Kansas (Ruthless Kings MC Atlantic City #2) - K.L. Savage Page 0,13
to see black swells of water on either side of us. “Mom, hold on!” I grasp her hand and the rail at the same time to keep us in the boat.
Her nails dig into my skin, and I bow my head right to block my face from the water. We rock, dipping down into a quick valley the sea naturally creates. Two shadows engross us in a cold cloak, and there is a quick moment of silence.
Peace.
And then the peace is broken when the waves swallow us. I scream, but it’s muffled by a flow of water entering my mouth. I choke and gag, tasting the fish and salt of the sea. The sailboat twists and turns, rolling all the way to its side until I slip off the boat.
My mom’s hand slips away from mine, and I don’t have a full second to think about it because I’m about to lose the grip on the rail. Half my body struggles against the current in the water while trying to pull myself onto the boat again.
I can’t hold on.
Screams from my left have me turning my head, and that’s when I see my mom drifting further away.
“Mom!” I wail, but I know she can’t hear me. “Mom!” But the next time I blink, she’s gone. All I see are the violent, moving hills.
“I got you.” Dad grips me by the forearm and lifts me back onto the boat. Pins and needles tingle through my entire body. I’m frozen to the core, but it doesn’t numb the pain of losing Mom. “It took Mom. It took Mom!” I scream.
Dad grips my arms, his eyes swollen and red from losing Mom. “I need you to go to your sisters.” Thunder rolls above us and fat snowflakes pour in white blankets on top of us.
The sailboat rocks again and it has the mast swinging around behind Dad. “Get down!” I shout and fall to the ground, trying to tug him down where I am, but it’s too late.
The mast swings and hits him right in the back of the head.
I watch as his body topples over the boat and—
“Wake up, Springs. Wake up!” a deep voice cuts through my dream.
I snap my eyes open, but all I see are angry waves and snow. I scream and fight against the heavy mass over me.
I sob as arms wrap around me, and my cheek is pressed against a warm, broad chest. I clutch onto his arms, holding onto him for dear life as if I’m about to fall out of the boat all over again.
“Shhh, you’re alright. I got you, Springs. I got you.” He pets the top of my head, and he just holds me while I cry. “You were having a bad dream. I have you now. It’s okay.”
I don’t know who this man is, but I know he is here to wake me up from every bad dream I’ve had over the last few days, which have been a complete blur, since all I’ve been doing is sleeping.
“They’re gone.” I bury my nose against his chest and inhale. His scent settles in my bones and the familiar comfort I find in rain radiates from him. He smells like the air during a storm. Wicked and powerful, yet needed. “They died.”
“Who died, Springs? Talk to me,” he croons softly.
I can’t speak. I can’t breathe. Everything hurts. My body, my heart, my mind, everything aches. Tears won’t stop flowing. My mind is racing with sadness and disbelief. The overwhelming emotion of grief hits me hard, just like the storm hit us in the sea.
“Pulse!” the man shouts next to me when my heart rate monitor begins to race. “Pulse! Something is wrong. Get in here.” The handsome stranger stands from the edge of the bed, the mattress dipping from his absence. I reach for his wrist and grip onto it like I did the rail on the sailboat.
Hold. On. For. Dear. Life.
“I ain’t going to leave you, Springs.” His free hand cups the side of my face. “But you’re breathing awfully fast, and it’s worrying me.”
Heavy boots bang against the floor, reminding me of the thunder that scared my sisters while we were sailing.
“Hey—” his thumb brushes across my jawline, and when his eyes meet mine, the panic begins to fade. He has eyes the color of moss, and thick lips that look soft. He’s got a bit of scruff on his face from not shaving for