Page 87 of Playing for Keeps

“See,” she told me, that glorious smile shining brighter than the sun. “I’ve got you. I won’t ever let you go.”

20

Jen

There was nothing but complete shock when Jim slammed into me and I tumbled over the side of the boat into the icy lake. It wasn’t the first time I’d been in water that cold, but before, it had always been on my terms. Something I could prepare for. Something I knew was going to happen.

I kicked and swam as hard as I could, shaking off Jim’s hands and getting as far away from him as possible as he flailed in the water like he had no experience swimming at all. For a split second, as I watched him struggle, I wanted to help. He was the CFO of the company I worked for. He was Aaron’s dad, and a human being who didn’t deserve to die a horrible death by drowning.

But then he saw me, his mouth spewing drunken curses, and I knew he didn’t deserve my help. Not after what he did. To me. To Kelly. To all those girls.

Jim’s attention was pulled away from me as something splashed into the lake not far from the boat. The helicopter overhead dipped, the pilot’s wide eyes staring out at the black lake. His mouth moving like he was yelling at me, but I couldn’t hear a word.

Unaffected by the helicopter overhead, Jim splashed his way toward whatever had hit the water. Then my heart stopped as the man reached under the waves and pulled someone out.

Not just someone.

Vinny.

I couldn’t hear what Jim said to him, but before I could move, he plunged Vinny under the water again. Immediately, I swam forward, ignoring the sting of the water at the wounds on my wrists. My chilled muscles ached, my lungs burned in the cold. Each stroke brought out a new pain, but I had to push them all away. To focus on stopping the man who threatened to take away my love.

“She’s mine,” Parker slurred, struggling to stay afloat. His hand was tight around Vinny’s throat, and I could see those beautiful blue eyes of his rolling back in his head. “She’s mine, not yours. They promised me I could have her, and I won’t let you take that away.”

“Go to hell!” I swung, but not like I had on the boat. This was no batting practice, no bar swung to protect my life. This was Lee’s knife, in my hand, aimed at the back of the man who killed my friend.

My voice caught him before the knife did. He swung around, dipping into the water as he went, and the knife missed his back entirely. Instead, it sank into his throat, tearing through and cutting, spraying blood all around. He dropped his grip on Vinny’s throat in order to clutch his own, and both bodies sank into the lake. As Jim thrashed, Vinny slid under the waves, his body succumbing to the water as it pulled him down.

“Vinny!” Kicking Jim away, I dove under the surface and grabbed Vinny around the waist. I pulled him up until his head reached the air, but I wasn’t sure if he was breathing. “Help!”

Kicking toward the boat, I did everything I could to keep Vinny’s head out of the water, crooning to him between yelling for help. “I’ve got you,” I told him. “You’re safe. Just hold on.”

“Jen!” Hanging off the ladder on the back of the boat was Mitch. Some man, dressed like him but unfamiliar to me, stood above him with his hand gripping the back of Mitch’s vest.

“Help!” I kicked harder, my desperation pushing me forward. “Get him out! He’s not breathing!”

Mitch scooped his hand down, grabbing ahold of the back of Vinny’s vest, the man behind him helping to haul my love out of the water. Once he was safely on deck, Mitch turned and extended his hand to me, hauling me to the ladder before helping me up.

“Vinny!” I was at his side in an instant, checking his airway and his pulse. His heartbeat was weak, his breathing non-existent. I tipped his head back and started CPR. Mitch worked beside me, pumping Vinny’s chest as I blew into his lungs, and I prayed with everything inside of me that this wouldn’t be the end.

“The fuck happened?” Lee’s deep voice grumbled through the cold night air, and I risked a glance at him as I tried to take a breath. He stood there like a mountain, my friend Kelly nothing but a tiny bird in his arms.

“Palmer took Jen over the side of the boat and Vin jumped in after her,” Mitch told him, his voice jumping in time with the compressions he was doing on Vinny’s chest.

“Out of the helo?” There was anger there in Lee’s tone, but also something like awe. He muttered, “Crazy motherfucker,” before yelling at his men. “Dennis, Johns, join Maxwell on the bridge. We’re taking these three back to the hospital ASAP. Bring the boat back, we’ll have police waiting when you get there.”

A sudden gasp came from below me, followed by a violent cough. I pulled away from Vinny, peering down into pale blue eyes prickled with dots of red. “Vin.” He opened his mouth, but I put a finger to his lips. “Shh. Don’t talk. Just rest. You’re safe now. Everything will be okay.”

“Hold on, brother.” Mitch secured a brace around Vinny’s neck, then he and Warren tipped Vinny to the side before strapping him to a stretcher and lifting him up. The two of them helped load Vinny onto the waiting helicopter, then hoisted me up before giving Lee a hand. Once we were all onboard, Warren hopped off, saluted his boss, then ran off toward the bow of the boat.

Secured in my seat, wrapped up in a thick blanket, I reached down and touched Vinny’s arm, trying to let him know I was there and okay. Next to me, Kelly had curled in on herself, and my heart broke when I reached for her and she pulled away.

We’d set out to save her, and though she was with us, though Vinny and I were here and everyone would be okay, I feared what would happen. What would become of my friend.

* * *

The minute we landed, Officer Linden was there, making his way under the rotors of the helicopter with the paramedics. Vinny, Kelly, and I were whisked away to the hospital while Lee and Mitch stayed behind to talk to the police. After I was bandaged and declared healthy enough to move, the nurses let me peek in on Kelly.

She was curled up on her bed, blankets tucked around her like she was a child. The quiet beep, beep, beep of her heart monitor was an eerie background music in the room.