Page 112 of By the Time You Read This

Over and over, throughout the morning, her eyes kept sliding back to the boat Essi had rented.Big Deck Energy.

What if Essi had only made it look like she’d left?

If she was still there, she might be able to tell Raisa who “the girl” was from the first chapter of her book.

She might also be willing to listen when Raisa told her she was in danger from Isabel’s protégé. It was worth checking, at the very least.

Raisa headed toward Essi’s boat, weaving her way through the chaos.

Something stopped her from calling out. Boats fell into the category of motor vehicles when it came to unlawful searches. If she had probable cause, she could board and check the cabin. But there was no reason to suspect anything, other than her vague feeling that Essi was in some danger.

That wouldn’t hold up in a court of law—in fact, it would probably get her laughed out of a judge’s chamber.

Then she heard the voices.

Not Essi’s. But she thought she recognized them.

These weren’t just the new renters.

As lightly as she could, she boarded the boat. It did sway beneath her feet, but for anyone inside, it probably felt like the natural ebb and flow of water.

She crept toward the cabin door, which was partially open, and her breath caught as she realized what she was seeing.

Delaney.

Holding a gun.

Go,her brain screamed. But the entrance to the cabin was awkward, and would put Raisa in a vulnerable position as she navigated the ladder.

She nudged the door open and then went in gun first.

By the time her feet hit the floor in the cabin, Delaney had shifted toward the middle of the boat.

And she had her gun pointed not at Raisa but at Gabriela Cruz, whose eyes were as big and wet and terrified as Raisa had ever seen them.

“Shit,” Raisa cursed beneath her breath. She had no one to blame for this situation but herself. And St. Ivany. This was whyshe’d never wanted to use Gabriela as bait in the first place—especially with how eager the girl had been to prove herself. “Delaney, drop the gun.”

Delaney stared at her for a long moment. It was dark in the cabin, dark enough that Raisa couldn’t read much of her expression. “What?”

“Drop. The gun,” Raisa said, her own locked on Delaney. She had a moment of déjà vu. A forest that had just as many shadows as this boat.

Gabriela pressed her lips together, but her chin quivered.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.Why had they decided to risk Gabriela’s safety? It had been arrogant beyond belief that they’d assumed they could protect her if Delaney got it in her head to kill the girl.

“No,” Delaney said.

“I’m not here as your sister,” Raisa said. “Drop the weapon, or I’ll shoot.”

Delaney’s eyes narrowed and she lashed out, grabbing Gabriela as she did. She pressed the barrel of the gun to Gabriela’s temple. “Raisa, you have to listen to me.”

“I really don’t,” Raisa said, though she couldn’t take the shot now, not with the chance of hitting Gabriela. “Delaney, what are you doing?”

“She’s the protégé,” Delaney said, her arm tightening around Gabriela.

“Apparently I was too good of an actor,” Gabriela said with a nervous laugh, seemingly trying to make light of her situation. But her knuckles had gone white where they’d curled into Delaney’s forearm.

“I know you think that,” Raisa said to Delaney. “We tried to make you think that.”

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