Page 29 of Ramshackle
But the only way I can escape is if I kill Gordon and the threat he made against the guys with him.
Chapter nine
Jackson
The boat tips andsways over the rolling waves of the ocean. It’s quiet. Only the motor of the fishing vessel and the water slapping the sides can be heard around us.
No one’s said a word since we landed at the southernmost tip of Key West.
Hope is a dangerous feeling that’s burrowed its way into each of us. The scientist could have outdated information. I’m confident he didn’t lie about what he did have, but it’s been some time since he was last involved in this area of GE. The probability that Raegan will be on one of these three islands is slim.
Aiden, who would normally be the voice of reason, hasn’t said anything to dissuade our hope that we’ve finally found her.
I try to be realistic as well most times, but I can’t afford for this information to be wrong.
The two months she’s been with GE is already unacceptable.
If she’s not there…
I can’t go back. If I have to kill everyone, island by island until I find her, then that’s what I’ll do.
I close my eyes and lean against the side of the boat, tugging my hood down to further shadow my face even though it’s the middle of the night. The moment I let my eyes rest for more than a second, sleep immediately tries to pull me under. The rocking motion combined with the sound of water work to lull my mind.
I’ve hardly slept in the last two months, letting my body take only what it needed when I had nothing better to do but wait for my next target to arrive. Otherwise, sleep has been an inconvenience I can’t afford to give too much time right now.
I’ll sleep for days once I have my little one safe in my arms, where she belongs.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Aiden questions from above me.
I crack an eye open to peer at him. His expression is tight. I noticed it had been that way since he came back with Dane after locking Vera up and then demanding that we leave right away.
I hadn’t bothered questioning it since he had been the one forcing me to rest in the first place. If he changed his mind and wanted to leave sooner, then I wouldn’t interfere. I could find out what made him alter his plan later. Getting Raegan is all that matters right now.
I smirk. “We’re getting her back,” I assure him, because I know exactly what he’s thinking right now. That I’m too exhausted to be of any use to them. That I’ll slip up and we’ll miss this chance. He would rather bench me on the sidelines and do this without me than risk mistakes.
He’s just as desperate for her to come home as the rest of us.
But he doesn’t need to worry about me.
I know once I see her, that everything will come into focus, no matter how tired I am.
Aiden watches me for another second, then nods and returns to Reid’s side at the wheel. Kellan’s pacing at the bow in what little room there is to do so, and Dane’s sitting on the bench opposite me, his hands fisted on his thighs, foot bouncing.
I close my eyes once more to take advantage of what downtime remains.
“We’re close to the first island,” Reid reports sometime later. His words break through the fog of sleep I’d been wrapped in, and I lift my head to check our surroundings.
The moon’s barely a sliver of light tonight, and even the stars are dark from cloud cover. I can make out a dark shadow off Dane’s side of the boat in the distance that could be land, but we’re still too far from it for me to be sure.
“Kill the motor. Jack, you’re up,” Aiden commands.
Dropping a hand over the side, I draw air in a rush at the back of the boat. A sailboat would have been our best option, but this was the first and simplest one at the docks.
Once we’re close enough, Kellan tosses the anchor over the side. Dane digs into his pocket and holds out something. “Take this and snap it around the first Ethernet cable you find.”
I nod and pocket the tiny piece of technology. He flips open his laptop, and Aiden steps between us.
“Here’s your comms.” He hands me an earpiece. “Tell us what’s going on and if you think she’s here. Remember, we’re not moving in until we know she’s on the island. We have three to check, so let’s not waste time if she’s not here.”
