Chapter 19

Alexis pulled up the shoulders of her wetsuit as Seb plucked up the towels puddled around their feet and threw them overboard.

"Face the other way," he said, his crisp tone matching his swift movement. She turned, and he zipped up her wetsuit. "Take the wheel. I'll get the binoculars."

Alexis switched off the autopilot and looked back at the approaching storm. While they were having breakfast with Nat and her family, Alexis had checked the weather, more out of habit more than need. The meteorologists had predicted foul weather, but nothing like the dark gray wall behind them.

Seb emerged from the cabin and slid the door shut. The binoculars Maxwell and Daphney kept in a galley drawer were around his neck. He passed her a safety harness and clipped it to a safety line before walking to the stern and lifting the binoculars to his eyes.

"It looks like there are two people on board. They're too far away to get a good look." He raised his voice to be heard over the growing wind, as he continued to watch the boat.

"The odds that it's Antoine's men aren't worth calculating, but we should assume it's them. It's the safer option," Alexis said, her eyes on the surrounding water. The boat handled the rollers with ease, but that would change soon, judging by the darkening skies.

She made minute adjustments to push as much speed as possible out of the fifty-foot craft and then looked back at the approaching storm. It was moving quicker than she'd expected. The sailboat sliced through the choppy water, but the motorboat was having a more difficult time.

Waves built as they raced across the water, but the motorboat was steadily catching up to them. Foam from the water flew through the air, hitting her face like the crack of a whip. Alexis squinted to protect her eyes from the spray.

"Put these on." Seb shoved a pair of sunglasses at her.

She grabbed them with one hand and stuck them on her face, grinning in amusement. Like the pretty high heels Daphney had insisted she wear, rhinestones dotted the black designer sunglasses. The woman had a thing for sparkly.

The boat began to lean as Seb helped her into a jacket he must have found among Daphney's things. He wore a matching jacket and sunglasses, though no bling.

"I need to reef the sails and change to the storm jib," Alexis said as she set the autopilot and turned to him.

"We're good below. I wish we had more weapons than this." Seb jerked his thumb at the machine gun he'd used on the island, now slung across his shoulders.

"I'd think the stash under the bed was enough." Alexis shook her head. How many weapons did the guy need?

"Weapons under the bed?"

"Yeah, there's an assortment in the storage compartment under the bed in my cabin. I thought Daphney told you." The events of that night had become a blur and Alexis couldn't remember when Daphney had mentioned she'd placed a few things they may need under the bed. Alexis had expected extra supplies for the trip, not the half-dozen weapons.

Seb hurried back into the cabin.

Alexis looked at the mainsail. Maxwell's reefing system was simple and effective. She'd have the sail and storm jib in place within minutes.

Seb appeared on deck, holding a rifle in one hand. His jacket pockets bulged with ammo.

The wind had picked up, but it wasn't loud enough to cover the burst of machine gun fire.

"I guess that eliminates the possibility it's a poor fool out for the first time and too stupid to know what to do in a storm," Seb shouted to her as he loaded the rifle. "We're out of machine gun range, so they're just wasting bullets. I don't know where Maxwell picked up a sniper rifle, but I'm glad he did. I should be able to hit the boat."

The wind was howling, and the waves were tossing them around in the water. Though the men on the motorboat were suffering more. Alexis knew it was an impossible shot, but Seb tried anyway. After three attempts, he gave up any serious attempt to hit the motorboat. The water was too rough.

The sails set, Alexis hurried back to the wheel and switched the autopilot off. She turned the sailboat toward the storm front. They couldn't outrun the storm or the motorboat, so they'd need to ride the storm out. In her mind, the sooner they hit the storm, the better.

"What are you doing?"

"We can't outrun them, but we can use the storm to our advantage," Alexis shouted. "It's going to get nasty soon. They'd be fools to follow us into the storm. The sailboat can handle the waves, but the motorboat could capsize. I'm counting on them to recognize the danger and turn away from the storm. They may not outrun the storm, but they have a powerful craft and, with a bit of luck, could stay far enough ahead to avoid the worst of it until it dies out."

At least, that was her theory as she steered them into oncoming chaos. The men would be crazy to risk their lives in the storm.

The wind drowned out Seb's occasional shot and the persistent machine gun fire had become a faint popping sound in the background. Alexis ignored the battle going on behind her as she switched to autopilot and adjusted the sails once more. They'd need to retreat to the cabin soon.

