Heart of the Wolf (The Heart Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  “I have to say I agree with you, but that doesn’t mean I want you putting yourself at risk.” He removed his hand, and I immediately missed his touch.

  “I’m already at risk.” There was no sense pretending. “Don’t pretend otherwise.”

  “Do you want me to disconnect the wires? You can wait on the top deck. It might not reach—”

  I cut him off. “Oh, so the magical weapon isn’t going to reach me on the top deck? Come on, it would blow up the rest of these boxes… hey, earlier you said we can’t dump these boxes because we wouldn’t find out who wants them, but what if that’s our only choice? We can’t let these weapons fall into the wrong hands.”

  “Whoa.” Carter shook his head. “I know where your mind is going. We can’t do that.”

  “Can’t because it isn’t what your bosses want? Come on, destroying these weapons is the most important thing.” I was right, and he knew it.

  “We can’t because you have to survive.”

  “What if we could get off the boat first?” An idea was forming.

  “How? Someone has to set off the bomb.”

  “Not necessarily. Can I see that diagram again for the really large bomb? The one twice the size of this one?”

  “Sure.” He flipped through the rolled up papers and flattened the one I wanted in front of us. “Yes!” Excitement flooded me. “See that?” I pointed to a dark black section on the bottom of the bomb.

  “I see it. What is that?”

  “A timer. We can set it. Blow everything up here in the middle of the ocean where they can’t hurt anyone.”

  “How long can we set the timer for? How can we get away from the boat before it goes off?” He asked question after question, but he didn’t argue.

  “A lifeboat. I saw one up on the top deck. We’d take Matheson and that captain too.”

  “Ok, and what happens when our enemies show up? We fight them while on a life boat?”

  “Your bosses are supposed to get here as back up anyway. We don’t have to be here.”

  “I do. That’s part of the mission.” His expression turned serious. “I can’t just abandon ship.”

  “Then screw the mission.” I jumped to my feet. “I’d like to live, and I’d like you to live too. I’d even like to see you when this is all over.”

  His face relaxed. “I’d like to see you too, but that’s going to be hard if we let these lunatics go and don’t find out who they really are. Besides, I don’t know what my bosses are going to do.”

  “You may have a point with the first one, but the second is a joke. Your bosses try to mess with you, and I’ll take care of them.”

  “Feeling feisty huh?” He grinned.

  “I’m not willing to sacrifice my life and yours for this.” I was right, and I wasn’t backing down. “Let’s find Matheson. He might know a faster way to find the bomb we need.”

  “All right. I can’t promise he’s going to like it.”

  “Then he can stay on the boat and blow up for all I care. Even if I manage to take the chip out of one bomb, do you realize how long it’s going to take me to do the others? This is our best course of action.”

  “I hate that you’re right.”

  “Why? Don’t like a girl calling the shots?” I put a hand on my hip.

  “No. I don’t like that we have to do this. Stop trying to make me out to be a sexist pig.”

  “I’ll try not to. It’s a habit.” I was so burnt after what the Wellingtons did; it was hard to remember that so far Carter had done nothing but help me. “Ok, let’s go talk to Matheson.”

  “You’re the one who’s going to tell him.” Carter rubbed the back of his neck.

  “Why me?”

  “Because if I were him I’d have a far easier time listening to you than me.”

  “Works for me.” I eyed the bomb on the floor. I couldn’t believe I’d be opening another one. I led the way up both sets of metal stairs. I wasn’t worried about making noise this time, and before long we reached the door to the pilots room.

  I knocked.

  Matheson pulled the door open. “Back so soon?”

  “We need to destroy these bombs,” I spilled out.

  “I was wondering when you were going to figure that out. I would have suggested it myself, but this isn’t my mission. The doc’s partner made it clear he appreciated the help, but this is your business.”

  “He’s not a doctor.”

  “I know, but I either call him that or I call him kid.”

