Page 104 of Pleasure Island

36

Mila

I jerked against the grip cruelly shackled around my wrist, but it was like trying to budge concrete.

Panic welled up inside me, and I screamed, knowing it was useless but unable to stop myself.

He ignored me, like I hadn’t made a sound, like I wasn’t fighting for my very life. He yanked me into the water and dread gripped me.

No, no, no…

Why hadn’t I listened to Liam?

Liam…

I screamed again, panic giving me strength. Jerking against the tight grasp wrapped around my wrist, I tried again to twist away.

For a brief second, I thought it might work – the grip on my wrist seemed to loosen.

But then he stopped walking abruptly and spun around to me. I saw him lift his hand, but I couldn’t avoid it – he moved too fast.

My head snapped to the side with the force of the blow, and I tasted blood in my mouth. The taste of it added to my terror, and I jerked again, but my head was spinning. I couldn’t see straight.

I couldn’t–

Something slammed into us, knocking us both down into the surf.

It took me a few seconds to realize it, but I wasfree.

I crab-walked back away from the man who’d been holding me, my eyes searching the darkness for him.

Two bodies came crashing up out of the water next to me. I screamed again. A split second later, I saw Liam.

My heart lurched, and I shoved upright onto my feet, gasping for air and blinking sea water out of my eyes. The man turned to me, a gun pointing in my direction.

It made a popping sound, and I waited for the pain, but none came. The shot had gone wild.

“Mila, run!” The urgent command from Liam came flying out of the night.

I stared at them, unable to will my legs to doanything, much less run.

Liam broke away from the man who’d been holding him, and I watched as he slammed his fist into the throat of my would-be killer.

The blow barely seemed to faze the other man, who looked like he had six inches and about a hundred pounds on Liam.

I backed out of the water.

My movement caught the eye of the man struggling with Liam, and he turned, rushing for me.

I moved faster, and Liam came at the man from behind, wrapping his arms around the other guy and heaving, twisting. I gaped in shock as Liam threw the man into the water lapping at our feet, then pounced on him.

For a few seconds, Liam had him, shoving his head into the water and clobbering him with brutal jabs from his right hand.

But the guy was able to throw Liam off.

Once more, they rose, facing each other.

I should do something. Run? Get help? I’d already tried screaming, and that wasn’t working.

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