Shaking his head, Nathan reached the boat. Logan stood at the bow with a long-barreled rifle pressed to his thigh.
“Move us closer,” he heard Logan say. “I will only get one chance.”
“That Carlow woman is here,” one of his men said.
“Christ! One of you kill her, and this time don’t fail me!” Logan snarled.
No time to wait. Nathan slipped into the water just as the boat moved away from the bank. He swam to it and caught the back. Soon he’d pulled himself into the stern. Walking silently down to the bow he reached Logan. Running, he dived at the bastard, catching him around the waist. They both flew overboard.
Logan fought as Nathan took him under. Wrestling the gun from him, he let him go, and they both came to the surface. A shot whistled past Nathan’s head as he rose.
“Stop! You’ll shoot me!” Logan spluttered out the order. “Get me out!”
Nathan lunged at him, punching him hard in the nose before they sank again. They wrestled under the water.
“Get in here!” Logan roared as they surfaced again.
“Can’t swim!”
Nathan heard the roar of voices, likely his brothers. But he had blood in his eyes. This man had hurt Beth, tormented her family, and taken the woman he loved from him for three years. Retribution was his.
“You bastard!” He grabbed Logan, who had blood pouring from his nose now. “I’m gutting you!”
Logan, clearly seeing the bloodlust in his eyes, tried to swim away. Nathan followed, grabbing a foot. He hauled him in.
“Help!” Logan squealed like a piglet.
“You will die for what you did to her. What you did to all of them!” Nathan wrapped his hands around the man’s neck and squeezed as they went under again.
Fighting in the water was not without its difficulties.
“Nathan!” Beth’s scream reached him as he surfaced.
A small boat was coming toward him, full of Devilles and Beth.
“Get back to shore!” he roared, holding Logan with one hand while he attempted to stay afloat.
“Are you all right?” She peered over the side, causing it to rock.
“Sit down!” Nathan bellowed at her.
“You!” Gabe roared, “should have followed orders!”
“And you should not have brought her!” he said, struggling to hold Logan and stay afloat.
“We’d just left the bank and she jumped in before I could stop her!” Gabe returned. “The woman is not stable, I tell you!”
Logan jabbed him in the stomach, and he went under again. When he surfaced still holding Logan, Zach was in the water, swimming toward him. Before he could get close, Logan started thrashing like an eel and slid from Nathan’s hands.
“Where is he?” Zach said, arriving.
“I don’t know.” Nathan went under to search. When he surfaced, it was in time to see Logan pull himself up on the back of Gabe’s boat.
“Beth!” he roared, but he was too late, in seconds she was disappearing under the water with Logan.
“No!” Nathan dived with Zach, and together they searched for her.
“There!” Gabe pointed as she surfaced to take a breath. Diving again, Nathan kicked and reached out with a hand, catching a handful of material. Gripping it, he pulled her closer.
