the pistol. Saw it lying just out of reach.
She rammed an elbow at the side of Eve’s head and twisted with all her might, bucking her partly off her. Maddy immediately rolled to her side, threw a hand out for the pistol.
Her straining fingertips brushed the grip.
Eve pounced on her, shoving a hand under her chin and forcing her head up, fingers clamping around her jaw like a vise. Maddy did the only thing she could think of and sank her teeth into Eve’s hand. Hard as she could until her teeth touched and blood squirted in her mouth.
Eve howled and jerked her hand free. Maddy dove for the weapon, the nauseating taste of blood thick on her tongue.
She wrapped her numb fingers around it. But Eve snagged it at almost the same time.
With a feral sound of denial and rage Maddy grabbed hold of it with her other hand, holding on for dear life. Knowing that if she let go, she and Lachlan were both dead.
“I won’t…let you…hurt him,” she snarled, fighting to gain control of it with everything she had.
Their faces were inches apart, teeth bared. The muzzle of the pistol was pointed toward Eve’s lower body.
Maddy felt her grip starting to slip, her numb fingers unable to hold on anymore. She didn’t know if this gun had a safety or if a round was chambered but she stretched her finger out and curled it around the trigger. Squeezed.
The shot was so loud she jumped, the pistol kicking in her hand.
Eve screamed and fell back, clutching her side with one hand.
Maddy immediately scrambled backward, aiming the pistol at her with a shaking hand.
It dawned on her that they were barely moving, the sound of the engine barely audible.
But she couldn’t hear Lachlan speeding toward them anymore.
“Disarm the bomb,” she growled at Eve, her voice hoarse. Almost feral.
Eve gritted her teeth, nostrils flaring with each shallow breath, eyes glazed with pain as blood seeped from under her hand.
Maddy didn’t see the kick coming until it was too late.
One moment she was holding the pistol. The next second Eve’s drove her foot into Maddy’s left forearm.
She felt the bone snap. Yelped in pain and grabbed her injured wrist. Heard a faint plop and glanced over the side just as the pistol sank beneath the turbulent surface.
The next second Eve knocked her flat on her back. Her face was a twisted mask of rage as she straddled Maddy on the deck and locked her hands around her throat. “Get up. Get up so you can watch him die.” She dragged Maddy into a sitting position.
Never. She would never let Eve win.
With an enraged snarl Maddy fought back.
They rolled across the deck. Maddy cried out as her broken arm bent under her, the pain so sharp it stole her breath.
Eve came out on top, still bleeding freely from the wound in her side. She panted, triumph glittering in her eyes as she drew the knife from her pocket. Deployed the blade as she fished out her phone from her pocket with the other and hit a button.
Maddy’s heart clenched in terror. The bomb. She’d activated it.
Eve laughed, looking deranged with all the blood on her and that feral smile. “It’s too late. You can’t stop it now. He’s about to die, and you’re ne—”
The roar of an explosion filled the air. Eve fell back, clutching her throat.
A piece of metal stuck out of her skin, blood pouring between her hands. Her eyes were wide with panic.
Maddy tore her gaze away and struggled to her knees to look behind her.
Lachlan’s boat was obliterated, the floating wreckage in flames.
She sucked in a painful breath. “Lachlan!” His name tore from her throat in a primal scream, shrill and agonized.
Her stomach pitched. She scanned the surface frantically, searching for any sign of him through a haze of tears.
He can’t be dead. He can’t be, he can’t be…
She spotted a flash of orange near the edge of the wreckage. Cried out when she recognized his flotation suit.
She shot a glance at Eve. She was lying still on the deck, eyes half open, her hands on the shrapnel in her neck.
Maddy ignored her and stepped to the helm. Fumbled one-handed with the controls, her broken wrist cradled against her chest. She had to get to Lachlan and pull him out of the water. Get him to shore.
The engine wouldn’t start.
“Come on!” she yelled, trying it again.
Nothing happened.
Her gaze cut back to Lachlan. It looked like he was on his back.
If the boat wouldn’t go to him, she would go on her own.
She couldn’t see a life jacket on board. But Lachlan needed her.
Heart pounding, on rubbery legs she stepped onto the edge of the boat, took a deep breath and jumped.