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 would 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.

“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.”

I braced myself, still trying to connect in the dots as to how I’d ended up back with Hope and Matheson, but I had no time for that. The wind picked up as the helicopter stopped right above us. A ladder spilled out from one of the doors. I took a quick glance to realize who was climbing down the ladder wearing khaki pants—unbelievable. They even dressed preppie when doing a sea landing?

I hopped off the boat and waited on the shore. Clayton jumped off the last rung of the ladder, landing right in front of me. Hope stayed behind me.

“Well, what do we have here?” Clayton’s smile was wide. He was yelling over the noise of the helicopter that waited above. “Decided to take matters into your own hands I see?”

“I know what you were trying to do. I couldn’t let it happen.” Just the sight of him made me angry. He might not have been the one on the island with Hope, but he’d masterminded it.

“The orphan grew a conscience? Is that it?” He tilted his head to the side.

“The orphan is more of a man than you’ll ever be.” Matheson stepped out to my side.

Clayton laughed. “Old man, you made a very big mistake.”

“No, you did.” Hope spoke from behind me. “Thinking you could play a game like that.”

Clayton’s expression changed. His eyes widening. “Hope, are you okay?”

She stepped around me. “No thanks to you.”

Clayton held out a hand toward her. “Everything is going to be okay. I’m going to take you home now.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“Oh? You’re going to stay in the middle of the ocean with these two?” Clayton laughed dryly.

“I’d rather die out here with these two than go anywhere with you.”

She was brilliant. Unbelievable. She was stalling him, and he didn’t even see it.

“Is that so?” He took one step closer to her.

I prepared myself; he wouldn’t lay a finger on her.

“Yes. I know who and what you are, and I want no part of it.”

“He’s a wolf too you know.” Clayton pointed to me.

“I wasn’t talking about you being a wolf. I was talking about the fact that you aren’t a real man.”

“What did you just say?” His eyes blazed.

Three men wearing black ski masks looked down from the helicopter. I had to assume they were Kenai wolves as well. We were outnumbered. “Hope,” I whispered.

It was no use. She was on a role. “You heard me. You are a weak monster, not a man. I can’t believe I wasted so many years pining over you.”

“Hope, be careful. You don’t want to say something you’re going to regret.” I heard a faint motor from somewhere behind us. I was afraid to turn around—I didn’t want to give Clayton an upper hand or tip him off in case the newcomers were there to help us. I really hoped they were there to assist us. I thought over my options. I could transform into a wolf and fight Clayton, but if the others joined in that would open the possibility of six wolves fighting in a small space—with Hope involved. I wasn’t happy with the odds or the guarantee of keeping her safe.

The sound of the motor grew louder. It was a boat, that was for sure. I managed to catch Matheson’s eye, and he didn’t look happy. These weren’t friends of ours.

I made sure I was close enough to Hope I could push her away from trouble, but far enough that if I had to shift unexpectedly I wouldn’t hurt her in the process. That wasn’t easy in the small space we had.

The motor stilled, and I chanced one glance back. Hope did the same and grabbed onto my arm.

“Hello, brother.” Clayton sneered. “What a nice surprise.”

“A surprise is right. You expected me to be dead.” Justin stood on the bow of a motor yacht.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Clayton’s eyes gleamed.

“Cut the crap. I know what you did. I also know you aren’t touching my Hope.” Justin’s hands were fists at his side.

“Your Hope?” Clayton laughed. “Don’t be silly. We all know she’s going to be mine.”

“Is that so?” Justin jumped from his boat onto our already far too crowded island.

I glanced at our little launch boat and debated if we had any chance of getting away. Not likely. Between Clayton’s helicopter and Justin’s boat, we wouldn’t get far.

“Give it up, little brother. You were never going to have her. Like you will never take over the business.”

“That’s what you think.” In a flash Justin transformed into his wolf. I reached for my wolf, ready to transform to defend Hope, but before I let my wolf take over I realized I wasn’t his target at all. Justin lunged for Clayton, knocking him down and tearing into his neck before Clayton could transform. He ripped the flesh from Clayton’s neck. As he licked his bloody lips his gaze slowly came up to meet mine.

Hope shuddered. I tried to block her, but she’d seen too much.

Justin turned, and I knew I was next. I reached for my wolf again, but as Justin leapt over towards me, he was shot with a red dart before being knocked into the water by a ski mask clad man falling like deadweight from the helicopter above.

Two men jumped off of Justin’s yacht and pulled the immobile wolf from the turbulent surf. They bound him, put a muzzle over his mouth, and pulled him back onto his own boat.

The night turned silent until it was broken from a voice from the helicopter. “Hey, Carter.” Another ski-mask clad figure climbed down from the helicopter and jumped onto the shore right in front of us. He pulled off his mask.

I startled. “Asher?” Things started to click into place. The men who’d pulled Justin out of the water must have been Rangers.

Asher grinned. “In the flesh. Nice to see you made it out alive.”

“With no thanks to you.” He knew where we were the whole time, and only now jumped in?

“Looks like you ended up getting pretty lucky.” He nodded over to where Hope gripped my arm.

He was right about that, but that didn’t change his role, or lack thereof, in helping us. “You could have stepped in sooner. Justin or Clayton could have killed us.”

“We needed to buy time. Thanks for helping us with that.” He grinned at Hope.

Hope grumbled.

“But looks like we have this all set. We detained the buyers a few miles away. We have Justin to grill, and looks like Clayton isn’t going to make it.”

One look at Clayton’s bloody remains made it painfully clear that ‘isn’t going to make it’ was the understatement of the century.

Hope crossed her arms. “You could have jumped in before Justin killed him.”

Asher narrowed his eyes. “Do you have any idea how many humans Clayton Wellington has murdered?”

“No.” She shook her head.

“The number is in the thousands. He’s been doing it for years. Don’t feel sorry for him.”

“I don’t feel sorry for him. But death is death.” She didn’t stand down. “You can’t argue with that.”

“Yes, it is.” Asher nodded. “But sometimes it has to happen. Sometimes evil can only be stopped one way.”

“It’s the weak way out.” She gritted her teeth.

I decided to stay out of their argument. Instead I focused on a very important detail Asher seemed to be forgetting. “We don’t have all the Wellingtons.” We couldn’t sit around and celebrate a premature victory.

Asher shook his head. “We do. Harold is in custody. That’s the father.”

“But not the daughter. Mirabella. She’s important too.” I had no doubt she played more of a role in this.

Asher stretched his arms behind his head. “She wasn’t part of the plot.”

“I am sure she was. She’s the reason Hope was on the island.”

“They kept her out of the loop. She didn’t know the details.” One of the men from Justin’s boat added.

“She knew.” I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I did.

“I’d trust the kid. He has good senses.” Matheson wagged a finger. “I’m old enough to know trustworthy ones when I see them.”

“If you can find her, take care of it.” Asher relented.

“Don’t worry. We will.” Hope linked her arm with mine.