“Whatever makes you happy.” Were my words slurring?
I closed my eyes, exhaustion pressing against my brain. Sleep seemed like a good idea. I felt the pressure from the hammer and heard the crunch, but I was just tired. So very tired.
“What the hell?” Burke gasped and dropped the hammer. “He’s some kind of freak.”
I angled my head enough to see the expression on Lorcan’s face. I tried to laugh at his dumbfounded face but started coughing.
I remembered a time Tenny was teaching me what to look for that would tell me I was in danger.
“Remember, Penn, if you’re feeling dizzy, nauseous, if it’s hard to breathe, and your vision is fuzzy, these are signs you need medical attention. If you’re actively bleeding, assess it. Is it a paper cut or something worse? You must take it seriously.”
I was fairly certain this wasn’t a paper cut and that I was, in fact, actively bleeding. Dizzy, nausea, trouble breathing, fuzzy vision. Yup, all checked. I was in trouble, that was for sure.
I heard a buzz followed by the door opening. “Boss, we got a problem. Len reported he saw men pulling up into the marina. Looks like Gideon’s people.”
“Ha,” I shouted and promptly coughed.
Lorcan glared at me…I think he did, anyway. “Were you able to get word to where you were?”
“Mayyyybeee…hey, can I have a glass of water?”
“Boss!” The man who’d entered shouted. “You gotta get out of here.”
“Out of here? You’re on a boat, Gideon’s already here, you’re fucked.” I wanted to laugh and enjoy the moment, but I had a feeling I wasn’t going to be conscious much longer.
“The hatch in the floor. Callan had it installed, leads to the bow. There’s a sealed door, use the key card. There’s a speedboat there, but we’re on shore, so you may only need to swim.” Burke tried to lead Lorcan away.
“You want me to run?” He yanked his arm free. “I have men!”
Another guy shoved his phone in Lorcan’s face. “He’s taken them out already. Lorcan, he’s not fucking around. He gets in this room, and you die—we can’t defend against his numbers.”
Lorcan looked at me and stepped close. “I’ll deal with Gideon another day. But in the meantime, might as well leave him with a present.” He reached over to the left—I thought it was the left, anyway. He lifted what appeared to be a tactical knife up to my face. “Too bad I won’t get to see his reaction.” His arm shifted and my body jolted back.
I dropped my head and sure enough the tactical knife was now sticking out of my gut, more blood was flowing, an impressive pool forming below me.
“Boss!” was the last thing I heard before I slipped into darkness.
“Penny, dear boy.”
I opened my eyes. I was at Sunshine House, in the kitchen. A pile of green beans was in front of me, and to my right Tenny was grinning at me.
“You gonna help me snap these?”
Was I dreaming? Was I dead?
“Uh, yeah.” I started to work, filling the bowl while listening to Tenny hum. Something about this moment was familiar.
“Penn, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
I looked up from my task. Her hair was in a bun, her lips painted a light pink, and she was wearing a yellow sundress. Her warm, brown skin glistened and I could smell the coconut lotion she always wore. Yeah, this was a memory.
“What is it, Tenny?” I was speaking, but it was also like I was observing at the same time.
I was sixteen, it was summer, and Tenny and I were making dinner like we so often did. There was nothing special about that day except for what she wanted to tell me.
“I know it’s hard for you, but I want you to make me a promise.”
I dropped some beans into the bowl and cocked my head. “Make you a promise before hearing what you want? That sounds like a bad idea.”
