by CJ Lyons
As the dredger lurched, she climbed into the suit, fastening it, trying hard not to look across the compartment at Teresa’s writhing body. It was a blessing she hadn’t reached the turbine and turned it off—the powerful fan blowing away from her was helping to slow the toxin’s dispersal in the compartment.
Teresa still screamed in agony, although only bloody froth came from her mouth. Like EZ, her eyes and nose were bleeding, but she also had blisters bubbling up all over her exposed skin.
Once she had the protective suit on, Rose turned to the door. Her only escape. Eve was still there, watching in horror, her fists pounding against the glass, her mouth making words Rose couldn't hear.
Then Rose stopped. She couldn’t open the hatch—if she did, she’d release the toxin, expose Eve. She had to wait until the toxin was rendered inactive. What had Dr. Rayburn said? Twenty minutes?
She wasn’t sure if she had that much air in the small, emergency respirator. She turned to gather the other masks, hoping she could swap out their respirators, buy herself more time, when the dredger heaved and bucked, metal groaning.
Rose was thrown to the deck once more. The bow angled down so sharply she had to cling to the braces supporting the turbine to keep from sliding away. Water began to leak into the forward part of the compartment.
There was a loud crash, and the turbine stopped, the compartment growing eerily silent for a moment.
Then the pipe below her ruptured, spewing the thick slurry of sand and ocean water into the compartment, flowing so fast it quickly covered Rose’s body where she lay on the deck.
Chapter 34
Under the water, Billy and Jay found Chase struggling to gain the surface, dragged down by the weight of his cast. Together, they each grabbed one of his arms and kicked up. When they broke the surface, Chase gasped for air, then said, “Eve and Rose, they’re still on board.”
Billy glanced at Jay. “Can you get him to the boat?”
Jay nodded, wrapping his arm around Chase’s body so they could swim in tandem. The sounds of gunfire still echoed above them, so Billy swam for the far side of the dredger’s bow. The front quarter of the boat was submerged, making it easy for him to climb on board. He came up behind the final gunman, moving as silent as his years of urban combat had taught him, and used his knife to finish the man.
He had one of the SEALs’ waterproof comm units. But before he could signal the all clear, Eve raced up from the deck below. “Billy! You have to get her out of there. She’s dying!”
Billy clambered down the ladder. Spun and came face-to-face with Rose. She was behind a locked hatch, wearing a mask and respirator, water filling the compartment behind her.
His gaze met hers. He tried to fake a smile, but it was dragged down by despair. All he could do was plant his palm against the glass separating him from her.
“That woman, Teresa, she’s dead already. Released the toxin into the compartment,” Eve said in a rush. “I thought Rose was okay, but she wouldn’t leave, and then all the water started pouring in.”
The boat stumbled, listing more toward port. Rose disappeared for a moment, then returned. Her expression was anxious, and she was pointing at Eve. Billy didn’t need a translator to know what she wanted.
“Eve, you need to go.”
“Not without Rose.”
Damn, the girl was stubborn. Thankfully, one of the SEALs appeared at the top of the ladder. “What do you need?”
“We have a toxin exposure, but it’s contained for now.” Christ, how could he be describing Rose’s dying in such sterile words? “Remove this civilian and wait on your boat for my orders.”
The SEAL, no dummy, quickly assessed the situation then jerked his head in a nod. “Standing by. Holler if you need us.”
Eve tried to protest, but she was no match for the SEAL. He hauled her up the ladder without any trouble, giving Billy a quick salute before they vanished.
Billy turned back to Rose. How long? he mouthed.
She held up four fingers. Four minutes. They needed sixteen more for the toxin to be rendered safe. At the rate that the compartment was filling with water, Rose didn’t have sixteen minutes. He glanced at the respirator attached to her mask. For emergency use only, it held at most ten to fifteen minutes of air.
Still leaving them short. Unless she could hold her breath for several minutes.
