AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"It's over," she told Megan. "It's all over."
* * *
Within minutes the Coast Guard boarded the yacht. Drew hustled Ria and Megan onto the cutter. They went inside and sat down together on a bench. Drew squatted in front of them, giving them each a sharp look. His gaze settled on Ria, and he frowned. "He hurt you."
"I'm fine," she said, shivering with the after effects of the adrenaline rush and the cool night air. Parts of her body throbbed with pain, but the feeling of being free of Enrique was so great that she didn't care about the physical injuries. She was alive, and so was Megan.
"You're cold," Drew said. He jumped up and grabbed two blankets from a member of the crew, wrapping one around Megan and the other around Ria.
"Thank you," she whispered, meeting his gaze.
"You're welcome."
"I couldn't believe it when I saw you coming down that rope. My God, Drew, they were shooting at you. Are you completely crazy?"
"We were shooting at them. My crew had my back," he said.
"It was still a crazy stunt," she said.
"I told you he was a superhero," Megan said.
Drew smiled at Megan. "I'm more impressed by you, kid. The way you tackled that guard was beyond awesome."
Megan smiled shakily. "I tried to remember the self-defense stuff, but those guys were big, and they had guns."
"You did everything, right," Ria assured her. "I'm very proud of you." She turned back to Drew. "And don't try to downplay your heroics. You saved our lives tonight, and I will be forever grateful. I honestly didn't think we were going to make it off that boat alive."
"You're the one who took out Valdez, Ria."
She drew in a difficult breath at the memories of those few terrifying moments. "I can't believe I shot him. I've never shot anyone before."
"Is he really dead?" Megan interrupted, uncertainty in her voice. "You don't think he survived?"
"No, he's dead," Drew said. "He can't hurt either of you anymore. You're both going to get your lives back."
After so many months of living in fear, it was almost impossible for Ria to believe that. It would take some time to sink in. She glanced past Drew, seeing the action going on outside and between the boats. "What will they do with them?"
"The ones that are alive will be arrested and tried."
"What about me?" Ria said. "I—I killed Enrique, and I took Megan away from her legal guardian."
"We'll sort it out," he said with confidence.
She wanted to believe him.
He met her questioning gaze. "Trust me," he added.
"I do," she said, knowing it was the complete and utter truth.
"I need to talk to the captain," Drew said. "Can I get either of you anything right now?"
Megan shook her head.
"We're good," Ria said. And for the first time in a very long time, she wasn't lying.
* * *
It was almost three o'clock in the morning before Ria walked back through her apartment door. She'd been to the hospital to get her head checked out and was relieved to have only a painful bump on her head and not a concussion. She had abrasions on her face and hands and a sprained finger as well as several bruises on other parts of her body, but she counted herself lucky to have gotten off so easily. And she was more than grateful that Megan was completely fine.
While she was in the emergency room, Drew had stayed with Megan, watching over her like a guard dog. Then he'd accompanied them both to a series of interviews and intense conversations with various agencies ranging from the Coast Guard to the DEA, FBI and local police.
Max Harrison was in charge of the police investigation, and he had assured Ria that while custody issues would have to be resolved, he would do everything in his power to help her and Megan stay together. His resolve had been strengthened by the arrival of Emma, who had told Max in no uncertain terms that he better make sure that happened.
Ria had been extremely grateful to have so much support, not just from Drew, Max and Emma, but also Drew's friends at the Coast Guard. Drew's friend, Tim, had apologized to her for any part he had played in alerting Valdez to her whereabouts. Drew had also asked her if his questions had led Valdez to her and Megan.
