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“Pete, stay and help me.” Keane looked around, taking in the sight of the rising water. He splashed through the water as Pete followed.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Supplies,” Keane said simply. He peered inside a barrel, then lifted it, carrying it toward the stairs. “Wait here.”
“Don’t have much choice,” Cait growled, lifting her chained wrist. A rat paddled past our legs in the swirling seawater, and I found myself hoping it would survive. It was no longer a threat and felt more like a comrade now that we were quite possibly going down together.
The water rose to our shins by the time the other man, Vaughn, returned with keys. But he didn’t only bring the keys or just a key ring. He brought the entire man who carried them. He shoved Enforcer Dunn down the stairs.
“Release them,” Vaughn ordered.
Dunn landed on his knees in the water, then rose clumsily to his feet and fumbled with the keys. His hands shook and his face looked pale and sickly. He wiped a hand across his face and looked up at us, wielding a single key in his hands.
“You'll kill me like the others, won’t you?” Dunn asked.
“We’ll see,” said Vaughn.
Dunn approached me, unlocking the shackle around my wrist. When it was released, he turned to Cait and did the same for her.
Keane returned, wading toward another barrel. “Make yourselves useful and salvage something before she goes down!”
I splashed across the quickly flooding cabin and picked up a barrel, not even bothering to look inside, then carried it with me up the stairs.
When I reached the top, I halted, the barrel falling from my arms.
Three Enforcers lay dead in front of me, their blood running rivers down the tilting deck.
I averted my eyes, but it was too late. My stomach clenched and heaved.
Someone nudged me from behind. “This ain’t a sight for noble eyes,” said Keane. “Let’s get you off this death trap.”
I heaved again, vomiting up what little water I had in my stomach.
Keane grabbed my arm, pulling me toward the starboard side of the boat. Next to the vessel we stood on was a large boat—the one he’d taken from the Enforcers on Ash Island. My stolen fishing boat’s ropes were in the process of being tied onto its cleats.
I pulled away from Keane’s grip, but he held onto my arm. I didn’t want to go with these men—these killers—but if I stayed, I’d drown with this boat.
Cait grabbed my other arm, her voice gentle in my ear. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
I wondered how she was so calm, why the sight of death didn’t seem to disturb her like it did me, but I realized by now that she’d seen more than I could imagine in her three years in prison.
Keane’s men leaped from the deck to the rope ladder of their boat.
The deck rolled beneath my feet and I gripped the gunwale as more water rushed in, dragging the vessel downward.
“Follow me,” said Cait, jumping to the ladder and slamming into the hull with a grunt as she gripped the slats.
I clung onto the gunwale, knowing it was my turn to jump, but something seemed wrong. I scanned the faces in front of me. Keane had all his outlaws with him. Three Enforcers were dead. But one was missing.
I looked back. Only Merrick’s body remained on the blood-smeared deck. The other two must’ve already slipped away, lost to the waves as the deck listed toward the water.
Where was Dunn? I hadn’t seen him after he unlocked our shackles.
Over the shouts from Keane’s men and the water consuming the boat, the sound of pounding came from the door of the cabin.
Water had mostly filled the stairwell, but I didn’t hesitate.
I ran down and grabbed the doorknob, but when I pulled, it only opened a crack before catching. Peering into the chest-deep water, I could make out debris wedged between the door and the bottom step. I held my breath and ducked under the water, grasping at the shredded piece of wood.