She rapped on the window, her expression strangely calm. Serene even. She mimed blowing him a kiss, then pointed to the ladder behind him and waved good-bye.
He shook his head. “No!” he shouted, not caring that she couldn’t possibly hear him. “Don’t you dare give up on me! Don’t you dare!”
The boat shuddered and rolled, sending Billy careening into the hatch, hanging onto its hinges to keep from being swept away by water that began to pour in from the submerged bow. The vessel was being torn apart, the hatch that once was vertical, now lying at a thirty-degree angle, almost parallel to where the deck should be.
Rose swam back to the window. Because of the change in angle, she was now completely underwater.
Which meant the toxin was as well. More diluted, plus there was the entire bay to further decrease the concentration—could he risk releasing it to save her?
No-brainer.
Because of the higher pressure pushing against the hatch from her side, he’d be unable to push the hatch open even if she did unlock it. Maybe he didn’t need her to unlock it. He scanned the corridor. The hatch on the other side of the ladder was marked MAINTENANCE EQUIPMENT.
He gave her a thumbs-up, ignored her puzzled expression, and crawled away to the other compartment. Its hatch was now above him, so he took care to be behind the hatch when he opened it, allowing any loose items to fall out without hitting him.
He was rewarded with a regular Home Depot of tools and equipment. He rummaged through it, tossing aside wrenches and electrical tools. Give me a break, they had to have one, he thought, his movements growing anxious as the ship continued its downward spiral.
The bay’s depth here was only about thirty-feet. But deep enough that if he didn’t get Rose out soon, he’d need diving gear to get to her once the boat completely capsized and became submerged.
Then he saw a familiar case. Even the same brand he’d used with Delta. A Broco magnesium cutting torch, exactly what you needed to cut through steel reinforced doors and windows for midnight raids—or to cut the hinges off a steel hatch.
He returned to the hatch, cutting torch in hand. A few inches of water swirled over the hatch, but it had stopped rising. For now. He quickly set up the torch—it was designed for SWAT and rescue operations, so it didn’t take long. He lit it, rejoicing in the bright flame of the magnesium, and held it up to the window for Rose to see.
She was gone. Vanished in the swirling maelstrom of sand and saltwater.
<><><>
When Billy vanished, Rose felt a curious sense of lightness. As if she weighed nothing, her final worry relieved.
The dredger rolled, the current taking her with it, and this time she didn’t fight it. Billy had given her a thumbs-up. Meaning he was going to be okay. He’d make sure Eve was taken care of. Meaning it hadn’t all been for nothing.
She wished…well, there was a hell of a lot that she wished for. But she’d never had a place in her life for regrets before, no reason to start now.
The water that tore at her from one direction to the next slowed, the compartment finally filled. Her mask was almost useless in the murky, thick salt-sand slurry; she might as well have been blind.
Maybe there was one regret. That she had been blind to Billy’s true feelings for so long. Wasted time… That she’d never told him how she felt about him, how he’d saved her life in Razgravia, been her lifeline out of that hellhole.
She fell against something solid. The turbine’s outer casing. Good as place as any. She swung an arm through one of the support struts—used to be vertical, but now it was horizontal—stretched out her legs and allo
wed the water to buoy her. It was kind of nice, relaxing, nothing to do or think about… Was this what taking a vacation felt like?
Billy had promised her a beach and sand, the ocean. Closest she was going to get. Her pulse sped a little, and she realized she was probably getting a bit punch-happy. Carbon dioxide narcosis, which meant the respirator was failing.
She should be worried about that, she knew, but somehow, she just couldn’t be bothered.
Stray beams of bright light, as if the water was on fire, danced in the distance. Pretty. She settled in, watching, mesmerized. Her vision filled with spots, and her chest hurt. She pushed the pain aside. Eve’s face flitted through her mind. She was going to be okay. Rose only wished she could have been around to see her grow into the beautiful, capable woman she knew she would be.
