Blooming in the Wild Page 0,77

at the broad expanse of rolling sea between them and the island. From down here, the waves were a lot bigger.

Joel shook his head, already stroking away from her. “They’d catch us in a minute. We need transportation.”

He turned and swam toward the rear of the boat, and Bella followed, trying not to think of the depths underneath her and all the creatures lurking there. Those on the yacht were much worse, she reminded herself. “How are we going to get transportation?” she panted.

“Personal watercraft— Jet Ski. There are three on the back of the yacht.”

“They’re not—just going—to let us—take them,” she gasped, stroking hard to keep up with him.

He paused and pulled her close to the hull. “Nope. We need a diversion.”

Above them, a woman screamed, a man shouted, and then gunfire rattled. Bella ducked with a squeak, clinging to Joel, but he pulled away. “That’s our diversion—Matt. Come on.”

Bella swam as quietly as she could around the back of the big yacht, her heart pounding as she peered at the railing above. But no armed gunmen appeared as Joel clambered out onto the boarding platform beside three shiny black-and-white Jet Skis. Each had an H emblazoned on the side.

Joel unfastened the first craft from its mooring cables and then pushed it into the water. As he did so, Tanah paddled around the back of the yacht, her wet hair hanging in her eyes. Cassie was behind her, eyes wide as saucers.

“Tanah,” Joel ordered. “Take this Jet Ski.”

The redhead nodded and scrambled awkwardly up onto the craft, then reached back for Cassie. The two had discarded their sarongs, and wore their bikinis.

“Oh, hurry,” Cassie pleaded.

Joel loosed another Jet Ski, and then the third. Pulling himself up over the back, he leaned over the ignition and then grasped the throttle and controls on the handles.

“Come on,” he said urgently, looking up at the boat as a man shouted something and more gunfire erupted.

Bella scrambled up out of the water, banging her knee, but made it onto the back of the padded vinyl seat. She threw her arms around Joel’s middle and hung on. The instant she did so, he hit the throttle, and the motor revved up in a loud snarl.

At that moment, Matt appeared over the back of the yacht, arcing into a flying dive, silhouetted against the sky for an instant. He landed in an awkward belly flop, and Cassie leapt from the back of Tanah’s Jet Ski onto the third craft, grabbing the throttles, her lovely face pale but determined.

“Get on,” she shrieked at Matt, who grasped the back of the craft and clambered aboard, hunched over as if he were hurt.

A burly silhouette appeared above them. Baldy, with his weapon aimed and ready.

“Go!”Bella screamed.

They sped off across the blue water toward the island, the little craft rocketing through the waves in a series of dizzying lifts and bumps. Bella held on tightly to Joel and tried not to watch the water zipping by at a horrific speed.

They had just started out when he suddenly cranked the wheel to the left, and then the right, zigzagging through the waves.

“What are you doing?” She fought to maintain her balance on the wet seat and her grip on his wet torso.

“They’re shooting at us,” he yelled back. “Just hang on.”

Bella looked back and saw the outline of the yacht shining in the sun. Foam spurted up from the water, a line of sharp bursts that followed them across the water, then disappeared as Joel took the craft in another swooping turn.

Her body rigid, waiting for the bullet that would strike her back, Bella hung on.

Joel slowed as they approached land and turned toward the west, and into the cove at Na’alele.

Bella opened her mouth to ask him why they didn’t keep going to Nawea, and remembered Frank. They had to go back and rescue him. She looked back to see the other two Jet Skis close behind as they slowed in the little bay and slid up to the beach.

“We can c-carry Frank up into the forest,” she said, her teeth chattering as Joel switched off the motor, “and h-hide him there. My cousins should be here any time now.”

“Hope so. Let’s go. Because for sure that crazy bitch will send her men after us any minute now.”

Bella scooted back on the seat and let him stand up and hop off the craft. He turned to hold out his hand to her, holding the Jet Ski steady with the