“I got shot, I’m somewhere in the ocean and—”
His voice abruptly cut off. Something moved through the water nearby. More accurately, sliced through it. Unless hisoveractive imagination was playing tricks on him, it had looked an awful lot like a shark fin.
“Fuck! I think I just saw a shark.” He squinted at the spot where he swore he’d seen a fin. Moonlight barely illuminated the dark waves around him, and he turned in a full circle, scanning the black surface.
“We’re coming to get you,” Brand assured him. “Give us some direction on your position and hold up your flashlight.”
Xander unclipped the small waterproof flashlight from a loop on his cargo pants, flipped it on and swept it over the area. No sign of the fin.
“I’m about a thousand yards offshore, facing the southern part of the island.”
“Roger,” Brand responded. “Hang tight. We’re about to hijack a boat.”
“Don’t splash around,” Wes advised. “Stay calm.”
Easier said than done.
“Remember, go for the gills and eyes,” Corey added.
“Yeah, sure.” Their advice wasn’t reassuring him whatsoever. “Just hurry up and get the fuck out here.Please.”
Running on adrenaline, he scanned the water again, sending up a second wish.
Please, don’t let me be a shark snack.
Chapter twenty-two
Manuel stepped off the motorboat, yanking Essie onto the dock with him. She could feel the fury vibrating through him as they trudged forward, but she didn’t care. Because of him, Xander was dead. Her heart felt shredded, and she swiped away tears that refused to stop falling. God, she still had his blood on her hands and clothing. A sob choked free.
“Why’re you back?” She glanced up and saw José marching toward them. “What the hell is going on?”
“My brother is dead!” Manuel yelled. “And then you give me a woman who loves another man? A man who boards my boat and kills Joaquín.” He spat on the wooden planks.
“What?” José sputtered, looking over at Essie. She lifted her chin. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“She’s fucking the American! You dare give me tarnished goods? And expect me to join you? Give youmymen andmyresources?” Manuel shoved Essie, sending her flying into José. “Keep the whore. Whatever deal we had is over.”
Manuel turned to leave and panic twisted José’s features. “No!” José pushed Essie away, and she stumbled, barely catching herself from falling. God, she was so sick of being manhandled. “You can’t walk away—”
“Watch me!” Manuel flung over his shoulder. “I have to bury my brother.”
Wrath like she’d never seen before flashed across José’s face. Taking a single step forward, he pulled out a gun and shot Manuel in the back. Essie gasped, covering her mouth with her hands, as Manuel’s knees buckled and hit the dock. José stalked forward, pulling the trigger over and over until Manuel fell face forward and lay dead in a pool of blood.
“No one walks away from the Barrera Cartel.” José stopped and spat on Manuel’s corpse before slowly turning back around, his hateful gaze landing on her. Rage contorted his features.
Without a word, Essie spun and ran.
“You can’t get away!”
José’s plans just imploded, and Essie knew he blamed her. Now his only goal would be to punish her. Maybe even kill her. Racing as though her very life depended on it, which it probably did, she took off down the shoreline. Maybe she could outrun him and hide in the jungle.
“Don’t make me shoot you!” he screamed.
She didn’t stop or slow down. Didn’t even dare to look over her shoulder. Just kept her legs and arms pumping, feet kicking up sand. She was pretty sure he’d emptied all his bullets into Manuel’s back, so hers should be safe. But her frazzled mind couldn’t be sure how many times he’d fired, so she put on a burst of speed and planned to head toward the tree line.
“I’ll kill Tomás!”
Essie skidded to a halt and turned to face the monster closing in on her. “He isn’t a threat. He’s just a child.”
