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As if his thoughts caused someone to materialize, a thug wearing a heavy coat and thick glasses came around the corner. The man carried an assault rifle.
Eli directed Sienna behind a crane used to haul fishing nets from the ocean. Footsteps grew louder as the man neared. Sienna’s body pressed against Eli’s. She felt so small and fragile. Fear caused her to tremble.
Eli held his weapon at the ready. Adrenaline threatened to narrow his focus. He forced a breath. Then another. The criminal stopped in front of their hiding spot. Eli’s heart pounded so loudly against his rib cage, he was certain the man could hear it. What was he doing? Had he spotted them?
The sound of a match striking flint proceeded a flare of light. Eli didn’t move. Every cell of his body was fixed on calculating options should things go badly. A second later, the match hit the ground and was smashed under the criminal’s boot. The stench of a cigarette floated on the breeze as he moved away, whistling, to the port side of the ship.
Eli breathed out. That’d been close. Too close.
He leaned over to whisper in Sienna’s ear. The scent of apples and sunshine filled his senses and his chest constricted. Losing her wasn’t an option. She was a part of him. As angry as Eli had been with her, he’d never stopped loving her. “There’s a dingy attached to the stern. If we get caught, I want you to run. Don’t look back, don’t wait for me. You get off this ship, you understand me?”
She pulled back just enough to face him. Her features were shrouded in darkness. Then she moved closer and pressed her lips softly to his. A brief kiss, nothing more than a brush of their mouths, but it sent Eli’s heart rate into the stratosphere.
“We’re a team, Eli, and we’re getting off this boat together.”
Her voice was hushed, but the thread of determination running through it was evident. The stubborn woman. She wouldn’t leave him, even if it meant saving herself. He wasn’t surprised by her answer. Once again, Eli was struck with the notion that he’d made a foolish mistake in walking away from her. How could he have ever believed she’d betray him? Maybe he was more like his abusive father than he wanted to admit. Self-righteous. Cynical. Distrusting.
It was a bitter pill to swallow. He didn’t want to be the kind of man who turned his back on loved ones. But actions spoke for themselves. He was that kind of man.
It needed to change. And it would. Starting now.
Eli kissed Sienna quickly once more and then he peered around the collection of nets they were hiding behind. The coast was clear. “Let’s move.”
Once again, Sienna hung onto his belt as they shifted in the shadows toward the rear of the boat. Damp rain and salty air mingled together, collecting on Eli’s eyelashes and chilling his skin. His senses were attuned to anyone heading their direction. Thankfully, they reached the stern without running into any more guards.
The shore was nothing more than a dark hulk, faintly visible in the dark. An inflatable raft with a motor floated in the black water. It was attached to the ship with two ropes. The only way into it was by climbing a rickety ladder.
He didn’t want to send Sienna down first. Not without testing the strength of the ladder, but there was no time for normal safety measures. Eli turned to her. “Go down first. Start the motor if you can. I’ll cover you and then untie the ropes attaching it to the ship.”
“Don’t get shot.”
He grinned, despite the danger they were in. “I don’t plan on it.”
She hooked a leg over the side of the boat and then scaled down the ladder like a spider monkey. Eli breathed a sigh of relief once she was in the raft. He yanked on the first rope securing the dingy to the fishing vessel, and the knot unfurled with ease.
A shout came from the other side of the ship. Eli’s heart rate skyrocketed. They’d been discovered.
He ran to the other rope and gave it a yank as the sound of boots thundered on the deck, followed by more yells. They had seconds. Maybe.
The motor in the raft sputtered, but then died. Eli hooked his leg over the edge of the boat as several men carrying rifles rounded the corner. He caught a glimpse of Luis’s face before scrambling down the ladder. The man was furious. Out for blood. If he caught them again, they wouldn’t survive.
Bullets burst from the rifles. Eli jumped the last few rungs of the ladder and landed in the boat. The motor sputtered to life. The raft shot forward, knocking him off his feet. He tipped over, bouncing off the inflatable surface, and then scrambled toward Sienna. He used his body to cover hers, his hand helping to steer the raft toward shore, as the gunmen reached the edge of the fishing vessel.
They weren’t out of range of those rifles. Not yet.
Gunfire erupted.
TWENTY
They escaped by the grace of God.
The next morning, every muscle in Eli’s body hurt. That didn’t prevent him from arriving at the Sandalwood Police Department, Sienna at his side, to join his teammates in breaking down what they knew about the case so far.
He was surprised to see Chief Ramirez already in the conference room. The lawman was seated at the head of the table. On his left was Eli’s boss, Lieutenant Rodriguez. Her dark hair was tied back into a tight ponytail, her skin clear of any makeup. She rose to greet them.
“I’m glad to see you’re in one piece.” She shook Eli’s hand, a smile lifting her lips. “If I were you, I’d call the doctor and explain that in the past five days, you’ve been shot at, kidnapped, escaped from a boat, and been in two fist fights. Surely he can clear you for active duty.”
Eli chuckled and then smothered a wince as his cracked rib protested the movement. “Not once he gets a look at my fresh bruises.”
