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They slammed against the bookshelf, Janine twisting at the last minute so Olivia’s shoulder bore the brunt of the force. Glass shattered around them as they were flung up against a cabinet in the struggle. Olivia dropped to the ground, groping around her, trying to find something that she could use as a weapon, but she onlysucceeded in cutting herself. She barely felt any pain, because the blows from Janine were constant.
She could feel herself slipping away. She wasn’t a fighter. And Janine was fuelled by anger and desperation.
The blows let up, and Olivia’s eyes cracked open. Oblivion wasn’t hers just yet. But Janine hadn’t stopped because she was giving up. Quite the opposite. In her hand now was a shard of glass the size of her forearm, jagged and sharp. So sharp it was causing Janine’s hand to bleed as she held the end of it, the blood trickling down her wrist, into the cuff of her jacket.
She raised the glass over her head, kneeling on Olivia’s chest, aiming it at her heart.
‘This is for Kostas,’ she whispered, before bringing the glass down.
Olivia’s arms flew up to protect her face. She felt the shard dig in above her wrist, and she cried out in agony.
Maybe she deserved this. She’d fantasized about escaping her life, hadn’t she? And she had played a part in the events leading to Kostas’s death. It would be easy to let Janine take her revenge. Aaron was gone. So many innocent people, dead. There was a sick poetry to it. Dying on board the next iteration of the ship that had killed her father.
But these past few weeks had changed Olivia. Unearthed memories she’d buried deep inside. Her dad would have urged her to fight. She wanted the chance to reconnect with her mum, bring her down to the water and watch her smile again.
She wanted to live a different kind of life. But in order to change her future, she had to be alive to see it. Andsomeone needed to get justice for all the people who had died.
Loud banging on the other side of the cabin door made Janine hesitate. Someone was trying to break down the door. Olivia only had to last a little longer and help would be there.
With the shard lodged in her arm, she gritted her teeth against the pain. Then she kicked out, connecting with Janine’s knee. Now it was Janine’s turn to cry out. Her hand flew open, and the glass shard dropped. She dripped blood as she grabbed at her leg.
Olivia rolled on to her front, scrambling to her feet.
She heard shouts. Pierre’s face appeared in the split cabin door. ‘Stop this!’ Pierre tugged at the door, but the mechanism hitched. ‘What the hell is going on?’
Janine’s arm hooked around Olivia’s neck, and she pulled her backwards, towards the balcony door. She threw it open with her free hand and Olivia felt a blast of freezing air against her back.
‘Let her go,’ Pierre said, having finally flung open the door. Pierre and Sergei rushed into the cabin now, but slowed as they approached the two women. Olivia felt frantic, desperately searching for a way to break Janine’s grip. They were about equal height, but Janine was so much stronger.
They were backed up against the balcony railing.
‘Don’t come any closer,’ said Janine.
Pierre’s hands were raised, palms facing out. Sergei tried to step forward but Pierre shook his head. It was obvious where all Janine’s anger was directed.
‘Whatever you want – money, freedom, escape – we’ll give it to you,’ said the Frenchman. ‘Just let her go.’
But Janine just pulled Olivia tighter to her chest. Olivia could barely hear Pierre, the rush of blood pounding in her ears was too loud and the wind was howling across the water.
‘There’s nothing you can offer me that will stop this.’
‘Then you leave me no choice. Sergei?’ Pierre gestured to him with a head tilt. Sergei stepped forward, removing a weapon from his belt. It looked like a gun encased in yellow plastic. He pointed it straight at Janine.
To her relief Olivia felt Janine loosen her grip. The woman’s body dropped, like she was sinking into the deck. Olivia took her opportunity, stumbling forward a few steps. Sergei continued to aim the weapon at Janine, while Pierre reached out his hand to Olivia.
She almost had the chance to take it.
But then she felt a tug on the hood of her jacket. Janine used the momentum to slam Olivia back against the railing. Then, with a scream of agony from pushing against her injured leg, Janine boosted Olivia up and over the balcony railing.
Olivia didn’t let go of her grip on Janine’s jacket. For a moment, they were caught in limbo: if Olivia let go, she would fall in the water. If Janine tried to break her hold, Olivia could scramble back on the balcony.
Janine chose a different option. She pushed off the balcony.
The men rushed forward, watching her plan unfold.
But it was too late to stop the inevitable.
Janine and Olivia plunged into the water.