Perfect Target, page 27
She shook her head in bemusement, not even wanting to know how he'd done that. "It won't work."
"It will absolutely work. I've thought of everything. Don't worry. It will be over fast. Well, the bomb part anyway," he said with an evil smile. "We have some time before then. And like I said, we have unfinished business."
Her breathing was coming too fast. She had to find a way to calm down. She had to stay focused on the one hopeful part of his statement. They had time. "Who else is on the boat?"
"No one will come to your rescue, Piper. We're alone."
"I don't understand. Why did you kill your father?"
"This isn't a Q&A. I don’t have to tell you anything."
"What does it matter if you do?" she challenged. "You're going to kill me. Don’t you want to tell me about your big plan? You were always so ambitious, so determined to be someone important. How does killing your father make that happen?"
"My father was getting in my way."
She shook her head in confusion. "Your father could have only helped you, not hurt you. He was a popular politician. His support could have taken you to the top."
"Only after he was done, and that wouldn't be for years. He had made it clear he wasn't going to compete with me. I needed to wait, but I didn't want to wait that long. I also couldn't trust that he'd support me."
"Why wouldn't he? You were his son."
"He didn't care about me when I was growing up," Joel said bitterly. "It was the Larry show all the time—every minute, every day. He didn't want me at his parties, at his events, especially when I got older. He said I aged him." Joel paused. "But his friends liked me. And they had even better parties that they were happy to invite me to. They appreciated the fact that I could improve their guest list with girls my age."
It made sense, but she was surprised. Joel had never been on the radar, not by her or anyone in her group. He must have been working girls she didn't know. "I can't believe you were pimping for your dad's friends."
"And for myself."
"Not for your dad?"
"No. But he found out what I was doing a short time ago, and told me to shut it down. He didn't trust me to be smart about it. But I was smarter than all of them. I've been recording their parties for years. I've been taking photos, keeping evidence, that I knew would be valuable. Where do you think all those photos of you came from?"
Her jaw dropped open. "That was you?"
"Not all me, but mostly me. I have dirt on everyone, and I can use it at any second. But I won't have to because they'll pay me not to. They'll support my ambition. Cawley, Nicholson, Trent—they'll all put me in the White House."
She could see the obsessive madness burning in his gaze. "If you had something on your father, why did you have to kill him? Why not just blackmail him?"
"I told you, he was in my way. Now that he's gone, his fans will put his hardworking son into his senate seat. And his friends will support me."
"Do they know you killed him?"
Joel shrugged. "I'm sure they have some suspicion, but it won't matter. There's no trail."
"There's the man who planted the device and took a shot at me. The security guard in the hospital might wake up. Spalding's death will also lead to an investigation. And there's no way whatever happens here tonight won't be traced back to you. The FBI will find you, Joel."
"No, they won't," he said, aggressive anger in his voice. "If they find the bomber who was also the sniper, he'll link back to Nicholson. I made sure of that."
"What about Kevin Richards?" she asked curiously. "Did you take him out, too?"
His gaze suddenly narrowed as he cocked his head to the right, giving her a thoughtful look. "You know too much. Did my father tell you something?"
She debated how to answer that question. Maybe she needed to give Joel something to worry about. "Your father told me he was worried about you, about your ambition. He thought it was making you reckless. But he also said something about insurance. I didn't know what he meant at the time, but now I do. He had something tucked away that he could use against you, against his own son, if he needed to. It's out there somewhere, Joel. Your dad was just as smart as you."
"You're lying."
"I'm not. I didn't understand exactly what he was saying when he told me he was concerned about you, that he thought your bad decisions would one day haunt not only you but also him, but he was going to make sure that didn't happen."
"He wouldn't say that to you."
"He felt nostalgic when we spoke," she said, adding to her lies. "I grew up with you and Lindsay. In that moment, I felt like one of his kids to him. Lindsay doesn't know any of this, does she?"
"Of course not," he said. "Lindsay was always protected by my father. He didn't give a shit about me. I was his competition. She was his girl. So, where's this alleged insurance?"
"Why would I tell you? You're going to kill me either way, but you won't last long. If your father's insurance doesn't come to light, the others will take you down. They're not going to just go along with your plan. They're powerful men."
"They don't have the guts to act as boldly as I have. I saw what cowards they were when Richards was about to be investigated. They didn't know what the hell to do. So I took care of things. I turned off the spotlight that would have encompassed everyone, and for that they'll owe for the rest of their lives."
"You had the whole world at your feet. Why did you have to turn into such a monster pervert?"
"You don't know anything about me."
"I know a lot more than you might think." Her bravado could work against her, but she might never have a chance to say what she thought. "And I'm not the only one. Even if you kill me, there are people who will take down you and every one of your friends. Nicholson, Cawley, and Trent will end up broke and in jail, and you'll have no one to help you, Joel. Your insurance won't be worth shit. They'll turn on you. And all the people below them will talk to save themselves. I'm just sorry for your mother and for Lindsay. They didn't deserve you or Larry."
