Page 109 of Enduring Caine
Whenever she spoke to me of important things, there were delays. Blinks. Stares. Deep breaths. But with Vincenzo, she barely paused. There was no honesty behind it, just a crusade to uncover the truth. And since I’d repaired the security desk, it was all being recorded.
She stepped into the boat with him, and the warmth gave way to the terror.
I clenched my jaw tight. Where was my signal? When was I supposed to move?Tell me, woman.
A voice erupted behind me, and I heard footsteps. I spun to see Leonardo tearing down the stairs.
I waved my hands frantically to stop him before he alerted them to our presence.
He bellowed, “Where are they?”
“Go!” yelled Vincenzo, pushing Samantha down against the back of the boat.
Leonardo collided with me, stumbling into the cave. He called over his shoulder, pulling his gun, “Down here! Spies!”
Fiori’s bodyguard piloted around the statue, withdrawing his handgun at the same time.
I launched myself into Leo’s back as the bodyguard fired, pain erupting through my arm, radiating out through my entire body.
Leonardo fired as we fell.
Samantha screamed and tumbled into the water.
No!I had to get to her. I began to stand, but the bodyguard fired again, his second, third, and fourth shots ricocheting off the rock Leonardo and I had fallen next to. “Samantha!”
“Don’t leave her!” Vincenzo pulled on the pilot’s arm, but he continued out the mouth of the cave and they vanished.
A wave of nausea hit me, and I retched, nothing but coffee and wine spilling out on the walkway. Samantha was in the water. She was hurt. No matter how much pain I was in, I had to get to her. “Leo?”
“Cazzo Madre. Fucking hell,” he groaned. Clearly shot, but alive. And not my priority.
I crawled to the edge and rolled in, holding the walkway with my good arm and sinking my head under the water to look for her. Without Vincenzo’s light, it was pitch black. I couldn’t see anything. I crested the surface. “Flashlight!”
Leo made a noise and flicked on a flashlight, shoving it in my direction.
With a yell in agony, I took the flashlight in my right arm and shone it into the water, driving my head underneath again.
Nathan Miller’s last words on New Year’s flashed through my brain. ‘If she comes away from one more visit with you with more scars, we’re going to have a problem.’
Che cazzo, but if she didn’t come back from this trip, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. She was my world and I couldn’t—
But out of the darkness, she appeared. Swimming toward me. Blowing bubbles out through her nose, a smile growing across her face.
I pulled myself up, tossed the flashlight onto the edge, and wiped the water from my eyes.
She rose from the water face first, taking in a calm breath. “Wow, that’s a lot deeper than I was expecting.”
“You’re not…”
“Shot? Nope!” She treaded water effortlessly, pausing only to push some hair back from her face before swimming closer to me. Of course—this was my diver. She lifted a black plastic tube out of the water and grinned broadly. “He stole this painting. I stole it back.”
Footsteps sounded from the passageway.
Leo groaned again, the sound trailing off.
“Shit!” Her eyes went wide and she took one stroke to get to the edge before pulling herself out of the water. She rushed to Leo’s side and hauled her shirt off to press it against him. “Jesus, it’s cold in here!”
I remained in the water, the temperature overcoming my initial panic. “In here, too.”