This is life or death. The tone of Viktor’s voice made me completely freeze.
I stood there, my head bent over the sink, my hand paused in the air, holding a knife. I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but my lips felt paralyzed. I took slow, shallow breaths as my eyes strained to see out of my peripheral.
“Steady, Blaire,” he warned from over my right shoulder. “Stay completely still. Keep your breathing slow and natural.”
I wasn’t even sure I was breathing. I struggled to hear anything over the chug of the boat and the splashing of the water, but I couldn’t make out anything threatening.
“I’m coming up beside you to your right.” Viktor’s low voice seemed overly calm, which frightened me further.
I could make out his movement to my right, but Viktor seemed to be moving further away from me, which made me want to cry out in fear. What was behind me? I wanted him to tell me, but a bigger part of me didn’t want to know.
“Now, whatever you do, remain completely still, just for a few more seconds.” His voice was taut.
The crack of the gun nearly deafened me, and then something warm sprayed over my neck. I heard a dull thud at my feet right behind me.
“You’re in the clear.” There was a casualness to his voice that I didn’t understand.
“What’s happened?” Skipper called out from above us.
“Everything is fine. Keep the boat moving,” Viktor called back.
“What was that?” I managed to say, although I didn’t seem capable of movement.
I could sense, rather than see, Viktor come toward me. The closer he got, the weaker my knees got.
“What was that?” I asked from between clenched teeth.
“It’s dead.” Viktor bent down behind me.
Maybe it was his nearness, or the fact that something behind me was dead, but my body went into flight mode. I spun around, backing up, until I bumped into the sink. Both my hands fisted over my mouth when he lifted up the headless body of a massive black-and-white snake, with a thick body.
I heard myself shriek: a pathetic, high-pitched noise.
Then I ran—away from the acrid scent of the gunpowder, away from the snake, away from the danger—straight into the netting. I fought the sheer fabric like an idiot before I managed to battle my way free. And then I was in the dark, in the middle of the deck, gasping for air.
I watched as Viktor calmly followed, carrying the dead snake and throwing it over the edge of the boat with a heavy splash. Then he stopped in front of me. “Are you okay?”
I was pretty sure I was in shock, but I worked to remain calm. “Was that snake poisonous?”
“Yes.”
“It was near me?”
“It was wrapped around one of the beams and hanging down behind you, coming toward your neck.”
At that thought, I shuddered and instinctively touched the back of my neck. I was covered in something warm, sticky, and wet. Upon inspection, I realized my fingers were slick with blood.
My tone had a slightly hysterical note. “Am I bleeding? Whose blood is this? Did you shoot me?”
He grabbed my hand and yanked me toward him before spinning me around so my back was to the light. “No, it’s just arterial spray from the snake when I shot it.”
My neck was covered in wet dead snake blood. That thought dimmed the light of the world as I fought nausea. I started to lose all the energy in my shaking legs.
I managed to mumble, “I need to sit down.”
And then the whole world went dark.
My eyes fluttered open, and I slowly focused on my surroundings. I was lying in the hammock, and beside me stood Viktor.
I had no idea how long I had been out. “What happened?”
“You fainted.”
“For how long?”
“Not long, maybe a minute.”
My stomach rolled with a queasy wave. “I don’t feel great.”
He put a big warm hand on my forehead. “Fainting does that to a person. Plus, you’re dehydrated and short on sleep.”
Suddenly, I felt terrified and alone. I was in the middle of nowhere, so far away from my home and my life. This whole situation seemed impossible. Would I save my grandfather, or was this hopeless, stupid journey in vain? Would I die out here?
I fought the pervading hopelessness of this situation. If I started down that path, I would never make it back. I needed to keep moving forward. I tried to sit up.
With almost no effort, Viktor pushed me back. “Rest.”
I needed to move or I knew I would start crying. “I want to wash my neck.”
“Stay here.” He sounded more gruff than normal.
