Dark Abyss by Kaitlyn O'Connor (top fiction books of all time txt) 📗

look at the water racing past the hull was enough to convince her she didn’t want to jump. They were already too far out for her to have any chance of swimming back even if he didn’t turn around and come back for her … and she was afraid he would.

And then it would be impossible to convince him she wasn’t trying to escape. As much difficulty as she was having putting logical thought together, she realized her best hope, now, was to convince Paul that she was going willingly.

“You cold?”

Anna looked at Paul when he spoke and finally nodded jerkily.

“Look in that locker toward the stern. There should be some blankets. That’ll have to do until we reach the rendezvous point.”

Anna half fell out of the seat. Righting herself with an effort, she made her way carefully toward the back, trying to keep her feet under her. The boat was bucking so hard, though, as it slammed into the waves that she sprawled out before she reached the locker, rolling and skidding the rest of the way. She was shaking with terror, not just cold and shock, when she finally managed to catch a hold of the locker and pry it up.

The wind nearly ripped the blanket from her grasp when she pulled it out, but she managed to keep her grip on it.

Deciding not to try to make it to the front of the boat again, she settled with her back against the low stern wall and struggled to get the blanket around her. She thought at first when Paul began to slow the boat that he’d seen her dilemma and slowed to help her. When she glanced toward him, though, she saw he had something in his hand. Her heart skipped several beats when it occurred to her that it was handgun. She was completely unprepared for the sudden explosion behind them. It took her several moments to realize it was behind them. Her heart had squeezed so painfully with fear, she clutched her chest, certain she’d been shot.

It was the ball of fire that drew her around to look. She gaped at the blossoming cloud of fire and smoke that lit up the area like midday without comprehension, with utter disbelief.

“Mutant terrorists just blew up your house and destroyed your research.”

Anna whipped her head around when Paul spoke. The light from the fire, even so far away, made his expression of grim satisfaction perfectly clear to her. Dumbfounded, she watched him toss the device he’d been pointing at her—no, her house—into the sea.

“Bundle up. We’ve got a good ways to go.”

She’d been sitting on a bomb, Anna thought blankly? How long had she been walking around her house without a care in the world while there was a bomb under her just waiting for the right signal to go off?

* * * *

Simon and Ian tumbled out of the emergency tubes and raced toward the console.

Simon strode to the communicator while Ian started the engines. “Watch Center! Watch Center! Priority one!”

“Watch Center! What’s the priority one?”

Simon hesitated. “Terrorist suspect, Paul Warner, has snatched Dr. Blake. Heading ..,” he paused and leaned over to check the radar. “Due south, making around 40 knots. I want every man you can round up. We’re in pursuit!”

The explosion rocked the sub so hard and so unexpectedly it threw Simon and Ian across the deck, slamming them into the walls as if they were ping pong balls.

“Simon! Simon! Do you read? What the hell was that?”

Simon managed to get to his feet and turned to search for the source of the explosion. “What the hell? They blew up her house!” he muttered in shock.

“Simon! Ian? What’s going on? Do you read?”

Moving to the communicator, Simon spoke into it again. “They blew up her house. Water City PD will be swarming all over us inside of five. Simon out!” He turned to Ian. “Get this thing moving!”

He staggered back when Ian abruptly shot forward and began diving. Catching his balance, he lurched toward the front again and fell into a seat, pulling his restraints on and fastening them. “How much of a lead does he have?”

Ian stared hard at the radar for a moment. “Fifteen minutes and gaining steadily. He’s going to break up if he keeps that speed.

Simon swallowed a little sickly. “Let’s hope not.”

“He knows he missed us and we’ll be on his tail,” Ian said grimly. “He’s going to try to lose us.”

He’d missed them because Anna had risked her life fighting him for control of the wheel. He couldn’t remember the last time anything had scared him that badly—or enraged him so much. He was going to break the son-of-a-bitch in half for hitting her when he got his hands on him! “Level out or he won’t have to worry about it!” he growled, watching the depth gauge.

“The bastard!” Ian growled after a few moments. “How the hell did the son-of-a-bitch manage to get the jump on us?”

“He knew we were there,” Simon said after considering it for a moment. “He wouldn’t have risked pulling the boat in on the other side, in plain view of all of her neighbors, if he hadn’t.”

“I don’t understand why she left the house! We would’ve known he was there if she hadn’t left the house.”

That had been bothering him, too. “She put something in the paddler,” he said abruptly. “She was carrying something when she came out. I didn’t see it when he grabbed her, did you?”

“Her research!” Ian said abruptly. “That’s what that crazy dance was all about. She said, ‘I did it.’. That