Page 35 of Provoke You

The serene waves against the shore and the breeze blowing through the trees were the only sounds in the night. I ran up and down the beach, straining to listen for Ela’s voice, a cry for help, a yelp, something to give me a clue as to where they were headed. But it was too dark to see shit.

“We got you, Boss.” Kitt rushed toward me with his sniper rifle in hand. Without asking, he set up on the sand to scope out the lake.

“They took both kayaks, according to Mrs. Turner. Seems like an odd getaway ride.” Chase plopped a duffle bag next to Kitt and dropped to his knees as he rummaged through it. We needed light.

I yanked my suit jacket, shirt, and undershirt as I toed off my shoes. “She’s already where they want her to be. They don’t need a quick getaway, just a quiet one.”

“Fuckers.” Kitt scooted over to his rifle and made a signal with his left hand toward the middle of the lake.

I stripped my pants and socks off and headed for the water. “If you get a clean shot, take it.”

“I should go after her.” Chase blocked me two steps in. “Look at you. You’re not in control.”

My heart blasted in my ears and throat. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t keep the fear off my chest. Fear that I’d be too late to save Ela. Fear that I’d be too late, all over again. “I got it.” I shoved him off, darted toward the water, and dove in.

The cold water steadied the adrenaline rushing through me. The lake floor dropped below me, and I kicked hard. When I gained traction on the water, my lungs filled with air again, and I was able to focus on the task in front of me. Without slowing down, I poked my head up as Chase fired a flare gun. It was faint and merely a flash in the distance, but I saw their silhouette. Two kayaks with a body draped over one of them.

I swam as hard I could, sliding through the water fast. My sergeant’s voice echoed loud in my head. More than ever, I needed to remember my training. Stay focused and put my feelings aside. The assholes must have had very specific orders. If the flare gun wasn’t a big clue to them, the big splash in the water coming for them should have been. They should be trying to get away, not stopping in the middle of the lake. Ela, don’t be dead. I’m coming.

Chase set off another flare. Every detail of the scene in front of me came in flashes. Ela unconscious on her stomach, hands and legs tied. This was a half-ass plan they had going. They wanted to get rid of Ela, and they didn’t care how. The asshole on the second kayak maneuvered his way back to Ela and kicked her off the boat and into the water. A few remaining sparks rained down on them, showing me a last image of Ela slipping into the dark liquid.

I dove in and swam straight toward the descending shadow in front of me. My legs and arms burned from the exertion, but if I didn’t hurry, Ela would sink deeper and I wouldn’t be able to find her. Not in the dark, not in this water. By pure luck, my fingers got a hold of the thick rope around her wrists.

She pulled me toward her as she fell without a single struggle to stay afloat. She was like a heavy rag doll in my arms. It took all my strength to keep the two of us close to the surface. Overhead, shots zoomed quietly by and pelted the water several feet away from us, like in a dream where everything happened in slow motion and without sound, every aspect sharp and detailed. Either Kitt was trying to keep those guys from getting away, or he was trying to keep them away from us. I couldn’t worry about that. Oxygen and Ela’s heavy ropes were my only priorities.

Yanking at Ela’s leaden form, I kicked to the surface to catch my breath. Her head popped up along with mine. If she took a breath, I couldn’t tell. I combed wet strands of hair away from her sleeping face, gripped her cheek with one hand and pinched her nose with the other to give her air as we slid down to the bottomless lake again.

Wake up, Ela.

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