Page 52 of Every Sunset

“They’re probably pretty busy tracking that bastard down,” Logan added.

“Come on, mom. You need a break from all of this. Let’s just have some fun for a bit. Please?” Max pleaded.

“Fine. Let’s do it,” I nodded. I didn’t feel like getting in the water myself.

It was way too cold for me, but Max looked excited and I didn’t want to ruin that.

Plus if the others were having fun, I would too I hoped.

At least worrying about Max flying around on a water ski would stop me from thinking about all of my other very real fears.

***

I laughed as Max sped past me on the jet ski, whooping and hollering, and seemingly having the most fun I think I’d ever seen him have.

Logan was right behind him on the other jet ski, staying close enough to make sure my son didn’t get too carried away and do anything foolish.

He and Madd had both reassured me they would watch out for Max while he was on the water.

I’d been worried at first, especially when I saw the size of the jet skis, but the guys had taken time to show Max how to drive the thing, and laid out rules Max had been keen to listen to.

Now he seemed to be keeping himself pretty sensible as he had a ton of fun doing it.

I could see Madd out on the water too from where I was sunbathing on the jetty.

He was laid out on the paddleboard he had been using for the last half hour.

I hadn’t seen him give up paddling to just lie on the thing, but he looked settled and peaceful laid on it now, his legs draped off of the end and into the water as he rocked a little every time Logan and Max went close to him, but not too close.

I was more than happy where I was. The guys had brought the sun lounger out for me, along with a little table, on which sat a glass of cold juice and a plate of snacks.

I was laid out in shorts and a tank top.

The sun was shining bright enough to keep me warm, and I was enjoying alternating between watching them all have fun on the water, and reading a gossip mag on the reading app on my cell.

It was peaceful and calm, and I was enjoying doing absolutely nothing.

It had been a long time since I had the opportunity to just relax in such a soothing environment.

We’d already been out for a couple of hours and, thankfully, there hadn’t been any interruptions from the FBI as yet.

They hadn’t even called Logan or Madd, despite having both of their phone numbers, and I was surprised about that after how persistent they had been to question me the night before.

Not that I was complaining. The last thing that I wanted was to have to leave the bliss of that perfect day with my son and the men I was in love with, to sit in a room and recall the worst weekend of my entire life to strangers.

I was still unsure if I were even strong enough to relive every detail of that weekend that Callum held me prisoner.

I had been working so hard to push it all back behind me so I could move on, not just for my own sake, but for my son too, and bringing it all back felt like a terrible thing to do.

What if doing that left me even more destroyed than I already felt?

“Anna?”

I opened my eyes and lifted my head, using my hand to shield my eyes from the bright sun.

I must have zoned out because Maddox was now out of the water and walking towards me, the paddleboard, which he’d been laid on, now pulled out of the water and up on to the jetty.

He was wearing a pair of board shorts and nothing else as he walked down the deck towards me, water sliding down over his bronzed skin and dripping behind him.

He was utter perfection, as was his brother.

I would never get over the shock of knowing they both chose me and my complicated life that came along with me.

“You okay, baby? Are you warm enough?” he asked as a grin spread across his face.

I loved how relaxed and care free he looked in that moment.

He was showing his prosthesis and he didn’t seem to have any concerns about it like he had when I first met him.

He wasn’t jumpy or looking over his shoulder.

He was just happy. We all were in that moment.

“I’m perfect. It’s gorgeous in the sun,” I told him with my own full and bright smile.

“You coming to sit with me for a while?” I was already moving over so he could share my lounger with me.

Just when I thought the day couldn’t get any better, he was going to snuggle up with me in that beautiful spot.

“I need warming up,” he told me.

“I think I can manage that. Let me just grab you a towel.” I sat up on the edge of the lounger and leaned into the beach bag I brought to grab one of the towels I packed. “I don’t want you making me soaking wet,” I told him as I pulled one out and turned to hand it to him.

“You sure about that, beautiful?” he asked me with a mischievous grin, then a wink.

“Madd!” I cried as I instinctively looked for Max, praying he hadn’t heard that little quip, but Max was right across the other side of the water, the engines of the loud jet skis surely drowning every sound around them both out.

“You can’t say things like that with Max around,” I scolded Madd as I tossed him the towel.

He was chuckling as he unfolded it and wrapped it around his shoulders.

He opened his mouth to speak again, but before he could I saw movement behind him.

At first I thought it was Max or Logan coming out of the water, but that didn’t make sense, they’d been across the water, pretty far away just a moment before.

I looked again, moving sideways enough to see around Madd’s huge frame, but I’d been too slow.

“MADD!” I screamed as I shot to my feet and plowed into him with the full weight of my body.

He lost his balance and we both went down as the sound of a gunshot rent the air.

I scrambled to get off of Madd and back to my feet while also trying to turn so I wouldn’t take my eyes from Callum.

He had come out of the water. That much had been obvious when I saw him behind Madd with a hand gun aimed right at him.

“Stay down!” Madd yelled at me as he grabbed my shoulder and pushed me down flat on the wooden boards of the jetty.

I was breathless and shaking like a leaf as I tried to make sense of what was happening, but by the time I could think even a little clearly, Maddox had leapt up, his weight leaving me laid out on my front on the ground.

“Maddox!” I cried. I turned over and sat up enough just in time to see Maddox throw himself into Callum.

A shot rang out, then they both went right off of the edge of the jetty with a loud splash.

I didn’t even try to stand. I didn’t want to waste the seconds it would take.

Instead I crawled across the jetty to the edge, terrified for Maddox.

That gun had to have been between him and Callum when it went off.

My worst fears were realized when I reached the edge and found the water stained red, no sign of Maddox, and Callum halfway up the ladder to climb back out.

“Where is he?” I cried as I glared at the monster from my nightmares.

“Dead, and you’re next, you little bitch!

” he hissed. He reached for me, but I threw myself backwards away from him.

The time it took him to get up the last of the ladder rungs gave me time to get to my own feet and stand.

I looked to the blood stained water again, but there was no sign of Maddox coming up to the surface.

I looked across the water to where Max and Logan were some distance away.

They obviously hadn’t seen or heard anything, the both of them seemingly racing through the water.

“MADD?” I yelled into the water, but when he didn’t appear I knew I had to go in after him. I couldn’t swim well, but I had to try.

I was about to jump right in when Callum appeared behind me and grabbed my ponytail, wrenching it back so hard I fell on my ass. I rolled to get away from him as he tried to grab me again, but I managed to evade his grab for my arm.

“LOGAN!” I screamed as loud as I could as I shuffled backwards as fast as I could possibly move away from Callum, but he was right on me, and before I even finished screaming for Logan I was cut off with a swift and sharp kick to my side that left me gasping for breath and in dizzying pain.

“You should have kept your fucking mouth shut!” he hissed as he used my incapacitation as his chance to lean in and grab me by my hair, ripping my head backwards until my eyes met his wild and crazed ones. “I might have let you live if you had!”

I cried out in pain as he ripped my hair up hard, the whole time I was clawing at his hands with my nails in an attempt to make him let go.

He didn’t seem to have the gun, so I assumed he’d lost it in the scuffle with Madd, but he was still so much bigger and stronger than me.

Realizing his grip on my hair wasn’t going to relent I lowered one of my hands, balling it into a fist, then I hit out at his crotch as hard as I could.

He grunted and recoiled back, releasing my hair enough that I could move my head.

He still held some hair in his fist though, and it was ripped out as I fought to escape him.

Ignoring the burning pain in my head I tried to run to the water.

I had to get to Maddox! Why hadn’t he come up?

He couldn’t be dead! I refused to accept that.