Carly held her breath, waiting for all hell to break loose.
Keeping his gaze on James, JT ran the muzzle of his gun down Summer’s front, popping open a few buttons on her blue sweater. Summer closed her eyes and held herself perfectly still, refusing to give him the satisfaction of struggling.
“You have nice tits for a butchy chick,” he murmured, pursing his lips.
Carly turned her head away from the disturbing scene, horrified by the idea that JT had touched her mother the same way. She hated herself for being cowardly, but she wanted to cover her ears and close her eyes, to curl up in a little ball and wish it all away.
“Leave her alone,” James growled.
JT smiled, pleased to have angered him. “Or what?”
“You know what. If you want to hurt someone, why don’t you try me?”
Carly didn’t like that suggestion, and neither did Summer. She kicked out, jerking her body forward, trying to dislodge herself from the hook she was hanging on. It was an exercise in futility, and it amused JT to watch her flail.
“Okay, pretty boy,” he said, turning to James. “I’ll try you.”
James blanched but he didn’t argue. “Away from them,” he stipulated.
JT laughed. There wasn’t a place on the boat they couldn’t be seen from the cab, but he waved his gun in a conceding gesture. “After you.”
That’s when Carly knew JT was going to kill him. Tears blurred her vision as she watched JT follow the boy she loved, the one who thought he was giving her a chance to live by sacrificing himself, through the cabin door.
On his way out, JT directed the gun toward Carly. “Don’t move,” he said, “or I’ll kill you next.”
James paused in the doorway, his throat working convulsively. She thought he wanted to say good-bye, but he only shook his head and kept going, as if the sight of her might weaken his resolve. Carly wanted to tell him how much she loved him, but when she opened her mouth, the only sound that came out was a strangled sob.
As soon as JT walked out on deck, Carly found her mettle. She tugged on the binding at her wrists, intent on freeing herself and following. The ropes didn’t budge.
“Help me,” Summer whispered, casting a nervous glance up front. “Come over here and get down on your knees.”
Tears streaming down her face, Carly scrambled over to the mast, kneeling before Summer like a worshipper of an Eastern religion. Summer’s heels dug into her back, hurting her, but Carly was glad to be of use. In a matter of seconds, the woman unhooked herself and fell forward, careening headfirst into the dash.
Stifling a whimper of dismay, Carly leapt to her feet, searching for the dark shapes of men at the bow. James was standing with his back to JT, ready to be executed.
Carly screamed.
Hearing her, JT turned his head toward the cab. James, seeing the opening, turned to fight.
His fist connected with JT’s chin.
Growling in pain, JT swung the gun at James, catching him hard across the left temple. Carly cried out again, tugging on the ropes around her wrists. They cut into her skin, stretching taut. She looked to the other woman for help.
Summer must have been hurting more than she let on, because she was still bent across the dash, breathing hard. Her hands were bone white and her lips a cold, chalky gray. “Don’t go out there,” she rasped.
Disregarding Summer’s warning as soon as it was issued, Carly ran out to help James. He was lying in a crumpled heap on the deck, a dark pool of blood seeping across the planks beneath his head. His eyes were closed and his body motionless.
“No!” she cried, wanting to drop to her knees beside him and weep. Instead, she narrowed her eyes on JT, seething. Driven wild by fear and grief, she lowered her head and ran toward him at full speed. Surprised by her sudden, armless attack, JT side-stepped at the last second, and Carly went sprawling over the edge.
She hit the water with a shocking slap. It enveloped her like an icy blanket, wrapping her in its inky depths. The temperature was so cold her heart almost stopped beating. Pinpricks of pain broke out over her skin, like a thousand tiny needles.
She jerked against the ropes, kicking furiously, feeling the stiff fibers cut into her skin. With her arms tied behind her back, the cold was the least of her worries.
James heard the splash as Carly went overboard. The sound was muffled by the pounding in his ears, or maybe it was just blood rushing into them. His head throbbed and his scalp was gushing like a gutted thresher.
He didn’t know how, or why, but he was conscious, and alive.
JT walked by him, probably to get back to putting his creepy hands all over Summer, or Special Agent Vasquez, whatever her name was. There was an awful ruckus in the cab. James didn’t like it, but he had other fish to fry.
Dragging himself forward, his movements slow as molasses, he pulled his uncooperative body to the starboard side, where Carly had gone over.
He could see bubbles on the surface. He blinked, staving off another wave of unconsciousness, feeling blood trickle down his neck. He wouldn’t be much good to Carly if he passed out the instant he hit the water. On the other hand, if he waited longer, he wouldn’t be any good to her at all.
With a low groan, he heaved his body over the rail.
The first contact with cold water was a shock to his tender skull. He couldn’t help but cry out in pain, sending a flurry of bubbles to the surface. White spots flashed behind his eyes, and he almost inhaled a lungful of seawater in his panic. Fortunately, he broke through the surface and sucked in air, clearing his head.
The water was alarmingly cold. Menacingly black. More bubbles appeared on the rippled surface, giving him a surge of hope. Praying for strength, and lucidity, he took another deep breath and dove down. The pressure was agonizing; his ears felt like they were going to explode. Salt water stung his eyes and cut into his scalp.
Somehow he found her. He knew she was still alive because he could feel movement in her body as he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her toward the surface.
They came up together, panting.
“I can’t get my hands free,” she choked.
“I’ll do it.” Fumbling at her wrists, he tugged on the end of the knot. His fingers were so clumsy it took several tries to release her, and when he was done, he felt exhausted, as if he’d been wrestling sharks.
Speaking of sharks…
He eyed the dark water with trepidation, aware that his scalp was bleeding profusely. The contrast between warm blood and cold sea was marked.
Carly frowned at him, rubbing her sore wrists. Her wet hair was clinging to her cheeks and neck, and he could see her breath, puffing out in the crisp night air.
“Why did you jump overboard?” he said in a low voice, glancing back at Destiny. He couldn’t make out JT, but he was having trouble focusing. “Jesus Christ, Carly, that was…” He swallowed back his nausea. “That was…”
“Stupid?” she finished for him.
Treading water, he stared at her, trying to keep her in his sights. His limbs felt heavy, as if his clothes were weighted with bricks.
“James?”
Her voice sounded so far away. Although he struggled to stay there with her, the dark water lapped up over his head, beckoning him to oblivion.
Sonny slammed her hands against the dash, desperate to bring some feeling back to the useless appendages. There was a utility knife hanging by a scabbard above the dash. If she could just wrap her fingers around it…
On the deck, Carly launched herself at JT. A bold move, and a stupid one, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Unfortunately, JT had the devil’s own luck.
The girl missed him and fell overboard. To her certain death.
Sonny slammed her hands down again, tears of panic and frustration scalding her eyes. If she didn’t get out of these cuffs, she couldn’t help Carly. Or James. And to get out of the cuffs, she had to defeat JT.