Page 147 of Until the Sea Runs Dry

She swung her hands through the water before remembering with a sudden, thudding horror that they were still tied.

With all the nonsense Marko had spouted, one thing had been true — she was a terrible swimmer at the best of times, but with her hands tied like this…

She shook off her fear and kicked her legs, moving her arms in a downward stroke, giving it everything she had. Instead of rising closer to the surface, she sank lower into the ocean.

It wasn’t working.

She couldn’t get enough momentum to propel herself upward. Her eyes flicked toward the surface, at the last of the light that was rapidly being swallowed by the inky black water.

Her lungs were burning.

She had maybe a few seconds before she’d exhale her last breath… Before her world would fade away.

The edges of her vision began to turn fuzzy. She recalled an image of Logan in her mind, needing to hold on to a last happy memory before the dark took her.

She saw him gliding toward her, grim determination like the steel in his name, on his face. He looked so real that she reached her fingers toward him.

He snatched hold of her hand, pulling her to him.

Her last breath hissed out of her in shock.

The fogginess that had started to occur vanished instantly. It wasn’t her imagination at all: he was there!

Snaking one arm around her chest, he held her in a solid grip as he swam upward like a dolphin. She kicked her feet, helping him as much as she could until they burst through the surface.

She gulped in a lung full of air as Logan turned onto his back with her pressed firmly against his chest. They swam that way until they reached the closest patrol boat. Someone threw down a rope ladder as several cops jumped into the water to help.

Jane found herself pulled into the safety of the boat as Logan climbed up after her. Seeing the love reflected in his eyes, she sank into his arms as he crushed her to his chest.

Across from them, on the yacht where Jane could easily see the name AMELIA that was painted onto it, Marko was thrown to the deck and his hands cuffed behind his back. He raged and kicked at the cops that held him, but all that resulted in was a cuff to the head as they pinned him down harder.

Logan kissed her cheek, speaking into her ear.

“It’s over. He will never touch you again.”

A familiar bark sounded close by as Clare and Loki emerged from one of the helicopters and ran toward her.

And all the emotions she had been holding inside, burst out in a flood of tears.

* * *

After she was checkedover and declared fit if shaken, they were air-lifted to the LAPD.

Jane had so many questions, and they tried their best to explain, filling in the empty gaps until she was mostly caught up.

Her head was reeling from it all.

“So my ex husband,” the words stuck in her throat, thick and cloying, and utterly unbelievable to her. “He was the man you were dating? He was Ken?”

Clare bit her lip, hanging her head. “I’m so sorry, Jane. I didn’t have a clue who he was. He was really good at hiding his true intentions.”

Jane took hold of her friend’s hand. “Don’t apologize. I of all people know how persuasive he can be. He’s an expert manipulator, Clare, and very good at targeting decent, kind-hearted women.”

Logan had kept his arm around her the entire ride back, and even now, sitting in Summers’ office, he pressed against her as if needing the physical reassurance of her body. Loki’s head lay on her bare feet — her ballerina pumps now lost to the ocean — his eyes tilted up to stare at her adoringly. Their love could have filled the room.

“That’s right,” Summers confirmed. “We went through Marko’s records, but it turns out, he’s been living under an alias this entire time. A new face too.”

“What?” Jane drew in her breath, shocked to the core.

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