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The criminal whirled. Lights along the walkway glinted off the gun in his hand. Claire dropped to the ground half a heartbeat before a bullet whizzed past her head. It thudded into the porch pillar. She rolled, seeking cover behind a wood pile. The thorns from a rose bush pulled at her clothes and pricked her exposed skin. She barely felt the sting. The sound of her heartbeat filled her ears.
Gavin. Had he been hit? She peeked out from behind the wood pile. Relief washed over Claire at the sight of his familiar form, unharmed, behind a massive oak tree.
The shooter ran. He disappeared into the woods. Claire rose and reentered the pursuit. She was hot on Gavin’s heels when the sound of an engine filled the night air. Water on the lake rippled as a boat flew across the surface. The killer was getting away.
No. She couldn’t let that happen.
“The boathouse.” Claire skidded to a stop and changed directions. Her breath came in rapid bursts. Gavin’s boots pounded behind her. She punched the security code into the door and yanked it open.
Her father’s boat bobbed in the water. Another code in the lock box next to the door produced the key. Seconds later, Claire removed the rope from the mooring post. She shoved the key into the ignition and turned it. The engine sputtered to life.
“Hold on,” Claire ordered Gavin. He grabbed onto a railing with one hand. The other kept his weapon at the ready.
She pushed the throttle forward and the vessel jumped free of the boathouse. Spray hit Claire in the face, chilling her overheated skin, as she steered in the direction of the shooter. His boat skimmed across the empty lake. He had a head start, but not for long. Claire upped her speed, pushing her small vessel to the max. They had to overtake him.
Trees whipped past as she shot along the shoreline. The steering wheel under her palm rattled in an unfamiliar way. Claire’s initial instinct was to ignore it, but something about the engine’s growl was also wrong. An urge she couldn’t explain overtook her. She had to look at the mechanism.
“Gavin, take the helm.” Claire screamed the words to be heard over the wind.
Without question, Gavin moved to replace her, his strong hand gripping the steering wheel. His gaze was locked on the criminal in front of them. Claire hurried to the back of the boat. She popped open the lid on the engine compartment.
Her heart stopped. Then a roaring rush filled her ears, drowning out everything. Dynamite sticks were attached to the engine. An old-fashioned alarm clock counted down the seconds like something out of a movie.
Ten. Nine. Eight.
“Bomb.” Claire yelled the word, but the wind snatched it away. She whirled and raced toward Gavin. “Bomb! Bomb! Bomb!”
His head snapped to her. She didn’t stop running or mentally counting down the seconds. The boat’s engine slowed, as Gavin decreased their speed, and the wind lessening.
Four.
Claire grabbed Gavin’s hand. She yanked him to the side of the boat. The lake water was inky black and freezing, but they didn’t have a choice. Gavin must’ve come to the same conclusion because he grabbed a long flotation device, twisting the string around his wrist.
Three.
She scrambled up the side of the vessel, still holding onto Gavin’s hand.
Two.
Claire’s adrenaline and survival instincts were guiding her. All that mattered was getting off the boat. “Jump!”
Claire pushed off with her legs, flying through the cold night air.
One.
The boat exploded. Heat seared her back as the force of the bomb tore her fingers from Gavin’s. The icy water enveloped her, shocking her with its intensity. For a terrifying moment, Claire tumbled through the darkness, lost and confused. Then she registered light above her. She kicked toward it, the boots on her feet slowing her down. She shoved them off with her hands. Her lungs screamed for oxygen.
She broke the lake’s surface and sucked in a breath. Her hair was plastered to her head. Through the strands, the fragments of her father’s boat were visible. Several pieces were on fire. Claire spun in a circle, horror stealing her breath. Where was Gavin?
He was nowhere to be seen. She screamed his name, the word coming out weak. Claire’s teeth chattered. Hypothermia was setting in. Tears threatened to overwhelm her, but she shoved them back down.
No. Gavin couldn’t be dead.
Please, Lord, help me.
“Gavin!” she yelled with all her strength. No answer. Her gaze flickered across the wreckage.
There. The flotation device he’d grabbed as they ran to the boat’s side. Claire used long strokes to reach it. Her childhood summers swimming in the lake had made her strong and capable in the water. The freezing temperatures, however, could kill them both. If Gavin wasn’t already dead. He was underwater.
