I nodded as I stepped away, Camaro following close behind as we maneuvered through the crowd with Sloane at our backs.I headed downstairs toward the primary bedroom, where I could pee in our private bathroom in peace.With the silence finally filling the room, I had a few seconds of clarity that I had hoped would help ease my anxiety.But they didn’t.
It was my damn thirtieth birthday, and I still couldn’t believe it, couldn’t believe how long it had already been, how much of my life I had already lost.And I hated wonderingifI would ever get any of it back.This pregnancy had changed everything and nothing at the same time, and I still had no idea how to cope with either.
After washing my hands, I stared at my reflection, eyeing the stupid heavy diamond dangling below my collarbone.To anyone else, it was a beautiful symbol of status, a token representative of a future I was terrified of.And soon, the room I stood in became smaller by the second, the air thinning with each breath I took.Time was slipping right through my fingers, along with every ounce of my control, and all I could do was watch.
I needed to get the fuck out.
Bursting through the bathroom door, I bulldozed past Camaro and Sloane and headed for the back entrance to the bow of the yacht.
“Jaden?Are you okay?What is wrong?”Sloane called behind me as she moved to catch up.
I ignored her as I made my way outside and grabbed the railings to suck in huge gulps of the crisp night air.
“Jaden, what is it?”Sloane asked as she looked me up and down.
“That fucking bastard,” I muttered bitterly into the wind.
“Huh?”
“He knew this would piss me off.”
“What would?”she asked.
“Everything!”I exclaimed, throwing my arm into the air.“The party, the surprise, the stupid fucking necklace.He just loves to piss me off!”
Sloane stood there in silence for a few moments as she stared at me.
“I don’t understand,” she stated, her brows furrowing.
I huffed a laugh.
“Welcome to my reality, where I understand very little as to why that psychopath in there loves to rile me up,” I snapped, pointing at the back deck of the yacht.
Sloane sighed as she raised her brows, then turned away to face the water with me.“This is why I never want to marry.”
I snorted at that.“Solid advice.”
Sloane allowed me about thirty seconds of solitary silence to stare up at the stars before disrupting my peace.“We should probably head back to the party.”
I was about to say fuck the party when the sound of a helicopter hovering nearby caught my ears.Even as we cruised along the coast of the Pacific Ocean, I could tell the helicopter was getting closer, but also seemingly slowing down.Then, its lights appeared in the distance, its trajectory looking like it would fly right over the bow of the yacht.
Dread spiked in the pit of my stomach.“Why does it look like it’s slowing down?”I asked aloud.
“Because it is,” Sloane answered, her tone suggesting potential trouble.
Great.
But we didn’t get much longer to dwell on it because as soon as I could see the make and model, the helicopter opened fire and started raining bullets down on us.
“Move!”Sloane shouted as she grabbed me by the back of the neck and hauled my body below hers.
Camaro immediately followed as we both quickly moved to hide in the cover of the stairway that led back inside to the main quarters.Bullets ricocheted in every direction as Sloane covered my body with hers while I covered Camaro with mine.
When the shooting stopped, Sloane pulled out both of her guns and returned fire.But by the time she did, four new gunmen had descended from the helicopter, sliding down ropes and unclipping themselves when their boots hit the floor.
Sloane fired off three more shots, sending the men scattering as she yelled back at me.
“Jaden, get inside!Now!”