The hatch sprang open. Chase looked at her. “I’m going through, then I’ll pull you through. Once we’re on deck, I want you to run. Don’t wait for me. Don’t look back. You got that?”
She looked at the small hatch, her stomach plummeting. “I can’t fit through there.”
He looked at the hatch, looked at her bulging abdomen. His mouth opened, but for a moment nothing came out. “Okay. Plan B.” He looked around wildly. “Hide. In a cabinet. Under a blanket. Whatever. I’m going to go up, circle around and ambush them.”
Unable to speak over the rapid-fire beat of her heart, Lily nodded her head.
Chase looked as if he wanted to say more, but another crash sounded from the cabin. The boat rocked slightly, and Lily knew the men were coming down the stairs and into the galley to search for them. If the men opened the door, they would find them both.
Giving her a final look, Chase heaved himself through the hatch. Panicked, she looked around for a place to hide. Several compartments lined the walls, but none of them were large enough for her to get inside. Realizing she had no alternative but to get under the blanket and pray it bought her a few precious seconds, she lay down and pulled it over her head.
The knob to the sleeping quarters rattled. “It’s locked, too,” said the man with the Boston accent.
“Kick it down. I’m going to the next boat.”
The door burst open. She heard heavy breathing, the rustle of clothing, a whispered curse. Minutes stretched like hours as he began checking compartments. In the next instant, the blanket that covered her was jerked roughly away. Gasping, Lily sat up and found herself facing a dark-haired man with large features and the deadly blue steel of a pistol.
“I’ll be damned,” he said. “Must be my lucky day.”
Lily caught a glimpse of a dark blur coming at her from behind the man. An instant later the man grunted and pitched violently forward. In the light slanting through the port window, she recognized Chase as the attacker. Relief mingled with shock at the sight of him in action. His lips were peeled back in a snarl, his eyes as dark as night.
The other man tried to defend himself, but he was no match for Chase. Several well-placed punches and the man crumpled.
Chase’s attention flicked to her. “You okay?”
“I am now.” She looked past him toward the cabin door. “What about the other guy?”
“Out cold.”
She glanced down at her would-be attacker. “Who is he?”
“I don’t recognize him.” Frowning, he bent and quickly rifled the man’s pockets. “No wallet. No ID.”
“By design?”
“More than likely.” Chase smacked the man lightly on the cheek several times to rouse him. “Wake up, jackass,” he snapped. But the man didn’t stir.
Cursing, Chase grabbed him beneath the shoulders and dragged him up the steps onto the deck. “Start the engine,” he said over his shoulder to Lily.
Her legs shook as she climbed the steps. In the darkness, she saw Chase lift the unconscious man, cross to the gunwale and dump him unceremoniously onto the wooden dock. Turning, she searched the instrument panel for a key to start the engine, but her hands shook violently.
She jumped when two strong hands came down on her shoulders.
“Easy,” Chase said from behind her. “It’s just me.”
“I can’t find the key,” she blurted.
“I’ve got it.” Moving to her side, he tilted his head as if to get a better look at her, his expression intensifying. “You’re shaking like a leaf.”
“I’m scared,” she admitted. “That was really close.”
“I know.” He turned her toward him, made eye contact. “We’re going to be okay.”
At the moment, Lily didn’t think anything would ever be okay again.
“Why don’t you go below deck and get some rest?” He punctuated the words by looking over his shoulder. “We have to get out of here. Judging from the way things are going, there are more where those two came from.”
She followed his gaze, incredulity rising inside her at the thought of some faceless, nameless person sending more gunmen. “When will this nightmare end?”
He twisted the key and the engines rumbled to life. “When I end it.”
Lily watched him traverse the impossibly narrow side deck to the fore deck where he slid a knife from his belt and slashed the moorings. He looked her way as the boat came free. “Get that last rope, will you?” he shouted.
Glad for something to do, Lily headed toward the aft deck. As she reached for the rope attached to the cleat, she spotted two men twenty yards away on the dock, walking toward them. “Chase!” she whispered. “Over there!”
The next thing she knew, Chase was beside her. He brought the knife down on the rope, severing it with a single slash. “Get below deck.” Not waiting for a response, he took her arm and ushered her toward the cabin door.