Page 81 of A Lethal Betrayal

“What? What is it?”

“They’re at the East Island Marina. It looks like they might be headed out on the water.”

Dane couldn’t believe it. How the hell were they going to find them now? They needed one of the RHIBs, which was back in the other direction. “We need to reach out and see if anyone is out here on the water. Any Coast Guard vessel will do.”

“Roger that,” Jace said. “I’ll make calls.”

Panic nibbled at the edges of his brain. This just couldn’t be happening. If Ainsley got her out on the water away from shore, they had no way to find them. “What boat is he taking out? Does Ainsley own a boat?”

“Checking,” Cass called. “No boat that I can see.”

What boat was he using? If he went to the marina, then he had to know there was a boat available to use.Hang in there, Mac. We’re coming.He just prayed they wouldn’t be too late.

CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO

“Don’t try anything. I’ve already warned you that I will not hesitate to shoot.” Ainsley had her by the arm again and had his gun poked into her side. They’d arrived at a marina, and he was escorting her down a pier.

“Where are we going?” Her stomach rolled at the thought of going out on the water with him. She didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to know she wouldn’t make it back.

“Where do you think?” he snarled.

They approached the end of the pier and then turned right. There, on the left, was a Hatteras sport fishing boat. Something she only knew because the vessel was Casper’s boat, theLucky Lady. When she’d first joined the team, he’d taken her out on a tour around Oahu. “You have the keys to Casper’s boat?”

“Shut up and get on board. If you try anything, I will shoot you.” Ainsley was nervous, judging by how he was repeating himself.

She scampered over the edge of the pier and onto the boat. Ainsley had made her drive over here. He’d taken the time to put a suppressor on the end of his gun as she drove. He was going to kill her. There was no question. But did she fight him now and hope he was a lousy shot, or did she wait until they were out at sea in the hope that someone would come for her?

Where was Dane? Did he even know she was in trouble? After the way she’d treated him, she doubted he’d even care. No. That wasn’t true. He’d care, but would he check on her? She’d been pretty firm in her dismissal of him. He’d come if he knew she was in trouble, but how was he to know?

Ainsley climbed onto the boat and then gestured with the gun for her to climb the ladder to the fly deck. She did as she was told. Once up there, he started the boat and waved the gun her direction. “Now, go down and undo the ropes. If you run, I’ll shoot you.”

Making her way back down the ladder, she reviewed her options. She could dive over the side and hide under the dock. If Ainsley didn’t get her with the first couple of shots, she stood a chance of surviving until help came. Maybe.

She stepped onto the dock again and released the stern rope, glancing up at the fly deck as she did. Ainsley was staring down at her, gun pointing directly at her. It came down to how good of a shot he was.

“I won the state shooting contest four years running. I’m a crack shot.” Her indecision must have shown on her face. It was as if he’d read her mind.

Her stomach plummeted to her shoes. Sweat broke out across her back. She said nothing but headed to the bow of the boat. He could be lying, but could she take that chance? He could be telling the truth as easily as he could be lying. Which meant the chances of her surviving were slim. The possibility she was going to get out of this at all was close to nil. But the longer she was alive, the more opportunity she had for someone to come to her rescue. She just had to hold onto hope.

After she threw the bow line onto the boat, Ainsley waved the gun at her, gesturing for her to climb back onboard. She jumped from the pier to the deck and wobbled a moment. As soon as she was steady, she climbed the ladder. He nodded to the seat with a scowl, and she plopped down. Her hands were shaking slightly as they pulled away from the dock.

“You killed Casper.”

He glanced over at her as they headed out of the marina. A ghost of a smile lit his face. “Trying to get me to confess?”

Trying to distract him so she could make a play for the gun resting on the controls next to him was more like it, but she’d take anything at this point.

“So did you do it?” she pressed.

He shot her a glance, then tilted his head. “Why not? Sure. Yeah, I killed Casper. Tying up loose ends. He was becoming a pain in the ass,” Ainsley yelled over the wind. They were picking up speed as they left the marina and entered open water. “He kept trying to get more money. He’d been satisfied with dribs and drabs all the way along, but then suddenly he wanted a bigger piece of the pie.”

“Because he killed Owens,” she yelled back.

Ainsley nodded. “He did, and he didn’t even do that right.”

“Who was with him?”

“What do you mean?” Ainsley demanded.

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