Page 49 of Island Refuge

“Me? You’re the one with a truth allergy.” She shoved at his chest. “Go work this out with your partner. You never should’ve dragged me into this.”

“Stop bullshitting me.”

He held her jaw in a punishing grip. Her eyes watered and she struggled to remember she was an adult. She tried to fight back, but couldn’t get any leverage.

“I don’t have a partner. Where’s my stuff?”

“She never had it.”

Travis. Her entire body sagged with relief. His voice was all the strength and comfort she needed. But when she glanced beyond Dan, she saw Travis looking positively murderous. That fierce, protective expression made her warm all over. It was a delicious moment, until she went cold knowing rejection was imminent.

“Let her go,” Travis demanded.

“Not a chance. She has my property.”

“You’re wrong,” Travis said firmly. “She turned the stolen goods over to me the minute she found them. And I turned every last item over to the insurance company when we reached Charleston.”

Dan’s grip tightened on Lila.

“It’s over,” Travis declared. “Let. Her. Go.”

His order was met with a silence that seemed to stretch and swell. The only movement was the wind teasing her hair, the only sound the churning engines resonating through the decking under their feet.

A heartbeat later, everything was in motion. Dan tried to drag her off, away from Travis and safety. She resisted, fighting with all she had. It wasn’t enough. She was being bodily removed from the only man she wanted. The man who embodied safety and hope. Shouting voices carried all over the ferry. Lila caught a glimpse of men wearing the ferry’s uniform guiding people away from the fight.

She focused on Travis, standing calm in the midst of chaos.

A crash behind him distracted her and Lila saw the woman who’d flashed the knife landing hard on the deck underneath a man she hoped was part of Travis’s backup team. She tried to shout, to warn Travis, but Dan hooked his elbow around her throat. She clawed at his sleeve, desperate to relieve the pressure so she could breathe.

She felt something hard digging into her side, too close to the bruise rising after the earlier punch. She was scared, twisting away from her father and the pain, as dark spots danced across her vision.

“Back off or I’ll end her,” Dan said.

She shoved hard, got enough room to suck in a breath. “Air,” she rasped.

“Let her go,” Travis demanded, raising his hands.

Empty hands. Where was his gun?

“Give me what I came for,” Dan countered.

“It’s gone,” Lila rasped. She leaned back, pressing him into the railing. “Gone.”

“That’s a shame.” The pressure in her side eased, but it only made things worse for Lila as Dan aimed a gun at Travis.

This was not happening. Surely Travis was armed, though it would be impossible for him to reach any weapon without obvious intent.

“Don’t do this.” A stranger stepped closer to Travis, but not quite in front of him. He was tall, with thick dark hair and a square jaw highlighted by a trim beard. “Let her go and we’ll sort this out.”

Her father swore again. He pressed the gun to her temple, then stretched his arm to put Travis in his sights once more. Dan was panicking. He didn’t see a way out, but Lila did.

An eerie calm drifted over her. A quiet surrounded her, separating her from the unthinkable scene. She knew what had to happen. She knew how to ensure no one else got hurt.

She shoved hard, propelling all her weight up and back, letting the momentum carry her and Dan over the railing and into the dark water of the Cooper River. The drop was short, and still Dan’s flailing arms caught her as they hit the water. As the cold river swallowed her, a small voice in her head cheered her success.

She surfaced, alone, and immediately started treading water, breathing as steadily as she could manage. The ferry gave off enough light for her to spot her father surfacing as well. He thrashed a bit, fighting with his jacket. She didn’t see the gun. Assumed he’d lost it during the fall. She watched, keeping as still as possible, as his jacket floated away on the current and he started swimming in the opposite direction, aiming for the Charleston shore.

Lila didn’t move. The safest option, the fastest way out of the water was to hold her position. Her father should know that too. Already the ferry was circling back and she could see people at the rail, pointing toward her and preparing for rescue.

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