Page 30 of Harbored by the SEAL
He thought of the avalanche rolling down the hill, coming to destroy everything in its path. He’d made a decision that had brought his whole world caving in on him.
He thought of the love that was so clear between Violet and Hugo. Love like that deserved to live, and his actions had stomped it out.
A man called over the princess’s sobs. “Vi?”
“Hugo!” She dashed out of Cowboy’s arms and into the darkness. The lights came on just as they reached each other, her sobs of relief mixing with the prince’s calming tones. He had a large bloody wound on his forehead.
I could love Charlotte like that.
He shook his head to clear it. Matteo crossed to him. “Where was he?” asked Cowboy.
“The cooler.”
“Anything else back there?”
“Computers, walkie-talkies, a whole bunch of shit.”
“But no Abby?”
“Nope. No Abby.”
Cowboy nodded. “Come on, we’ve got to move. The ship is wired to blow up in less than an hour and we have to evacuate the ship.”
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“Come on, come on, we need to hurry!” Cowboy’s voice was getting hoarse from yelling over the crowd. He was directing people to lifeboats, keenly aware of the passage of time. Assuming all the bombs were timed in synch with the one from the theater, they had exactly thirty-five minutes until they went off, destroying the ship.
“We’re not going to make it,” he said to Prince Hugo.
“The International Maritime Organization mandates cruise ships are able to accomplish a full evacuation in thirty minutes or less. We’ll make it,” said the prince.
Hugo stuck his head inside the door of the lifeboat. “When you hit the water, start the engine and taxi as far away from the ship as possible.” He lowered the third mega lifeboat into the water with nearly four hundred people on board.
“Lucky for us you knew how to work those things. Jax said you were in the navy.”
“La Royale. The French Navy.” He turned to his wife. “I want you on the next boat,mon chou.”
She grabbed his arm. “No. I’m staying with you.”
“I will work faster if I know you are safe.”
She shook her head. “You can tell me to bugger off all you like. I’m still not going.”
Cowboy moved to the next boat down, opening the door on each end and herding people on board. He checked his watch. Twenty-seven minutes left. He went back to the previous boat, gave them the same instructions Hugo had given the others, and lowered it into the ocean.
Hawk and Jax came up behind him with the captain on a stretcher. “I can walk,” grumbled the captain, and the men helped him board a lifeboat.
“How are we doing?” asked Jax.
“Twenty-five minutes and thousands of people still on board. Stay here. Pack them in tight. No empty seats. I’m going to start the next boat. Let me know when this one’s ready to hit the water,” said Cowboy. He grabbed Hawk and did the same thing at the next lifeboat.
The crowd was thinning quickly. Ten more minutes and one more round of mega lifeboats, and the last of the passengers climbed inside. Cowboy lowered it to the water as his eyes met Charlotte’s some twenty feet away.
She was beautiful, standing there, and her attention was solely focused on him. They hadn’t gotten the rest of their week. Her eyes seemed to be screaming it to him, as if he didn’t remember. They’d only had two days together, and it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t even close to enough.
He had to see her again, the consequences be damned. But first he had to get her, the royals and all of HERO Force off this boat. He opened the next lifeboat. “Get inside, all of you,” he said over his shoulder. “We are running out of time.”
A voice behind Cowboy stopped him cold. “You’re out of time already.”
