Page 17 of Lethal Bodyguard Summer

Aria

The engine of the small boat droned on. In the dark, I could see a huge mass floating on the ocean. If they got me on that ship, I knew I was never getting off. Brooks would be coming for me. Even now he was probably looking for me. But would he make it in time?

I looked at the guy sitting across from me, his gun trained on me.

“You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?”

He didn’t respond.

I spoke louder this time to make sure he could hear me over the sound of the waves. “Why are you waiting? You could have finished it at the cabin.”

“Too messy. Besides, he wants to meet the woman who almost singlehandedly ruined his plans by accident.”

“You mean Roman Pierce.”

The man inclined his head. “So you did see him. I wondered if you actually recognized him. After all, it was dark, and you were carrying that crazy cat. If it hadn’t been howling the way it was, Roman never would have looked over the side.”

“You know what they say, curiosity killed the cat,” I said, unable to resist, a laugh bubbling out.

“That’s good. Make your jokes. Have a good laugh.” The man smirked.

“Why? Why go to all this trouble? There have been a lot of false sightings.”

He shrugged. “Boss thought you took a picture. He didn’t want to take any chances. Everything hinges on him being dead. You know, you shouldn’t have helped your sister get away. At least this way you could have died together.”

My heart stopped, and my eyes shot to the other guy driving the boat. “He killed her?”

The man didn’t answer as the driver cut the engine and we drifted closer to the yacht. I could hear the engines from the large vessel.

Had all my effort been for nothing? No. No, no, no. I’d saved her. She was alive, and if I wanted to stay alive, I had to do something before we reached that yacht.

The guy that had been driving held on to the wheel, steering us as well as he could without the engine on. The man across from me grabbed the rope and tossed it to a crew member waiting at the stern.

While they were occupied, I stood, careful not to rock the small speedboat. With as little splash as possible, I slipped over the side and into the water.

It was cold, and the waves pulled me under. My hands were still tied, but at least it was in front of me. I sputtered out the water and kicked my feet.

I’d gotten only three or four feet away before I heard a man shout. They knew I was gone. Light speared across the water, and I ducked below the waves, praying they didn’t see me.

Chapter fifteen

Brooks

Ipushed the throttle harder than the boat liked. Aria was out there, facing God knew what alone.

Rafi had texted another location. She was out at sea, and we knew that a yacht sat a few miles off the coast. Sloane had contacted a friend in the Coast Guard who had agreed to deploy a helicopter on a “tip.”

My gut told me we were running out of time. Over the engine, I heard the thwap of helicopter blades. A light came on about two cables ahead of me. It sliced across the water, and I slowed the engine when I heard men shouting.

The helicopter whirred overhead, switching their spotlights on. One man was on the boat, pointing in my direction. No. Not mine. Something in the water. I saw a head bob and then dive as another figure swam with strong, swift strokes toward it.

Aria was in the water.

Someone opened fire, shooting at the helicopter. I dove, reaching Aria’s limp, shivering body first. At least she was alive. I hooked an arm around her, pulling her against me as I swam back to the boat and hoisted her over the side.

The other man in the water hadn’t realized I’d gotten her out yet and was still swimming toward me. I pushed myself up over the side, my clothes clinging to my form as I reached for the gun stowed in the holster under the steering wheel.

The man appeared over the side of the boat. My finger pressed the trigger.