“Goodnight, Blair,” I think I hear him murmur before the world goes dark.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Jess

Morning comes quickly after we finally drift off. I wake because the sun is burning into my eyelids, making it feel as though I’m lying directly under it. I groan and stretch. Dimitri is wrapped around me, his hard body pressed against mine. There’s a massive amount of heat between us and the moment I shift out of his arms, it escapes, letting me feel the cool breeze outside.

I get to my knees, looking down at Dimitri.

He’s half on his side, half on his back. His dark hair is messy, and there are twigs poking out from the thick depths. His skin is dirty and he looks like he’s done two rounds with a puddle of mud yet he looks so utterly perfect my breath catches in my throat. I manage to compose myself enough to steady my breathing. I focus on inhaling the fresh morning breeze.

I walk over to the stream and kneel down, my knees burning as small rocks poke into my skin. I shift and groan, cupping my hands and placing them into the water. I splash my face and then turn my attention to washing my arms and trying to remove some of the dirt I’ve managed to accumulate through the night.

“You’re crazy.”

I turn and see Dimitri staring down at me. He’s shirtless and he’s got a hand up in his hair, tugging the thick strands, trying to tidy them up.

“It’s a good way to wake up,” I say, splashing my face again.

“It’s fucking cold.”

“Yes, yes it is.”

He kneels beside me and dunks his shirt in. He lifts it, wrings it out and presses it against his face. He shudders and makes a horrified sound, then turns to me with a wide-eyed expression.

“I’ll say it again, you’re crazy.”

I shrug and get to my feet. “Crazy and starving. Are you ready to get going?”

He nods and throws his shirt over his shoulder. I stare down at his ankle—it’s far less swollen and he seems to be able to put pressure on it, so that’s a good thing.

“How’s your leg?”

He stares down at it and shrugs again. “The bleeding has stopped on the gash and my ankle feels a lot better.”

“Good. Do you need your stick?” I ask, nodding toward the tree where he laid it.

“Yeah, can’t hurt.”

He walks over and takes it, and we head back to the camp.

“Talk about fuckin’ scare us!” Luke mutters, shoving Dimitri in the shoulder.

“Sorry. We didn’t want to risk walking at night and my ankle was killing me.”

I give the group a brief smile and then turn and head toward the ship. They’ve been all over Dimi since we got back, making sure he’s okay. For a moment, just a small second, this group reminded me of Hendrix and the pirates. My heart aches to know if they’re okay, but there’s no way for me to do that. I just have to hang in there until a plan becomes more clear.

I do know one thing, though.

I can’t kill Dimi.

Part of me wanted to, thinking it was truly the only way I could save Hendrix, but now I’ve learned a little more about him—I realize I just can’t do it. Dimitri isn’t bad at heart. Hell, he’s not even really bad anywhere else either. He’s just looking for a way to bring himself peace. I can’t judge him for that. I’ve been in that position before. Even if it was for just a little while, I’ve still been there.

“Hey, Jess.”

I turn at the sound of Dimi’s voice. His eyes meet mine and I can see genuine gratitude in their depths.

“Thank you.”

I give him a weak smile and nod, then I turn and continue on my way back to the ship.

Something doesn’t feel right in my belly, and I’m not sure what it is.

Dimitri

“I can’t find him. We’ve been out here two weeks and I’ve let out every fucking radar we have and he hasn’t come,” I mutter, pacing up and down the sand two days after we docked at the island.

“I don’t know, boss,” Luke says, putting his hands on his hips and leaning against a tall palm tree.

“He’s up to something. He’s smarter than I thought. I was expecting him to go to any lengths to get Jess back, but he’s not. He’s making us wait, he’s making us think he’s forgotten about her. Luckily for me, I know that’s not the case.”

She isn’t easy to forget.

I shake her from my head. I shake the memories of her curled in my arms all night and the fact that I didn’t feel sick being so close to her. I shake the feelings that are swelling in my chest. She can’t mean anything to me, it’s not how this plan was meant to unfold.

“Maybe something has happened to him?” Luke suggests, snapping me back to reality.

I shake my head. “No, he’s too smart for that. He’s working something. I’m just not sure what it is.”

“Well, there are definitely other ships out there. Marco picked some up this morning, southwest, about a hundred miles.”

I nod. “We’re spending only one more night here. Chances are they’re just carrier ships, but I am not naive enough to think we’re the only criminals on this ocean. Hendrix ain’t the only one either.”

“More pirates?”

“Yeah, more pirates.”

He nods and pulls out a cigarette. “See Linden got a boar this morning? Having a cookout tonight.”

“Yeah,” I say, staring out at the ocean.