Page 97 of These Rough Waters

“You told me they’d be unharmed,” I say, “I came with you!”

“I didn’t say anything, Maya darling.”

“Trevor, please. He’ll die.”

“I can tend to him, sir,” Nico says. “Just keep us on a straight course.”

“Fine,” Trevor growls, taking the wheel while Nico moves towards Rett’s struggling body. He barely looks at me even though I’m sure he’s trying to help in whatever way he can. “Maya, come here.” Trevor orders.

“What?”

“Did you go deaf?” He growls. “Come. Here.”

I swallow, eyes bouncing between his back, the knife and Nico who is knelt by Rett, leaning over his body but I couldn’t see what he was doing. He glances up to me, hands covered in Rett’s blood and does that subtle nod again which only serves to prove me right.

I stand on shaky legs, trying to keep my balance as my fingers curl around the knife. I use the railing to aid me over to Trevor who doesn’t look back, so confident in the fact that I won’t fight back.

I wasn’t the same girl I was then.

My hand holds the knife so damn tight I can feel my muscles cramping, my bones and joints screaming for me to loosen up but I’m afraid if I do, I may drop it.

Water sluices over my skin, the taste of the salty water on my lips and with the chorus of the roaring wind I bring the knife up and ram it forward.

I didn’t expect it to feel the way it did. Didn’t expect it to be so damn easy to slice it through clothes and skin and muscle.

Trevor cries out as I drive the knife home.

“Take it out!” Nico orders quickly, “Maya, twist it, and take it out!”

A scream rips from my throat as I listen to the instructions, trying my hardest to twist but with the mix of blood and water now on my hand I can’t get a good grip and now Trevor is fighting me. I just pull it out instead of twisting, unplugging the wound and watching as blood bursts from the gash, dripping over the deck and running like crimson snakes through the water beneath my feet.

“What did you do!?” Trevor gasps weakly, grabbing the railing to keep upright. Despite the obvious pain, he looks murderous. I step away, the knife slipping from my fingers as he starts to reach into his pocket, likely for the gun I know he put there before.

“Maya, move!” Nico orders. “Get down!”

Nico rushes forward, abandoning Rett on the floor, unconscious again and grabs me as Trevor fires the gun. Nico grunts and stills, his head dipping to look down at his chest.

His eyes soften as he looks at me one final time but then his knees hit the deck and the life drains out of him, that fucking quick. There one moment, gone the next.

Trevor aims the gun at me.

I close my eyes. He would be lucky to survive that stab wound and if I had to die now then at least I did something to save myself.

A gun fires and I stiffen, ready to feel it slice through my skin, but nothing happens.

“Fuck!” Trevor roars and my eyes pop open to find him shoving the boat to full power.

And when I look behind us, I see it.

A single boat fighting through the waves and the storm. A boat I recognize and standing right there…

“Torin…”

Forty-five

Ilost sight of Torin five minutes ago. We were coming up to land and at some point, I lost sight of the knife. I didn’t know what else I could use to defend myself; I had nothing.

I didn’t understand how he was still standing. Did I not go deep enough? Did I do something wrong?

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