something out on the main deck, and a man yelled in response.
Joel stopped abruptly at the end of the passageway, and Bella jerked her mind back to their surroundings. “Do you know where this goes?” she asked breathlessly.
“It’s a boat,” he replied, peering out of a narrow doorway to the left. “It all leads to water.”
She couldn’t argue with that.
“Here.” He reached back, his hand open. “Give me the knife.”
“Is there someone out there?” She complied and looked fearfully back the way they’d come. How would they ever escape all those armed thugs? How had Joel even gotten this far?
“No, but there’s rope. Always handy.” Was he joking? She scowled at his broad back.
A large shape appeared in the open doorway to the main cabin—one of Camille’s thugs. He had his back to the passageway, but he was turning their way, semiauto at the ready.
“Go!” she squeaked, shoving at Joel.
He moved, yanking her out onto a narrow deck covered by the superstructure. Bella landed, belly against the railing. She looked down and let out a small whimper of dismay. The water was a long way down. She turned to Joel, but he was busy pulling the hatch shut. “Good,” he muttered. “This thing locks on the outside. Don’t need the rope to tie it shut.”
“Of course it locks on the outside,” she snapped. “Other people worry about breakins. These creeps don’t want anyone to break out.”
He grinned crookedly at her. “You really think they use a luxury yacht to hold prisoners?”
“Well, they are now.”
He shrugged. “Can’t argue with that.”
“Where are Cassie and Tanah and Matt?” she asked, peering along the side of the yacht. “We can’t leave without them.”
“We’re not. They’ll meet us.”
“Meet us where?”
“In the damn water! Now come here. Time to jump.”
She looked at him and then at the water below. “I’m not jumping. You said there was rope.”
He scowled at her, but he was already pulling Li’s knife from the pocket of his shorts. He clicked it open. “It’s not that far down. Jumping is quicker.”
“Just get the rope.”
He cut a long section of the rope and then tied it to the railing, yanking the knot. He shook his head at it but turned back to Bella. She started to swing her leg over the railing and stopped, the grass skirt tangling around her legs.
She pulled at the tie, but Joel pushed her hand aside, slipped the knife under the string that held up the skirt and cut it. Free of the clinging strands, Bella let him help her over the railing.
“Don’t look down,” he whispered, pressing a quick kiss to the side of her mouth. “Look at me, and think about how I’m gonna make love to you when we get to a nice, quiet bed.”
“Okay,” she agreed breathlessly. He handed her the rope, his eyes on the knot. He seemed to be enjoying himself, she thought resentfully.
“Let the rope slide through your hands,” he instructed. “And face the boat so you can push off with your feet. And I’ll be right beside you.”
She nodded and stepped off. She slid a little way, grabbed the rope and swung toward the hull of the yacht, banging her shoulder painfully on the hot metal. Gritting her teeth, she stretched out her leg and pushed off. She forced herself to unclench her hands from the rope, ready to slide again, but suddenly she was falling through the bright air. She just had time to close her eyes, and the water hit her in a hard swoosh, tearing at her hair, filling her nose and mouth with salty brine. The ocean swallowed her, sucking her down.
She felt the concussion of a splash beside her, and a warm hand grasped hers and tugged. Bella kicked hard, rising with Joel up into the warm sunlight. The crown was gone, a small cream shape twirling in the water nearby, but the lei was plastered across her face, along with her hair. She choked, coughing salt water, and trying to breathe through the burning in her sinuses and throat. Ack, that was the third time on this trip she’d inhaled salt water. She was never swimming in the ocean again.
Joel yanked her under the curve of the hull, treading water beside her as she caught her breath. She glared at him through her hair, swiping it from her face. He looked fine.
“Sorry,” he said. “Rope slipped. Come on, we have to move.”
“Are we going to swim all that way?” she asked, gazing in horror