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“Evade them!” Victor called out. The first spray of bullets peppered the side of the boat, the metallic pinging against the relentless patter of the rain. Teo didn’t respond, his focus absolute as he swerved the unwieldy party boat.
“Grayson, take them down!” Teo yelled over the din, his voice practically lost over the thunder that boomed overhead. Grayson was already in motion. I didn’t know where he had gotten a sniper rifle from, but it didn’t matter. He was good at this, fast.
Cool, calm, collected. Even in the choppy waters, he planted his feet in a stance that made it hard for him to be thrown off balance.
He fired shot after shot, the sound ringing in the air.
Victor looked up. His face darkened for a second.
“Starboard side! They’re flanking us!” Jace said. He had a smaller gun than Grayson did, and he was doing his best to shoot at them, though he wasn’t the experienced shot Grayson was.
He it one of the jet skis, causing it to spin out of control and crash into the rocks, sending up a spray of water and echoing screams of pain.
In the chaos, Teo managed to arc the boat around, sending it towards the remaining jet ski. At least the remaining one I could see.
“Keep her steady, boss! We need a clean line!” Grayson said from behind me.
“Doing my best here!” Teo said, clearly trying to channel his focus to needle between rogue waves and jet ski assailants.
I watched as Victor got up and approached one of the men who had tried to climb up the side of the boat. He used his strength to pull the man over the side and into the water, a sickening crack echoing through the air. Meanwhile, the boat lurched from side to side as Grayson continued to fire shots at the other jet ski. Teo expertly dodged the hail of bullets, his eyes darting between the incoming threat and the rocky shoreline we were speeding towards.
The storm raged on as the jet ski closed in on us. The waves were now so high that they threatened to capsize us at any moment. I had never known the lake to get this choppy, but I’d never been out here in the middle of the night.
Teo kept his focus, swerving the boat towards the rocky shore.
The jet ski roared closer, its rider deftly maneuvering through the storm’s wrath. Teo gritted his teeth, taking the boat at breakneck speed towards the shore.
“Hold on!” I yelled, my grip tightening on the railing.
We were mere meters away from the jagged rocks, and I could see the determination in Teo’s eyes. If we hit those rocks, it would be the end of us. I clenched my eyes shut, bracing for the impact—
But it never came. Instead, Teo expertly guided the boat alongside the rocks, skimming over the craggy surface with a roar. The water sprayed up, drenching us in the rain and cold surf, but it was better than the alternative.
Grayson fired a shot and the rider of the jet ski fell into the water, which lapped at his body. “If he isn’t dead now, he’ll be dead soon,” Grayson said.
I tried to swallow down my nausea.
I gasped for air, wiping the water from my face as the boat skidded to a halt. Around us, the thunder and lightning had lost their intensity, as if the storm had drawn its breath and was now content to howl in the distance. The rain continued to fall, but it was a softer rain. Nice rain.
“We did it,” I murmured, still struggling to catch my breath.
“Is everyone...”
“Intact,” Victor confirmed tersely. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” I replied. “How are all of you?”
“Fine. Sof...” Grayson’s eyes met mine, the intensity in them almost enough to throw me off balance. “You should have gone downstairs.”
“Absolutely not,” I replied, the simplicity of the exchange grounding me. In that moment, I didn’t need speeches or grand gestures—just the quiet acknowledgement that, despite everything, we were still here, still fighting.
“He’s right,” Teo said. “I wish you had listened.”
“Let’s keep it moving,” I said finally, steeling myself as I turned back to the helm. “I got a brother to find and a snake to put down.”
“Damn right we do,” Grayson said.
“Let me get this boat back to the marina, then we can figure some stuff out,” Teo said softly. “We can’t be out here if it starts to rain like that again.”
