A Thousand Salt Kisses (Book 1 of Salt Kiss series)

><> Chapter Fifty-One <><

The two psychopaths fell silent as we stared at where the ceiling of the cabin used to be.

Mr Sherman ran his fingers through his gelled hair with bewilderment, and it cascaded over his brow in great big stuck-together clumps.

"What the..." he trembled, awash with perspiration. He turned to  Gerraint Geake, holding out his hands.

Suddenly there was a shout, and a body flew through the top of the boat landing in the middle of the cabin.

I cried out with relief. The rage on his face made him virtually unrecognizable, but he was here. It was Llyr.

I immediately knew everything was going to be alright, but my heart hammered through my rib cage all the same.  It was partly his anger that made me so nervous; the veins in his neck bulged out through his flesh, and his eyes were so wide you could see all the whites.

I watched him agape. Every muscle in his body was tensed to the max, from his big strong arms to his ripped torso. He looked every part the savage; ready to rip out their hearts with each fist.

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you," I said eventually  through rapid, shallow breaths.

But my captors were no longer paying attention to me. Sherman had quickly realized he was no match whatsoever for this ravening intruder, and he let out a yelping noise like a frightened puppy.

All bark no bite, I thought with disgust as he backed away tripping over Geake who was in turn, frozen to the spot. They tumbled to the floor together, and I watched on as their limbs began to flail about. They scrambled towards the door of the cabin, but there was no easy escape route. They had made sure of that themselves.

He began with Sherman grabbing him by the ankles and whisking him up into the air above his head. He then brought him down hard onto the floor as though he were wielding an axe. I closed my eyes and screamed, feeling a wetness across my right side.

Oh, my god, I thought opening an eye, and glancing sideways at my shoulder. I'm covered in red stuff. It's his blood. Oh, my-

Llyr lifted him up once more and brought him crashing back onto the floor of the boat. The floor cracked with the weighty impact, but he hauled Sherman's limp, bulky body into the air again all the same.

"Llyr!" I shrieked.

He looked over at me. "What?" he shouted.

"I'm going to be sick," I begged.

Llyr sighed and flung Simon Sherman up into the air.  He disappeared through the hole where the roof had been, and into the sky above.

There was a suspended silence before we heard a splash somewhere in the distance.

Llyr rushed over dropping to his knees and putting his arms around me. "I'm so sorry," he said, his face softening slightly. "I couldn't find you; I've been searching all day long. I couldn't sense you... or feel you. Were you not awake?"

"Not to begin with," I explained as quickly as my trembling lips would allow me. "I think they drugged me or something."

"I'll kill them," growled Llyr, snapping the humungous rope in half which bound one of my arms to the anchor.

"Well, I think you're halfway there," I said, inhaling sharply as I stretched out my arm.

"Who are they?" Llyr asked, his brow furrowed into deep angry lines.

"The owner of SKANX and what I believe to be his henchman," I tremored, every muscle in my body contracting.

"I'm definitely going to kill them," said Llyr reaching for one of the ropes that tied my legs. I breathed a sigh of relief as he snapped it and I was able to lift my left ankle. I was nearly free. Oh, how lucky was I to have a superhuman in my life right now?

Suddenly there was a smashing sound and Llyr collapsed on top of me. My heart jumped into my throat. What the hell just happened?

"And I warned you he wasn't going to be much good out here, didn't I?" came that smug, conceited voice.

Geake stood above us with a broken bottle in his hand. I let out a choked noise that was halfway between an angry cry and a sob.

I looked down at Llyr. He was limp in my lap. I instinctively wanted to put my hand on his head, but somewhere in my dizzy terrified mind I had the sense to hold it behind my back as though it were still tied.

"Did you think I was going to let my life's work slip away just like that?" he continued, chucking the bottle into a corner with a smash. "C'mon darling, dream on."

"Life's work?" I cried. "What using shoddy equipment.... and ruining a whole town and its sealife?" I spluttered.

"Cutting corners, you mean?" he laughed.

"It's nothing to be proud of," I sneered, outraged. "Anyone can do that, if they're evil enough."

"Everyone does do it," said Geake, reaching over and toussling my hair. "If they have the balls. That's how the world works, Crystal dear."

"That's how psychos work," I replied, straining away from him. "Oh, and you know what else psychos do? They murder anyone who stands in their way?"

Geake took a strand of my hair and twirled it around his finger, staring down at me with a twisted glint in his eye.  It was all I could do from boxing him in the face with my free fist.

"Ah well, remind me not to offer you a job in my new plant," he sighed, breaking into a chuckle.

"New what?" I cried. Another plant?! I doubt even Mum knows about this.

"Opening in Saint Carolina's this autumn," Geake replied. "Yes, we've had to keep it all dead quiet -  what, with your loony pa stirring up all that hysteria, but anyway, we're all set to go. I will have to find a new business partner now, mind. Perhaps someone with a bit more backbone than old Simo."

New power plant? Saint Carolina's? The entire coast would be destroyed. I looked down at Llyr. He was still a dead weight. Come on, Llyr, wake up! Wake up and end this!

"He put up a pretty decent fight," said Mr Geake, his eyes also falling onto Llyr. "Extraordinary, actually. I'm not quite decided whether or not I'm going to kill you both after that. I'll have to go away and think about it."

"What about my Mum and Dad?" I despaired "Don't you want the papers back?"

He knelt down suddenly, grabbing my ankle and fastening the rope back around it with lightening-bolt speed. I closed my eyes. Shit.

"Yes, yes, good point," he muttered, his brow furrowed and he focused on the knot. "I may keep you alive a little bit longer then, just to seal the deal." He fastened the other end of the rope back to the anchor, "Your boyfriend looks like he might kick the bucket any minute though."

I felt an overwhelming sense of heartache. God, no! He cannot die! I just won't let him.

"Are you going to be alright with that sack of muscles on your legs?" said Mr Geake with mock-concern.

"Yes, leave him there," I shouted. "Don't you touch him."

Mr Geake chuckled and walked out on the deck, shutting the door behind him.

"Laters, Precious," I heard him shout, and then there was the whirring again as the engine started up.