Sea Haven 01 - Water Bound

beautiful. Where the hell had she come from? She was like a sea nymph, rising out of the ocean to drag him from a watery grave. He shook his head at the pure nonsense. He didn’t read fairy tales and he sure as hell didn’t believe in them. She sure as hell didn’t talk like the princesses in the books either.
    He nodded his head but waved her to his left side, leaving his right hand free. He was ambidextrous—he could kill with equal precision from either side—but he was weak and he wasn’t taking chances. She wrapped her arm around him and surprisingly, considering how thin she was, the woman was strong.
    His legs were pure rubber, but he forced them to move. One foot in front of the other. He could hear her breathing with the effort of taking his considerable weight. She barely came up to his shoulder. It made him feel 48

    like less than a man, leaning on her that way. He hated it, hated the idea of being so helpless that he had no choice. He muttered under his breath.
    “Are you swearing at me in Russian?” She looked up at him as she helped position him near the dock. “Put your hands on the gunwale and for God’s sake, don’t fall in. I’ll get off and help you onto the dock.”
    He thought he’d been swearing silently, not out loud. That only served to remind him he was very far gone. He wasn’t grounded enough in reality to trust himself. He gripped the gunwale, allowing his gaze to sweep the harbor. It was surprisingly empty. He knew immediately that he hadn’t been here before. He remembered places, like maps laid out in his head. He could actually “see” grid marks, and once he’d been somewhere, the map was indelibly printed in his mind. Of course, he couldn’t trust his mind right now. He wasn’t even absolutely certain who he was—which of those numerous identities was really his—or what he was supposed to be doing.
    The woman stepped easily onto the dock and reached for him. There was determination on her face, and God help him . . . compassion. What the hell was he? A lost puppy? He kept his head down, although he didn’t see anyone close or paying attention. She walked him to an older model truck kept, like her boat, in great condition. He’d bet if he raised the hood, the engine would be gleaming and polished.
    “I have to get my gear and take care of the uni. If I drive you to the house and come back, I’m doing something out of the ordinary and someone will notice. You can lie on the seat while I take care of business. Stay under the blanket and out of sight. The thing is, this is going to take a little time.”
    He tried not to look alarmed. He was already swimming in and out of reality. He wanted to be hidden away, to be out of the open, where he had a better chance of regrouping and surviving. “Why so long?”
    “They’ll hoist the nets off my boat, weigh them and put them in totes for the forklift to take them to the truck. It takes time, but most of the boats didn’t go out so it doesn’t look like there’s a wait at all. I’ll have to clean my boat as well. I can’t take the chance of spines from the sea urchins on deck. I can bleach my gear at home.”
    It made sense, but all he wanted to do was close his eyes and sleep. He needed somewhere safe. He forced a nod.
    “Are you absolutely certain you’ll be fine? I can take you to a hospital...”
    “No.” He said it firmly. “I’d be dead inside an hom.”
    “So you’re certain someone’s looking for you?”
    They’d tried to kill him, hadn’t they? Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had to drag him half-dead out of the sea. He shrugged and concentrated on 49

    getting into the truck without his head falling off or falling in a heap at her feet.
    She helped him inside and handed him the blanket. He caught her hand, his thumb tracing circular patterns in the middle of her palm. “Tell me your name.”
    “Rikki. Rikki Sitmore.” She flashed a small grin. “I have a last name.”
    He had the impulse to smile. There was something irresistible about her. He wanted to tell her he had multiple last names, but he refrained.
    “I’ll try to hurry, but it will take time.”
    “You said that.”
    Rikki made a face at him, rolled her eyes and slammed the door closed.
    There were reasons why she didn’t go near people—they were all crazy.
    She’d pulled him out of the sea, and if she’d been thinking at all, she would have left him there. Now he was her responsibility. Shoving her sunglasses firmly