He moved to the sink and wet down a cloth. Although moving made me want to hurl, I forced myself to climb out of the hammock. My eyes searched the tarp above my head and the deck at my feet for anything that slithered.
“Where did the snake come from?”
“Could have come off the water, maybe when we were stopped.”
If one snake got on, that meant other snakes could also be on board. Was no part of this boat safe? “Did you search the tarp?”
“What for?”
My voice faltered. I hated to ask him to do something so dangerous. “For other snakes.”
He moved toward me. “Sit down.”
I looked at the table and chairs, but the chairs suddenly seemed too close to the deck. Not caring how rude it was, I sat my ass on the table and crossed my legs, keeping them off the floor.
Viktor stood in front of me with the cloth.
I lifted my hand to take it from him, but without speaking, he moved his hand away.
“Look up at me.” His voice was low and serious.
I tilted my head back and stared up at him as he gently wiped my face free of sweat, tears and possibly blood.
Our eyes met as he put one hand on my shoulder. “Hold still.”
I jumped when the cool cloth dabbed at my neck, but eventually I relaxed into how good it felt. When he stopped, he didn’t step back.
I got trapped in his intense gaze. “What?”
“Thank for you for finally listening to me. It saved your life.”
“You saved my life.”
His jaw tightened. “It was a team effort.”
It was embarrassing how much that comment cheered me. He was finally admitting we were a team, and that meant I wasn’t doing this alone. Maybe there was hope after all. “I’m sorry I fainted.”
“Nothing to be sorry about. I’ve seen soldiers twice your size pass out.”
“I’ve never fainted before.”
“Fainting helps your body rapidly process shock. It reboots your system to ensure blood is getting to all the organs.”
I wasn’t so sure I felt rebooted. “I’m still scared.”
“Of what?”
“What if there are other snakes?” I looked down at our feet, looking for any movement on the floor.
“You want me to take a look around?”
I swallowed. I really wanted him to make sure this boat was snake-free, but it also sounded like a dangerous venture. “You don’t have to.”
He reached behind me, into his bag, and pulled out his flashlight. “I’ll take a look.”
I grabbed his thick forearm until he looked back at me. “Thank you.”
It might have been a trick of the light, but I thought I saw concern flash across his face before he quickly wiped all expression from his face. “Stay here.”
If it kept me safe, I think I would stand on my head if he told me to. For the first time, all his bossy rules were starting to make sense. “Okay.”
I sat on a chair, at the table, my knees up, and I watched as Viktor devoured three sandwiches. I liked the way he ate. Only Viktor could make eating seem manly, but he took these big sturdy bites that gave me glimpses of his straight teeth. For a second, I hated all the women he went on dates with.
He caught me staring at him. “Thanks for this.” He eyed the last sandwich but politely didn’t reach for it.
“If you don’t eat it, it’ll go to waste.”
“Thanks.” He picked it up and took another ravenous bite, making me wonder if he did everything else with the same passion.
He caught me watching him again, and he looked back at me with his direct stare. “You surprised me today.”
“I did?”
“With all your boat knowledge and help.”
“Did you expect me to sit around and watch?”
“Sort of.”
When people learned I’d been born into a super-wealthy family, they automatically assumed I was incapable of work. But I was raised by two of the hardest-working people I knew.
“I have a job, you know.”
“Oh yeah? What kind of job is that?”
“I’m a buyer for Au Revoir.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a French boutique-style department store.”
“You sell clothes?”
“Au Revoir sells clothes, shoes and outerwear for men and women. We have stores in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. My job is to purchase clothes from the designers for the store.”
He sounded incredulous. “Your job description is to buy clothes?”
“Yes.”
“You’re a professional shopper.”
“In a manner of speaking, yes.”
He ducked his head on his chest and it took me a moment to realize he was struggling not to laugh.
“Why is that funny?”
A huge smile crossed his face. “No reason. Tell me what that involves.”
