Page 27 of Wistful Whispers

“I told you to throw the anchor, Jake,” he shouts. Jake’s face is delirious with fear and anger. He looks like a wounded animal ready to attack, but when he sees the gun directed at my head he moves to the bow of the yacht, shoulders tense, every movement careful and deliberate as he sets the anchor. He quickly pulls at the heavy chain with a determined grip, each link clinking as it lowers into the dark water below. In the dim light I can see his face is set in hard lines, focused but haunted, He glances back over his shoulder now and then as if to make sure Mincer isn’t watching too closely. There’s a quiet intensity to him, a flicker of defiance just beneath the surface, and for a second I feel a tiny pulse of hope threading through the fear.

“Any last words?” Mincer gives me a smirk and takes a few steps backwards with his gun trained at me. He reaches for his backpack and that’s the moment Jake uses to attack. What do wehave to lose? He tries to jump Mincer but he’s not quick enough and Mincer kicks him in the chest and sends him backwards.

He tumbles towards me and my tied legs stop me bracing myself. It feels like slow motion as I lose the ground from beneath my feet and tumble backwards. My head hits the icy water first and then I’m fully submerged.

So this is how I’m going to die. The daylight above me gets weaker as I slowly sink and realise there’s no way out of this.I’m sorry, baby girl. I am sorry.

Chapter 13

Jake

Ican’t help butsob quietly as I lower the anchor. I’ve run out of ideas and I don’t know how I can protect Hanny-bee and our princess. I hate myself for ever coming into their life and putting them at risk.

Get a grip, Jake! Don’t give up. There’s still a tiny chance. Don’t give up.

Hannah’s eyes find mine when I head back to them. All I want to do is pull her in my arms and tell her everything will be okay. But I can’t and it would be a lie anyway.

“Any last words?” Mincer asks her before reaching for his backpack. The same one he had pulled the duct tape out from.

In a split second I make a decision. We’re doomed anyway. Now is the only chance we have. I try to jump him and almost get to him, but he hears me and turns and kicks me hard in the chest. It forces me backward and knocks the air out of me for a second before I bump into something soft. There’s a muffled sound behind me and then a splash. As I turn I see Hannah disappear under water.

“Hannah!” I shout as she slips under the water’s dark surface. Mincer’s laugh echoes behind me, a twisted sound that snaps something inside. I swing my fist without thinking and it slams into his face. He stumbles back with a shout but I don’t care if he falls, if he’s coming after me—I’ve only got one thought now.

I kick off my shoes and shrug my jacket off in one frantic movement and dive into the freezing water. The cold shocks me, biting through my clothes, clawing at my skin and stealing my breath. I push against it, kicking down, deeper, reaching blindly through the blackness as the lake pulls me under.

Everything’s silent except for the thunder of my heartbeat. I open my eyes against the sting and strain to make her out in the murky depths. The lake wraps around me like a weight, slowing me down, dragging me back. I force myself to kick harder and fight against the numbing cold that seeps into my bones. Andthen—there. I see her, a pale blur below, drifting further with her hair floating around her like a bright halo and her eyes gazing up to the light.

My lungs burn as I push myself to reach her and stretch out until my fingers graze her jacket. I grab her around her waist and tighten my grip as I pull her towards me, refusing to let go. I kick upwards with every ounce of strength I’ve got dragging her through the thick, unyielding water and fighting against the lake’s grip.

My chest feels like it’s about to burst but I don’t stop even for a second. I can see the faint glimmer of the surface above, distant but within reach. Her eyes are on mine but her lids are slowly closing.Stay with me, Hanny-bee, stay with me.I silently will her to not give up.Please don’t give up, we’re almost there. Please.

I pull her closer and cradle her against me as I push up as quickly as my burning muscles allow. The lake’s cold weight claws at us and threatens to pull us back down but I kick harder, forcing us upwards and feeling the last shred of air slip from my lungs just as we break the surface.

I pull her head to the surface, gasping as I drag her towards me whilst treading water. Her eyes are shut and her body is limp against mine. Duct tape still clings to her lips and I peel it off with shaking, frozen fingers before tossing it into the water. Her face is pale and her lips are slightly blue.

“Hannah,” I rasp in a voice that’s barely a whisper but there’s no response. I tighten my grip around her. I can feel the cold sinking deeper into me but I don’t care. I can’t let her slip away.

My mind races as I tilt her head back and press my mouth to hers, trying to breathe life back into her by pushing air into her lungs in desperate bursts. “Come on Hanny-bee, breathe!” I whisper fiercely between breaths as the silence of the lake stretches around us. I press against her chest, willing her heart to beat, my own pulse roaring in my ears as I try again and again, each breath a plea.

She coughs just as the edges of panic are closing in—a faint, fragile sound that fills me with relief. Water sputters from her lips and she gasps, choking as she sucks in air. Her eyes flutter open, dazed and confused, and I clutch her tighter to keep her steady.

“Jake…” she whispers, her voice barely audible but it’s all I need to hear. The lake is cold and mist is pressing in, but she’s here, alive, and I’m not letting go.

I look around and see the boat in the same spot but there’s no sign of Mincer. Even if I dared swim to it there’s no way getting onto the boat from the water unless someone lets the ladder down. I’m also aware that his partner may be on the way to rendezvous with him because he talked about another boat.

“Jake my legs and hands are still tied—”

“I know but there’s nothing I can do about that now. Just lie back like you’re playing dead and I’ll get us to shore.” I try to soundreassuring even though I don’t feel it. The shore is a long way away and my legs are burning. We need to get out of the cold water as soon as possible but there’s no time to worry about that I lean back and swim towards the shore to our right which seems closest.

I don’t know how long I’ve been swimming. The boat is now a small dot in the distance but worryingly land doesn’t seem much closer.

“I love you Hanny-bee. I’ll try everything I can to get you and our princess to safety but if I don’t manage it, please know that I love you.” I can’t help it. I shouldn’t say the words but I have to. I need her to know as well.

“We love you too, Jake,” she whispers through chattering teeth.

I lean back again and swim a little more. My arms feel like lead but I don’t want to give up. Not yet. I start to count. I swim until I get to twenty-one then I stop briefly and start again. Another count to twenty-one. And another. I manage five of them when I suddenly hear noises. A boat. For a second I am worried it’s Mincer’s colleague but then I spot the two boats belonging to the Lake Wardens heading towards us.

“Hanny-bee, boats,” I say, but she doesn’t reply. She needs help, quickly. I gather my last reserves and start waving and splashing. For a second I think they will pass us by but then one of them slows down and moves toward us.

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