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Chapter 18
The wind whipped my hair away from my face as Bellamy steered the Bowrider out into deeper waters. Knix sat at the very back, dark eyes reflecting the torrents of the water below. I shivered. No matter how warm the sun was on my back, now that it had risen further into the sky, the air over the ocean wascool.
To my dismay—and pleasure—Grayson and Marv sat alongside each other. Though neither spoke or looked at the other, at least the air was less tense. Texas gripped a railing with one hand as he sat across from me and held a headset to his head with the other as the Bowrider picked up speed, skating across the surface of the water. The engine crackled and buzzed as the front helm slapped against the ocean’s surface again and again. I jerked in my seat, reaching for the railing and clutching on tightly. I squinted against the brightness of the blueskies.
"Yeah!" Texas called into his headset. "We're heading to our designated spot now!" He practically had to scream to be heard. "Will do! Alright, over and out!" When Bellamy slowed as we came upon some choppy waters, Texas ripped the headset from his ears and held it firmly in his hand. When the waters calmed we continued further into the depths of the ocean and picked up speed onceagain.
It had been a while since I had been on a boat—not since Sweratt Island—but being on this one honestly made me question every single boat lover's idea of paradise. I clutched the railing with one hand and the seat with my other. On multiple occasions I wondered if my nails were chipped and bleeding from being ripped away from the sides of the boat. Every time I felt my grip loosening, I’d re-grip the areas I was using to anchor and steady myself. Every time my hand slipped, as the boat jerked up and down in the water, I would scramble to readjust and hold ontighter.
"Doing okay, Harlow?!" Bellamy called from behind thewheel.
I grimaced as my legs slipped and I held on tighter to anything I could grab. Why did it feel like the faster we went, the less control I had? Every jerk, every bump, felt like I was being lifted by some unknown force. Only by sheer force of will and a whole lot of fear did I manage to keep my seat for the ride and not find myself flung from theboat.
"Just fucking fine!" Isnapped.
"Hold up, slow down!" Knix called. The noise slowed until it died almost completely and the Bowrider sunk back into the surface of the water—like a normal sea vehicle was supposed to. I looked around, noticing a dark speck in the distance, still a waysaway.
"Is that it?" I asked. My voice rose and carried above the water. Grayson leaned over, cupping my shoulder and pushed his hand down in a gesture that meant for me to lower my voice. I grimaced and flicked my gaze back to that speck. "Can they really hear us this far out?" I asked in a quietertone.
"Unlikely," Texas replied, "but to be safe, we don't know what kind of tech they have on their ship and there's definitely some stuff out there that can hear a whalefart."
I blinked at him as Grayson's hand dropped off my shoulder. Laughter shook his entire body as he pulled away. Even Marv cracked a smile and Bellamy released a chuckle. I swung my gaze to Texas. "Really?" Ideadpanned.
"What?" he shrugged. "It'strue."
I shook my head again as Knix retrieved his binoculars and moved towards the front of the ship, holding them over his eyes. After several seconds, he nodded. "I think that'sit."
"How can you tell?" Iasked.
He looked down at me and held out the binoculars. "Would you like to take a look?" heasked.
"I wasn't questioning you," I said quickly as I reached for the binoculars. "I was justcurious."
Knix smiled—albeit a bit tightly. "I didn't think you were," he assured me. "Go ahead, take alook."
I stood up, my legs wavering on the bobbing boat and put the binoculars to my eyes. I peered across the vast distance between us and the boat—or rather, spiffed up yacht—that proudly displayedThe Holdin giant, cursive lettering across theside.
"It can't be a coincidence," I said, lowering thebinoculars.
Knix nodded. "Itisn’t."
The Bowrider bobbed in the water, the boat swaying from side to side as the guys jumped into action. Bellamy turned the wheel and pressed the gas just so that we edged closer toThe Holdwithout seeming obvious. We were still so far from them, I wondered how anything we did at this point would be obvious. He wanted to keep the engine quiet as we slowly moved towardsthem.
I turned to hand Knix the binoculars again and stared, wide-eyed, as he reached back and jerked his shirt up over his head and dropped it on one of the seats. "What are you doing?" I hissed,shocked.
Knix flicked a glance back. "Suitingup."
"Wha—" Marv stood. As did Grayson andBellamy.
Knix shook his head and pointed to Marv. "You stay here," he said. "Steer while Texas stays incontact."
When I thought Marv might argue, he surprised me by nodding and taking Bellamy's empty seat in front of the wheel. Grayson and Bellamy both pulled their shirts up over their heads in much the same manner. Bellamy swept his hair back into a ponytail and tightened it at the nape of his neck as Knix opened a compartment under one of the seats and began retrieving wetsuits. He handed one tome.
I bit my lip and turned around, facing away from them. At least, I knew why they had asked me to wear a swimsuit. I yanked my clothes off and stepped into the wetsuit. The fabric stuck to my skin. The black material stretched over my curves, outlining literally everything. Even the lines of my bikini top were visible, but there was no way I was jumping into the water without at leastsomethingthere.
I turned back and released a rushed breath. Knowing what was under the guys' wetsuits, didn't make seeing the subtle outlines of their muscles and abs any lessdifficult.
"Alright, here's the plan," Knix said, halting my wandering mind. Sharp blue eyes the color of the shifting ocean met mine before they skated away. "We're gonna circle around to the back and climb aboard." Knix pointed to Bellamy. "I want teams. Bell you're with Harlow. Grayson withme."
