Page 106 of Golden Burn

“Put this on,” he passes me my own life vest. “You first. Then them.”

I shove my arms in so quickly, clip it in even faster. Odin reaches the children first, taking the vests and calmly telling them how to put it on. I help the mother do the same. “Keep pressure on the wound,” I instruct her.

“Thank you,” she nods. Once all the children are in their vests, Odin picks up the smallest two, while I take the other and the mother’s elbow.

We race out of the cabin and to the side of the ferry where the rescue boats are filling with people. A skipper sees the children and ushers us on quickly. I step off the ferry and into the rocking boat, my heart lurching. The water is so dark it looks like a void to another dimension.

I turn, seeking Odin’s presence, but he’s not behind me.

One of the staff members shouts at Odin in Greek, placing his arm across Odin’s chest, keeping him back. He repeats himself, but doesn’t translate. It’s obvious he wants Odin to go to another boat because this one is already full. My husband looks like he wants to throw the skipper into the ocean for blocking his path to me.

I step up onto the side of the rescue boat, ready to jump back into the broken ferry. Odin shakes his head, lifting his hand to stop me. “No. Go with the mother. She needs your help. I’ll be right behind you.”

I can see the torment in his eye, the excruciating worry. We swore we would never separate and now we have no choice.

“I’ll be okay,” I say, hoping I sound confident. Then my body lurches backward as the boat takes off, my feet slipping until I collapse into a sitting position beside the children who are crying softly.

“Are we gonna die?” the smallest girl asks me.

I rub her arms. “No, honey, we are safe now.”

We take off, turning away from the ferry. From our position, the smoke appears much worse. A great cloud of black rising into the night.

We hit a wave, the boat smacking into the water and spraying some of the people on board. The girl next to me whispers with fright.

“Hold on folks,” the driver says.

A shiver spills down my arms.

Thatvoice…

I know that voice, but it feels out of place amongst the chaos of this disaster. My gaze flicks toward him, the adrenaline in my system morphing into spiked balls of ice.

I freeze.

My heart stops its frantic cadence.

I fight to hold down a scream.

That man driving the boat is a familiar face. The scar on his neck is a dead giveaway.

Cerbera notices my horrified gaze and winks. “It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”

39

Odin

‘Taste Like Metal’ - Jean Dawson

Ididn’t get on the boat that left after Etta. Some fucking lunatic hurled himself into the ocean and I had to watch as the crewman tried to throw him a buoy.

I get on the last rescue boat, my fury on a knife’s edge. Every mile between Etta and me is my own personal nightmare.

On the way across the ocean, I call Dom and Ford. There’s something not right about the event. A ferry’s engine almost exploding is not a common occurrence.

Maybe it’s the fact that I’m always thinking about the worst-case scenario, but I can’t help wondering if it was done on purpose. A ploy meant to separate Etta and I.

“I understand your fears, but I think this is just a coincidence,” Dom says when I relay my thoughts. “Ford and I will be at the port in two minutes. We’ll keep an eye out for Etta.”

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