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"It wasn't difficult. I simply tracked down your friend and then followed him."
Drew would hate that he'd been the one to bring them down. If she didn't make it off this boat alive, she hoped he would never find out what inadvertent part he had played in her death. It would destroy him.
"Please let us go," Megan said. She grabbed Ria's hand. "I love her. If you care about me at all, let us go home. We won't tell anyone about you. We'll never talk about you again."
"That is not what I want," he said. "You are a Valdez. You belong with the family."
"I hate you."
"You will learn to love me, little one. Everyone does." He got to his feet. "You will come with me now."
"No," Megan said, desperation in her voice. Her hand tightened around Ria's.
"Don't touch her," Ria said, feeling completely helpless but refusing to give up yet.
"I give the orders on this boat."
He'd barely finished speaking when several blasts filled the air.
Gunshots!
Enrique turned toward the man at the door. As the guard left the salon, Ria grabbed the lamp off the side table and brought it crashing down on the back of Enrique's head.
He staggered, clutching his head. She hit him again for good measure, and he fell to the ground. She grabbed Megan's hand and ran for the door.
When they reached the deck, Ria was shocked to see gunfire being exchanged between three men on the deck and a Coast Guard helicopter. Drew?
One of the men on deck clutched his chest and fell to the ground.
More gunfire.
"Stay here," Ria said, pushing Megan into the shadows. She needed to get the gun lying on the ground by the man who'd been shot.
As she moved towards him, she saw a man coming down from the helicopter on a rope. What the hell was Drew doing?
One of the guards lifted his gun and took aim.
She rushed towards him, tackling him from the back, hurtling her body on top of his. His gun skidded across the deck.
She ran for it, but he was after her, shoving her hard against the rail. She lost her breath for a moment. And then Megan jumped on his back, and the two struggled.
Ria wanted to help. She just needed to breathe, to move. As she staggered to her feet, Drew landed on the deck of the boat.
He took out the other guard with a shot through the chest.
Two more men came around the corner.
Drew shot twice more, each bullet finding its target.
Ria tried to pull Megan away from her attacker, but the man kicked her in the stomach, and she fell to her knees again.
Then Drew jumped into the fray, pulling the man off Megan, and then smashing his fist into the guard's face.
Megan stumbled backwards on the deck.
The two men fought for their lives.
Ria searched for the gun, something she could use to help Drew. She finally found it against the rail. As she reached for it, she heard Megan scream.
Whirling around, she saw that Enrique had come back to life. He had his arm around Megan's neck and his gun pointed at her head.
She raised the gun in her hand and aimed it at him. "Let her go."
"Lower your gun, or she's dead," Valdez said.
"Then you'll be dead, too," she said, praying Drew would win the fight he was engaged in.
She met Megan's terrified gaze, but saw determination in her niece's eyes.
A second later, Megan sank to the ground the way they'd been taught in self defense glass, bringing Enrique's arm down with her.
As Megan slid from Enrique's grip, Ria fired.
Enrique stumbled backward, blood spreading across his shirt. He looked at her in shock.
She fired again—for her sister.
And a third—for Reynoldo.
She couldn't stop pulling the trigger. She wanted him dead. She wanted to be free. She wanted Megan to be able to grow up away from this evil man.
"Ria, stop," Drew said, grabbing her arm. "He's dead."
She could barely hear him.
"Stop."
She stared at him in confusion.
"He's dead," Drew repeated.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," he said, taking the gun out of her hand.
She glanced past Drew to see the man he'd been fighting unconscious on the ground. The deck was littered with bodies, and yet somehow they were still standing.
Megan ran to her, and Ria threw her arms around her niece as a Coast Guard cutter pulled up alongside the boat.
