Page 306 of The Billionaires

Looking around frantically, I scare a few passengers but do not see Jane.

“Jane!” I shout croakily.

More people look at me askance, but I ignore them and shout her name again.

Behind me, undocking preparations begin, making my heart jackrabbit into my throat.

I’m too late. The ferry is about to leave, which means Jane and I are about to share whatever dreadful fate awaits.

If only I could find her before?—

“Adrian?”

My head snaps up.

Jane is staring down at me from the second floor of the boat. “What are you doing here?”

Yes! I found her. Sprinting around all the other passengers, I get to the second floor in one breath.

Grabbing Jane’s wrist, I pull her to the ferry exit.

“What’s going on?” she demands but allows me to keep dragging her. “Where are we going?”

“No time,” I grit out and drag her to the first floor… which is when I see it.

We’re already undocked and… are swimming.

No. Floating.

No. Moving.

Whatever you call it, this means it’s officially too late. My legs jellify and I sink into a nearby chair. Jane sits next to me, her indignant expression turning into one of concern.

“Is it the water thing?” she asks me.

I manage a small nod. “I just need a second.”

The boat begins to move in earnest. My stomach churns, and I start to feel dizzy and then promptly seasick.

Oh, yeah. I completely forgot that I get seasick on boats, even though it’s the reason I wasn’t with my parents the day they?—

“Oh, my,” Jane says when she spots my no-doubt green expression. “Just relax,” she croons and hugs me. “It’s only a twenty-five-minute ride.”

Twenty-five minutes? It feels like days of agony pass, and if I had state secrets that someone needed, I would spill them just to have the boat dock somewhere. Anywhere.

Since I have no secrets, I just suffer. But I do make a solemn vow to myself. If, by some miracle, we manage to survive this, I’m going to buy a pharmaceutical company and invent something much stronger than Dramamine for the unfortunate souls who don’t have private jets and limos and therefore cannot avoid this horrific mode of transportation.

“We have to get off,” Jane says, as if from the shore. “Or else we’ll go back.”

We’ve stopped? Finally. I stand on my wobbly legs and let Jane help me onto dry land, where I plop on a bench and do my best to catch my breath.

In mere minutes, I feel like a new man, which means very soon after that, I feel like an idiot over how I handled that whole situation.

I think it may be time I see a therapist and work on the swimming thing. If Jane were to fall in a lake or get on a cruise ship?—

Jane grips my hand. “Are you okay?”

I turn to her, focusing on her gorgeous face and the concern in her amber eyes.

---