Page 108 of Blue in the Deep Blue Sea

“No.” I shook my head.

“He’s gone.” His jaw tightened. “And we have to run before they see us too.”

But it was already too late.

“Hey!”

Someone had spotted us.

“Run,” Oliver hissed through gritted teeth.

He grabbed my hand, our fingers locking together as he pulled me forward. I limped after him as fast as I could, trying to keep up. Every gunshot cracked through the air, closing in. I screamed, clamping my hands over my ears while Oliver kept pulling me forward. Away from the lighthouse, and towards the neutral side of the island.

27

SQUALO

I’ve been searching for answers all this time, while everything was right in front of my face all along. All this time I tried to pull Gianni away from the drugs, pushing him into rehab over and over, only for him to end up like this. I would’ve preferred he disappeared at sea searching for some lost gold than to end up caught in the middle of a drug deal gone wrong. Worst of all was seeing Gabby hurt. Pain burned in her eyes. She’d already lost so many people, and I was afraid that after this, she wouldn’t be the same.

Two men were behind us, closing the distance. Gabby stumbled, her injured ankle giving beneath her. Fresh blood seeped through the bandage with every step. She could barely move, and we hadn’t even been running for ten minutes. I tried to lift her into my arms, but it only slowed us down.

One of the men shouted, “They’re here. It’s Sinclair.”

The next voice I heard was Moretti’s.

“I want that bastard dead.”

My breath turned shallow. Blood pounded in my ears until it drowned out everything except the pounding of our footsteps and the fear twisting in my chest. As we reached the rocks to the left, gunfire cracked through the air. Something tore across my shoulder.

My hand flew from hers to the burning wound. Blood streamed between my fingers, but I didn’t stop. I pressed my palm against it, then reached for her again, grabbing her hand and holding on as I pulled her away from the open ground.

I locked eyes with her. Tears blurred her blue gaze, and the color drained from her face the moment she saw the blood soaking through my shirt.

“Don’t worry,” I whispered. “I’ll be okay.”

We kept running, but more men came from both sides. It was as if they’d surrounded the entire island. There was no way out.

This was the part that hurt the most, knowing my father’s sins were about to kill us both, and my mother’s lies would destroy her too. I knew they wanted me, and that if she wasn’t by my side, she might still have a chance to live. But what hurt the most was knowing I’d made her so many promises I would never be able to keep. I’d failed at that too. I couldn’t leave her, so I had to make her leave me.

“Baby,” I said, stopping her.

I stepped closer, towering over her. “Baby… you have to run.”

“What do you mean?”

Her hands reached for mine as I slowly let go.

“No.” She shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. “No, Oliver, no. I’m not leaving you.”

“Baby, you have to.” A tear slipped down my cheek. “You have to run, and promise me you won’t look back.”

She sniffed, shaking her head harder. “No. No, no. Oliver, you can’t.”

“I have to, baby.”

I lowered my face to hers, pressing my lips against hers one last time.

“I promised to keep you safe, and that’s the only promise I can still keep.”