"No one beats me," he said with a furious cockiness. "Certainly not you." He moved closer to the bed. "You always treated me like gum on the bottom of your shoe. You thought you were so much better than me. Everybody's princess was really just a drunken whore. And I'm going to get what I should have gotten before." He looked down at his watch. "This is going to be the best nineteen minutes of my life."
"That's all you can do—nineteen minutes?" she asked scornfully. "What a man!"
"I could do you all night, but I have to get back to my family, and that's all the time you have left in this world, before the big boom."
She glanced at the clock—it was eight-eleven She'd be dead by eight-thirty.
Nineteen minutes. How was she going to stop him?
Joel looked down at her, and she cringed at the menace in his eyes. Then he grabbed the bodice of her dress and ripped it in two, his hands coming down on her breasts. She couldn't stand it. She couldn't take it.
She might not have her hands, but she could use her legs. She kicked up at him with wildness and as much power as she could find, making it hard for him to touch her.
He lifted his hand and slapped her hard.
She tasted blood on her lips.
She struggled and kicked. He hit her again, his fist connecting with her cheekbone, sparking an adrenaline-fueled rage within her. She launched her body off the mattress and kicked him in the groin.
He screamed with fury as he grabbed his crotch. His eyes burned when he looked at her, and she knew he was going to kill her before he blew the boat up.
But then someone came through the door behind him, tackling him from behind.
Beck!
Her heart jumped into her throat. She couldn't believe he'd found her. Worry followed her relief. Time was ticking down and she didn't want Beck to die for her.
Thankfully, Joel had been weakened by her attack, and he was no match for Beck, who went after him like a man possessed.
Beck punched Joel in the face, in the gut, throwing him on the ground, pounding his head into the floor until he finally went limp, blood streaming from his nose and mouth.
And then Beck jumped to his feet and ran over to her. "My God, Piper! What did he do?"
"Not as much as he wanted to," she said. "I'm okay, but we don't have much time." She glanced at the clock. It was eight-twenty-four. "We only have six minutes, Beck, and then another bomb is going off."
He looked at her in shock. "We better move fast!"
She tugged on the cuffs. "I'm not going anywhere. Unless you have a key, you need to leave, Beck. You saved me from him. He didn't rape me. Now save yourself."
"I'm not leaving without you."
"You have to. I don't want you to die."
"I'm not going to die, and neither are you. I need something." He looked around the room. "Hang on." He ran out the door, and she could barely breathe as she watched the clock tick off another minute.
Then Beck came running back. He had something small and silver in his hand. It was a paperclip.
"That's it? That's the plan? A paperclip? You have to leave Beck."
"It will work. Hold on."
She waited in agonizing impatience as he inserted the clip into the lock and twisted it. When it didn't immediately open, she cried out. "Beck, please go."
But he wasn't listening to her. His single-minded focus and calm were in full force. After a few more moves, the lock opened, and her hands were released.
Painful tingles shot down her arms, but she didn't care.
Beck pulled her to her feet, and they ran up the stairs and onto the deck. There were two smaller boats tied up to the yacht. One that Beck had arrived in. The other was Joel's escape boat. Beck pushed her into the smaller motorboat.
"What about Joel?" she asked, as he started the engine.
"No time!" He barely got the words out before a horrific explosion lit up the air, and their boat was tossed high up into the air in a fiery mix of smoke, flames and debris.
When she landed, she was no longer in the boat.
She was in the water, going deeper and deeper and deeper.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The water was freezing. Her heart stopped. She was sinking like a dead weight. But she wasn't dead.
That thought jumpstarted her brain, and she started kicking as hard as she could, propelling herself back to the surface of the water. It seemed to take forever, her chest straining for air, her mind panicked but working again.
Finally, she broke through, gasping as the air hit her face. She looked around in a daze. There was fire and smoke everywhere, but the center of the flames was now at least fifty yards away. Around her were burning pieces of the boats.
What she couldn't see was Beck. Her pulse leapt in fear once more.
"Beck," she shouted. Her voice carried on the breeze. She couldn't hear him thrashing about, and the waves were moving her up and down, blocking the complete scene from her view. She was a good swimmer, but she knew she wasn't going to be able to swim forever.
It didn't have to be forever, she told herself. Beck had probably told his team where he was going. They'd be coming soon. But right now, treading water in the middle of the dark ocean, surrounded by flames, she felt very much alone.
Fearful tears pricked at her eyes once more. It couldn't end like this.
Beck had come to save her, and he'd refused to leave, even knowing that there was a bomb. He'd put his life on the line for her more than once, and it was her turn. She wasn't going to give up without fighting for him just as hard as he'd fought for her.
They'd been close together when the bomb went off. He couldn't be that far away. She swam toward whatever seemed to be moving in the water. The first was just a plank from the boat. She grabbed on, using it like a kickboard to prop herself up higher in the water.
And then, in the light of another burning piece of wood, she saw Beck. She let go of the plank and swam toward him. He was already sinking back under the surface when she got there. She grabbed his arm and pulled his head above water. "Beck," she said loudly.
