Page 3 of Flame Kissed

The pair stared each other down for a moment.

“Please.”

Captain Hunter nodded, stepping aside. “Go get her, Silva.”

Leilani didn’t need to be told twice. She moved to stand on the edge of the deck, heart pounding in her chest. She took a long deep breath before leaping off the side of the rescue boat into the stormy seas. Her body cut through the water with practiced ease, each stroke of her arms taking her closer to the rapidly sinking yacht.

She surfaced for a moment, pulling in another lungful of air before she plunged back under the dark water.

Despite the warm weather, the water was still ice cold. Less experienced swimmers would have struggled to maintain their breath control, tendrils of cold prying their mouths open, but that wasn’t a problem for Leilani.

She was practically raised in the water. She couldn’t remember a time in her life when she couldn’t swim. Ever since she’d been a little girl in Hawaii, she’d loved the ocean.

But love was only true when it was tempered with respect.

The ocean could be as mean as she was kind. She gave life, yes, but she could also be deadly, snuffing it out just as quickly.

She fought against the current, each long, smooth stroke of her arms bringing her closer and closer to the wreckage. Maintaining a careful distance, she scanned the outside of the ship as quickly as she could.

Finally, Leilani found what she was searching for. She wiggled and squirmed her way through the partially opened window and she was in.

The cabin she came into was some kind of game room, a pool table was on its side, balls laying on the ground under the water rushing inside like misshapen pearls from shattered clams.

“Hello?!” Leilani called, moving through the rapidly sinking boat. Her eyes darted around searching for signs of life. “Help is here! Can you hear me?”

There was no reply but the roar of the water.

Leilani took a deep breath. She needed to stay calm.

“Hello, are you trapped?” she called, making her way through the tilted halls. The cold water crept through her clothes, a chill creeping into her bones.

She grimaced. If she felt like this in her protective gear, she could only imagine what the poor woman trapped here must feel.

She needed to find her.

They needed to get out of there.

Fast.

2

ADAZE

Adaze Bank’s heart hammered in her chest. Fear threatened to fill her lungs long before the water got the chance. She was doing her best to stay dry, but her pants were still soaked, cold seemed to claw its way deep into the marrow of her bones. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders, pacing the small confines of the bedroom. There was only one door, and it was the only thing standing between her and even more water.

She didn’t want to open the door and let it all come rushing in, but she desperately needed to get out of there.

It had been so long since she called for help. Why weren’t they here yet?

Her ears rang from the sheer sound of the water.

It was so loud.

Her breathing became rapid and panicked. The water must have been pushing out the air because she couldn’t seem to get enough. She could feel her legs getting weak.

God, was this really going to be it?

A sound of despair forced its way from her lips.

---