Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
The second man lunges for Ace, but he’s too slow. Ace grabs his arm and spins, twisting it backward so hard I flinch. With his other hand, Ace slams the man’s face down, then yanks his arm up behind his back and I hear a sickening snap. The guy howls, but Ace slams his head again, this time leaving a red splatter of blood on the table.
The last man is on his feet, scrambling for something under the table, but I don’t let him. I don’t think, I just know I have to stop him. I pull the knife out and leap onto his back, using all the fury and fear I’ve kept inside, and dig the knife up under his chin. He freezes. For a second I think I might actually have to stab him, but then Ace is there, hauling him away from me and slamming a fist over and over into his face until he crumples too.
The three of them are a heap now, groaning and cursing in a language I don’t even recognise. I look at Ace, expecting him to be proud or angry, but he’s just cold, eyes glassy and jaw set. He grabs a rope in the corner and ties them, using my knife to cut lengths. Then, he stares down at them and growls something about if they move, he’ll kill them. He turns and breathes out. “We’ll deal with them later,” he says, voice so cold it makes me shiver.
I nod, wiping sweat from my hands. I can’t look away from him. Because the truth is, watching him do this—watching how quick and brutal he is—it does something to me. I’m not even sure what, but my pulse is racing and my head feels clear for the first time since we have been here. Maybe it’s the adrenaline, or maybe it’s just the idea that we might actually pull this off. He notices my hungry stare, a small smirk flickering at the edge of his mouth, and before I can think, I grab his hand. He turns, pinning me to the wall with his body. I gasp and then laugh, barely a sound, and say, “That was fucking hot.”
He leans in, mouth so close I can feel the heat of it. “You’re a sicko, you know that?”
I shrug, pushing my body into his. My heart is beating at a dangerous speed, squeezed between his hand and the cracked steel wall. “Maybe. But seeing you like that...” my voice comes out all breathy, “it does things to me.”
He laughs, but it’s more like a growl. “If we weren’t fighting for our lives right now, I’d fuck you so goddamned hard.”
I gasp at the intensity of his words. “You owe me, then.”
He drags his hand up my ribcage, slow and hard, and I feel like I could burst into flames right there. He holds my jaw, teasing, never kissing, just letting me feel the tension. Then he releases me. “If we make it out of here, I’ll bring you back and make sure you get what you need.”
I would laugh, but my legs are too wobbly.
There are restrained bodies against the wall, and the stink of blood, and a world of danger still waiting on the island. But in this moment, with him pressed up against me, the universe contracts down to just us, and I know—if we live, if we get out—I won’t ever let this man go. I don’t think I could. I don’t even want to.
I want him with me for as long as he’ll have me.
He steps back, and it looks like it pains him to do so. “Let’s get this done. Then you can thank me later.”
I exhale and follow, feeling the aftershock of him everywhere.
The next door is the engine room. It’s hot and noisy, but empty, just a mess of pipes and slicks of oil everywhere. Beyond that, a ladder leads up top, and as we climb, an icy spray shoots past—the tide is coming in harder. Above deck, I see a light on the beach: the pirate camp. And I realise Zeke is out there, depending on us to finish what we started. Ace takes stock of the weapons. “Two guns, full mag each. We wait for Kellen’s signal, distract them, grab Zeke, and get out.”
I nod, and for the first time, I really believe we might make it. Because all the stories about pirates and monsters and survivors? None of them could ever have predicted us.
We were going home.
I can feel it.
“THEY SHOULD BE HERE, Ace,” I whisper, rubbing my hands together to try and keep from shivering.
The wind is cold and eerily silent. I don’t like it. It’s as if even the trees know something very bad is happening. We haven’t seen anyone else since we cleared the ship. Instead, we have just been sitting here, waiting for them to arrive like we planned. Kellen creates a distraction, the pirates go to check it out, he gets Zeke and meets us here. Aggie, Tati, Rachel and Adrian are already here and on the ship. They got as many things as they could.