  “Doc works.” Carter met my eye. “Hope is right. This is the only course of action. If the Rangers are coming, it shouldn’t matter. We have to be getting close to the new drop site. The buyers should be somewhere in the area. This way we can make sure the weapons don’t fall into the wrong hands.”

  “I assume we’ll be off the boat when you blow them up? Want to take this louse with us?” He pointed a thumb back inside the room to the tied-up captain.

  “Yes, he may prove useful later.” Carter glanced at me as if to make sure I agreed.

  I nodded. “My thoughts exactly.”

  Matheson smiled. “Good. What do you need before we go?”

  “I need to find this bomb.” I unrolled the diagram.

  “Got it. I know exactly where it is.”

  “Great. Let’s find it. While I work you guys need to collect supplies.” It felt good to take charge. I had no room in my busy head to doubt myself. “We may not get picked up for awhile. As I told Carter, I’m not putting my trust in anyone outside of us.” I pushed away the idle question swirling through my mind: was I making the right decision?

  Sixteen

  Carter

  Hope was right. We couldn’t just sit there and wait. She was also right that we didn’t have time to disassemble each of the bombs individually. I’d been an idiot to even consider the idea. I needed to stop focusing on the future so much that I lost sight of the here and now. I had to prevent the Wellingtons and their partners from hurting thousands, if not more, humans. I couldn’t forget that truth no matter how much I wanted to wait until I had more answers. But still, no matter how much I tried to focus on the present, I knew that discovering the identity of the partners was paramount to avoiding the possibility of another one of these crises somewhere down the line. The Wellingtons may have been the head of the snake, but we also had to worry about this being the kind of snake with two heads.

  With Matheson’s help we found the right crate easily. Quickly we abandoned the idea of lifting the large bomb from the box. It filled nearly the entire space. Instead we split open one side of the crate.

  Hope kneeled beside the crate and went to work opening the casing. She looked back and forth between the diagram and the actual bomb a few times. “Could you stop hovering? You’re making me nervous.”

  “Oh. Sorry.” I stepped back. I couldn’t leave. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her, or didn’t think she was capable, but she was doing something major. I needed to be around in case she needed help. Besides, maybe I’d learn something from watching.

  It turned out she did need my help. I rotated the bomb a few times to give her a different view. While Hope worked on the timer, and I attempted to assist, Matheson collected supplies.

  I checked my watch a few times when I knew Hope wasn’t watching. I had no interest in stressing her out or rushing her, but as we didn’t know exactly where the boat was going, we didn’t know how much, or more likely how little, time we had left.

  Thirty minutes later we were staring at the bright red digits of a timer. “I can’t set it for more than two minutes.”

  I nodded. “Ok, that’s fine.”

  “You think we can all get off this boat and far enough away in two minutes?” Worry lines crossed her face.

  “No.” I braced myself for her reaction to what I was about to say. I’d gotten a look at the map on the bridge before we’d gone searching for the bomb. It wouldn’t be too far of a stretch to believe the lifeboat woul
d be found if they went in the general direction of the Hawaiian Islands. I had to hope the Rangers would come, but if they didn’t we needed a plan B.

  But that would only matter if we were far enough away from the boat when the bomb went off. I couldn’t be sure of it. Two minutes wasn’t all that long of a time, so I saw only one possible solution. “You and Matheson are going to take our bound-up friend and get as far away as you can. I’ll stay back and set the bomb.”

  “Absolutely not!” she screamed. I’d been prepared for her to argue, but not for that kind of reaction. “You can’t put yourself at risk.”

  “We are all at risk unless I do. You need to get the word out about the Wellingtons. There’s no choice.” I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

  “I’m not going to let you stay back and die.” Tears welled in her eyes. “It’s not happening.”

  “I’m not going to stay on the boat. I’ll jump off as soon as I set the timer. I’ll swim in the direction of the boat. I’m a fast swimmer.”

  She wiped away some tears, and I wished I could do it for her. “You’re not that fast.”

