A light flashed from the shoreline, and he paused for the briefest of seconds as his mind registered what he’d seen. “Shit!” He dropped the phone and dove for Brigid, taking her over the back of the speeding boat. They hit the churned-up water hard and went under.

He kept a strong hold on her and kicked to the surface just as the boat exploded, splintering fire, fiberglass, and wood in every direction. Brigid yelped, and he took her under again, letting the fire blow across the water where they’d just been. He held her under as long as he could and then looked up, finding a dark place to rise.

She sucked in air in large gasps, and he did the same. Fiery debris continued to fall all around them. “What in the world just happened?” she croaked, holding on to his shoulders as the water bobbed them around.

“Rocket launcher,” he said, looking toward the dark shoreline. He’d recognized the sound in a split second. Who would’ve thought Eddie Coonan had a rocket launcher he could fire from the beach? The damn thing must’ve been on a four-wheeler. “I underestimated that jackass.” His head ached, his hip hurt, and his chest felt like he’d landed on concrete. “You okay?”

“Yes.” She wiped salt water out of her eyes. “We have to get out of here.”

“Yes.” He let the water hold them up, but it was starting to push them toward the shore. “Tell me you can swim.”

Her thick hair darkened in the water. “I can swim. How about you? You were shot.”

“I’m fine.” They’d see if his legs continued to work or not. He pointed to a distant shore. “I’d rather swim there, if we can.” It was where he’d told Angus to have Wolfe meet them. “It’ll be safer than trying to run along the beach.” A boat engine ignited in the distance. He grasped her arm and started to swim around burning fiberglass. “Let’s get away from the wreckage and into the darkness before they reach this area.”

It was their only chance.

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Brigid could barely kick as they finally reached the dark beach, and she couldn’t even imagine how Raider was still swimming. She crawled up the sand and flopped there for a moment, letting gravity take her. Sand covered the side of her face, but she didn’t care.

Raider landed next to her and turned onto his back, breathing heavily. The ocean rolled in, spraying them as if sorry to let them go.

Wolfe came out of the darkness, silent and deadly. “Thought I might have to swim out and get you two. Saw the explosion and then spotted the two of you pretty quick, swimming. Trained with the SEALs for a bit, but I was meant for something else.”