Chapter 33: Chapter 33

The boat is drowned in darkness as I tip-toe around it, on high alert. I have to squint to make out anything but within moments, my eyes adjust to the pitch black. I come face to face with a door that I can only believe will lead me inside the boat. I reach out with my spare hand, twisting it open. As expected, silence greets me. I step inside, feeling the door shut behind me as I study my surroundings.

I can't make out much, just the shadows of furniture. The room is lined with expensive looking seats and a bar in the far corner. The shine from the glass bottles glimmers in the dark and I scrunch my eyes up further, taking a slow step inside. It doesn't look occupied but my gut feeling tells me to continue searching. A voice in the back of my mind reminds me that Calvin is most likely with Christopher . . .

I can't image how Christopher's feeling knowing his son deceived him. Will it be enough for Christopher to hurt Calvin?

My grip on my gun tightens and I feel anger brewing inside my stomach. I can't wait to get my hands on Christopher Black and lock him away for good. My thoughts are soon interrupted by the sudden loud noise of the boat starting up. It begins to shake underneath me, the floor vibrating. My eyes widen and I rush to the other side of the room, barging through the next door.

I have to find the control panel room.

If I don't, Christopher Black can escape . . . With me on board. The boat roars to life and I hear the propellers start up, the water swishing underneath from the force. I speed up, slamming doors open until finally I get to the control room. There's a small sign on the door and I push it open, my gun raised. As the door swings open, my eyes widen as I realise the room is empty.

My eyes land on a metal bar that has been wedged in between the controls, causing the boat to move forward on its own. Before my mind can make sense of the situation, I hear a shuffle behind me and a blunt force slams into the back of my head. I let out a groan, immediately falling to the floor. My body rolls forward as I try my best to turn around and shoot.

Pain flares through my head as I hear a scuffle behind me. My vision blurs and I'm a millisecond away from turn around around when another blunt force hits me in the head. This time round, I see dark spots cloud my vision. The gun in my hand drops to the floor, the sound of it colliding echoing through my ears. My arms flare out, desperately trying to find the source of the attacks.

It was a trap to attack me from behind.

"Fuck you," I mutter before my body immediately drops to the floor, eyes fluttering shut.

*****

"Hunter! Hunter, wake up. God damn it."

Calvin?

"Calvin?" I call out weakly, my head throbbing painfully. The first thing I feel is warm blood trickling down the back of my neck. The second pain is located in my wrists and I twitch slightly, feeling rope holding them together. I groan again, the scent of thick musk hanging in the air.

"Wake up, come on Hunter." Calvin repeats, his voice growing desperate. The pain in my head intensifies until his words turn into a buzzing sound. My body hangs limply by my wrists and I try my hardest to bring myself back to consciousness.

"I'm going to kill your dad." I whisper, the iron taste of blood filling my mouth. I gather it in my mouth and turn to the side before spitting, relieved when my airways clear. My eyelids feel like their glued shut, a heavy weight sitting on top of them. I hear footsteps and warm hands cup my cheeks.

"That makes two of us, stay awake." Calvin tells me firmly. I feel him working with the ropes on my wrists, grunting from the effort. The energy from my body is drained so I simply hang there, my head slumped down onto my chest. Moments pass and relief floods through my wrists but then I feel myself falling fast to the floor. Calvin's arms wrap around me and through the thick scent of blood and musk, I smell him. I fall into him and we both tumble to the floor and that's when I notice the boat is still moving.

"Where is he taking us?" I mutter. Calvin pushes the strands of my hair away from my face, leaning my head up before a water bottle is pressed against my lips. I open my mouth, the cool liquid trickling down my throat.

"I don't know." Calvin responds, his voice low and lined with darkness. I pry my eyes open to find him looking down at me, green eyes burning intensely.

"Hey," I murmur, trying my best to give him a smile.

