PREDATOR ISLAND (Sea Lab Book 2)

CHAPTER 9

Sarah backed away, her shoulders thudding against her cabin door. She could run no further, and didn't try. Jake grinned mischievously as he drew close and planted his lips into hers. The kiss was ravenous, like he was hungry for something. Sarah knew what he wanted, and she wasn't quite ready to go all the way. Her mind went back to the blood test and the pending results. She knew she was only injected with a serum—it wasn't like a disease or something—but still, she couldn't help but wonder if it was safe to go...that far. Jake didn't share those same fears. His deep green eyes burned with passion, and truthfully, she wanted it too, but she couldn't allow herself to give in.

"Pace yourself." Her sapphire eyes dimmed with the weight of it all. It felt like her heart was a thousand fathoms under water with the entire ocean bearing down on her. "This is our first night at sea. We have plenty of time for...you know..."

"Yeah, but..." Jake gave her a lopsided grin. "It could be a really great night at sea."

Sarah placed a finger over his lips. "I'm tired. I need some sleep, and I'm really not..."

"Ready?" He wrinkled his brow.

She straightened her lips into a thin line. "Not yet."

"I thought waiting till we got to Hawaii would be long enough." His grin turned into a mild grimace. "We've kissed enough lately...by now I've got whatever it is you got. You know what I mean?"

"It's not the same, Jake. Intercourse takes it to a whole new level."

"I'm fully aware of that level."

"I'd just like to wait..."

"Until you get the blood test results."

"At least. I need time to process everything..."

"I get it." Jake leveled his eyes at her. "To my cabin I go then, madam." He pulled her hand up and started to kiss the top of it, but she pulled away, a memory striking her like a punch to the gut.

"I'm sorry," she said, "that reminds me too much of Roland Zanderthal."

"You never mentioned he kissed the back of your hand." Jake frowned, but the expression had more of an understanding vibe to it.

"I didn't want him to, but he did it so fast...and I didn't see it coming. Either time."

"Twice. What? Was he like Bogart in Casablanca or something?"

"No. He was a malevolent jerk."

"Okay, I get it. I know you went through a lot being kidnapped and all. I'll let you breathe. But for what it's worth, I could kiss you all night long...if that's as far as you wanted to go."

Sarah smiled. "Maybe I'll be okay after a night's sleep?"

"You'll need more time than that, but that's okay." He pecked her on the cheek and said with a nineteenth century air, "Good night, Ms. Lawson. It has been my pleasure to spend the evening with you."

"Thanks, Jake," she said. "I just need more time."

He gave her one more kiss on the forehead and drew back, holding her hand to his chest. "I understand. Completely. Get some rest, and I'll see you in the morning."

As he left her stateroom, Sarah sighed, her brow wrinkling, feeling the warmth that Jake brought to the room turn dark and cold. She shook her head, trying to rid her mind of Ocean Blue's former chairman. She was alive. She should be happy and thankful. And she was in some dark corner of her heart. But all of them—Jake, Tony, and herself—came so close to death. Everything was all fun and adventure until they stared down the barrel of a gun.

Maybe she was experiencing post traumatic stress disorder? She hadn't stopped to think about PTSD. She wouldn't dare make light of what soldiers experienced in combat. Maybe they shared the same feelings? Of course, to add to her problems, she had been drugged with an experimental serum...against her will. As the Atlantis sailed away from Australia, the tension and dread grew worse the closer they got to Hawaii and her doctor visit. Was she afraid she'd turn into one those super soldiers on steroids? Was she scared Jake wouldn't want her anymore? Or was she frightened she might not want to live with herself anymore? Maybe all of the above?

She tried to lie down on the bed, but yet again, she couldn't sleep. Her mind felt like a live wire full of cancerous thoughts.

A desire for fresh air made her rise. She thought of hearing the waves and feeling the wind beat against her face. It might wash away her dark mood and brighten her outlook. She stuck her head out in the hall and looked both ways. No one was around. She didn't want to disturb or wake anyone. More than that, she wanted to be alone.

The yacht rose and settled into a valley between cresting waves. The motion was continuous but mild. Nothing her stomach couldn't handle.

She walked down the corridor and climbed the steps toward the living area. But when she heard voices, she slowed and stopped. It was Dylan and Savannah. Sarah started to continue, but the way they talked in hushed tones, a notch above a whisper, froze her feet to the stairway.

"Listen to me, Savannah, the island has been shut down. We can't go. Whatever's going on, they've pulled all the park rangers back to the mainland. They've warned that anyone trespassing will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

"But what about the map? We can't just throw it away."

"Why do you think those pirates were so eager to sell it to us?" Dylan said. "Have you stopped to think about that?"

"So they could make an easy five grand."

"Maybe it's a fake?"

"No, it's real," Savannah replied. "I've seen enough in my experiences to know if something's genuine."

Sarah lowered to a knee on the steps, leaned her ear closer, barely breathing.

"Besides," Savannah said, "how to do know they were really pirates?"

Dylan huffed. "Maybe it was the guy's gritty snarl and greasy two-week beard. I don't know. It could've been the woman's eyes. The longer the conversation went, the more her dark voids stabbed holes in us."

"You're overreacting."

"No, I'm not. If your dad discovered I let you get yourself killed on a crazy hunt for—"

"Would you keep your voice down? You're gonna wake someone." A brief pause. Maybe it was a cautious hesitation? "We only brought the Sea Lab team here because the boss lady wants a story on them. I. Want. The—"

"You should see the lust in your eyes, Savannah. Just like your father."

"Can't you see this is our opportunity? The island will be empty. No park rangers. No one to stop us from looking around."

Sarah pressed a hand against the wall to steady her awkward lean. The stairs creaked.

"What was that?" Dylan said.

Sarah backed down the stairs like a stealthy panther until she reached the bottom step. And then she hustled to Jake's door, panting from the tension.

She rapped lightly.

"Anyone there?" Savannah's voice was closer. "Hello?"

Jake opened the door. "You have a change of heart?"

Sarah nudged him aside and closed the door behind her. "No. Is that all you can think about?"

"Well, no, I think about other things too."

"Quiet. I have something important to tell you."