His eyes were closed, and there was a gash on his head.
"Wake up," she said, shaking him. He didn't respond. She had to get through to him. "Beck, I need you." She tried to pull him toward her, but he was very heavy, and he was already slipping out of her grasp. "You have to help me. Come on, wake up, please. I can't do this without you."
His eyes finally fluttered open. He looked at her in a daze. "Piper? Where?"
"We're in the ocean and we need to swim. You have to try to kick. Okay?"
He didn't answer her, but as she pulled him toward another floating board, he attempted a weak kick. It was just enough to get them through the water. Thankfully, this piece of wood was much bigger. She got his hands on the edge, then said, "Hang on. I'm going to climb up, and then I'm going to get you up."
"Tired," he muttered.
"I know. So am I. But you can do it. We have to do it."
"Save yourself, Piper."
"I'm saving both of us."
She pushed herself up onto the wood, which was about four-feet wide and six-feet long. It seemed solid enough to make a sustainable raft as long as she could get Beck on board. Once she had stabilized herself on her hands and knees, she put her hands on his upper arms. She could feel his muscles, but he was still so dazed by his head injury that she didn't know if he could use them.
"Beck," she said loudly. "You have to help me."
She tried to pull him up, but he barely moved.
"Please," she begged, as terror swamped her once more. "You have to try, Beck. Just kick your feet, push up on your hands. We're so close. You can do it."
"Do it," he echoed, his lips tightening.
She put her hands under his arms and pulled as hard as she could. He made a valiant effort, too, pushing his chest out of the water. Another breath-straining minute, and he fell across the plank, getting most of his body out of the sea.
The movement sent their makeshift raft rocking, threatening to tip them back into the ocean.
She held on tight while the waves settled down. Then she helped him get his legs out of the water until he was finally laying on his side. She scooted over to him, putting her arm around his back so he couldn't roll off.
"You did it," she said.
The moonlight moved across his face as he stared back at her. "You did it, Piper."
Tears streamed down her face, mixing with the seawater dripping from her hair. "We're both alive. That's what matters."
"Should have gotten you out sooner," he murmured, his eyes fluttering again.
"You have to stay awake," she told him. "You have a head injury. I don't know how bad it is, but it's important you stay alert until we get help. Did you tell anyone where I was?"
"Told 'em when I got to the boat. Should be coming," he said sleepily.
"Well, until help gets here, you have to keep me calm, because I'm starting to panic," she said. "So, we're going to play that game. A is for apple. B is for…"
"Tired. Can't think."
"You have to think. What is B for? How about banana? Now C. I'm going to pick cauliflower, even though it's one of my least favorite vegetables. It's just so bland. Although, I probably just don’t cook it right. Your turn. D is for…" When he didn't reply, she shook him. "Beck, please, you have to play." Desperation filled her voice.
His eyes stayed closed, and she felt overwhelmed with fear that he was going to die. She leaned forward and put her mouth on his. His lips were cold. She kissed him as hard as she could, desperately wanting to warm him up.
Finally, he started to respond. He kissed her back, and relief ran through her.
His eyes opened again.
"Were you just kissing me?" he asked in bemusement.
"Yes. To wake you up. Just like Sleeping Beauty." Her tears were happier now. "It worked."
"Well, I didn't want to miss kissing you." He lifted his hand, his finger sliding down the side of her face. "I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologize. You found me, and you saved me. I knew you'd come."
"I shouldn't have let him take you."
"That was my fault. I left the church, because I saw Joel, and I suddenly remembered."
"Remembered what?"
"His stupid ringtone—SexyBack. That song played in my head from that night on the yacht seven years ago. It was Joel. He was the one who attacked me. When I saw him, when I heard the ringtone, it clicked in my mind. I was too shocked to hide it. Joel knew that I knew. I ran out the nearest door, and I ended up in the cemetery. I tripped. I think I lost my watch."
"I found it. That's how I knew you were gone."
"Someone hit me over the head. I'm pretty sure it was Joel. When I woke up, I was on the boat. I have no idea how I got there."
"I think Joel's security helped him."
"That makes sense. Joel told me he killed Larry. He killed his own father. And he was working with all the other men. He was one of them. In fact, he killed Richards because he thought the spotlight on Richards would ruin them all. We can talk about it later. What matters is that I'm okay, and you're okay."
"You call this okay?" he muttered. "We're floating on a board in the middle of the ocean."
"But we're still breathing. You scared me, Beck. When I found you, you were unconscious. I was afraid you wouldn't wake up. Does your head hurt?"
"Yes. But I'll survive."
"You better."
"I won't leave you alone, Piper. I'm never going to leave you alone."
"I'm never going to leave you alone," she replied, giving him another emotion-filled kiss. Her eyes watered with tears. "You are the most amazing man I've ever met. I knew you would do everything you could to find me, and you didn't let me down."
"I was almost too late. I'm sorry," he said again.
"Stop apologizing. None of this is your fault."
"It's my fault that we were fighting today," he said.
