Rose’s eye roll was a clear, disdainful answer. “You really haven’t figured it out yet, have you, Isla? Your life is nothing more than collateral in a deal. It’s either your grandfather coughs up the money or…well, it’s your life.”
“You can’t do this!” I cried out, the fury in my voice slicing through the storm’s howling winds. “You’ll be tried for murder!”
Rose’s laugh was harsh, mocking. “We’ve thought about that. And with the government all tied up about aliens and that missing crew on theStardancer…you know, the one that was attacked and exploded? They have bigger things to worry about than some spoiled rich bitch.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. My world felt as chaotic as the stormy ocean that surrounded us. It was a vile plan, one I’d never imagined someone I’d called a best friend capable of conceiving. But the worst part was the realization that in their eyes, my life, our past, our memories meant nothing.
Every word from their lips, every derisive laugh, was another layer of betrayal, another wound to my already bleeding heart.
“Pay up now, old man,” Sam barked into the phone, his demand reverberating around the storm-ravaged deck. “If I don’t get a notification from my digital wallet in the next five minutes, then your darling granddaughter will be swimming with the sharks you love so much.”
“No!” I screamed as my heart pounded in my chest. “Don’t do it, Grandfather!”
“Shut up, bitch!” Rose snarled, bending over to grab the front of my shirt. Her fingers were like icy claws against my skin as she hoisted me up by my collar. She drew back her other hand and struck me hard across the face. The sudden force sent me sprawling back onto the deck with a painful thud.
Pain blossomed across my face, a raw, burning agony that blurred my vision and filled my head with a disorienting hum. My world spun as I lay there, the faces of Sam and Rose wavering above me in a sickening dance of hatred and betrayal.
The salty tang of blood on my lips was a bitter reminder of Rose’s brutal assault. Their laughter echoed around me, an eerie symphony to my agony, each note a bitter sting.
“Do you want proof?” Sam roared into the phone, a cruel glint in his eyes. “Fine, I’ll give you proof.”
He strode over to me, his boots thudding heavily against the deck. Gripping my hair, he yanked me up. Pain exploded at the back of my skull, a sharp, wrenching sensation that had me gasping. His spit struck my face, instantly washed away by the relentless rain.
“Look at your pathetic bitch of a granddaughter,” he growled into the phone, thrusting it in front of my face. “If you don’t meet my demands, this will be the last time you see her.”
On the screen, I saw my grandfather, gray-haired and stern in his black suit. His icy blue eyes bore into me, filled with a steely determination that belied the fear lurking within them.
“Be strong, my Isla,” he said, his voice firm despite the strain in his eyes. “Help is on the way.”
“No, don’t,” I pleaded. “Don’t give him the money.”
He shook his head, a look of resolve hardening his features. “Your life has no price tag. You’re the last living reminder of your grandmother and your mother. I won’t lose you, too.”
Sam let me drop back onto the cold metal deck, ripping the phone away and glaring at the screen. “You’re too cocky,” he spat, his voice filled with venom. “I think we need to up the stakes.”
“You won’t get away with this,” my grandfather shot back, his voice as icy as his blue eyes. “I will dismantle your family’s business. I’ll make sure both you and Rose pay for what you’re doing.”
As I lay on the cold, unforgiving deck, I clung to my grandfather’s words. Help was on the way. I just needed to stall to give him more time.I trusted my grandfather. He always kept his word. All I had to do was stay strong and calm until his help arrived.
“You can keep talking, old man,” Sam sneered, an ugly grin stretched across his face. “But the fact is, Isla’s here with me, in the middle of the Atlantic, and you’re not here to protect her. Your words mean nothing to me.”
Tossing the phone to Rose, he laughed as she made mocking kissing faces at the screen. I could hear my grandfather’s frantic voice, but the words were lost in the cacophony of the storm.
Sam sauntered over, his boots clunking on the wet deck, and grabbed me by my armpits. He hoisted me up, dragging me toward the boat’s edge.
I kicked and screamed, struggling to escape his grasp. The ship rocked wildly beneath us, the towering waves threatening to tip us over.But my attempts were in vain. He was stronger, crueler, and he didn’t flinch as I fought.
He put on a show, shouting toward the phone that was pointed at us. “You can find her body in the depths of the ocean. Maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll find Atlantis while you’re at it, since you love collecting exotic pieces for your private museum.”
With a malicious, triumphant laugh, Sam flung me over the railing. The world spun in a disorienting whirl as I was thrown into the tempestuous night.
His malicious grin, distorted by the onslaught of rain, was the last human detail I registered before the ocean swallowed me whole. The crashing sounds of the storm were muffled by the consuming depth, replaced by a hollow, haunting silence that seemed to echo the very heartbeat of the sea itself.
Icy tendrils of current coiled around me, pulling me deeper into the inky blackness. They pierced my skin, seeping into my bones and sapping the warmth from me.
It was a biting, merciless cold, cruel proof that I was dying alone in the ocean deep.
CHAPTERTWO
