Chapter 29
Kat
The vibration of the engine changes, and I take that as a clue we’re turning and hopefully coming back near Sweet Water.
My brilliant—okay, terrible—plan is ready for action. Carefully and with as little movement as possible, I’ve loosened the rope on my wrists, but not enough to free them. I’m still working at it, but I’ve run out of time.
I focus on the stars above before I shift to see the lights coming from an island in the distance off to the left. It’s so much farther away than I hoped.
Thoughts of the shark in the water yesterday almost deter me, but what other choice do I have? Don’t try to save myself?
This might be my last chance.
I say a quick prayer before rising to my feet and launching myself over the side.
The men are already shouting when I break the surface of the water, and the drone of the motor silences immediately.
Tugging hard at my wrists, I free one and then the other, and needles of sensation stab into me as I attempt to take my first stroke.
Oh fuck, I didn’t plan on this. Being locked in one position has all my muscles freezing up when I try to use them. My thigh cramps as I kick.
My lungs burning and the roar of blood filling my ears, I keep kicking. Gotta get to the island. By sheer force of will, I start to stroke.
There’s a splash in the water.
Someone else jumped in.
Noise comes from behind me. Saltwater stings my eyes as I focus on the light of the island and try to swim faster than whoever is coming after me.
Something grabs my ankle and I kick out, hitting the person behind me. Vander? I don’t even care. I stroke again and again, but I’m not fast enough.
An arm wraps around my waist, yanking me back against a body. “You’re gonna pay for this.”
The voice belongs to the other man. Not Vander. I thrash against his hold in the water. A wave crashes into us, and I inhale at the wrong moment. Coughing to try to expel the liquid, I lose all forward momentum.
The motor starts again, coming closer.
“Get her to the boat. I’ll take her.”
I kick and struggle, trying to escape his hold, but it’s a losing battle. My elbow connects with his ribs, and the man grunts before burying his fingers in my hair and dragging me facedown.
Can’t breathe.
Finally, he lifts my head, and I suck in a breath just as he hands me off to Vander.
“Fucking idiot. Could’ve killed yourself. Now I’m going to make sure you wish you had.”
I struggle as Vander yanks me over the side and drops me onto the bottom of the boat. The other man climbs in, spilling water over me. Chills rack my body as I shake, not only with cold, but fear.
What the hell are they going to do to me?
Something, maybe a fist, connects with my jaw, and everything goes dark again.
*
“She’s fine. Real fine.”
My head aches, pain coming from my temple this time, but through the pounding, I feel someone stroking my hair.
“I like ’em blond.”
“And so do the rich dudes with money,” another voice says. This one is more familiar.
“Fucking perverts. Probably gonna chain her up and fuck her until she can’t take no more, then buy a new toy.”
What the hell are they talking about?
Who are they?
Toy?
What they’re saying doesn’t make any sense. I want nothing more than to let myself slip back into the darkness, but something keeps me from losing consciousness again. Fear.
Where am I now?
Think. Think.
It’s almost impossible to force my brain beyond the suffocating terror.
I’ve been kidnapped. This isn’t a nightmare. This is real.
Tears threaten to escape my lids, but I can’t let them fall.
Hold on, Kitty Kat, just hold on. It’s Benjie’s voice in my head this time, and it soothes me. You got yourself into a clusterfuck of epic proportions. Whatcha gonna do about it?
I’m losing my shit if I’m hearing a dead man talk to me, but his voice helps me pull it together.
They were taking me to another island. They had to wait for someone.
“Maybe no one will want her with that shiner, and we can keep her.”
“Not a chance.” Vander stomps into the room, his tone harsh. “Get the hell away from her before I fucking kill you myself.”
The hand in my hair disappears, and I keep my eyes closed.
“Sorry, man. Never touched a real blonde. I hear she’s got blue eyes too.”
“Get the hell out of this room. Now.”
“Hey, I’m the one saving your ass while you wait for your boat. This is my island. I’m the king here, and no one talks to me like that.”
A metallic click comes next, and I flick my eyes open because I can’t identify the sound.
Shit.
A gun.
Vander’s hand is steady as he trains his pistol on the man standing a few feet from the bed I’m on. “For as long as I’m here, you answer to me or you die. Understand?”
The man nods, and Vander’s gaze shifts to me.
“Ah, Katerina, you’re finally awake.” False cheerfulness enters his voice, but it can’t cover the malice. “Hopefully you’ve learned your lesson on stupidity so I don’t have to injure you again. Damaged goods aren’t nearly as valuable, and trust me, your life depends upon you retaining your value.”
I swallow back the lump rising in my throat. I don’t know how to answer him.
It seems Vander doesn’t want or need an answer from me, because his attention cuts to the man at the other end of his gun.
“I told you to get the hell out. Don’t come back in here until we’re gone.”
Another man shifts behind Vander, and a flare of recognition shoots through me. Anton, the manager of Sweet Water Caye who met us at the dock the day we arrived.
My first thought is maybe he’s here to save me, but that’s naive. The set of his jaw tells me everything I need to know.
He’s in on it. How is that even possible?