ChapterTwenty-Nine
Alex
Nothing can penetrate the cold shell I’ve slipped over my shoulders like armor. The spicy air nips my cheeks as I encourage the speedboat to race across the water, trying to determine how fast I can go before I panic. But my adrenaline never seems to rise, and my heart doesn’t thump wildly as it did just days ago in the Somerville Carriage House.
It’s quiet in my body—but I’m no fool. I can tell the thick clouds swirling in my chest are waiting for the right moment to release the heavy rains they carry, a storm brimming on the horizon of my mind. What flashes across my vision isn’t lightning but instead the impressive image of Lev’s face drawn in tight determination.
My fingers tighten on the wheel as I slow the boat. The wind drops and the rippling waves created by the dingy structure float outward, wide rings echoing toward the shore. It’s not until the boat reaches the center of the lake that I turn to Demetra.
A small smile curves her lips, silent reassurance that I don’t have to say a damn word if I don’t want to. That’s what I love most about her company. While other people try to fill the silence with syllables, Demetra simply enjoys the symphony of quiet. Her presence is enough to put me at ease even when the wider world of Macedon—that which surpasses the social realm—thickens with danger.
Parting my lips barely takes any effort, grateful words seated on the edge of my tongue and ready to travel the short distance between us, but they crack when they leave my mouth. A loud bang erupts behind us and we spin around to witness a horror unearthing from the belly of the boat, a black-clad lithe figure in a ski mask wielding a hunting knife. Was he hiding beneath us the whole time?
The silver blade glints in the sun. Its persistent wink reminds me of things that it shouldn’t—that necklace my father gave me on my birthday, the diamond earrings my mother wore for her wedding anniversary, sunlight glinting off a windshield while rolling through the countryside. None of these things matter right now, with my life hanging in the balance.
My eyes cut to Demetra. No, this can’t happen.
Coach Neill’s instructions float through my ears as easily as they did on the day of my training. I take a deep breath, allow my vision to zoom in on my target, and then leap into action. The speedboat is small, allowing very little room to move, but I use this to my advantage. While Demetra presses herself to the dashboard of the boat, I focus on pushing our attacker to the back toward the propeller—to turn him into fish bait.
I think you’re skilled enough to kill, Alex.
The attacker juts the knife forward, inspiring me to twist my body while clapping my hands over the hilt. Using my body weight, I stab my elbow into the center of his chest and then knock him beneath his chin, disorienting him enough to loosen the knife from his grip. While the knife clatters to the ground, the attacker knocks me with his forehead, causing me to stumble back.
Demetra catches me and hiccups fearfully. “Be careful!”
I lunge forward without hesitation, instinct taking over. This is what inspires my adrenaline to explode, blood pumping so hard through my body that it fuels my motions without having to think. But I have to think, I remind myself while scrambling for the hunting knife. A good strategy starts with a thought.
My vision zeros in on his eyes as he reaches for the knife at the same time. I abandon the knife and grab his face, pressing my thumbs into his eye sockets. The way he screams makes Demetra respond behind me, her shouts incoherent over the sound of my blood thundering in my ears. I land my knee in his throat and send him flying back, a hoarse choke echoing from him as he lands on his ass. He reaches instinctively for his throat, giving me the opening I need.
I sweep the knife from the ground, close the gap between us, and bury the blade beneath his left armpit, listening with satisfaction to the wet croak that bubbles from his lips. He huffs for air as he tries to grab my throat, inspiring me to twist the knife deeper.
“It’s a long blade, buddy,” I whisper to him while he struggles to push my face away from him. “The more you struggle, the faster you die. Up to you.”
A few seconds later, he slumps against the side of the boat. Blood pools next to his hip, staining the dingy white wood. It needs a paint job, so what’s a little bloodstain?
“Alex.”
I stare at my palms, realizing the power I wield. I can maim. I can kill.
“Are you okay?”
My fate is finally in my own hands, even if it might not seem that way outwardly. Appearances aren’t everything. I just proved that by killing a man who should have been stronger than me.
“We should call the police.”
Her suggestion yanks me out of my meditative state. I turn to meet her fearful gaze, frigid with determination. “No.”
“What?”
“If anyone finds out, I’ll be in trouble.”
She looks worriedly at the motionless body. “But he tried to kill us. If we just say…”
I shake my head. “You never snitch, Demetra.” I rest my hand on her shoulder. “Cops can’t help us. We have to handle this ourselves.”
Reluctantly, she puts away her phone. She’s shivering violently right down to her eyeballs. The poor girl looks like she’s about to be sick. And maybe I’m feeling the same way.
Or maybe I’m feeling like I can finally do something about my shitty life.