She’s back against the wall, a masked assailant pinning her there. She fights for breath as his hands tighten around her throat.
Red invades my thoughts, and a fury unlike anything I’ve ever felt consumes me.
I rush forward and drive the blade down into the side of his neck as I wrap an arm around him and yank him backward. He falls back, so I wrap both legs around him, pinning him to my body as he jerks to break free.
Warmth trickles down my hand, sliding over me.
My stomach twists as bile burns, but I don’t relent.
He jerks, fighting against me, but I remain where I am until he falls still. Tossing him to the side, I search for Tessa. She’s curled in the corner, her hands on her throat. Her eyes are wide and full of tears, but she’s alive.
Breathing.
Immediate threat neutralized, I rush back onto the deck of my boat. The man who’d initially attacked me is gone, and since no one takes another shot at me, I can assume that—at least for the moment—we’re in the clear.
Heading back inside, I grab my cell phone from the counter and call 9-1-1.
“What’s your emergency?” Lynette, the local dispatcher, asks. Her voice is one I recognize easily since she’s close friends with my mom.
“It’s Zane Knox. I was just attacked on my boat. A shooter and two others. One is down; the others are gone.”
“Your boat is in the marina? Normal spot?”
“Yes.” Breathless, I brace one hand on the counter and stare out the door. “I don’t know if they’re going to be gone for long.”
“I’m sending help right now.”
“Thank you.” I end the call but keep the phone in my hand as I turn and sink to the ground beside the man who’d attacked Tessa. Using two fingers, I feel for a pulse, but I’m not surprised when I find none.
“Is he dead?”
“Yes.” Setting the knife aside, I retrieve the gun I’d dropped and crawl over in front of her. Since I don’t want to risk our shadows from turning on the lights, I turn on the flashlight on my phone and study the red marks on her throat. “Are you okay?”
She nods. Her gaze leaves my face and fixates on my arm before it widens. “You’re bleeding!”
I study the gash in my arm. It’s decent-sized, but not fatal. “I’ll be fine.”
“We need to put pressure on it.” She starts to push up from the floor, but I yank her back down.
“You have to stay out of sight.”
Her gaze lifts from me to the towel hanging on the front of my small oven. She reaches up and pulls it down, then presses it to my injury. Pain shoots up from the pressure, but I don’t make a sound.
Sirens wail outside, and flashing red and blue signifies we’re no longer alone, so I flip on the lights.
“Are you okay?” she asks.
I nod even as my gaze drops to the dead man on the floor of my boat. It’s not the first life I’ve been forced to take, but that doesn’t make it any easier.
Lord, please forgive me.
Chapter 16
Tessa
I can’t stop shaking.
Even with a warm blanket wrapped around my shoulders, my body continues to tremble. I can still feel those hands wrapped around my throat. I can still feel the weight of his body as he pressed me into the wall, holding me there as he choked the life from me.
