Dead or Alive by Trevion Burns Read Free Book Online

wildly.
    Violet’s teeth had begun to chatter from being inside of the freezing water for so long.  She tried to respond, but couldn’t.
    She was grateful when the kind stranger parked the boat as close to the buoy as he could before leaning over the edge and grabbing her arm.  He pulled her inside with ease, before reaching for Remy and pulling him in as well.
    The moment the kind stranger took in Remy’s bloody prison suit, the handcuff that was still dangling noisily from his right wrist, and the gun attached to it, he realized his colossal mistake.
    But it was too late.
    “Thank you so much, sir—” Violet’s gratitude was cut short at the sound of the gun cocking next to her.  She cut a look at Remy sharply from the corner of her eye in disbelief.  Did Remy really have a gun trained at the head of a man who’d just saved their lives?
    With his free hand, Remy retrieved the only red life vest in the boat, and tossed it to the man, who immediately donned it.  He understood what was happening, and his eyes remained heavy with regret as he inflated the vest, raising his eyes to Remy’s.
    “Archibald, this man just saved our lives!”  Violet cried, now realizing what Remy was going to do.
    Remy’s heart felt shredded. He didn’t want to do this, but there was no other way.
    “In the water,” he commanded.
    “Remington Jacob Archibald!”
    Remy ignored her.
    With hesitation, the man threw one leg over the edge of his boat.  “Please don’t do this.” Through his shock, he’d found the will to beg.
    “The water.” Remy’s breathing was still ragged, so the order sounded weak and strained, but it was still clear he meant business.
    With sad eyes, the man lowered himself into the water.
    Chest heaving, Remy held up the heavy yellow box he’d swiped from the helicopter and tossed it into the water.  The kind man caught it in unsteady arms.
    “It’s an E.L.T,” Remy explained. “It’s a transmission device. As soon as we’re out of sight, flip the switch at the top, and rescue personnel will be here soon.”  Remy gave a quick nod.  “And thanks.”
    Violet threw him a look, wondering if he’d seriously just thanked a man whose boat he was about to steal.  As she opened her mouth to chide him, her words were stolen from her when he suddenly slammed his foot on the gas, sending the boat flying forward at an alarming speed.  She flew back into the soft seat at the rear of the boat, clawing for any solid surface. As she collected herself, holding tight to the side of the boat, she looked over her shoulder just in time to see the man flip the switch on the E.L.T.
    As he faded rapidly into the distance of the dark fog and murky waters, Violet could only pray that help arrived for him as quickly as possible.
     
    ***
     
    The moon was high when Remy finally pulled the boat up to an unknown dock some time later. He didn’t kill the engine.
    Violet took in the silent, marshy waters that surrounded them, nothing but wet greenery and trees all around.  It reminded her of the small town she’d grown up in, in Louisiana.  Her family had gotten the hell out of that town for a reason, and she didn’t appreciate the unwelcome dejavu this area was giving her. Against her will, her heart leapt ever so slightly at their deserted surroundings.  Where the hell were they?
    When she looked back to Remy, any small fear she may have felt vanished, quickly to be replaced with anger toward the man before her. “We really shouldn’t have left that poor man back there.  That water is freezing.”
    Remy’s jaw tightened.  There it was again.
    We.
    Without answering, he lifted his handcuffed wrist, which was still locked around the gun. The key to the cuffs was long gone, so he got to work taking the weapon apart, sick and tired of having it attached to him by those cuffs.  He pulled apart only the pieces of the gun that were necessary to release it from the cuffs, and put it back together with