Chapter 139
The sea breeze howled, the aftershocks of the explosion still raging behind.
Sawyer stood at the helicopter's cabin door, gazing down at the luxury cruise ship slowly sinking below.
Flames shot skyward, thick smoke billowing, illuminating the pitch-black night sky like daylight.
He raised his hand, elegantly adjusting his wind-tousled collar, the corner of his mouth curling into a meaningful smile.
"Interesting," he said softly, his gray eyes flickering with something elusive in the firelight's reflection.
In the distance, a speedboat was racing through the night, moving at extreme speed—clearly not an ordinary rescue vessel. That was Nightfall's boat, the backup force deployed in advance under Elizabeth's orders.
Sawyer's gaze fell on that speedboat, a trace of appreciation flashing in his eyes.
"Nightfall's leader," he murmured to himself, "is it that Uri, or someone else entirely?"
He recalled the woman in the silver mask from the private room earlier. Her agility when she dove to dodge bullets, her composure when she discovered the bomb, her determination when she pulled Jacob toward the deck.
That kind of skill, that kind of boldness—absolutely not something an ordinary member of the mafia could possess.
"Interesting," he said again, and this time his smile deepened.
The helicopter began to climb, the cruise ship below growing smaller and smaller, the firelight more and more distant. Sawyer stood at the cabin door, waving elegantly toward that expanse of flames and the speedboat racing closer, as if bidding farewell to an old friend.
"Jacob," he said softly, his voice scattered by the wind, "we'll meet again."
The cabin door slowly closed, and the helicopter disappeared into the night.
The seawater was bone-chillingly cold, the waves rising and falling unpredictably.
Elizabeth floated on the surface, gasping for breath in great gulps. The explosion's shockwave had left her ears ringing and her vision swimming, every muscle in her body trembling, but she clung desperately to a piece of driftwood that had floated from somewhere, not daring to let go.
She choked on a mouthful of seawater and began coughing violently.
Just then, an arm reached from behind, wrapping tightly around her waist.
"Don't be afraid." A low, husky voice sounded in her ear, carrying familiar warmth and reassuring strength.
Elizabeth whipped her head around and met Jacob's deep black eyes.
He was also holding the other end of that driftwood, soaked through, with a wound at his temple where he had been cut by debris, and bleeding. But his gaze remained steady enough to make her heart skip.
Elizabeth opened her mouth, but her throat felt blocked.
Jacob didn't give her a chance to speak. He raised his hand, cupping her face—ice-cold from the seawater and now unmasked—his thumb gently brushing across her pale lips.
"Does it hurt?" he asked, his voice so low it was nearly drowned out by the sea wind and the explosion sounds.
Elizabeth froze for a moment before realizing he was asking about her shoulder injury. The place grazed when she was dodging Sawyer's bullets earlier. She shook her head, but tears suddenly welled up.
Not because of pain.
Because of him.
Because even at a time like this, the first thing he cared about was still her.
"Jacob..." She began, her voice choked, "I need to explain. Why I'm here, why I was in Sawyer's private room, why I..." She spoke incoherently, tears sliding down her cheeks and mixing into the cold seawater.
Jacob said nothing.
He just looked at her—at her panicked eyes, at her trembling lips, at that complex emotion in her eyes mixing guilt, fear, and deep love.
Then he lowered his head and kissed her.
This kiss came unexpectedly, yet felt inevitable.
His lips were ice-cold, carrying the saltiness of seawater and the faint sweetness of blood, but they were so real, so burning hot, as if they would melt her entire being into this kiss.
Elizabeth froze.
She opened her eyes wide, looking at that face so close—that face she knew better than any other, now lit unevenly by the explosion's firelight, yet still so handsome, still so heart-stopping.
His lashes trembled slightly, sweeping across her cheek, ticklish. His breath was scorching and rapid, intertwining with hers. His arm held her tighter, as if trying to merge her into his bones and blood, never to separate again.
Behind them was the sinking cruise ship. Flames shot skyward, explosions erupting one after another, thick smoke rolling, dyeing half the sky blood-red.
The firelight reflected on the sea surface, shimmering like countless burning stars dancing. Heat waves rushed forward, interweaving with the seawater's coldness, creating a strange yet magnificent scene.
And they, between this firelight and seawater, between this destruction and rebirth, kissed.
Like a painting.
A painting drawn with life and love.
After who knew how long, Jacob slowly released her. His forehead pressed against hers, their breaths tangled, his voice so hoarse it was barely audible, "Idiot."
Elizabeth's tears surged forth again.
She opened her mouth, but he gently pressed his thumb against her lips.
"I know," he said, his voice low and tender, carrying an unprecedented calm. "Why you're here, why you were in Sawyer's private room, why you wore a mask and stayed by that Noel's side—I know it all."
Elizabeth's pupils dilated slightly.
He knew everything?
Jacob looked at her shocked expression and sighed softly. In that sigh, there was no anger, no interrogation, only a helplessness bordering on heartache.
"Elizabeth," he said softly, his thumb gently caressing her cheek, "don't you know how dangerous this ship was? Sawyer set a trap to kill me, Pacquiao and Vincent's people laid a net on the ship, and everywhere were people who wanted me dead. A place like this—why did you come?"
Elizabeth opened her mouth but didn't know how to answer.
Jacob didn't wait for her answer. He continued, his voice growing lower and more tender, "You came for me. Isn't that right?"
Elizabeth's heart clenched violently.
"You were afraid something would happen to me, so you came. You came as one of Nightfall's people, hiding beside that Noel, secretly protecting me. You helped me win that lead at the auction, helped me deflect Sawyer's probing, helped me..."
He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing as if suppressing some surging emotion. "Elizabeth, do you know how dangerous this was?"
Elizabeth's tears wouldn't stop flowing.
She wanted to say, 'I'm Nightfall's leader, I have the ability to protect myself. She wanted to say, I had already deployed my people, nothing would really happen. She wanted to say, I...'
But she couldn't say anything.
Because what he said was right.
She came here, in the end, because she was afraid something would happen to him.
Because she didn't want to experience her past life's tragedy again. Because she didn't want to see him surrounded by those enemies, isolated and helpless, his legs crippled, dying alone.
Because she loved him.