8. No Time to be Enemies
No Time to be Enemies
Havoc
Another explosion hit the boat, and the force of it threw us both to the other side of the room.
My ears rang.
Pissed, I scowled. “And is that your boss?”
Onyx was quicker to react, rolling to her feet and darting towards the window. “N-no. It can’t be.”
I bet it is.
She opened the curtain.
Getting to her side, I followed her gaze and saw another boat in the distance, its silhouette outlined by the flashes of gunfire aimed directly at us.
“Shit!” I cursed and got out of the way.
The boat rocked from the bullets, and there was no time to be enemies. All we could do was work together and try to survive.
Onyx didn’t waste any time. She grabbed a small bag from under the bed, slinging it over her shoulder. “We need to move. Now!”
I nodded, understanding the urgency in her tone.
The boat was under attack, and whoever was behind it had a lot of firepower.
I looked around for my clothes, scrambling towards the side where my pants had been discarded.
I quickly grabbed the pants and put them on as more bullets rained down on the boat. Then, I rushed to throw on my shoes. Once I had them on, I looked around for Onyx. She had already opened the cabin door and was peering out warily into the corridor that led to the deck.
I got behind her. “Give me a gun.”
“Never.”
“Your boss is trying to kill you—”
“We don’t know that—”
“Who else knew where your boat was in the ocean and what you had on it?”
She didn’t respond.
“Most people would rather kill the assassin and the target, than pay millions of dollars.” I frowned. “That is why I got out of the business.”
She sighed. “The guns are above us on the deck with my men.”
“Then, let’s get them.” Adrenaline surged through me as we both kicked into survival mode.
There was no time to think, only to act. The boat was being torn apart by the relentless barrage of bullets and explosions.
We dashed through the narrow hallway, the boat rocking violently beneath us.
Smoke filled the air, making it hard to see and breathe.
My heart pounded as we reached the deck, and were greeted with clear blue sky.
Before I could search for the guns, I noticed that the front of it was on fire. “Oh no! We have to get the fuck off of here! Forget the weapons. Where’s a boat?”
“There!” Onyx pointed to a smaller inflatable raft tied to the side of the boat. “We can use that to escape!”
Another explosion hit, and the boat tilted dangerously to one side.
Thick black smoke began to rise above the flames.
I couldn’t even see the fucking idiots shooting at the boat. “Let’s go!”
We stumbled but managed to keep our balance.
Onyx reached the raft first, quickly untying and throwing it into the water.
I followed suit, grabbing the edge of the raft and helping her steady it.
“Get in!” I shouted, pushing her towards the raft.
She hesitated for a split second, her eyes meeting mine with clear uncertainty.
If she had been a man, I might have shoved her into the fire and raced off with the boat. Unfortunately, there was some part of my damn soul that wouldn’t leave a woman stranded no matter how much that woman wanted me dead.
“Get your ass in there.” I glared. “We can fucking kill each other later.”
“Shit.” Then she jumped into the raft, and I followed, barely managing to hold on as another explosion rocked the boat.
The raft rose and then hit the water with a violent splash, sending icy droplets cascading over us.
This fucking week just gets better and better!
Every muscle in my body screamed with the effort as we paddled furiously, the roar of the explosions and the relentless gunfire from the other boat driving us forward.
The cold ocean spray mixed with the acrid smell of smoke and burning fuel, assaulted my senses and made it hard to breathe, but I pushed through it all.
Onyx paddled just as hard with me.
The raft bobbed and rocked in the turbulent waves, each movement jarring and unpredictable. The ocean itself seemed to be in turmoil, the normally rhythmic waves were now chaotic and violent. Each stroke of the paddle felt like a battle against the very elements.
My arms burned with the effort, but I pushed through the pain, driven by the primal need to survive.
I glanced at Onyx, her face remained set in fierce determination as she paddled beside me.
And the irony of the situation wasn't lost on me. Just moments ago, we were ready to kill each other, and now we were forced to work together to survive.
Life was funny that way.
Saltwater stung my eyes, blurring my vision, and the taste of brine filled my mouth every time I gasped for air, but I didn’t stop or slow down.
I roared, “Come on! Keep that tempo!”
Onyx's clenched her jaw and paddled fast.
“Keep going!” I shouted. “We need to get out of range!”
Behind us, the boat we’d just left was being torn the fuck apart. It was all the sharp crack of gunfire punctuated by the deep, resonant booms of bombs. Even from our distance, I could feel the heat of the flames, and the air around us thick with the smell of burning metal and gasoline.
Anyone else left on there was either dead, drowning, or being burnt alive.
Each explosion sent shockwaves through the water, causing our small raft to pitch and roll.
Shit. We might get flipped out of this stupid thing.
Onyx slowed a little.
“I know you’re tired, but we're not safe yet!” I coughed from the smoke. “Keep going. Put all your energy in it.”
Any man would have argued with me. Again, it was an ego thing. Even in survival we competed with each other, trying to prove who was the true boss.
