Page 69 of What Doesn't Kill Us

“That’s gonna be a problem.”

She raises her head, looking up at me as she shifts back into the water so I can rinse her hair. “Why is that?”

I stare down at her, reaching behind her to turn the water off. I open the shower stall door, motioning for her to move back so I can reach around and grab the towels that are hanging there. I quickly dry myself off, wrapping the towel around my waist before turning back to her. She holds her hand out, giving me an expectant look that I ignore, instead pulling her out to stand on the rug so I can dry her myself. I’m sure she’s rolling her eyes at me, something else I’m going to ignore for now. “Let’s get you bandaged and dressed, and then we’ll go find Jayme.”

She lifts a brow at me, pulling the towel from my hand so she can do a better job getting the water out of her hair than I did. “Who is Jayme?”

I sigh deeply, reaching into the cabinet under the sink and pulling out a first aid kit. Then I turn to her and say, “You’re about to find out.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Toni

I’msotired.Iwas aware I’m not in tip-top condition to be pulling off secret ocean missions, but I’m still shocked by my level of exhaustion. I’m certain it’s only my tenacity that got me through the swim, that, and my refusal to let Tony win if I failed. But after that, plus my reunion with Dare and our deep conversations and animalistic sex, I’m completely spent.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like I’m going to get a nap anytime soon because, once I’m dressed, Darius hustles me out the door. The sun is peeking over the horizon, and I stare out at the stillness of the water, mesmerized by how beautiful it is. Dare stands with me for a few moments, but then, the next thing I know, I hear a voice from behind us asking, “Where the fuck did you come from?”

I peer around Darius and see Agatha standing there with her mouth dropped open in shock. Can’t say I blame her, considering it’s not every day someone swims across the Atlantic. She laughs. “Every time I want to believe that maybe we’re not related, you prove me wrong.”

Dare steps back from me, and I move away from the rail, turning toward her. She walks toward me so quickly I can’t help but startle, but then she’s got her arms wrapped around me, and she’s hugging me tightly to her, whispering into my ear, “I’m glad you didn’t fucking die.”

A squeak falls from my lips. She’s squeezing me so tightly I can barely breathe, never mind speak. Then, as quickly as she had grabbed me, she releases me, her hands coming to my shoulders as she pulls back and stares me in the face. “I’m telling you right now, if you had died, this guy would have to be put down. He’s fucking insufferable and would be completely useless.”

I look over at Darius, who shrugs at me but doesn’t seem to disagree. Then, he says, “We spent a good amount of time lying around in the dark when we first got here. There may have been a lot of words said. I was delirious.”

Agatha releases me, snorting as she takes a step toward him, giving him a good punch in the chest. “Like fuck you were delirious.”

She goes to say something further, but he interrupts her. “Would you like to go back into that room and stand in the corner for a while longer, or do you want to stop talking?”

Her mouth snaps shut, but she appears to be seriously thinking about the question. “I’ll quit talking for now. But I reserve the right to change my mind.”

I look between the two of them, a little confused. I’d forgotten how much time they’ve spent together, most often under intensely stressful conditions. Their interactions remind me of siblings or how I presume siblings act in a so-called normal family situation. That I can consider anything that has happened to them in recent times to be a normal anything is prosperous, but it is what it is.

“Where were you headed, Agatha?”

“I was coming to find you. We’re getting closer to our destination, so we figure we best try to come up with some kind of plan.” She glances at me, then back at Dare, smiling widely as she says, “Won’t Jayme be surprised to find we have a new person on board?”

She turns abruptly, walking along the rail before taking a left, moving deeper into the ship. Dare grabs my hand, pulling me as he follows behind her. I’m surprised by the massiveness of the ship. It’s my understanding that it’s not a commercial freight liner, but it would be unusual for a single person to own a ship of this size.

We finally enter an area that looks like a galley, and then I smell food. My stomach rumbles, and suddenly, I’m dying of thirst.

We walk through the cafeteria area and then into the kitchen, where a group of men are working at a long counter. Darius and Agatha enter first, and everyone greets them at once, apparently all on good terms, given the shady circumstances that landed them here.

Then I enter the room behind them, and the place falls silent. A tall man with blond hair freezes mid-sentence, staring at me with narrowed eyes. “Where the fuck did you come from?”

I give him a cocky smile, pointing over my shoulder as I reply, “The Atlantic. It was a long swim.”

The man looks at Darius, then Agatha, and then back at me, resting his hands on the counter and leaning on it, shaking his head. “Apparently, I need to think about upping the security on my ship. Though, I don’t think we ever really considered the odds that someone would decide to swim to it.”

Darius pipes in. “Jayme Devereaux. This is Antoinette. I may have forgotten to mention the tracking device. Though, I honestly didn’t consider that anyone would swim to the ship either.”

Jayme squeezes his eyes shut, inhaling deeply through his nose. He does this a few times before finally opening them and eyeing Darius. “Tracking device?”

Darius nods, “In my watch. I had no idea either, until Agatha told me.”

“There’s also a tracking device in me,” Agatha states, waving her hands over her body as if she doesn’t know exactly where it is.

“Well, isn’t that great? I have half a mind to toss all three of you overboard.”

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