“My department is women’s wear. I travel to Europe a lot, I go to fashion shows, talk to designers, and try to figure out what is trending. Then I need to do sales planning, often a year in advance. There’s a lot of contract negotiation and inventory management involved. And a lot of travel.”
He nodded, impressed. “That sounds like a real job.”
“It’s real enough.”
“How did you get a job like that?”
“I have a bachelor’s degree in retail marketing.”
His expression was thoughtful, but he didn’t speak.
“What?”
He shrugged. “It sounds a bit like my job, that’s all.”
That made me pause. “You have a job? I thought this was your job?”
“Kidnapping?”
“A life of crime.”
“I guess I deserve that.”
“Tell me about your job.” I couldn’t imagine what he did for a living.
“I used to walk on the darker side of things, but after Andrusha met his wife, we decided we’d had enough. We wanted to own a legitimate business, so two years ago we started our own security firm.”
“A security firm?” I was trying to wrap my head around the idea that Viktor had a real life. “With paying clients?”
His tone was dry. “We prevent people such as yourself from getting kidnapped or hurt.”
“Such as myself?”
“Our clients have lots of money.”
I imagined some young socialite dragging Viktor to nightclubs, getting drunk and madly flirting with him. For some reason, that idea annoyed me. “Do you play bodyguard?”
“Not if I can help it. I handle all the inventory and travel logistics for our teams—making sure everyone has what they need. I also manage all the training.”
I had been operating under the assumption that Viktor was a criminal. “That sounds like a real job.”
His smile caught me off guard. “Real enough.”
Was it only two days ago that I had woken up to him standing over my bed? It seemed like a lifetime ago. “I’ve had some preconceived ideas about who you are.”
“You surprised me too.”
“I’m going to take that as a compliment.”
His gaze clashed with mine, and a hot awareness zapped between us, like an electric current charging an invisible line. The memory of wiggling on his lap against his arousal made my face flush with heat.
His jaw tightened, and he dropped his eyes, putting up a barrier where I was unable to.
I forced myself to remember the reason I was here. Right now, my grandfather was in the hands of those who were willing to harm him. We needed to stay focused. I wished I could tell my pappa that we were on our way and his ordeal would be over soon. “Are we going to meet the ship in time?”
His jaw tightened. “Yes.”
“Okay.”
He studied me. “Thanks for not fighting me every step of the way.”
“Are you really going to help me find my grandfather?”
“I said I would.”
“We still have to get across the border.”
“We do.”
“And then find your friend in Ho Chi Minh City.”
“Yes.”
“And then we will get our papers and fly to Singapore. When are we supposed to be there?”
He looked grim as he looked at his watch. “We have roughly seventy hours.”
“That seems like a lot of time.”
“It’s not. I still have to find my contact, and we need to give him time to work.”
I studied Viktor. He looked fatigued. “You look tired.”
“I could use some sleep.”
I looked up at Skipper. “We also should give him a break.”
He stood up. “Let’s do that first.”
Four hours later, the boat continued slowly to chug down the river. Viktor had been right—the water had deepened and we hadn’t run into any more weeds. He had sent Skipper to sleep for a few hours. And despite searching every nook and cranny, he hadn’t found any more snakes on board. I was secretly too afraid to sit on the deck of the boat by myself, so I was perched on the stool beside Viktor, in the boathouse, watching him steer.
Below us, Skipper was passed out on the hammock. I was so tired I could barely keep my head up.
“Why don’t you head down to the bunks and try to sleep?”
The thought of being alone in the tiny berth didn’t appeal to me. After the snake incident, neither did the hammock. All I knew is that the closer I stuck to Viktor, the better my chances of survival.
“I’m fine.”
“Take the wheel. I’m going to go wake Skipper. You need sleep.”
Ten minutes later, Viktor and I stood outside the small berth. I held his flashlight.
“What are you waiting for?”
I swallowed. “Could you check for snakes?”
To his credit, he didn’t mock me. Instead, he took the flashlight and shone it in every corner and beneath the bottom bunk.
“Can you check the bedding?”
