Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

DRAVEN

I watch as Tavish gets tossed inside the boat, and I'm nae anywhere close to reaching him. Tavish's terrified voice fills the air, and I can hear the tears in his voice that he must be wearing on his face. The image that paints in my mind sets off the panic I've barely kept under control since finding the passage I left Tavish in empty.

"Tavish, I will find ye!"

My mind whirls, my breath turns shaky as it speeds up, and pushes my heart into my throat until I'm on the verge of hyperventilating. The throbbing of my heart is hard, drying out my mouth and making me feel like I'm vibrating from the inside out. I'm close to rattling apart. And all I can do is stand and watch as the Order o' Death robs me of yet another loved one. Of yet another chance at happiness.

If only I had a boat.

"Motherfucker!" I scream.

Realization explodes in my mind, and I change course, jumping from the garden over the rocks toward the small boat house that's stood on the property since the first of my ancestors settled here. We've always kept a boat there!

I push past the pain that's screaming inside me, urging my body to move faster and faster. I've never been a sprinter; my size was always a detriment, but I shove aside the self-doubt and negative speak, pushing them and the fear and panic away, tucking them into a box I lock down tight.

I've nae lost him yet.

Hang on, baby boy! Daddy's coming for ye!

My long legs chew up the land between me and the boathouse. As I draw near, I see a massive lock hanging on the door.

"Fuck!"

I slow as I close in on the building so I dinnae smack against it. When my feet stop, I'm sucking wind. My entire body tingles and I can taste blood. The cool air sets off a coughing fit, but I smack the lock on the door with the butt o' my axes, but it's nae budging. I dinnae have the time to hack my way through the fucking lock. I've fucked up that choice once already tonight.

Glancing through the door, another option comes to me. I rush around the building, throwing common sense in the bin as I trudge through the water until it's hip deep. My teeth chatter nearly the moment the water touches my sweaty, overheated skin.

As soon as it's deep enough to dive into, I suck in a deep breath and dive forward, submerging myself completely in the frigid water. I cut through the water, holding my breath until my lungs are on fire. I keep pushing until I'm at the closed doors.

I pop up above the water just as my brain overrides my willpower, forcing me to breathe. The inhale begins before I fully break the surface, setting off another coughing fit as cold, salty sea water shoots into my lungs with the air. I gasp. Ignoring it as I did the first one, I dive under the door and head to the dock surrounding the boat.

Pulling myself out of the water, shivers rack my body, making it difficult to move. I add it to the list o' shit I'm not paying attention to and head to the boat, hoping the key is still wrapped around the throttle. My arms and legs are uncoordinated, but I toss off the mooring lines and tumble over the side, dropping into the bottom of the boat.

Grabbing the arm o' the captain's chair, I pull myself into the seat, spotting the boat key just where I'd hoped it would be.

"Now, let's just hope it starts."

I slide the key into the ignition and relieved laughter echoes around the boathouse when the engine turns over. I look at the keyring and swear. There's not a key to the lockbox for the doors. Without the keys to the boathouse, I cannae unlock the box covering the garage door on the front o' the dock.

"Fuck it."

I push the throttle forward, ducking down as the boat hits the dock door. The wood splinters, exploding as the boat bursts through it. I can see the lights on the boat Tavish is in a couple o' miles or so offshore.

With my boy in sight and the open sea in front of me, I push the throttle forward, giving the boat everything I can. Elation fills me, and I whoop in victory, laughing out loud, mocking fate, who seems determined to take any form of happiness from me.

The boat speeds away from the castle. Within a few minutes, I'm about a mile offshore. The boat Tavish is in is much faster, but I can still hear the other boat. Not wanting to lose them in the night, I flip on the running light and the spotlight attached to the top of the boat.

Electricity crackles. The sound carries over the water, but it's just one more thing to push out o' my head. The boat's nae been used in a while. That theory goes out the window when sparks fly, and the engine sputters and dies. The lights flicker, then goes out, and darkness blankets me once again.

"No!" I scream, punch the wheel, and trying to restart the engine, but nothing happens.

I keep trying, but every effort leaves me feeling bereft. Resignation settles over me as the boat slows to a stop, bouncing on the waves. The boat is dead in the water. I'm wet, cold, and shivering. I pull my phone from my pocket, and it too is dead, thanks to the swim it took with me.

Then, I spy the boat's radio. I pick it up, clicking the mic. Dead. I throw the mic. The cord stretches out until the mic hits the glass windshield, and bounces back at me, smacking me in the chest before dropping to the helm.

Sitting there, I realize I'm stranded. I either sit here and freeze to death or swim to shore. Given the temperature o' the water, that could also lead to me freezing to death. I stuff my phone back in my pocket, and grab the life vest from the storage compartment. Then a lightbulb flashes in my head, and I dig around, hoping to find a wetsuit or a flashlight.

The first two compartments are devoid o' anything useful, and I nearly say fuck it, but I open the last compartment, and there is, just what I hoped. My cold water gear. Simon was an eejit, but he was my eejit and he loved to swim in the cold, open water. I dinnae like it, but he dinnae give a fuck and did it, anyway. We finally compromised. He swam, and I or one o' the staff followed along behind him in the boat. Sometimes, he would swim out and back, but other times, he'd hop in the boat and cuddle up against me while I got us back home. He tried several times to get me to swim with him, going so far as to buy me the equipment. I stowed it in the boat years ago, but it went unused.

Until now.

I peel myself out of my wet clothes. Sitting down on the back of the boat, I ease myself into the water, wetsuit in hand. Pulling myself back out, I slide the suit on as I shiver in the night air. I head back to the compartment and fish out the swim booties, gloves, and cap. I pull them on and stuff my phone inside the suit, zipping it up. I fasten the life vest around me. It'll help me stay afloat and conserve energy. Taking a couple of deep breaths, I head back to the swim deck on the boat.

I sit down, going through the process I learned from Simon about cold water swims.

"Ye're laughing yer arse off. I can hear ye loud and clear, min kara, as if ye were right here with me."

I roll my eyes, and I slip into the water.