The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here with me.
A hand grips my arm and rips me up. Air hits my lungs with such force that my vision wavers. I’m dropped onto a hard surface as rain hammers down on top of me.
“Oxygen mask!”
Zane?
I open my eyes as my big brother places a mask over my mouth and nose. Tears blur my vision as he cups my cheek.
“Hey, Stasia,” he whispers. “We’ve got you.”
“Sawyer.” My voice is raspy and barely above a whisper. I shoot upright, but dizziness has my vision swimming. I try to get the mask off, but Zane touches my arm and shakes his head.
“Not yet. Keep it on.”
“Sawyer. Where is Sawyer?” I demand again, throat burning with each word.
Garrison and Ryker exchange looks with Zane and Weston, and all four men turn toward the inky black waters.
No. I can’t lose him. Not now. Not ever.
“Sawyer!” I scream into the storm.
The seconds feel like lifetimes until he finally calls back. “Over here!”
Weston fires up the small motor and guides the boat across the surface, navigating debris from the boat as rain continues to hammer down on top of us.
Sawyer comes into view, Jack unconscious beside him. A wave slams into him, momentarily ripping him from my view.
“Sawyer!”
“Sorry, carrying extra weight,” he grunts when he comes back into view right beside the boat. He shoves Jack’s body toward the boat.
“Then let him drown,” Weston growls.
“Not the right thing to do, no matter how tempting it is,” Sawyer replies.
Ryker reaches down and hoists Jack from the water, tossing him onto the bottom of the boat. He wastes no time zip-tying his hands despite his unconscious state.
Weston helps Sawyer onto the boat, and I throw myself onto him. His arms come around me, holding me to his chest. My entire body trembles, violent shaking that rattles my teeth as the cold seeps into my bones.
He’s here.
Sawyer is here, and he’s alive.
“I’ve got you, baby,” he whispers.
The boat’s motor makes it nearly impossible to hear anything—but I hear that. A blanket is thrown around us, and I lie against his chest, breathing into the mask and closing my eyes.
Thank You, Lord. Thank You.
Chapter 31
Sawyer
When I first met Agent Jack Weathers, I didn’t care much for him. I always thought it was because of the way he looked at Anastasia, but now I can’t help but feel I shouldn’t have ignored that inkling.
The discernment that let me know he was not a man to be trusted.
