“Wait for the professionals,” he protested.
She met his gaze.
“There’s nobody else. It’s just us.”
—
The cold water was bracing, the salt stinging cuts she hadn’t realized were on her hands and face. Pain was good, she told herself. Pain kept her alert.
The sounds of the fire intensified as she swam closer to the yacht.
At last, she arrived at the ladder. Gripping the lowest rung, she called up to Fiona: “Come down!”
Sobbing, Fiona lowered herself into the water beside Nikki.
“My baby,” she screamed. “My baby is in there. You have to save her.”
“Audrey’s inside?” Nikki confirmed.
Fiona nodded, teeth chattering. “Yes. Yes. With Jayston.”
A wave slammed into them, washing over their heads.
“Where do I go?” Nikki shouted.
“The main salon.”
—
Clambering up the ladder, Nikki pulled herself onto the aft deck, opened the hatch, and stepped inside.
The roar of the fire and the sounds of the waves were immediately silenced as she pulled the heavy door shut behind her.
Inside, the air was fresh and cool. It chilled her wet skin and gave no indication that, several decks above, fire was consuming the yacht.
She didn’t know how quickly the flames would travel, but she’d seen Errichiello’s house burn, and knew thatThe Prophetwould soon become an inferno.
—
At the end of the long passageway, she stopped at a closed door, and placed a hand on it, checking the temperature.
—
Inside was a carpeted lounge with heavy leather furniture, the only sound the peaceful whir of the ventilation system. The ship’s captain, Henry, lay on the floor. His face was bruised. Blood trailed from a head wound.
Nikki raced to his side, and checked for a pulse. He was alive, but his breathing was shallow. She squeezed his shoulder, shook him.
“Captain,” she said. Then again, louder. He didn’t wake. She needed to leave him for now—and return when she could.
—
Nikki crossed through the next compartment, and the next, and climbed a set of ladders. The temperature rose, and the acrid stink of smoke. She was shaking, body screaming at her to leave.
At last, she arrived at the main salon and the smell of the fire intensified, the air thickening. Nikki’s throat was tight and raw. But the flames hadn’t reached this compartment yet.
She coughed and shouted for Audrey. No response.
—