Billy. No worries there. He was Delta, prepared for anything. Even this.
KC, Chase, Lucky, and the rest of her team flowed past, old friends saying good-bye. She smiled, totally calm, and closed her eyes. Surrendering. She’d never, ever surrendered to anyone or anything in her entire life. Not to her father. Not to grief or pain or fear. Not even to Grigor.
Funny, it wasn’t as terrifying as she’d expected…
The water rushed past her once again, followed by a huge thud that rocked through her like an earthquake. She didn’t bother opening her eyes; she just didn’t care.
Then a man’s hands grabbed her, yanking her free from the first peace and quiet she’d had in decades. He shook her, and her eyes fluttered open. Billy.
He pulled her out through an opening. More water. She could see he was struggling. He should let her go. It would be so much easier. She let her body drift away from his, but he hauled her back, his face inches from hers, his expression furious.
She hated to see him so angry, so she tried to kick, tried to stay with him, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. He kept yanking her up, up, up. There were lights overhead, stabbing through the darkness, aiming at her.
Her eyes drifted shut once more, and everything went black.
Epilogue
Five days later
Billy dreamed a woman called his name, her voice a clear alto that chimed through his heart like church bells.
Rose?
No. Rose’s voice hadn’t sounded like that in years, not since…
“Billy, she’s awake.”
He squinted one eye open, fighting the glare. A dark-haired woman bent over him, squeezing his hand. Not Rose. Eve.
With the realization, he immediately sprang awake, ready to take action. “What happened?”
Eve smiled at him. “She’s awake. I went to get coffee, and when I came back, well, see for yourself.”
She led him to the hospital bed. Rose had been moved out of the ICU yesterday, but the damned doctors still had been hanging crepe, refusing to offer any hope. Too much time without oxygen, they said. Don’t expect too much.
Idiots. They had no idea who they were talking about. No idea the kind of woman Rose Prospero was.
He grabbed her hand, Eve at his side. Rose’s eyes fluttered, then opened, strained to focus.
“Rose,” Eve said, her joy coloring her voice. “Welcome back.”
“Were we gone?” Rose murmured, her voice thick with five days of not using it. Not to mention the tube they had rammed down her throat that first day until she finally started to breathe on her own again. “Oh. Yeah. White-water rafting. I forgot.”
Eve laughed. “You remember that?”
Rose’s eyes drifted shut, and she swallowed hard. “Of course. New River. You and me…” She licked her lips. They were dry and flaking. “Thirsty. So thirsty.”
“Let me ask the nurse if you can have some water,” Eve said. “I know you two have a lot to talk about.”
Billy was relieved to see her go. During their five-day vigil, he and Eve had talked a lot. He really liked the girl, could see himself playing a role in her life. But that depended on Rose.
He smoothed back her hair. Her cuts and bruises were almost healed. She made a noise of contentment and nuzzled her face into his hand. He forced away the image of her lifeless body floating in his arms, his lips over hers, forcing air into her as the SEALs rushed to rescue them. They’d injected her with the antidote, done CPR, got her heart beating again, but she’d refused to breathe for such a long time…
Billy lowered the bedrail and sat beside her, pulling her close, taking care not to get tangled in the IV lines and wires surrounding her. “Rose.”
“What?”
“Nothing. I just like saying your name. Like the idea of you hearing me say it.” He sounded like a fool—and he didn’t give a damn.
She pushed herself upright and opened her eyes again. “The Team?”
He shook his head, smiling. Should have known that would be her first question. “All safe and sound. No one in jail, and no one dead. KC went home yesterday.” He paused, debating giving her the bad news. Her gaze stayed on his, now clear, but he hesitated.
“But STR is gone, isn’t it?” She saved him the trouble.
“Yes. For now at least. Homeland has already reached out to KC and Hollywood, and no way they’re going anywhere without Chase—”
To his surprise, she smiled and patted his arm as if she were the one comforting him. “They’ll be fine.”
