Evan. Thank God.
Christopher immediately turned toward him, using Juliet as a shield. The two men pointed their weapons at each other.
“You don’t deserve her. You don’t take care of her. Don’t protect her. She deserves to be with me.” Christopher spat the words.
“Well…” Evan took a step forward, weapon still raised. “Why don’t we go sit down and talk about this, the three of us? If Lisa wants to leave me to be with you, I’m man enough to accept that.”
“No!” Christopher’s near hysteria echoed now. “You would try to trick her.”
He took another few steps backward, dragging Juliet with him until they were on the gangplank that led to the boat.
“Just put the gun down, Christopher, before someone gets hurt.” Evan tried to talk reason into the younger man, but he was far beyond that at this point.
“You’re the only one who’s going to get hurt!” he growled.
Juliet realized he was no longer waving his gun so wildly. He was taking aim at Evan, ready to shoot.
“No!” She screamed, throwing her weight into her captor, but he had already gotten off a shot.
Christopher crumpled onto her. He had been shot from a different angle, not by Evan. He seemed to be badly wounded, but wasn’t dead. His eyes fastened on hers as they hit the railing of the gangplank together.
“It’s over, Christopher. Bob’s never going to let you leave here with me. Just let me go,” she told the younger man.
Christopher looked over toward Evan, then back at her. He ran his fingers, now bloody, down her cheek. “We’re destined to be together, sweetheart. Even if it’s in death.”
Before Juliet could figure out what he meant to do, he threw all his weight forward over the railing, dragging her with him. She could hear Evan yelling for her as she fell with a splash into Annapolis Harbor.
The freezing water stole Juliet’s breath. Darkness and cold surrounded her, making orientation impossible. She fought to free herself from Christopher’s grip, but with her arms tied behind her back, there was little she could do. He didn’t fight, just wrapped his arms around her as they sank deeper and deeper. She finally hit the bottom of the harbor, landing face-first, with him on top of her.
Juliet’s lungs screamed for air. She bucked and twisted, to no avail, and was giving up hope when she felt Christopher’s body finally—finally—shift away. In the dark water she couldn’t tell what had happened. Had he lost consciousness? Died? Had someone pulled him off?
Juliet pushed off against the bottom as hard as she could, then kept kicking, but it wasn’t enough. With her hands restrained behind her back and the weight of her waterlogged clothes and shoes, she couldn’t get to the surface. She fought as hard as she could, but couldn’t reach the precious air. Juliet wasn’t even sure if she was heading in the right direction any longer. Blackness surrounded her.
She wouldn’t give up. She kept kicking, but the need for oxygen overrode everything. Instinct took over and she opened her mouth to breathe, but all she took in was water.
She stopped fighting as the blackness consumed her.
* * *
EVAN DIVED UNDER the water of the harbor again, as did Dylan and Sawyer. All of them screaming for Juliet.
It had been only moments since Christopher Cady had pulled her into the dark bay. But they were running out of time. Juliet was running out of time. Evan had found Cady in the depths, but hadn’t been able to find her. Evan didn’t even bother dragging Christopher up, just pushed him aside and kept searching for Juliet.
He couldn’t lose her. Not now, when they’d really just found each other.
But the black water seemed to swallow everything whole.
Evan wouldn’t give up. No matter what, he would keep searching for Juliet. He dived again, but in the opposite direction from where they’d been searching. He stretched his arms out as far as they would reach, hoping to feel her, since there was no way he’d be able to see her. He swam around until the need for air once again forced him upward.
And that’s when he felt something hit against his ankle. He immediately spun around in the water.
Juliet!
But she wasn’t swimming. Oh God, she wasn’t moving at all.
Evan grabbed her lifeless form and began dragging them both toward the surface. As he broke through, drawing in much-needed air, he realized Juliet wasn’t breathing.
“Sawyer, Dylan! I’ve got her!” They had to get her to shore so they could start CPR. It wasn’t too late. She hadn’t been in there that long.
It couldn’t be too late.
Evan dragged Juliet over to the pier, where her brothers had made their way out of the water. He handed her still form up to them.
Somebody cut the zip tie off her hands so she could lie flat on the pier. Both her brothers immediately began CPR, one giving breaths, one doing chest compressions, as Evan climbed up beside them.
In the pale light of the poorly lit pier, Juliet’s skin had a horrible bluish tinge to it. He didn’t know if it was from cold or lack of oxygen. Her lifelessness was the scariest thing Evan had ever seen.
He knelt beside her. “Come on, baby. Don’t you give up. Not now, not when we’ve just found each other.” Evan didn’t care if her brothers heard.
“Jules, I love you. I always have. Fight, baby. Fight for us.” Evan couldn’t stop the tears that were streaming down his cheeks. “I love you. I can’t live without you,” he whispered.
Juliet’s whole body seemed to convulse, causing her brothers to stop the CPR and pull back. They turned her to the side as she vomited half the harbor. Finally, she rolled onto her back of her own accord. Although she shivered, her skin had lost much of its blue tinge. Dylan and
