AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She shook her head. “No tricks. I just want this all to be over.”
It being over would also mean her father would be dead. I wondered how she felt about that.
We navigated the jetty, and I jumped on board at the back of the boat and then turned to put my hand out to Jolie to help her on deck. Her slender, small hand slipped into mine, and my fingers closed around hers, the contact sending shockwaves up through me. Her blue eyes widened, and I knew she’d felt it, too. We were all just animals at the end of the day, fighting against our basest of instincts. It didn’t help that I was probably more animal than some.
She stepped on deck, and I forced myself to release her hand. I was surprised she’d taken it in the first place. Understandably, she blamed me for everything that had happened, and so she should. Her life was already fucked up before I’d come into it, but she’d been working on that. I was the one who’d come in and royally screwed things up for her.
In a few days, she’d be free of me for good, and then she’d have the rest of her life to get things straightened out again.
I went to the lower deck where the kitchen was located and threw the bag down on the table. I unzipped it and pulled out the fresh foods that would need refrigerating.
Jolie stood behind me, looking around. She hadn’t seen much of the boat the other night in the storm—only the outside, really.
“This is nice,” she said, though I knew she was understating things. This boat cost a stupid amount of money. It was far better than ‘nice.’
“Good thing she didn’t end up lost out at sea or smashed to pieces against the cliffs, then,” I retorted.
She shrugged but glanced away, her cheeks pinking. It was good to see some color in her face. She’d been ghostly pale since I found her, and even the hike across the island hadn’t done much for her complexion.
“Make yourself comfortable,” I told her. “There are two cabins, if you want to pick one for yourself. The wet bar refrigerator on the upper deck is well stocked, if you want anything to eat or drink.”
She shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”
“That’s fine, but you’re going to need to drink something.” I removed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and threw it to her. With surprising reflexes, she snatched it from the air.
“Thanks.”
I climbed the stairs to the upper deck and went to the helm and started the boat. Once I’d navigated her into open waters, I’d be able to use the autopilot, so I wouldn’t have to sit behind the wheel the whole time. I’d cross the body of water then drive along the coastline until we reached the state where her father was being held.
