Page 78 of The Sailor

Looking behind her, Marit saw Lucas for the first time since she’d fallen into that hole. His clothes were dirty, he looked like he was struggling with the hill and out of breath . . . but he still had the evilest smile on his face. As if he was enjoying the chase.

Doing her best to block out his words and obvious excitement, Marit dug her fingers into the dirt and scrabbled on her hands and feet, moving upward. She hadn’t come this far just to fail now. She wasn’t letting this asshole win. He thought she was some weak, helpless girl? Well, he was about to learn that he’d underestimated her.

When she got to the top of the hill once more, she saw the boards Lucas had gone back to the shore to collect. They were lying haphazardly on the ground next to the hole.

Ignoring the shiver that went down her spine, and the loud cursing from Lucas as he attempted to get up the slippery hill—his heavier body weight was making it even tougher for him than it had been for her—Marit grabbed one of the boards and placed it across the hole. Then she did the same with another, and another, covering the hole as Lucas had planned all along.

She had just enough time to throw a few handfuls of sticks and leaves on top of her work before Lucas made it to the top of the hill.

The second he saw her, his evil grin returned. “There you are. You didn’t seriously think you could get away, did you? You’re on an island, dumbass. There’s literally nowhere for you to go. And since I have the keys to my boat, you couldn’t have taken it.” He glanced at the hole he’d dug, laughing. “You think covering it up will make it go away? You’re going in there one way or another, bitch. Make it easy on yourself, otherwise your death will be so much more painful than necessary.”

“Fuck off!” Marit shouted. She was tired, cold, and sick of his shit. “Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you to deserve your bullying? Made sure the authorities were aware that your dad was endangering the lives of everyone who set foot on his boat? Hurting the lobster industry by keeping breeding females and oversize males? What a joke! I don’t deserve the lies and rumors you spread about me. Your dad deserves your disdain for being a shitty lobsterman, not me!”

“Screw you!” Lucas yelled. “My dad is a legend in the industry! You were lucky he hired you, and you spit his generosity back in his face. There’s a rule—you don’t narc on the captain! It just goes to show that women have no place in lobstering. It’s a man’s job. Men wouldn’t run to the authorities because they don’t have a life jacket. Men wouldn’t cry because the captain wanted a little lobster roe for dinner. And if you were smart, you would’ve taken advantage of the awesome meat on those huge lobsters. But instead, you tattled on him. Ruined his reputation!”

“I had no idea I had to have a dick in order to haul pots,” Marit taunted. “And I’m sorry . . . a legend? Give me a break. Your dad’s a laughingstock. Everyone talked about him behind his back. Everyone knew he was an asshole. If it wasn’t me who’d turned him in, it would’ve been someone else—some guy.”

As they argued, they slowly circled the hole. He’d step closer to one end, and she’d counter the move. She’d step to the right, he’d go left. It was almost like a dance. Or like two boxers sizing each other up. Each looking for the right moment to strike.

Marit just needed Lucas to get impatient enough to make one vital mistake.

“My dad is ten times the lobster fisherman you are!” Lucas screamed, spittle spraying from his lips. His eyes were bugging slightly, and he looked deranged. “Look at you! You’re weak! You don’t even come up to my chest. How the fuck you ever thought you were strong enough to do a man’s work is beyond me. Instead of telling lies about my dad, you should’ve been barefoot in someone’s kitchen. Women aren’t good for anything but lying flat on their backs and making sure their man has everything they want—food, pussy, and a clean house.”

Marit snorted. She shouldn’t be surprised that’s how he thought, and yet hearing the actual words were still almost unbelievable. “It’s the twenty-first century, not the seventeen hundreds, you moron. I think women have more than proven they’re just as capable as men and can do whatever they put their minds to. I’ve proven it.”

“You’ve proven nothing except you’re a fucking tattletale little bitch!” Lucas yelled.

He was almost there. Almost so pissed at her, he was about to make a move. Marit kept circling, not letting him get close enough to lunge and grab her from either end of the hole. She needed him to take a step forward. Onto those boards. She had to keep taunting him. Pushing him over the edge he was standing on . . . literally and figuratively.

“I’d go so far as to say I’m a better lobsterwoman than you and most of your friends,” she said, smirking. “Including your father. Since I’m shorter, I’m closer to the water, which makes it easier to haul the pots. My hands are smaller, so I can grab the lobsters out of the traps faster. I have more body fat, so I can handle the cold for longer periods. And I damn sure know my work ethic is far better than any man’s I’ve ever worked with. I’m the first one to the boat in the morning and the last to leave every night.

“Your dad? He was lazy. Is probably still lazy. He breaks rules that are there to keep him and his crew safe—and you’ve learned to be just like him. You think everyone in Rockville isn’t laughing because you can’t keep any deckhands? That word hasn’t spread that you not only don’t know the first thing about lobstering, but you’re willing to put everyone in danger just to make a buck? That you’ve got some hidden compartment on your boat for illegal hauls?”

She smirked again as Lucas seethed, his face getting redder by the second.

“Nope. The way I see it, in a few years, women will completely take over the lobstering industry. You men will stay at home, waiting on us, having dinner ready for us when we arrive. You can watch the kids while we go off and earn the paycheck for the family. Your boat will be renamed Women At Work . . . but hey, at least it’ll finally catch some lobster, and in a shorter amount of time and in safer conditions . . . while you sit at home and twiddle your thumbs.”

The sound that left Lucas’s mouth was so unrecognizable, he almost sounded feral. If her plan didn’t work, he would most certainly strangle her to death when he got his hands on her.

A flash of panic hit Marit as sparks practically shot out of his eyes. His hands fisted—and she tensed.

This was it. Either her plan would work . . . or she’d be dead. Taunting him had been part of the strategy, but now he was so furious, he wasn’t thinking about anything except shutting her up.

Lucas lunged to the right, then to the left, as if trying to trick her, with Marit countering—then he did exactly as she’d hoped. He stepped forward, finally attempting a shortcut to get to her.

Right onto the boards that she’d placed across the hole. But instead of holding his weight, as he’d expected, they immediately tilted up on Marit’s side before falling into the hole.

And Lucas went right down with them.

When Marit placed the boards across the hole, she hadn’t centered them. Instead, she’d carefully placed each so the ends barely clung to the edge on one side . . . making them extremely unstable. Most of the leaves and sticks she’d strewn across the top were concentrated at that side.

Lucas simply hadn’t noticed. He’d been too focused on her. Had assumed the boards were stable, that she’d covered up the hole so he couldn’t shove her back in.

It had taken a bit of skill and a lot of luck to keep Lucas where she’d wanted him . . . on the side of the hole where the boards were unstable. She almost couldn’t believe she’d managed it!

The swear words coming from the bottom of the hole were actually quite impressive. Marit stood at the top looking down for a beat, still hardly believing her plan had worked.

“You’re dead!” Lucas screamed, as he tried to jump up and grab the edge of the hole.