Page 126 of Undertow

I’m sobbing now. Not since I was seventeen, drowning in a cold lake at the hands of my cruel parents, have I sobbed. But he doesn’t understand. He can’t. No one can.

I stop pleading, but I can’t stop the tears of terror as he unties the boat and starts the engine.

I’m shaking so hard I can’t sit straight, and remain hunched over on the seat. Every ounce of strength I have left is going toward sucking oxygen into my useless lungs. My heart is slamming against my ribs. My mind is a broken reel of memories I never wanted.

And still Merrick drives on.

He says nothing as we approach the yacht. He must intend to use it to take me further out where he can abandon me in my watery grave. Flashbacks from that fateful day eight years ago torment me with each breath. It will be different this time, though. This time I know what it’s like to experience that fate and have already begun suffering from it.

Also like that day, an unexpected figure disrupts the distant stillness.

I squint at the shadow moving on the deck, certain my mind is playing tricks on me. Merrick wouldn’t take anyone with him. Too messy. Too unnecessary for a killer as proficient as he is.

When we reach the yacht, he secures the smaller boat and grips my arm.

“Climb,” he says, pushing me toward the ladder.

I don’t bother pleading anymore. My words are done. My tears too.

I have nothing left as I follow orders and pull myself onto the deck of the yacht. Merrick climbs up behind me and nudges me forward.

I fight to control my breathing.

Each inhale and exhale is a measured act.

Each fractured beat of my heart a fleeting marker toward its last.

Merrick directs me down a steep flight of stairs to a lower deck, probably where he plans to lock me in until the boat reaches my final resting place.

Without the glow of the moon and the vessel’s navigation lights, it’s even darker when we reach the bottom of the stairs.

Merrick urges me forward, and I take a few tentative steps down the hall toward a closed cabin door. Just as we reach it, the door swings open.

I flinch in surprise, but don’t have a chance to respond before Merrick shoves me inside and closes the door behind us.

A light goes on, blinding me for a second. Once my eyes adjust, I see we’re in a luxurious stateroom. Seated on the bed is the figure who must have been on the deck watching for us.

I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. My pounding heart and spinning head have no idea what to do with this situation.

Julia’s lips tip up in a soft smile as she slides off the bed and moves toward me.

“Jonah,” she whispers, slipping her arms around me.

She buries her head in my neck, and I hate that I can’t hold her.

“I-I don’t understand.” I glance back at Merrick.

His hard expression has been replaced by stern concentration.

Julia steps back. “Can you get those off?” she says to Merrick.

Merrick nods and motions for my hands. I hold them out and wait as he removes the cuffs.

“What’s going on? Is this a last goodbye or something?” I return my focus to Julia.

She takes my hands and pulls me to the bed. “We’re leaving, Jonah.”

“What?”