Page 225 of Irreversible

There.

Another dot, the right size and shape, a short distance ahead.

It’s them. Iknowit.

I kick the boat into gear, gaining on them.

Murder curdles in my veins as I get closer. My intuition blares alarm bells. I can feel him there.

I feelher.

A boat comes into view.

With the weather conditions, it’s nearly impossible to see the driver at the helm, but I’m sure he can hear me approaching. I pull closer, right up to the side.

The cruiser is eerily quiet, as though there’s no one on board at all.

I don’t believe that for a second, but I take advantage, tying my boat to a hook and securing us together. Then I?—

Crack.

A gunshot flies blindly in my direction, lodging in a non-vital part ofDawn’shull.

The first guy disarmed me on shore.I need that gun.

Catching hold of the ladder, I climb up the side. My feet have barely landed on deck when a vaguely familiar face appears inches from mine.

A punch hits me square in the mouth.

Oof.

Teeth clatter and lips tingle. A coppery tang fills my mouth, my vision blurring from the impact.

“I’ve been dying to do that.” The man I beat the shit out of outside the club sneers, then hurls himself at me.

Motherfucker.“Knew I should have killed you.” I dodge just in time, letting his momentum carry him into the rail.

The boat rocks.

We grapple for control, both dodging as many punches as we land.

The wind whistles around us, subsiding just long enough that I hear a different noise:

A scream.

Everly.

But there’s no time for distractions. “You were following her.” I land a blow to the side of his head.

“It was never about her.” A hand grips my neck, holding me back. “She was just a bonus. Got me hard every time I looked at her.”

My laugh is dripping with venom. “You’re a fucking dead man.”

“Not if I kill you first.” The man points his gun. “Then I’m going to fuck your little bitch right here on the deck.”

Sheer determination tips the odds in my favor, and before he can aim, I grab his arm and push up. He might want me dead, but I have more to lose.

I haveeverythingto lose.

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