I start kicking my legs to get us closer to the boat. With a loud smack, a ring buoy lands two feet away from me. Turns out the crew are better at throwing these things than I am.
With one more kick, I reach the buoy and hook my arm into it. Margot tries to move.
“Don’t you dare,” I hiss. “Stay limp.”
She whimpers, leaning into me. I tighten my arm around her chest and hold her close as the crew starts pulling us back toward the yacht. I let them drag us, holding onto my sister as hard as I can.
My heart is racing. I close my eyes for a moment, opening them to look up at the clear blue sky. A few wispy white clouds float across my field of vision, oblivious to the trauma that my sister just put me through.
I could have lost her.
I should never have been upstairs with Prince Luca. Margot needs me. I should have been close.
Letting out a breath, I hold my sister to my chest. Her heart hammers against my arm as I hold her, and I sense her pulse slow down a tiny bit as we get closer to the boat.
The yacht’s crew drop a Jacob’s ladder over the side of the vessel. It lands with a slap beside us, and I look at my sister.
“You think you can climb that?”
Her face pinches and her hands tremble as she reaches for the first rung.
“Just hang on, we’ll pull you up!” someone calls out from above.
I lean on the ring buoy and nod to my sister. “Hold on tight.”
“I’m too weak.”
“You can do it, Margot,” I say, helping her grab onto the ladder. Her legs kick out behind her and I get another heel to the gut, grunting in pain.
But my sister succeeds in clinging onto the ladder, and I let out a sigh of relief.
The crew start to heave her up. She’s trembling, closing her eyes as they lift her up to the deck. As she gets to the top, half a dozen arms reach out to grab her and pull her to safety. Blowing the air out of my lungs, I shake my head.
She’s okay.
The ladder comes back down with another smack, and I glance up. Not one head pokes over the railing, and I can hear voices grow more distant as they bring Margot inside. I sigh, gripping the ladder as tightly as I can. I start a slow ascent, trembling as the adrenaline in my body begins to fade. I stumble on a rung about halfway up, and then take a deep breath to steady myself.
Glancing back up, my chest stings. Not a single person stayed back to help me. Everyone was so preoccupied with Margot that they left me here to struggle on my own. I blink back tears, mad at myself for caring.
Of course no one stayed. Why would anyone stay for me? Why would anyone care about Margot’s strange little sister? Why would anyone care that I just jumped in to save my sister’s life?
Pausing on the ladder again, I take a deep breath to steady myself. The muscles in my arms and legs are screaming, small spasms making it hard to climb up. I bite down on my bottom lip until I taste the coppery tang of blood, and then continue my ascent.
I climb up a bit farther, fueled by my anger. Tears blur my eyes and I take a deep breath before I reach the top, knowing that climbing over the railing when I’m wet, slippery, and emotional will be a difficult undertaking.
I don’t have time to compose myself, though, because two thick, strong arms reach down and pull me up the rest of the way.
Prince Luca’s warm, broad chest greets me next, and he carries me over the railing to the safety of the yacht. He wraps a towel around me, holding me close as he strokes my head.
“You okay?” His voice is soft. It doesn’t have the mocking edge that I’ve gotten used to.
I nod into his chest, trying to hide my sniffles. “I’m fine. Thank you for helping me on board.”
Instead of moving away, the Prince just stands there and holds me. His body is so warm. So safe. I close my eyes, leaning into his chest and inhaling the scent of his skin. I’m trembling now, cold from the water and the shock. Wiping my teary eyes, I pull away and glance toward the cabins.