"I knew you were going to fall for me soon but damn, you fell for me pretty hard." Calvin smirks, trying to make light of the situation. He's pressing a piece of fabric into the wound on the back of my head, applying pressure. I let out a humourless laugh, grimacing as pain shoots through my body.

"Your dad is an asshole." I mutter, closing my eyes. The boat continues to drive through the water underneath me, rocking back and forth. The motion of it stirs the insides of my stomach.

"Can we please stop calling him my dad? He isn't my father, not anymore." Calvin says angrily. He surprises me and leans down, his lips gently pressing against my forehead.

"I'm sorry he did this to you." He says quietly. I open my eyes to look at him and smile, finding the energy inside of me to sit up. Calvin helps me, his hands supporting most of my weight.

"Don't be sorry, it's part of the job. It's been a while since I took a beating like this though." I wince, glancing around at my surroundings. We're on the lowest deck, hence why the movements of the boat are so powerful down here. There's a few crates and wooden deck chairs but that's all.

"Did he take my gun?" I ask Calvin. He shrugs, his eyes flickering around the room.

"I don't know. He forced me into a car with him and we drove to the boat. Next thing I know, I'm waking up down here with you next to me. I think he drugged me." Calvin says darkly, eyes flashing with hurt. I glance at his wrists but they aren't red and inflamed like mine are from being tied up. Calvin notices me looking and shakes his head —

"He didn't tie me up. Maybe he underestimated how soon I'd wake up."

"I'm glad he didn't hurt you, I was worried." I say quietly, sitting back against the wall of the boat. The darkness in his eyes fades and he smiles for the first time. We both make eye contact and don't speak until eventually he breaks the silence.

"This is fucking crazy. I knew Christopher was corrupt but I didn't realise just how corrupt."

I let out a small laugh —

"They don't hire FBI for the small time criminals."

"I still can't believe you're FBI. I suppose there's always been something different about you." Calvin says softly. He holds out his hand and I slip mine into it and hoist myself up onto my feet. My legs shake underneath my weight but with a few wobbly steps forward, I remain steady.

"I really did want to tell you Calvin but I have to do my job first. You're not going down for Christopher's mistakes." I tell him. I walk slowly to the door and try the handle, as expected, it doesn't budge.

"I've already tried both doors, we're trapped in here." Calvin says from behind me. I turn around to look at him, those green eyes that are staring at me intensely.

"Thanks, by the way." He murmurs quietly, eyes dropping to the floor. In that second, I see the insecure Calvin Black. The boy who breaks down his walls, the boy who isn't afraid to show his shyness. A slight frown covers his face and I know he's battling with himself for showing me his softer side. It reminds me of seeing him in that room, the gun in his hands. He looked so broken, defeated by his conflicted emotions due to his demented partners.

Watching him stand there unable to contain eye contact with me is also kind of adorable. I smile to myself and silently accept his apology so that Calvin can become his arrogant cocky self once again.

It's weird seeing him any other way.

"It's no big deal. You wouldn't last in prison anyway, you have a pretty boy face. They eat people like you for breakfast." I joke with him. He pauses for a moment before his usual smirk returns.

"You called me pretty."

I roll my eyes.

"From everything I just said, that's all you focus on?"

Calvin's smirk deepens and he shoves his hands inside his pockets, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"You don't give me many compliments so I have to take what I get. . . Even if it is a slightly back handed one."

"You don't deserve my real compliments." I hit back at him, shoving his shoulder lightly. He grins a boyish smile, his eyebrow piercing catching the light from the bulb every time he moves.

"Okay let's plan how we're going to get out of here." Calvin says, breaking eye contact with me. I watch as he walks back over to the doors and turns the handle forcefully with no luck. He curses under his breath before turning back round to face me. "What now?" He questions.

"I'm part of the FBI, a wooden door isn't going to stop me from escaping." I almost laugh. Calvin raises one eyebrow at me questionably but doesn't respond and simply watches as I walk towards the door, ready to break us both out of here.