Page 57 of Dangerous Mission

Music played as Ginger snuck away from the party. The water always gave him peace, and he stared out into the dark night. Then he stripped off his white shirt and unbuckled his black pants. In the distance came a whistle. He had on a pair of black boxers.

He headed for the ocean. Maybe it would sweep him away.

The cold, salty water hit his face as he dove forward. Everything from the past few years floated away as he paddled against the waves.

Ginger didn’t know how long he’d swum before his foot hit something soft. He jerked when he heard a quiet moan.

The only light was from the moon. He reached out and skimmed the water. When his hand connected with a soft arm, instinct kicked in, and he pulled a woman to the surface. Her breathing was light.

“I got you,” he said.

Her eyes shot open. “No, you have to let me go. It’s a trap.”

His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“I swam out so nobody could see me. They’re using me as a trap. I can’t let anything happen to you guys.” Her teeth chattered.

“You know me?”

“Please let me go.”

“I can’t.” He turned back toward the shore.Fuck.They were a long way out, and the current kept pulling them even farther out. Ginger turned the woman on her back and pulled her toward the shore.

His legs burned, but he pushed forward. With the loud sound of the waves and his mind on the woman, he didn’t see or hear the small boat come up beside him.

The woman gasped when a gun made a clicking noise, and seconds later, a dart hit his neck.

“Swim,” he told her before his world went dark, and he dipped under the surface.

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