Page 88 of Blue in the Deep Blue Sea

I stepped away.

My heel landed on something metallic. Before I could react, an iron trap snapped shut around my leg. Unlike the squirrel’s, this one was lined with sharp spikes.

They buried themselves deep into my calf. Hot pain exploded through my leg, blinding me. Every nerve screamed at once, and I screamed with them, so loudly a bird burst from the branches above.

“1Figlio di puttana!”I shouted.“2Cazzo!”

The curses spilled from my mouth between ragged breaths.

Blood streamed down my leg in thin rivulets, dripping onto the grass below. I grabbed my knee because I couldn’t bring myself to touch the trap clamped around my calf, let alone pry it open.

“Fuck.”

My eyes dropped to the torn flesh and the blood poured from the wound.

The color drained from my face. And a cold sweat broke across my skin as the forest tilted around me.

Then everything went black.

Whoever had hidden the scrolls had scattered traps all over the forest, making sure no one could take them and walk away.

1. Son of a bitch

2. Fuck

22

SQUALO

Night was slowly falling, and I finally made my way back to the lighthouse. Inside, only her lingering vanilla scent remained, but she wasn’t there. Unease settled in my throat, tightening until it was hard to breathe. I set down the bucket with the two small fish I’d caught and started searching for her.

“Gabriella?” I shouted as I climbed the stairs, but she wasn’t upstairs either.

When I came back down, I noticed the map she’d drawn had been shifted slightly across the table. I rushed over and picked it up. She’d marked a small X on the neutral land near the cave where I’d found her last time.

She’d probably gone to collect water since the bottles were gone, but why hadn’t she come back yet? The thought that something might have happened sent my heart into a frenzy. It slammed against my ribs so hard it felt as though thunderstorms were rising and crashing inside my chest.

I walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out the small first aid box we’d found, taking a bandage with me just in case. Then I rushed out of the lighthouse.

I’d tried to keep her as close as possible because the thought of something happening to her, of being left completely alone, was enough to make me lose my mind. If she went down, I’d go down with her. I’d spent my whole life surrounded by people, and the possibility of ending up alone twisted my stomach into knots. Now I understood how she felt every time she thought she might be left on her own.

I’d spent all day diving, trying to catch fish. Me, a billionaire who’d never gotten my hands dirty a day in my life. But when the sea takes everything from you, you have to accept whatever it gives back. Right now, those two little fish were all it was willing to offer.

I couldn’t keep walking. My mind wouldn’t stop throwing questions at me, each one worse than the last, so I started running instead. I kept calculating how long it would take to reach her, and every answer still felt too slow. I had to get there faster. My ears rang with every pounding step as I fought for breath. Exhaustion, dehydration, hunger, none of it was on my side, but I needed to find her.

I pushed harder, running faster and faster until an hour had passed, my lungs burning as I fought for every breath. As I reached the top of the hilly meadow, it hit me. I was close. I could see the cave. I could see the small pool of water. But I couldn’t find her.

I tried so hard not to let fear take over. I kept my cool while my yacht was sinking, but now, with her gone, I could barely hold myself together. A million possibilities rushed through my mind, and every single one threatened to break me.

I reached the water and looked around, noticing a faint trail of footprints leading towards the pine woods. One of the letters we’d found earlier mentioned that the treasure was hidden beneath the pine trees marked with an X on the map. Looking at the trail now, she must have gone to explore there.

For a moment, I stood by the den and knelt down. I dipped my hands into the water, then dragged them over my face, the icy splash shocking my skin awake. I scooped up another handful and brought it to my mouth, swallowing the cool water as it slid down my throat.

I got to my feet and slowly made my way towards the woods. The deeper I went, the thicker the trees became, and the narrow path slowly disappeared beneath the undergrowth.

I shouted her name, listening for any sign of where she might be, but only silence answered. I called again.

“Gabby.”