Page 92 of These Rough Waters

He wipes the fear from his face and rolls his shoulders, grinning, “You’ll have to find us first. Good luck.”

“Go!” Maya snaps, “Torin, now!”

“Don’t worry about Harper, Maya darling, I’ll fuck you until you’re pregnant again.”

Sickness churns in my stomach.

“Torin, please.” Maya begs.

“Let’s go,” Trevor snaps at the men surrounding us, “Take him. We don’t want Maya here getting any ideas.”

“Trevor, you promised!”

He grips her chin, “Just a little incentive to get us safely back to the mainland, darling.”

Iron legs carry me out of the house, away from Maya and the danger she is in, away from the possibility of stopping this, stopping him taking her. Storm clouds roll through the sky, erasing the clear day that was promised at dawn. A reflection of the war now promised on the horizon.

I had to get to Harper quickly, rage like I’ve never known consuming me because of the choices taken from us. She was going with Trevor to save her daughter and I was allowing it because I couldn’t fucking let her down. I sprint to the truck, practically ripping the door from the hinges to jump into the cab, getting the engine started and skidding away. I glance in the rearview mirror as Maya and Trevor step out of the house, his men following with my brother hoisted over one of their shoulders.

My brother would be lucky if he didn’t bleed out before they got to the mainland.

FUCK!

My truck speeds through the streets of Ravenpeak Bay, people on the sidewalks stopping to watch as I scream through, my driving completely reckless and dangerous but I didn’t care.

My tires screech as I roughly bring the truck to a stop outside of the tiny building that this town called a school. And there is my other girl, Harper, crying and pulling away from the man that holds her too tightly. She screams as the teacher fights with them, trying her hardest to get them off one of her students.

“Hey!” I roar. Their heads snap in my direction but too late, my fist collides with the one holding onto Harper, snapping his head back and sparking him out cold with one punch. He hits the deck hard while the other attempts to whip out his gun.

“Cover her eyes!” I order the teacher who springs into action and grabs Harper, pulling her into her body, and cradling the back of her head to force her head into her chest while I grab the gun before he can manage to fire.

“Get inside!” I tell her as the guy tries to fight back. I slam him against the door as soon as it’s closed, wrestling for control of the gun. It goes off, though I couldn’t tell you which one of us pulled the trigger. He wails and stumbles, the bullet slicing through his foot and giving me the advantage. I grab the gun, lift and fire, aiming for the space between his eyes.

Not waiting a minute, I move to the unconscious one and fire, killing him there. I couldn’t risk them going after Harper or anyone else in this town. Only issue now is the bodies I had to fucking deal with.

“Torin!?” I hear Harper scream through the closed door.

“Stay there!” I order, “I’m coming. I’ll be right there.”

“I’m scared.” She calls back, “Where’s momma?”

My heart cracks.

I don’t answer her as I drag the bodies and shove them into the bed of my truck, pulling the tarp I have back there around the bodies to keep them covered. I’d have to deal with them later.

I couldn’t do shit with the blood on the concrete, but it was about to rain, it would wash away. I would just have to keep Harper from seeing it.

Bodies gone, I go to the door and rip it open, catching Harper as she flies out the door and wraps her arms around my waist.

“I’ve got you, kid,” I comfort her, “Let’s get you to Ruthie.”

“Where’s momma, Torin?” She whimpers.

“She’s going to be okay,” I tell her, guiding her to the truck and getting her secured in the passenger seat.

She cries quietly in the seat while I get us to Ruthie’s quickly, parking right out front.

“Let’s go.”

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