But, Onyx was smart enough to know that I wasn’t trying to overpower her. I just wanted us to survive.
Therefore, she did just as I ordered.
Still furiously paddling, I glanced over my shoulder.
Soon the bombed boat was now a dark silhouette against the fiery backdrop, and still I could hear that other boat shooting at it.
They wanted to make sure we died right in this ocean. Son of a bitch boss. Whoever you are. . .beware. I will come for you.
Onyx checked where I was looking. “We need to change direction and hide in the trail of smoke over there!”
She pointed.
I put my view on that target.
Large clouds of black smoke had left the boat and was slipping along the ocean’s surface. It wouldn’t be a fun time to paddle within the smoke, but it sure would save our asses, by hiding us from the enemy.
“Good idea.” I followed her lead as we adjusted our course.
The raft groaned in protest with each wave, the flimsy material straining under the pressure, but it moved us along fast enough.
As we reached the edge of the smoke, the world around us darkened.
It was hard to breath, almost impossible.
All around us, there was only thick, choking smoke, blocking out the sunlight and reducing visibility to almost zero.
It felt as though we had entered another realm entirely.
Fuck.
At least, the relentless gunfire and explosions were muffled.
Distant.
Sweat mixed with saltwater on my face, stinging my eyes and dripping onto my chest. My muscles ached, my body screamed for rest, my lungs begged for better air, but there was no stopping us now.
We had to keep going through the trail of smoke.
“Paddle!” I barked at Onyx through gritted teeth. My throat burned and I coughed several times. With all the smoke, I could barely see her or even the paddle that I kept shoving into the water. “Don't stop!”
Onyx grunted a response and I heard her paddle cutting through the water next to me.
Her efforts fueled mine.
We pushed forward into the darkness, our movements synchronized and determined. Each stroke of our oars took us hopefully further from danger. The water around us was black as ink, and the only sound was the rhythmic splash of our paddles breaking the surface.
Then, without warning, we hit the end of the smoky trail.
The air—once thick with suffocating fumes—suddenly cleared. The contrast was jarring. Both of us began gasping, coughing, and choking on the fresh air that flooded our lungs. It was as if our bodies—accustomed to the toxic smoke—were rebelling against the sudden influx of oxygen.
Our breaths came in ragged, desperate gulps. I could hear the rawness in Onyx’s cough, mirroring my own struggle.
Still, we continued to paddle, though more slowly now.
Despite the discomfort, there was a sense of relief that came with each breath of clean air.
Did we truly escape?
Wiping my mouth, I gazed in the boat’s direction and shouldn’t have. That large vessel continued to sink. Flames danced up the sides. Creaking blared as metal bent and cracked.
But it was far away, and I couldn’t even see the gunners behind it.
Surely, they assumed that their mission was complete.
Damn. I wish I’d gotten a good smell of them.
I closed my eyes and imagined tracking them all, each one of those bastards, by their distinct, fear-laden odor. It would have been just like old times, following the invisible trail, moving silently through the night.
I pictured myself standing in their bedrooms, the scent of their sweat thick in the air as they slept, unaware. I would have woke them up slowly and relished in the terror building in their eyes as they realized what was happening.
That their fucking nightmare stood right above them.
Fear was a sweet aroma.
Their wives would be there too, helpless and horrified. I would start with the husbands, making sure they felt every ounce of pain, their screams echoing through the night, maybe even waking up their children.
I always had the wives watch. There was this odd satisfaction in forcing them to see the destruction of their husbands.
Of course I would take my time, savoring each act of vengeance.
And of course, they would beg, cry, and plead, but it wouldn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was their suffering.
That was always a just retribution for what they had done.
In the end, their tortured deaths would be a tribute to my wrath as well as a brutal reminder to our world that I was not a man to be crossed.
And their wives?
Most of the time, I would let them live. They would carry the scars of that night forever. I tended to see them as living legacies of my vengeance.
Onyx’s voice yanked me out of my dark thoughts. “Are you okay?”
I opened my eyes. “Who is your boss?”
The raft bobbed in the turbulent waves.
She was about to speak, but then suddenly, something bumped into our raft.
Onyx gazed that way and stiffened in horror. “No. No. No.”
“What?”
“Sharks.”
Shit.
I put my view on the water and could barely make out the objects slicing through the water around us.
Three, four. . .no, five of them circled our little raft.
They must have been attracted by all the noise and commotion, hoping for an easy meal.
My blood ran cold at the sight of them, not out of fear but anger.
“Keep paddling.” I ordered. “Damn those sharks. We’re the most dangerous thing right now in this ocean. Remember that. Feel the strength of those words in your chest.”
She swallowed and returned to paddling.
But, every few seconds she glanced at them.
I shook my head and sped up the paddle. “Don’t look at them.”
“That’s easy for you to say—”
“It’s not. I fucking hate sharks.”
She sighed and went back to vigorously paddling, and it was then that I knew. . .no matter what the fuck we were about to deal with in the next moments. . .I would survive as long as she was by my side.