Page 73

“Because of Sean.”
“Sean might have saved Foster’s life, but Beck’s the only reason the rest of us made it back alive. What he did that night…” Kash leaned against the chopper. “He thinks Zain and I don’t remember too much, and we choose to keep it that way. But I remember everything. The storm. How screwed his shoulder was, not to mention the extreme blood loss. I still don’t know how he kept flying. Kept breathing, really.”
Mac swallowed, wondering if the temperature was dropping or if it was just her feeling the cold. “I need to tell you something.”
Kash shook his head. “You can tell Foster you’re stupid in love with him, too, once you see him.”
“It’s not for him. It’s for me. I need to say it out loud, just once. To someone else. So I know it’s real.”
Kash stared at her then nodded. “Then, tell me.”
“I love him. A frightening amount, if I’m honest. He makes me feel whole.” She groaned against another stab of pain. “But if you tell him before I do, I’ll kick your ass.”
“Did you seriously just give me something to blackmail you with?”
“I guess so. Though, I could always just tell Jordan you’ve got the hots for her.” She grinned. “No one needs that much coffee.”
“Busted. Stay awake. I really need you to stay awake.”
She nodded, though she wasn’t quite sure if she actually moved her head or just jerked it once as her chin drifted down to her chest, the world slowly fading to black.
Chapter Seventeen
“I hope you guys are part fish because this weather is getting really bad.”
Foster gripped the metal frame over his head as the boat raced along the surface, water crashing over the bow with every bounce. The engines whined behind them as Saylor bled every ounce of speed out of them without blowing them up or capsizing the vessel as she pushed the limits.
He scanned the horizon. “Is that your way of saying this is a one-way trip?”
Saylor pursed her lips. “I guess that depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether or not my best friend will die if we can’t take the boat back. Because if that’s the case, then this will be whatever it needs to be, even if I have to dive into the ocean and wrestle Poseidon for his damn trident.”
“I see why you’re best friends.”
“It’s far deeper than that. Mac’s had my back through some rough seas so, I’ll have hers no matter the lengths I have to go to.”
Foster nodded. “How about you get us there in one piece, and we’ll worry about everything else after we take care of Striker.”
Saylor grunted as if she wasn’t quite sure how sound their plan was, and Foster couldn’t blame her. He was putting a huge amount of faith in his team. In believing Kash was still able to fight.
That Mackenzie wasn’t beyond saving.
Thunder rumbled overhead. A stark reminder that reaching her would be the easy part, and everything else that followed would be insane.
Saylor studied the nav, pointing to a spot off their port side. “That’s our first marker. It looks like there are a number of underground rocks all over this shoal. And with the waves this high and the current raging like a hormonal teenager, it’s going to be more luck than skill avoiding all of them. So, everyone should be ready to abandon ship if things get hairy.”
Bodie moved in beside them. “Because the ocean is obviously far safer than a sinking boat.”
Saylor merely grinned, working the throttle until she had the boat bobbing along the surface, timing each burst of speed with the next wave until they were within a few feet of a large outcrop.
Bodie and Zain climbed over the rail, bags strapped on their backs as they waited for the next large swell before launching themselves. Zain landed first, grabbing Bodie’s jacket when a rogue wave nearly washed him off the rocky surface. The guy scrambled up the side, giving Zain a hand up once he’d reached the next level.
Saylor didn’t wait for them to continue climbing. Instead, she spun the boat and gunned it. She barely beat the next cresting breaker, shooting out from the frothing spray as the water curled over, the droplets distorting the view of the horizon. What would have sent them crashing into the jagged shoreline if she’d been even a second late.
Foster rolled his shoulder, shaking out his hand as his buddies vanished into the spray and mist. God, he hoped he wasn’t sentencing them to death. The climb, alone, was crazy. Adding in they were going up against unknown forces — that he was counting on them eliminating enough of the peripheral men, he’d be able to tackle Striker, head-on — only highlighted how tenuous his idea really was.