Fiddling the key into the lock, I cringe when the door creaks open. Then, with careful steps inside, I close it behind me as silently as possible.
“There.” Saylor points to one of the boats propped up at the repair station.
“You’re sure it’s that one?” I ask, looking from one boat to the other. There are three boats in the yard right now, all looking the same to me—white tops and blue bellies withJones & Sonswritten on their sides.
“It is. It’s his favorite boat, theTiderider,” he mutters with a hint of derision, pointing at the name on the side of the boat.
“Do you think it’s still there? You said it was a while ago,” I ask him, trying not to jump out of my skin after every little noise I hear.
“Seven years,” he mutters, and I freeze, gazing up at him. But before I can say anything, he continues, “That boat has seen better days. Maybe that’s why it’s in repair, but it’s still the same.”
Fine.Let’s get this over with.
“Okay, what do I do now?” I ask in a whisper.
“He let the necklace fall into the maintenance hatch of the boat to show me how little he cared about it right after he won it,” Saylor grumbles, his jaw clenching.
“Sounds like a delightful person.” I exhale sharply, making my way over to the boat and thinking about how to get myself up there. It’s not easy now that it’s on dry land.
I spot a ladder on wheels next to the boat beside theTideriderand try to roll it over to where I need it, but it’s tooheavy. I take off my jacket since it makes my palms slippery on the metal, pull my ponytail tighter, and push again with all my might. The ladder moves with a loud scraping sound. It’s fucking heavy, and I have to shove it with everything I have.
“Well, I would be surprised if no one heard that,” I pant out when the ladder is finally in place, my hands on my knees.
“I’m sorry, I would help, but…” Saylor moves his hand as if to push the ladder, but it goes right through it.
“I just need a minute.” I try to steady my breathing and stand straight again, wiping away the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand.
Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I find his gaze already on me. “Are you geometry? Because you look good at every angle,” Saylor tells me in a sultry tone, and I groan.
Rolling my eyes with exasperation, I ask, “What the fuck?”
“What? I thought the situation needed a little less tension.” He chuckles, a grin spreading over his face.
“Better tell me where to go here,” I tell him, making my way up the ladder and onto the boat, Saylor directly behind me.
“There.” He points to a latch in the back of the boat, so I walk over and try to open it.
“It won’t budge.” I groan, already exhausted from all the shoving and pulling I’ve done. And it’s not even six a.m.
“Yeah, they jam if they fall closed suddenly. You have to pull hard.”
“Thank you, Mr. Obvious,” I mutter, shooting him a pointed look before I squat down and take the lever with both hands, pulling until I have a red face. Finally, it jolts open, and I nearly fall backward.
“Perfect. It should be somewhere down there, next to the motor.”
I look down into the dark, contained space, and my heart rate starts to get out of control.
Breathe, Sloan.
It’s an open space.
There is light from above coming in.
Nothing can happen.
I’m fine.
I sit on the edge, take a deep breath like one would before diving into water, and let myself slip down into the hole. The hull is not too deep. My head is still half out of it when I stand straight, so I crouch down to inspect the floor. Thankfully, although the light coming from outside is not enough to see well, it is enough to keep my panic at bay.