The rain started, followed by thunder and lightning, and then the enormous waves came. They were huge, breaking over the bow of the fifty-foot craft.

Alexis clung to the wheel, and Seb left the stern to deploy the sea anchor, something they should have done before she'd reefed the sails and set the storm jib, but at the time, they were still running from the men in the motorboat. Slowing down had not been an option. Running was no longer an option. They needed to reduce the strain on the rigging and hull of the boat. The sea anchor would do that.

"We were lucky. I deployed the sea anchor without a problem," Seb said, joining her. He placed a hand beside hers on the wheel. "We can't shake them, and I'd prefer navigating from here, rather than the wheel in the cabin, in case they get close enough to fire on us."

"I've ridden through more storms than you," Alexis said, not moving her hands from the wheel.

Seb moved behind her and placed his other hand on the wheel, trapping her between him and the wheel. He placed his mouth against her ear and growled. "Alexis, now is not the time to argue."

Did he expect her to slip between the gap between him and the wheel like a child and go below? Was he kidding?

Not happening.

Before she could utter a word, Seb pressed her against the wheel. She could barely move. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the wheel. Alexis looked up at the approaching wave.

The sailboat tipped to one side but righted itself.

They turned their heads in unison to the stern. The wave tossed the motorboat around like a bathtub toy. It capsized. The men onboard were as good as dead. No one could survive the waves surrounding them.

"We need to head into the cabin," Seb yelled over the howling wind.

Alexis checked the autopilot and made her way across the deck, grabbing hold of anything attached to the boat to steady herself. Seb was right behind her. She slid the cabin door open, and he yanked it closed.

They stood, dripping on the cabin's gleaming teak flooring.

"This is my third storm since leaving Paris," Alexis said as she took off her jacket and then set it on the bench seat beside the door. It'd be in easy reach in case she had to go out. "At least it's not as bad as the last one."

"This one looks pretty bad to me." Seb tossed his jacket beside hers. "You can go below and change into something dry. I'll keep watch from here. There's no telling how long the storm will last. We may as well be comfortable."

Alexis quickly changed into jeans and a heavy sweater she'd found among Daphney's things. It was too big, but it'd be warm. She left her cabin and brought her wetsuit with her. It'd be the warmest alternative if they had to go back on deck.

Seb had already stripped off his wetsuit and zipped past her as she entered the galley. His boxers clung to his body. Alexis felt her cheeks burn, along with the rest of her body, and frowned.

They'd kissed. That was it. No big deal. She couldn't compete with the women Seb went out with. Romance wasn't in the cards. They were friends and sex would mess that up. It wasn't worth it.

Seb had set his wetsuit on the bench seat beside their jackets and Alexis dropped her wetsuit beside his.

She opened the galley fridge and pulled out two water bottles. They'd need to stay hydrated. She opened a cupboard door and quickly pulled out the bag of nuts she'd spotted earlier, then shut it before anything flew out of the cupboard. She dug out a couple of chocolate bars from the candy stashed in a drawer. It would do for now.

She sat down in the lounging area of the boat and ripped open the bag of nuts as Seb came up the stairs. He sat beside her, and she handed him a water bottle.

He dipped a hand into the bag and ate a handful of nuts before downing half the water in the bottle. She held up a chocolate bar.

"You're an angel," he said, unwrapping the bar before putting his arm around her shoulder and drawing her close.

His body was warm, and Alexis snuggled in. The Sea Serpent was a functional research boat. The cabin in the fifty-footer was luxuriously furnished, yet practical. She didn't want to think about how much Maxwell and Daphney had paid for the sailboat.

They watched the world rage outside the cabin windows. Waves roared as they crashed into the hull, spilling over the deck and bow. The wind screamed like a banshee as it tugged at the rigging, making it bang in protest. Lightning flashed across the blackened sky and thunder boomed during the unpredictable lull between waves. It was like a child having a spectacular tantrum.

"Beautiful," Seb whispered in her ear before diving a hand into the bag of nuts.

Alexis turned her eyes away from the storm to him. Relaxed and as unconcerned as she was as the boat rose and fell, he popped the handful of nuts into his mouth.

Most sailors dreaded the stormy sea. Alexis appreciated its magnificence and understood its duality. Like everything in life, it had two sides. This was one of them. It appeared Seb felt the same way.

Seb kissed the top of her head and grabbed another handful of nuts. She nestled into him as they watched the intense weather.