He ran his hands along the top of both bunks. “Place is empty. Do you want the top or the bottom?”
I debated my options. The top bunk was way too close to the ceiling and would make me feel claustrophobic, but the bottom bunk was closer to the floor and therefore closer to potential snakes.
I didn’t even care how desperate I sounded. “Can we sleep on the same bunk?”
“There are two beds. Which one do you want?”
“I’ll take the top bunk.”
“Okay. You get in first.”
I climbed up the ladder but didn’t even make it onto the bed because it was too close to the ceiling. “I can’t.”
“You want the bottom?”
“What about snakes?”
He took my question seriously. “I think you’re safe enough down here.”
“Can I have the flashlight?”
He handed it to me.
With reluctance, I climbed into the bed and pulled the scratchy blanket over me. Viktor didn’t even use the ladder. He just pulled himself up onto the top bunk.
“How will we know when to wake up?”
“I’ll wake up,” he told me. “Go to sleep.”
I worked to shut my eyes. I was fading when I heard a soft rustle on the floor. With shaking hands, I turned on the flashlight and pointed it toward the noise, but I saw nothing. I shone the light around the floor, but it was empty.
“Blaire?”
“I thought I heard something.”
“Did you see something?”
“No.” I turned off the light with trepidation, hating how all the sounds of the boat became amplified in the dark. I lay there, alert and tense, clutching the flashlight in my hands.
Another faint noise.
I turned on the flashlight but found nothing. Feeling foolish, I turned it off.
I thought I felt something brush against my foot. With trembling hands, I turned the flashlight on again, but I was alone.
Torturous moments in the dark ticked by.
Was that a thud of something heavy landing on the floor? I clicked on the light. Nothing. I clicked the light off.
I waited, knowing that one of these times I would find something slithering in my flashlight beam.
I turned the light on again, just to make a defensive sweep of the floor.
“Blaire?” Viktor’s voice sounded clear and awake.
“I thought I heard something.”
“You’re going to burn out the battery.”
“Sorry, I’ll stop.” Except I heard another faint rustle. Convinced we were in danger, I turned the flashlight on again.
“Blaire, what’s going to get you to sleep?” Viktor’s voice sounded rough.
“What do you care?”
“Because I can’t sleep until you do.”
“It’s just really dark down here, and I keep hearing noises.” I turned on the light again. “Like that. Did you hear that?”
He jumped off the top bunk, making me cower.
“I didn’t mean it. Please don’t take the light away.”
“Move to one side.”
“You’re going to lie down with me?” The band of fear around my chest loosened. “Oh my god, thank you.”
He moved onto my bunk and lay on his side with his back against the wall. He was so big, he took up nearly two-thirds of the bed. “Lie down.”
I gingerly lay with my back to him, facing the door. Just as a precaution, I turned on the flashlight one more time.
His tone was surprisingly patient. “There’re no snakes down here.”
“How can you be sure?”
“I’m just sure.”
I reluctantly clicked the flashlight off. “Don’t you have any fears?”
He took so long to answer I wasn’t sure he would. “No.”
I twisted my head toward him. “Everyone is scared of something.”
“I’m not.”
“Are you scared of dying?”
“Nope.”
“What about pain?”
“Pain can be controlled by your mind.”
“Getting shot at?”
“Part of life.”
“Rats… snakes… spiders?” I listed the worst offenders.
“I don’t like them, but I’m not afraid of them.”
“Heights?”
“I’m fine.”
“Tight spaces?”
“Not an issue.”
I thought long and hard about what might make him run in the opposite direction. And then I realized that this man held himself at a distance for a reason. He likely didn’t get attached. He didn’t want to get hurt. It was very personal, but I spoke my observations anyway. “You’re afraid to fall in love.”
No response.
I lifted my head and, in the dark, turned toward him to listen. I wasn’t even sure he was still awake. With a smile on my face, I rolled onto my side and buried my back into his warm side. “Your silence speaks volumes.”
“Time to sleep.”
