Page 81 of The Final Storm
Sam reads it over my shoulder and brushes by me in a sprint to leave. “Wait!” I try to stop him and hand the note to Lori. She reads it with Luke and Milo. “He has a gun, and he could already be off the boat.”
“The boat that’s on fire?” Lori yells. Sam stops his jog so fast that dust billows around his feet.
“Fuck,” Beau says. I shoot him a glare, and he holds Morgan higher, as if she’ll block my anger.
Milo hands a gun over to Luke, and steps over. “There’s another boat. What’s his plan?”
“Whatever Dean told him to do,” Sam answers. He looks over at me. “He wants you. That’s all he wants.”
My blood turns to ice in my veins. He’s right. I’ve seen it.
“The other boat,” I say, my shaking finger points at the shoreline. I watch as the second boat moves away from the dock, drifting into the water. “He’s l-leaving. Stranding us here.”
“Until Dean comes,” Sam agrees.
A shot rings out around us. Close. Too close.
“Get the kids inside,” Luke yells. Lori grabs Morgan and pushes the kids into the house. Milo, to my surprise, takes BeLew in his arms and sprints them inside. For the man that doesn’t do babies, he’s quick to protect mine.
“That was a warning shot,” I hear someone yell before I barrel inside with Sam and shut the door behind us. It’s possibly Lindell, but I can’t be sure. The voice sounds manic, crazed. Most people do when they’re under the influence of Dean and fuck knows what else. I open the door a crack and hear them continue. “You don’t have to do anything but wait. Just wait.”
I turn and face the wide eyes of everyone in the house. “Dean must be close. We need the boat.”
“I can swim to it,” Luke says.
“The fuck you can,” Lori gripes. “You’re still recovering.” She turns to me and shakes her head. “But I’m not a great swimmer.”
I rush to the window on the other wall of the room. The boat veers to the left and it’s not traveling on a straight path. It moves to the side where I could run through the cover of the brush.
“Is someone driving, or did he set it adrift?” I ask.
Sam looks out and huffs a breath. “I think he’s set it adrift, but I can’t be sure.”
“I can make it,” I say.
“Absolutely not,” Sam objects.
“Do you have a better idea? We don’t have the time. Can you distract whoever’s out there so I can go through the treeline?” Sam stands next to me and looks at the path. He swallows hard, eyes darting from the door to the window. He knows I’m right. Dean could show up with countless men, and if we do nothing, we all die.
“I can swim it,” he says.
“No, you can’t. Your leg hasneverbeen the same since your injury. I’m the best swimmer. I’m going.”
Like fish, echoes in my head.
I take my shoes off and rummage through my pockets for anything I shouldn’t take. “You’ll need to… get rid of the others,” I hiss. “They won’t survive letting Dean down, and they know that.”
Sam turns to Milo. “Where are the rest of the guns? Do you know how many we’re up against?” He’s not agreeing with my plan, but he’s not answering me either.
“There’s maybe five left,” Milo says.
“Left?” Sam questions.
“I’ve been picking them off. They’re looking for something. My guess is-” he points to me. I’m barefoot, with one hand on the door, ready to sprint. “-her. What do they want her for?”
Sam doesn’t bother answering. “We can take five. Give me a weapon, and Rowan, you aren’t going.”
But I am, and he can’t stop me. There’s the feeling in my gut pulling me to the water, and my entire body itches to swim. I smile to BeLew and take a moment to pull them into my arms, faking my assuredness. “Any visions you have for me before I go?” I whisper to them. Lori crouches down to us, and I kiss Morgan on the cheek and pull them all against me. She knows what I’ll do. I see it in her eyes, but she trusts me.
