Chapter 3 - The Midnight Squall
By 11:30 PM, the Caribbean sky had turned violently hostile. Thunder cracked like artillery fire, and torrential rain lashed against the reinforced glass of the master suite. I was back in the massive king-sized bed, the covers pulled up to my chin, executing the performance of a lifetime. I forced my breathing to slow, letting my limbs go entirely limp.
The heavy mahogany door clicked open. Flynn’s footsteps were nearly silent on the plush carpet. I smelled his expensive cologne before I felt the mattress dip beside me. He stroked my hair, his touch sending a sickening wave of revulsion down my spine.
"Savannah, darling," Flynn whispered, his voice dripping with faux concern. "You’re burning up. The air in here is too stifling."
I let out a weak, pathetic groan, fluttering my eyelids but keeping my gaze unfocused. "Flynn... I feel so dizzy."
"I know, sweetheart. I know," he cooed, wrapping a heavy, dark raincoat around my shoulders. "Let’s get you some fresh air. The storm is beautiful tonight. It will wake you right up."
He hauled me to my feet. I played the dead weight perfectly, forcing him to support my entire body. We stumbled out of the suite, moving through the dimly lit corridors. I could hear Aidan and Fiona in the upper salon, their hushed voices barely audible over the roaring storm. They were waiting for the splash.
Flynn pushed open the heavy glass doors to the aft deck. The wind hit us like a physical blow, howling like a chorus of demons. The deck was slick with rain, the black ocean churning violently just beyond the polished teak edge. The yacht pitched in the swells, creating the perfect alibi for a tragic accident.
Flynn walked me right to the edge, where the safety railing had a small gap for boarding. He pulled me against his chest. To anyone watching, it looked like a romantic embrace in the rain.
"I really did love the idea of you, Savannah," Flynn whispered directly into my ear, his tone entirely devoid of humanity. "But three hundred million is a lot of money to share. Don't worry. It will be over fast."
He shifted his weight, preparing to shove me backward into the freezing abyss.
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Instantly, my limp body turned to steel. I dropped my center of gravity, pivoting sharply on my heel and twisting out of his grip with a maneuver my self-defense instructor had drilled into me for years. Flynn, expecting me to fall backward, lost his balance. He stumbled forward, his hands grasping at the empty air where I had just been.
Before he could correct himself, a blinding spotlight from the upper deck snapped on, turning the pitch-black aft deck as bright as high noon.