  “Have you ever seen me swim?” I forced a smile, even though watching the sadness on her face made me anything but happy.

  She shook her head. “I don’t have to see you swim to know you’ll still be in danger.”

  “You’ll still be in danger even on the lifeboat,” I admitted. “This whole situation is dangerous. Every second we wait it gets more dangerous.”

  “He’s right, you know.” Matheson’s voice came from the stairs. “We need to get moving.”

  Hope nodded. “I don’t like this.”

  “Neither do I. I don’t have a death wish, but neither do any of those innocent people that may die if we can’t detonate these weapons in a safe place. At least I signed up for this.”

  My words had their intended effect. “Ok, but you better swim fast.”

  I smiled, marveling at the way she stayed so strong through this entire situation and at the way even a small smile lit up her face. I wanted to kiss her again, to run my hands through her hair. But now wasn’t the time.

  At least I hadn’t thought it was. In a matter of seconds, she had her arms around my neck pulling my head down to hers. I responded to her lips instantly, needing no coaxing. I let her keep control as she pushed her way into my mouth and held on to me for dear life. By the time she broke the kiss, I was breathless and ready to take on the world. I also knew I’d swim faster than I’d ever swum in my life. That had been her intent. I was sure of it. This wasn’t a goodbye kiss; it was a kiss full of promises.

  She smiled before pointing to the bomb with the timer. “Help me with this?”

  I shook my head. “Leave it here. We want to keep it near as many bombs as possible.”

  “But that’s going to make your escape from the boat take longer.” She eyed me warily.

  “I’ll be fine.” I put a hand on her arm. “Let’s get you on that life boat so we can get all of this over with.”

  She took my hand. “You better make it.”

  “I’ll make it.” I’d stay confident for her. I couldn’t take the chance of her changing her mind.

  Matheson and I carried the bound captain out, and we all loaded the small life boat. The side of the boat said it could hold six, but it sure didn’t look it.

  “How does this work?” Hope looked at the small craft. “It just slides down?”

  “Yes.” Matheson nodded. “And in case you want to be specific here, it’s a life craft not lifeboat. It has a motor.”

  “That’s the distinction?” I’d never known that.

  “Who cares?” Hope wrung her hands. “I want this over with.”

  “That makes two of us.” I especially wanted her far away from the bombs I was about to detonate.

  “I’ll activate the GPS tracker. You just have to make it to us.” Matheson put a hand on my shoulder. “You can pull this off.”

  GPS tracker? That was music to my ears. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” I helped lower the boat into the water, hating to know Hope would be so far away from me, but relieved she would be much safer that way. I cut the rope and watched as the boat slowly drifted away. Matheson hadn’t activated the motor at all, probably to keep them in swimming distance. I was glad to have the chance for survival but nervous that would leave Hope in harm’s way.

  I waited until the craft was moving out of view before I headed downstairs to look at the timer. Hope had shown me everything I needed to know. I just had to trust the timer really worked, and I got two minutes.

  I waited as long as I could, that way if the timer failed I’d die knowing Hope wasn’t blown up in the explosion.

  I put my finger over the red button which would start the countdown. I needed to believe the explosion would do more than destroy the bombs. It needed to bring in all the involved parties; the Rangers needed to follow the tracker and get here in time. If I died, I wanted to die for a reason. Clearly saving thousands of lives was a good reason, but stopping this sort of thing from ever happening again would be even better.

  I pressed the button. The red numbers stared back at me. 1:30.

  1:30? What happened to two minutes? A moment of panic froze me, but I quickly brushed it away. I was wasting time.

  I sprinted up the stairs and back up to the top deck. I counted the seconds in my head as I ran. 75 seconds.

  I jumped off the boat. 60 seconds. I swam, grateful Hope and Matheson had listened and were completely out of view. 55 seconds.

  I resisted the urge to look back. That would cost me precious time. 40 seconds.