“You aren’t upset?”
Her smile widened. “Mission accomplished. Time for someone else to have a chance.”
Maybe she did have brain damage after all. This didn’t sound like the Rose Prospero he knew, the one who never surrendered, who always put the Team first. She could've quit after what happened with Grigor, but she hadn’t… “You’re quitting? Why now?”
“I have better things to do. Eve.” She drew in her breath as if gathering her strength. “You.”
It was his turn to blink hard as the room spun out of focus.
“All courage comes from love,” Rose whispered. “Something my grandmother told me. After Adam—” She flushed and turned away from him. Was silent for a long moment, long enough to make Billy worry. Then she turned back, reaching for his hand. “You saved me.”
He squeezed her hand. “Just returning the favor.”
“No.” Her eyes drifted shut for a moment, but her hand kept a firm hold of his. “You saved me from Grigor.”
He frowned, a stab of fear spiking through him. Wondered if he should call the doctors. No. She was just confused, that was all. Natural after what she’d been through. “Rose, I didn’t save you from Grigor. I left you there, left you behind in Razgravia. That was five years ago. You do remember that?”
She shook her head, eyes still squeezed shut. “No. You saved me.” Her eyes opened again, focused on his, clear and sparking with intelligence. “At first, I worried about Eve, but I knew she was safe with my sister. But I needed something to focus on, some way to block out—everything. And it was you, Billy. You were all I could think about. The way you put your team first, the way they looked up to you, how you moved through the darkness, strong and confident, knowing you were in the right place, doing the right thing…everything about you, I re-created it all during those nineteen days. You kept me sane. You saved me.”
To his surprise, she was blushing as she waited for his response. Billy’s chest went tight, and he felt out of breath. “You didn’t know me, not at all—”
“I knew enough. Knew how I felt, even if I could never admit it. Not until now.”
He wanted to kiss her, wanted to whoop for joy, wanted to grab her up and spin her around until they both collapsed in a dizzy pile. But all he could do was squeeze her hand and bend his face down to meet hers.
“I’ve loved you since the day I first set eyes on you,” he whispered.
She was openly sobbing now, and he was surprised to find his own tears mingled with hers as he brushed his lips against her face.
“I guess we’re both a pair of stubborn fools,” she said. “Waiting so long.” Then she buried
him in a deep kiss, drowning his reply.
<><><>
Two weeks later…
Rose wiggled her toes deeper into the crystalline white sand. Beside her, Billy stirred at the slight motion, his hand immediately reaching across the small space between their beach towels to take hers.
“You need anything?” he murmured, his voice sated with sun and the ocean breeze.
The tide was coming in, would be lapping at their toes soon, the Pacific’s warm turquoise waters a gentle reminder of time passing. The only reminder here where there were no clocks, no computers, no cell phones…just her and Billy, alone at last.
Rose smiled to herself before answering Billy’s question. “Yes.”
His eyes popped open as she rolled her body on top of his, cupping his face between her palms and kissing him deeply, drinking him in along with the sun and sand. His arms reached around her and he unfastened her bikini top, his fingers gently tracing the scars on her back, his touch as healing as this time together had been.
“Are you sure about this?” he whispered, his breath hot against her cheek.
Rose slid her hands down his body, enjoying the way he responded to her touch. Even better was the way her body opened up to these familiar-yet-different sensations, allowing her to purge the pain and accept the possibilities of feeling pleasure again.
“Yes,” she answered, releasing all of her joy into the single syllable. Then she let her body melt into his, communicating better than any words. “Are you?”
He ground his body against hers, and she had her answer. The leading edge of the surf bubbled against their bare toes, but neither noticed, their focus totally on giving each other everything they’d denied themselves for so long.
A seagull landed nearby but quickly took off again, startled by Rose and Billy’s shared sounds of desire and delight.
