Chapter Forty-four #2
Her mind raced. How had she missed the signs?
Jimmy gave her a pleading look, like he wanted her to understand. “I didn’t have a choice, Audrey. He—”
“Shut up,” she hissed, taking another step back.
Jimmy reached for her, but she slapped his hand away.
That’s when she heard the footsteps—heavy, fast, coming up behind her.
Before she could react, a strong arm wrapped around her throat, jerking her backward.
Bradley.
Soaked, furious, his breath ragged with rage.
“You just couldn’t make this easy, could you?” he snarled in her ear.
Audrey fought back, kicking wildly, but Bradley tightened his grip, pressing the barrel of the gun against her ribs.
Jimmy stood frozen, his expression a mixture of guilt and fear.
Audrey locked eyes with him.
“Don’t do this,” she whispered. “You don’t have to do this.”
Jimmy’s jaw clenched.
For a moment, just a moment, Audrey thought maybe—maybe—he would change his mind.
Then, he turned away.
Bradley shoved her forward.
“Back to the boat,” he growled.
Audrey stumbled, her mind spinning.
She had been so close to getting away.
Now, she was trapped again.
And this time—
She might not get another chance.
Bradley shoved Audrey down into the cabin, the boat still docked, rocking slightly beneath her. She caught herself against the wall as Jimmy hovered by the doorway, his eyes darting between her and Bradley.
Her mind raced.
The Coast Guard would be monitoring the harbor exits. If Bradley was on the run, where could he possibly go?
Bradley ran a shaky hand through his damp hair, his jaw clenched in frustration. “We need to move. Now.”
Jimmy shifted uncomfortably. “Where are we gonna go?”
Bradley spun toward him, his voice sharp. “We head toward Yarmouth.”
Audrey gasped.
Nova Scotia. They were planning to disappear in Canada.
She needed to act fast.
As Bradley stalked toward the helm, she stealthily pulled out her phone.
The Holbrooks all had a boating app that linked their vessels to a shared GPS system. Audrey quickly navigated to the emergency distress beacon, her hands shaking as she sent the signal.
A confirmation blinked on the screen.
Help was on the way.
Before Bradley turned back around, she slipped the phone behind a pillow on the cabin bench.
Bradley exhaled sharply. “Jimmy, untie the ropes. We need to get out of here.”
Jimmy hesitated. “Bradley, maybe we should—”
A voice boomed through the night.
“This is Chief Jill Holbrook. Step away from the boat and put your hands in the air!”
Audrey’s stomach flipped.
They came.
Jimmy froze.
Bradley’s head snapped up as the glow of flashing red and blue lights reflected off the water.
“No, no, no!” Bradley whirled on Jimmy, shoving him toward the cabin wall. “How the hell did they find us?”
Audrey stayed silent.
She knew exactly how.
Jill’s bullhorn crackled again. “Bradley Comstock, you are surrounded. Do not try to escape.”
Jimmy swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Bradley, we need to give this up.”
Bradley’s eyes flashed with fury. He grabbed Audrey by the arm and hauled her up the stairs onto the deck.
“You let me go,” he growled at Jill and the other officers, pressing the barrel of his gun against Audrey’s temple, “or she dies.”
Everything stopped.
Jill stood at the dock, her hands clenched into fists, Cord and Sandy behind her.
Mason was there, too, standing just a step away from Jill.
Bradley tightened his grip around Audrey, dragging her closer to the edge of the boat.
“I will shoot her, Holbrook,” Bradley snarled.
Jill’s expression hardened. “We’re not letting you leave, Bradley.”
Bradley pressed the gun harder against Audrey’s temple. “Then you’re saying goodbye to your daughter.”
Audrey could barely breathe.
Her gaze flickered to Mason.
Wait.
Audrey did a double take.
He wasn’t there anymore.
One second Mason was standing next to Jill.
The next, he was gone.
Jill turned slightly, as if realizing it, too.
“What happened to Mason?” she whispered to one of the officers.
But Audrey knew.
She glanced over the side of the boat, the faint ripples of water barely visible in the moonlight.
Mason was in the water. Clinging to something.
Bradley, too distracted by the stand-off, didn’t notice.
Seconds passed like hours.
Jimmy’s hands were trembling. “Bradley, please, we have to stop this—”
“Shut up!” Bradley barked. “Jimmy, get us out of here. Now.”
Jimmy hesitated, then obeyed, rushing to the helm and revving the engine.
The boat lurched forward, cutting through the dark water.
“No!” Jill’s voice boomed from the dock.
Audrey’s heart pounded as she turned back to the water.
Mason was gone.
No.
Not gone.
Climbing.
She barely made out the shape of his hand gripping a loose rope on the side of the boat, hoisting himself up.
They weren’t out of this yet.
Bradley dragged her back down below deck as the boat picked up speed.
“We’re almost clear of the harbor,” Jimmy called from the helm. “But the Coast Guard is trailing us—”
Then—
A loud thump.
Audrey’s heart leapt.
Mason was on board.
Bradley turned, his brows furrowed. “What was that?”
Audrey played dumb and just shrugged.
Bradley grabbed her by the collar, shoving her to the floor. “Stay down, or I’ll put a bullet in your leg.”
Audrey’s mind reeled.
Mason was here.
She just had to wait.
Then, all at once—chaos erupted.
Mason burst through the cabin door, tackling Bradley with a force that sent them both crashing against the wall.
Bradley yelled, his gun skidding across the floor.
“Jimmy!” he roared.
But Jimmy hesitated.
Mason swung, landing a punch across Bradley’s jaw.
Bradley staggered but recovered too fast.
He grabbed the discarded gun.
And fired.
The gunshot ripped through the cabin.
Mason jerked, a pained grunt escaping his lips.
“No!” Audrey screamed, rushing to his side.
Mason slumped against the wall, gripping his side. Blood soaked his shirt.
Bradley smirked.
Audrey’s vision blurred with fury.
She lunged, shoving Bradley backward, using every ounce of her strength.
Bradley stumbled, hitting his head against the table, stunned just long enough for Audrey to grab Mason’s fallen gun.
“Move, and I swear to God I will shoot you,” she snapped, aiming it at Bradley’s chest.
A beat of silence.
Then—
“Coast Guard! Hands up!”
Relief flooded Audrey’s body.
They were saved.
Officers stormed the boat, guns raised, forcing Bradley to the ground as he screamed and thrashed.
Audrey rushed to Mason, her hands pressing against his wound.
“You’re gonna be okay,” she said, her voice shaking.
Mason gritted his teeth, his face pale. “Holbrook, you’re—you’re a terrible liar.”
Audrey choked on a laugh, tears burning her eyes.
Without thinking, she leaned down—
And kissed him.
A real, desperate, heart-pounding kiss.
When she pulled back, Mason blinked, dazed.
Then, with a weak grin, he murmured,
“Finally.”