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Nathaniel pointed the gun at us, and Asher moved to stand in front of me "You know I could have killed you already, but I didn’t Don’t get , I do want you dead--butof yours Your woman and your child I’ll take the moment of your days if they’re still alive, or if I’ve killed them If they cursed you when they died Maybe I’ll even raise up your child ashi he didn’t want to kill us, he pointed the gun straight at Asher’s head--and then twisted it up, to aim it at Kate "Your wo his ar to die"

"Are they? Can you be absolutely sure?"

The water lapped higher behind hiainst Asher’s ar what I had to do to survive What was your excuse? You could have been anything! You could have worked for anyone!"

Nathaniel’s lips lifted up in a cruel s in front of Kate, and both Asher and I juot louder, and soroaned, as if he’d wounded the Maraschino itself Kate began to screa to Nathaniel pointing the gun at her, but I realized she was shouting a word "Water! Water water water!" rising in volume each time

"You co un down "Or I’ll shoot both of you and be done with it"

I stepped around Asher’s arm with finality

"Edie, don’t you dare," he said as Nathaniel returned the gun to point at hi in, and it seemed like I didn’t have a choice All I could do alk slowly toward Nathaniel and block Asher froot torn in two

She shrieked as she calued at the seas rolled out of her, dripping down Wor out, slithery and black, born one after another

The previously unflappable gunht of a hu out was beyond the pale; even Nathaniel was stunned Jorge tried swi away from her in midair, while Marius was impassive; he’d already seen worse in the Dolphin The still-araveto do, do it now!

There was only one thing left that I could do Nathaniel wanted me? Well, he could co for the far side of the room

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

"No!" Nathaniel and Asher shouted behind ht break out I had tiave me as I crossed the entire room on my ass, slid into the water at its bottom, and was blasted with salty cold

I was lucky not to be impaled on an upturned chair If the water’d been any shallower, or ifdown tile--I splashed around without thinking about it, sputtering up My feet found purchase on things that were already sunk in the room and I bobbed

I was a poor swiiven body fat What I wasn’t counting on was the cold All the heat was leaving ed below ?

There was a splash beside me as someone slid down in the dark I bit back a yelp of surprise and ducked, so that onlyup above continued The e would have shown me Nathaniel’s life jacket, so whoever had followedlike a snake--one of the wored frolow stick left in a dirty gutter outside an all-ages club

Every sphincter inslid on by It had other places to be, and that was frightening too It was one thing to be in a roo ater; it would be another to be forced to swi up

I heard a gurgle of air escaping from beside , and gone nearer whoever else had fallen down But he hadn’t co out from his face in a sloave Mariushe hadn’t been as lucky as me The wind had been knocked out of him, or he’d been kicked senseless, and his face was underneath the rising tide

Living in Port Cavell I’d heard tooonto other sailors’ backs to survive to want to be near one waking up Whoever thisto sacrifice me--not to mention all the other people who’d already died because of thehi anyer I didn’t have to bend over to hide; the water was so high I was standing, and soon I’d have to swim

What kind of monster would you have to be toto throw a lot away to find Asher--how reater destruction would I find myself capable of to save my own child? I wasn’t like Nathaniel, but--

Theway I reached for hi his limbs out of the armholes one at a time I pushed hi hih We were swi in the same blood-colored sea

"Edie!" Asher called down to h

I took another cautious look around to e anywhere before I shouted outwith desperation