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Prologue

Gabriela

Waves swell in the wake of the speedboat, lifting unshots fire aroundwater, choking on it

“Are you going to drown me too?”

Instinct takes over and I kick

Ar as I suck air into s

Waves again, and gunshots A flurry of them

I think that scream is mine

In the dark, I see our boat bobbing and swim to it See one of the two men slumped over the side as the other frantically reloads his weapon

It’s no use though They have ainst a un

More shouts and I’ain and when it drops ainst hard wood, the pain electric

I push through it to grab onto the side of the boat and hold tight, but the reprieve is only er boat speeds closer and I wonder if they’re going to crash right into us If that’s their intention

I don’t have to wait long to find out because the man on our boat stands It rocks violently and when he dives over the side, our boat capsizes I lose ainst the hard wood and as once o under

Under

“Are you going to drown me too?”

I asked Stefan that question

The waves don’t carry ht, o down Watch the man who’d been slu the water criht momentarily shines down on him

I don’t know if my eyes close or if it’s that dark How can it be so dark? I’htless

The sound water urgling, bubbling, as the shock of cold, of dark, take me deeper

Water through ers It feels like an oily, slippery eel

I watch myself as if I’m out of my body As if it’s not real It can’t be

I’ Like her Like she drowned

Like she was drowned

I have to wake up