Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 147415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 737(@200wpm)___ 590(@250wpm)___ 491(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 737(@200wpm)___ 590(@250wpm)___ 491(@300wpm)
“This isn’t the end. I swear on my life,” I grind out.
Fresh static bursts from the radio. The comms are struggling again, but Juan keeps working steadily to raise the Coast Guard.
That might be our only chance, a fortified rescue vessel with a helicopter—if this storm doesn’t capsize us first.
Destiny digs for her phone and I find mine as well, but it’s just like I feared.
No signal.
We’re totally at the mercy of fate now.
A weird feeling comes over me.
I’ve seen my fair share of danger before.
No one expects death to sneak up on them without warning.
When I found Serena in bed with Blake and he came charging out with a gun, that was like watching my life flash before my eyes.
The rug being ripped out from under my feet when I least expected it.
The impossible, thinking the woman I adored didn’t respect me enough to be faithful while I was overseas, risking life and limb.
This is different.
There are no roadside bombs, no hit men, no reckless lovers with guns. We may never learn who did Adriana’s vile bidding to put us in this position.
Still, it feels like the ocean is coming with a vengeance, hungry to swallow me up for all the times I’ve fought and thwarted it.
I’ve taken stupid risks in my kayak for the last decade, and I never once forgot what I could lose if my focus cracked or I made a mistake.
The difference is, the only victim would be me.
Not her.
Not four other grown men.
Not poor Molly with her snout mushed miserably against Destiny’s ribs.
When you go to war, you know there’s a risk.
But this was supposed to be a safe evening cruise, dammit. A rare chance to spot some precious whales and do the send-off I thought I could manage.
It turns out, the universe had other plans.
Apparently, so does my fucked up heart.
The room wavers again, and when I can tell we’re past the latest swell, I decide to try the radio.
“Juan?” I call. “How’s it looking?”
He doesn’t answer. The silence glazes my brow with sweat, and I’m expecting the worst until there’s a soft banging on the door a minute later.
He emerges, weary and disheveled. I’ve employed him for years, and he’s a neat man. I’ve never seen him look like he just crawled out of a trench.
“We’re almost through the worst of it according to the radar. But the electrical system is strained, sir, and we’re going to lose power soon,” he tells us.
Destiny holds out her phone. “Do you have a signal?”
He shakes his head. “This is a dead zone sometimes in the best weather. Normally, not a problem with the onboard Wi-Fi forwarding calls, but without power...”
Yeah.
He doesn’t need to finish to tell us how screwed we are.
“The system shouldn’t be fragile,” I snap. “What happened to the backup generators?”
“Not sure yet, sir.”
“Fuck,” I curse and spin away, looking out at the slashing expanse of waves through the window.
The storm is far from done, and if we’ve sustained serious damage already, it could easily put us down before any rescue ships ever locate us.
“I need to go. I’ll give you another update in ten. Hold tight, Mr. Foster,” Juan says, barking a few more orders to his men as he walks away.
I slam the door shut, then pinch the bridge of my nose and inhale sharply.
Destiny comes to stand beside me, her fingers toying restlessly with something at her collar. When I look across, I see it’s the tiny black turtle necklace she always wears.
I’m annoyed that I never bothered to find out why it’s so special.
“I hope that thing brings us luck,” I say, nodding at it.
Her eyes darken and she gives me a lopsided smile.
“It’s more of a memento—and honestly, seeing how the original necklace got stolen years ago and this is a replacement from my stepmom... the turtle might be bad luck.”
Well, shit, how comforting.
The look she gives me next is so broken.
I want to sweep her into my arms more than anything. Hell, I’ll trade my life for the guarantee she’ll make it out of this okay.
But I can’t cause more turmoil, more confusion, more pain.
Not now.
I can’t even find the words to tell her I love her.
Especially when I’ve hurt her a whole lot more than losing that necklace did, and that’s not something I can just come back from.
In the distance, the sky churns, sending more rain and wind and waves at the ship, though ever so slightly less angry than before.
Why does this feel like a break before it worsens, though?
“So this is it?” Destiny rubs her arms, wearing a determined look. “I guess we just need to grin and hope for the best.”
Yeah, fuck.
I guess.
I also want to erase that vulnerable hurting look that’s still clouding her eyes. I want to kiss her one more time.