Page 40 of Silk Shadow

"Go!" he yelled, gripping the guard rope.

Phoenix didn’t hesitate. As soon as Izzy was inside the boat, he twisted the throttle and the inflatable surged forward. Viper hung on for dear life until they were out of firing range, after which Phoenix slowed down and pulled him on board.

"That was a close one," Phoenix shouted into the wind. The surface of the sea had been whipped into crests of whitewater. The storm was moving in fast.

"It's not over yet," warned Viper, glancing back at the ship. The kidnappers had launched their own motorboat and were getting ready to pursue. "Let's move."

Phoenix hit the throttle again and the bow rose into the air before flattening out as they raced over the bumpy surface.

Izzy sat in her tiny silver dress, eyes wide, teeth chattering uncontrollably, hanging on to the rope around the edge of the inflatable.

"You're safe now," Viper said.

Then, their pursuers opened fire.

CHAPTER 18

Izzy clenched her jaw and hung onto the rope for dear life. It felt like her teeth were rattling around in her head and the vibrations from the boat jingled every part of her body.

The kidnappers were still firing, but their shots sounded progressively farther away.

"We can outrun them," shouted Viper, grinning at his buddy, who she vaguely recognized from Pat’s office.

What was he so happy about? They'd barely gotten away with their lives. And she'd never done anything as scary as jump off a ship before. Those men on the deck could have killed them.

She could still picture Viper diving off the side of the trawler, twisting in midair like some superhero action figure.

Even then he’d been smiling.

Freaking adrenaline junkies, the pair of them.

"I'll head straight for the coast." Phoenix focused ahead of the boat. "The most important thing is to find cover."

Viper fished under the seat for a warm sweater and handed it to her. "Take this. You’re shivering." He didn't seem to mind being in wet clothes.

She pulled it over her dress. It reached to her knees, but at least it was warm and dry. "Th—Thanks."

The motorboat behind them was getting smaller and smaller. Perhaps everything would be okay. As the adrenaline wore off, she began to tremble.

Viper sat beside her, careful to keep one hand on the guard rope at all times. She could tell he was an expert, the way he moved effortlessly around the inflatable, knees elastic, weight forward. Unlike her, still jiggling all over the place.

"Come here." He put his arm around her and she sank into his heat. How could his body temperature be so warm when he'd just come out of the freezing ocean? She was like a popsicle.

She snuggled into his side and put her head on his shoulder. His top was wet, but she didn't care. She needed to feel him, to touch him.

"I was so scared," she murmured. "I thought they were going to kill me."

"I know. It's okay now. We've got you."

Tears threatened, but she held them back. She couldn't cry now that it was over. Not in front of them.

"Thank you," she gasped as the wind whipped the words from her mouth. He felt so strong and capable, so reassuring. She nestled closer.

"No problem.” He winked at her. “Just doing my job."

Slowly her shivers subsided.

They flew across the dark water toward the coast. At first, it was an ominous shadow up ahead, but then, as they got closer, it changed to a forest-green blur and the landmass began to take shape.

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