Page 94 of Depths of Destruction

He turns to me. "How many minutes did it take to get to shore in the kayak?"

"Maybe a half hour."

"Was it rough?"

"Yes."

"So, it isn't too far, then?"

"I don't think so."

"You don't think so, or you know so?" he barks.

I jump. "Can you stop yelling? I can't think."

He takes a deep breath and, in a lower voice, asks again, "So it isn't too far?"

"No. I don't think so." My insides flip again.

How am I going to get away from him?

"I'm sorry we stole your boat."

He snorts. "You have no idea what you've done, Naomi."

He thinks I don't know about the drugs.

"What do you mean?"

"You cost me a lot of money and put me in danger today."

I put my hand on his arm, trying to get back in his good graces until I can figure out what to do. "How?"

He glances at me.

"Tell me," I softly encourage him.

"You always have to stick your nose where it doesn't belong, don't you?"

"I thought you liked that about me?"

He snorts, and his face hardens.

Great. I said the wrong thing again.

"I warned you to stay away from the cartels. But you had to keep digging, didn't you?"

"When did you get involved with them?" I quietly ask.

"And there you go again, sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."

Silence fills the car, and the last minutes of light leave the sky, turning everything to pitch black. All I see is Andre's face, so I tell myself to keep it together and figure out how to get away from Darien. And I pray they don't kill him or hurt him in any way.

"What part of Tela did you get off?"

"I don't know. It was the beach."

He slams his hand on the wheel. "Damn it, Naomi."