Page 31 of Flame's Fight

I rise to the surface and take in air before diving back under. Each time I do this, I change course slightly. It will take me longer to reach land, but I’m hoping it makes it harder for Tony to track me. On one of my forages for air, I hear a sound that jolts me. Gunshots. I turn to see a massive yacht bearing down on Tony’s smaller boat. The gunshots are coming from the yacht. I can see a woman standing at the bow of the yacht. She’s aiming a gun at Tony and firing off shots.

I tread water and watch Tony ducking down behind the wheel as he maneuvers his boat away from the yacht. I’m so focused on the action that I don’t notice a dingy sliding up next to me.

“Give me your hand.” A woman calls out to me, startling me enough to have me sucking in water. I’m coughing as I look at her. “I work for Dante’s mother.” She explains. “Now give me your hand.”

While I’m still coughing, I reach up and grasp her hand. With little effort, she pulls me out of the water and into the dingy. She moves to the motor and soon we’re heading right for the yacht. “You are Brooke, right?” She asks with a grin. “I probably should have asked first. For all I know, you could have been out having a swim, and Brooke is still out there.”

“I’m Brooke.” I tell her with a chuckle. “Thank you for rescuing me.”

“I’m Maia.” She says. “We’ll soon have you safely onboard the Libertas.”

I study the woman and realize that she’s older than I originally thought. She’s wearing a one piece bathing suit which shows off defined arms and toned legs. She’s tied her dark blonde hair into a tight bun. Her pretty face is free of makeup, which shows off a healthy tan. Dark lashes highlight almond-shaped eyes that are the same color as the sky.

“Thank you so much for rescuing me.” I tell her. “I wasn’t sure I could make it to the beach.”

“You were doing fine.” She says with a grin. “Good moves. I had a hard time tracking you, but once I figured out your pattern, it helped.”

I grimace. “I was trying to be spontaneous, to lose that bastard.”

“You did alright. It’s hard to be spontaneous when flight kicks in. Don’t beat yourself up. You were in a tough spot and you handled yourself well.”

We pull up to the yacht, which is bigger than I first thought. Maia holds the dingy steady while I climb onto the platform. She locks the dingy in place before directing me to the ladder. Waiting at the top is a beautiful woman with dark waves of hair and grey eyes. Grey eyes I recognize.

“You must be Dante’s mother, Ms. Westbrook. Thank you for rescuing me.” I tell her, holding my hand out to shake hers. She surprises me by pulling me in for a hug.

“Call me Angela and it was my pleasure.” She says, letting me go. “I’ve called Dante to let him know we have you safe. He and his brothers are coming to my house to get you.”

“Thank you.” I say. “Can I sit down? I’m a little tired.”

“I’ll do you one better. Come with me.” Angela says and I follow her to what must be her master suite. Leading me through a gorgeous room done in teal and paprika and into a show-piece bathroom. She leans over to turn on the faucet and soon the tub is filling with steamy water. She sprinkles something into the water before backing up. “You have time to relax, and I’ll have clothes for you outside the door.”

I open my mouth to thank her again, but she puts her hand on my arm. “You’ve thanked me.” She says with a smile. “It was my pleasure. One thing that I’m most grateful for in this world is that Dante has surrounded himself with amazing men who find even more amazing women.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN: FLAME

“There they are.” Dante says, pointing toward the yacht docking at a nearby pier.

We’re at Angela’s home, standing on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This is where Tally and Dante will hold their wedding next weekend, but right now, it is where I watch Brooke come safely back to me. I don’t realize I’m holding my breath. It swooshes out of me when I see her step onto the pier. She doesn’t look up, so she doesn’t know the entire club is on the cliff waiting for her.

We return to the house just as Angela reaches the top of the steps that lead to the beach and pier below. Brooke is right behind her. She stops when she sees the wall of leather waiting for her, but then her eyes land on me. I can see the tears forming, and I doubt she sees anything as she rushes over to me.

I feel almost whole when she climbs on my lap and wraps her arms around me. The guys leave us alone as she cries. I stroke her back and revel in how lucky I am to have her back.

“Should you be out of the hospital?” She asks me when she leans back to study my face.

“I needed to see you.” I tell her. She stays on my lap as I wheel us into Angela’s mansion. Almost everyone is gone. Only Axel and Reaper are still here, and Dante.

“Thank you for rescuing her.” I say to Angela, who leans down to kiss my cheek, and then Brooke’s.

“You’re most welcome. I assume I’ll see you both next weekend for the wedding?” Angela asks, and I nod.

“We’ll be here.” But then I realize that I never asked Brooke to attend. I turn to her. “You can make it, right?”

Brook laughs. “I’m in the wedding party, remember?” She reminds me.

“Oh, yeah.” I say.

“What happened to Tony?” Brooke asks.

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