Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59521 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 298(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59521 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 298(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
He gives me a look. “You’re dreamin’, lady. You’re not drinking after your last effort. Just sit tight, I won’t be long.”
I sit on the edge of the bed, hands pressed together.
He gives me one last look over, then leaves. I give it a minute, maybe two, before I slide off the bed. I carefully shuffle through his things, looking through his backpack, in his drawers, but I don’t find anything.
Heart racing, I kneel down and look under the bed, where I see a briefcase. I yank it out and flip it open. There it is, a black gun, small but deadly. I reach down, lifting it into my hand. It’s heavier than I thought, and I carefully tuck it in my pants, praying it won’t go off.
I take some bullets, stuffing them in, too, and then I slide the case back under the bed. I carefully rush around the room, making sure everything is tidy and looks the way he left it, then I sit on the edge of the bed again, just as Ace returns.
“Nothin’ I could see, everything appears normal. I’ll keep an eye out.”
I tuck my hands in my lap so he doesn’t see them shaking with adrenaline. “I’m sure I’m just overreacting, I probably need sleep.”
“You want me to walk you back?”
I shake my head and stand. “No, it’s okay. Thanks... for opening the door.”
His eyes lock onto mine and something electric shoots through me.
“Anytime,” he murmurs.
God damn.
I need to get out of here. I rush out the door. He stands in the hallway, watching until I round the corner. I hold my breath and speed-walk all the way to my cabin, resisting the urge to clutch my waistband. I slam the door the second I’m inside, then look down at my trembling hands. I am ignoring my pounding heart, because it isn’t beating over the fact that I just stole a gun, oh no, it’s beating because of the man I just stole it from.
After another shaky breath, I lift the gun and stare at it. I imagine firing it and want to gag—could I even do it? I replay all the movies in my head. Don’t you have to cock it first, or flick off the safety? I turn it in my palm, feeling the edges and the hard, cold certainty that I have absolutely no clue how to use the thing I’m now responsible for.
I hide it under my mattress, between the fitted sheet and the memory foam. I text the girls, telling them I got it. Then, I take a deep breath and flop backwards. I lie on the bed, listening to the quiet thrumming of a million-dollar yacht gliding through the dark water, and wonder if I am even going to be able to pull this off. I’m not aggressive by nature, which means if confronted, I may very well break.
I guess I’m left with only two choices: get the hell off this boat, or face whatever is on the other side.
I know which one I choose.
“IT’S NOT GOING TO WORK,” Tatiana breathes, staring through the glass at the captain.
Both Aggie and I look to her, confused.
We have been planning this all day, the perfect moment. Now we’re here, ready to carry that plan out, and Tatiana has decided that we can no longer do it. The question is, why?
“What are you talking about?” Aggie whisper-hisses, curling her fingers around Tati’s arm and pulling her around the corner.
I follow.
“Firstly, there are buttons all over the place. There will be more than one panic button, or radio button, or something to call for help. Secondly, he has a gun in his waistband, I can see it. I have no doubt he is far more efficient at aiming a gun than we are. And thirdly, if he actually refuses and we have to shoot him, the whole boat will come for us. If he does as we are told, it could be hours we are trying to hold him up, which will also mean the whole boat will come for us because there is no way we can re-route an entire boat without raising attention and even then, he could lead us anywhere. There has to be another way.”
My heart skips as Aggie stares over at me. “Dammit, I think she’s right.”
I think she is, too.
But if not this, then what?
Aggie glances at the captain again, then back to us, her jaw working. “We need a distraction,” she whispers, “something big. Something that gives us what we want, but doesn’t get anyone hurt.”
I stare at her. “Like what, set off the fire alarm?”
She shakes her head, but there’s a glint in her eyes that is somewhat terrifying. “Bigger. We need to stop this boat, and I think the only way to do that is to have an emergency signal go off so we can be rescued. That will throw any plan they have way off.”