“Sawyer!” I scream.
“Stay back!” he yells back.
A wave smashes into us, and I’m thrown toward the side. I hit the railing and wrap both arms around it to keep from going overboard. Water from the rain and the waves saturates my clothes. My hair is thick ropes against the side of my head.
Another flash of lightning.
Jack and Sawyer are facing off, both men with ferocious expressions.
Sawyer lunges—it goes black again.
Someone grunts, and as much as I want to call out to him, distracting Sawyer is not an option. So, I do the only thing I can.
I hold on for dear life…and I pray.
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.
A hand touches my arm, and I scream.
“Baby, it’s me!” Sawyer calls out.
A light clicks on, illuminating the area around us with the beam of his flashlight.
“Are you okay?” he asks, gaze frantic.
“I’m—is he gone?”
Sawyer shines the light on Jack. He’s lying on his back, eyes closed. “Unfortunately not. Come on, I need to get you out of here before—” A gun goes off, and Sawyer grunts.
“Sawyer!” I scream.
“I’m fine,” he growls and turns toward Jack. “I’m afraid you missed anything vital.”
“I wasn’t aiming for anything vital. I want you alive to watch her die.”
“Now, Demo,” Sawyer says, barely loud enough for me to hear over the storm. “I know, but I don’t care. Do it. Now.”
“Sawyer?”
“Do you trust me?” he asks.
“How sweet,” Jack sneers. “Too bad you’re both going to die.”
“Of course,” I reply, ignoring Jack’s threats. Because Sawyer is here. And if he is here—I’m safe.
Always.
He turns back toward me, caramel gaze illuminated just enough that I can see fear reflected in the depths. “Then jump, baby.”
I spin toward the edge as an explosion tears through the front of the boat. The deafening crack fills my ears moments before the force of it throws me from the deck. Fresh pain shoots through me as I hit the water, the ringing in my ears so loud I can hear nothing else.
Saltwater fills my mouth and shoots up my nose, the resulting headache so powerful it disorients. My lungs burn as I fight the water, desperate to reach the surface and find Sawyer.
Did he fall off, too?
The water is ice cold around me, and every time I think I’m close to the surface, I find I’m nowhere close. I kick my legs frantically, my chest on fire. Spots invade my vision, and my limbs grow heavy with every passing second.
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us.
