I didn’t even think about what other things floated in the Hudson as I made my way on the other side of the railing, grasping the metal tightly. Lucas was already swimming toward the jet-ski. He knew that I was going to jump if I wanted to save my life.
“I hope this works,” I muttered before letting go.
Chapter 2
Leda
The free fall was only a few seconds, but to me it felt like a lifetime. I screamed as the black water swallowed me whole. Cold rushed me instantly, and for a moment, I fought the water, desperately trying to hold my breath.
My leg cramped from exertion, but I somehow kicked to the surface, gasping as my head broke above water. For a moment, I couldn’t hear anything as I wiped the water out of my eyes to clear my vision.
“Leda!”
Turning in the water, I saw Lucas had gotten the jet-ski upright and was headed my way. I waved my arms in the air as I kicked my feet to stay above water. He maneuvered the jet-ski alongside me, lowering his arm.
I grabbed it, and he hauled me onto the seat behind him.
“Wrap your arms around me,” he called out, righting himself.
I did as he asked, and pressed my cheek to his wet shirt. Warmth spread throughout my stomach. We were alive.
Lucas gunned the jet-ski and we took off across the water, the spray and wind bit at me, but I didn’t care. I was alive. Lucas seemed to be no worse for wear.
Rocco.
I didn’t want to think about Rocco’s body on that deck. Who would protect Lucas now? It was just the two of us against—well, I wasn’t sure what we were up against anymore.
Daring to look back, I saw the yacht slowly disappear into the water. The remaining jet-skis circled its carcass in the water like sharks. The lights from the boat illuminated the dark water, and I realized there were bodies bobbing in the water.
I shivered as we pulled further away from the carnage. I had jumped into that water with dead bodies.
I mean, the options were very limited. Between jumping or staying on a sinking yacht, I would pick jumping any day of the week. But to know that I was so close to dead bodies… It wasn’t a nice feeling.
Swallowing hard, I tightened my hold on Lucas. I didn’t know where we were headed. But right now, anywhere other than here would be better.
The jet-ski slowed as Lucas pulled towards shore. There was no dock, but he had no intention of keeping it.
“Come on,” Lucas said. The muscles on his back shifted as he scouted for a spot. “We gotta take the road. Not out of the woods just yet. And this thing’s about to run out of gas anyways.”
Lifting my head, I saw that we were sputtering along the shoreline, a tangle of trees and bushes ahead of us. Lucas swung his leg over and jumped into the ankle-deep water before reaching for me. His jaw was tight, and I didn’t know if it was because of the attack, or the loss of his second-in-command.
But he was hurting.
Wisely, though, I said nothing and took his hand, letting him help me off the jet-ski before we waded the rest way to the sandy shoreline. “Where are we?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he grimaced, his recently bandaged wounds still hurting him with every motion. “But we have to keep moving. We’re sitting ducks out here.”
He was right. We were alone, truly alone. As much as Lucas proved to be a fierce fighter, he was hurt, and we had no weapons.
My hand reached back and felt the butt of the pistol.Well, almost no weapons.
Lucas pushed himself into the brush, and I followed. The long pants I put on earlier were soaked, but at least they protected me from the brush.
Before long, we came to a barn, and there were no lights from inside.
“We need to get dry,” Lucas said as he forced the barn door open.
Old hay and the smell of horse manure greeted us, even though the place was clearly devoid of horses. The hay, on the other hand, smelled fresh and new. I spotted a few horse blankets on a shelf, and nearly cried in relief when I felt them.