38. Raven

38

RAVEN

The sway of the boat nearly rocked me back to sleep, but I refused to close my eyes. Being locked in a metal cage was bad enough, but the other women accompanying me reminded me of precisely who I was dealing with. I had to find a way off this yacht before we docked somewhere else and escaping was no longer an option.

The woman beside me looked heavily drugged, barely able to hold up her own head. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the other women on this yacht were being trafficked. And as much as I wanted to help them off this boat, they were in no state of mind to help themselves. The best I could do was escape and send word that these women needed help. Of course, by then, it would probably be too late for them. I had no idea where the yacht was headed, but I had a feeling getting anyone involved in a search party for them wouldn't be a simple task.

I heard the clank of keys as one of the guards walked my way. It was too early for breakfast. The sun hadn't even come up yet, which meant whoever was coming this way wasn't here for a friendly visit.

I slumped against the wall, hoping to look drugged and completely out of it like the other women. If he came into this cell, I would wait for the right moment and then run for my life. I didn't care if I had to jump overboard. I would do anything to get away from this madman.

His loud footsteps echoed on the floor as he approached the cage. The metal from the key slid into the lock and the cell door creaked open. I cracked one eye open, staring at the man as he approached. Despite being dressed in nice clothes, the slimy look on his face nearly had me vomiting.

"I'm gonna try you out before that asshole gets a turn with you," he muttered.

I rolled my head to the side, moaning as he yanked at his pants. As soon as they were down around his knees, I grabbed him by the balls and yanked hard, sending him to his knees. He cried out, slamming his fist against my face, knocking me into the wall. I was stunned for a moment, but quickly attacked, flinging him to the floor. As soon as he was on his back, I leapt on top of him and slammed my fist into his face over and over again. When he tried to fight back, I kneed him hard in the goods, rendering him unable to move, let alone breathe properly.

I scrambled off him, grabbing the keys to the cell, and rushed out of there, slamming the door behind me. I was well aware that I was leaving the other women to their fate, but this was my only chance to escape. I had to take it. As quietly as possible, I ascended the stairs. I didn't see a single person nearby, but that didn't mean they wouldn't walk around the corner as soon as I hit the deck.

I quickly glanced around, seeing a life jacket just feet from me. With shaky hands, I shoved my hair back from my face, trying to figure out what to do now that I was out of that cell. If I jumped overboard, I might be able to get far enough away that no one noticed I was missing until much later. But a bright red lifejacket would give me away in an instant. Forgoing the life- saving device, I peeked out onto the deck and looked around one last time. I could do this.

I rushed across the deck for the railing and started climbing over.

"Going somewhere?"

Gasping, I spun, nearly falling off the railing as I took in the devilish eyes of the man who purchased me. Looking over into the ocean, I thought about just jumping, but now that he knew I was here and ready to escape, I wouldn't get very far. Still…

"Go ahead. Jump. See how far you make it before you drown."

"I would rather drown than go anywhere with you."

"That can be arranged?—"

Something hard hit the yacht and the whole boat jerked from the impact. I grabbed the railing tight, hanging on for dear life as we rocked with the waves around us. My captor fell to his knees, reaching for something to hold onto as we were rammed once again. This time, I fell over the side, my fingers straining to hold onto the railing as my body was flung toward the depths below. Using all my strength, I hoisted myself up until my toes touched a small ledge. I wrapped my elbow around the rail, taking a moment to catch my breath before pulling myself the rest of the way up.

Shouting and gunfire pierced the silence of the ocean. Footsteps pounded all around me, but no one was worried about me. Their only concern was whoever was attacking the yacht. After hauling myself all the way up, I could finally see two speed boats racing toward us on either side. Hope fluttered through me as I saw the men of OPS coming to the rescue. I waved my arms in the air, shouting at them as they approached.

"Raven!"

My heart skipped a beat as I saw Nicholas racing toward me. I never thought I wanted or needed a man in my life, but with only one look at him, I knew he had changed something inside me.

"Nicholas!" I shouted, waving him closer.

He pulled alongside the boat, but the waves rocking us made it impossible for him to get closer.

"I'm coming back around!"

I got back into position on the other side of the rail, ready to jump if I had to. My arms shook from their earlier exertion, but knowing I would be on that speedboat in just a few seconds gave me the burst of energy I needed. I lost sight of the speedboat as it went around the back side.

Just as it shot out on the other side, the boat exploded into a fiery ball of flames. The force of the explosion and the heat reached me in seconds, making me lose my grip on the railing.

Silence surrounded me as I fell to the rocky waves below. Red coated my vision and an ache scorched the right side of my face just before I hit the water and the ocean water cooled the burning on my face. Blue waves lapped over my face as I sank into the water, deeper and deeper until all I saw was the faint outline of the yacht.