  I was going to get away. I could do this. I wasn’t sure how far the trajectory was, but I was moving. 30 seconds. I had half a minute.

  There was still no sign of the life craft, but I was heading in the prescribed direction. I was doing everything as planned. 23 seconds.

  22, 21. I swam as hard as I could. The explosion was going to be enormous, and I had no idea what effect the magic would have. Would it make it impossible for me to swim?

  15, 14, 13. I swam harder and harder. I hadn’t lied to Hope; I moved faster than I thought possible.

  12 seconds. The outline of the small white craft came into view. I was getting closer to the boat, but I wouldn’t make it.

  8 seconds. Maybe I was far enough. Maybe I’d be okay.

  7,6,5,4. Hope would make it. That’s what really mattered.

  3,2,1. A blinding flash of light, followed a few seconds later by a thunderous explosion, assaulted my senses. The water heated up, and within seconds it felt as if it was boiling. I needed to keep swimming. My eyes burned, as a bitter taste filled my mouth, and a chemical tinged smell permeated my nose.

  I couldn’t see anything. Nothing. But I kept swimming in the same direction. My arms and legs stung, shooting pains ran up and down them. I kept swimming until I could no longer feel my arms to move. Water filled my lungs, and everything faded out.

  I felt something warm and heard the faintest sound of a mumbled voice. Brief images that felt like memories flitted through my head. Being pulled from the ocean. Coughing up water. The warmth and sound grew louder.

  “Carter, please!” Hope’s voice came from right above me. “Carter, open your eyes.”

  “He’s alive. Give him some time.” Matheson’s voice came from just as close.

  “He needs to be okay.” There was a choke in Hope’s voice. It cut through me like a knife. I needed to comfort her. I forced my eyes open.

  “Carter!” She pressed her lips to mine. I reached out and pulled her close, her nearness gave a burst of energy. I needed her taste and touch like I needed air to breath. She responded, and for a few moments I forgot everything else and only focused on her. The pain and weakness lessened each second her lips were on mine. I pulled her closer, and her hand settled on my chest. Her touch on my bare skin sent sparks flying through me. The fog cleared away, and I could feel my strength returning.

&
nbsp; “I hate to break this up, but we have company.” Matheson’s words were light, but his voice was anything but.

  Hope pulled away, and I knew I had to let her go temporarily. I sat up, moving slowly, but feeling recharged thanks to Hope. I swung my legs over the side of the seat and looked up. I saw something out in the distance, and I could already hear the faint hum of a helicopter. I also noticed something rather important. The boat wasn’t floating. We were on some sort of tiny island in the middle of nowhere. There was water all around us.

  “You’re lucky to be alive,” Matheson watched the helicopter above. “You wouldn’t be if you weren’t Kenai.”

  “What happened?” I knew we were short on time, but I needed to know the basics.

  He kept his eyes fixed above. “The boat blew up before you could get here.”

  “But you got to me.” Somehow I was on the boat, even though I was sure I’d passed out before that happened.

  “I had some fun manipulating magic.” Matheson grinned. “And you must have done some of your own. Otherwise you’d have been dead when we found you.”

  Hope pulled her long blonde hair into a ponytail, securing it with a rubber band. “I thought for sure.” She blinked back a stray tear. “Well, you know. But you made it. And Matheson—he did something to heal your burns. I have no idea what it was, but I’m going to stop doubting the existence of magic.”

  “And I missed all this.” I’d never blacked out like that before. I wasn’t sure if it was the explosion itself or some residual magic. And had I really used magic without knowing it? There was so much I needed to learn.

  Matheson shrugged. “Like I said, we have company coming.”

  “Was this your doing too?” I gestured down the ground.

  “Yes. It’s not going to save us though.”

  “Who is that? Is it the Wellingtons or someone else?” The roar of the helicopter engine grew louder.

  “My guess one of the Wellingtons.” Matheson jumped off the boat. “Get ready, I’m following your lead.”