Leo, of course, was well aware that he was the most eligible bachelor in town… There would be no shortage of female candidates, all trying to catch his attention… His father had already compiled a short-list with girls from a variety of respectable Upper Side families… Leo knew them all… And some he knew really well… Little sluts, the whole lot of them, he thought, and not one came close to being so ravishingly beautiful… Yes, this Madison Ray was something else! One thing was certain now… Leo Van Zandt wanted this girl… And he knew he would have her. That was a given.
“Worried, aren’t we?” Leo sat down next to Madison.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked, glaring at him. “You know it’s an impossible dive!”
“Is it?” Leo pointed at the water, feigning surprise. “He’s supposed to be one of the best divers, right? As my father likes to say, it should be a walk in the park for our hero down there, then!”
“Walk in the what? There’s no park…” Madison stopped mid sentence.
“Smart girl!” Leo laughed. “You got that right! There’re no parks to walk in! Your friend’s not coming back!”
“You’re a monster!” Madison spat at him.
Leo stared at her. Nobody had ever spoken to him that way… and certainly no girl had ever dared to do so… Suddenly, he found that extremely exciting and pleasurable. He could feel his pulse racing. “Oh? I thought you liked me!” Leo drawled. “I was just about to invite you to dinner tonight!”
Madison gave him a long, cold stare. Leo allowed his eyes to linger over her for a moment and licked his lips. He then checked his watch and grinned. “It’s been three minutes already!” he announced as he got up and looked at the water. Everyone followed his gaze. There was no sign of Flynn. “Well,” Leo said, “…I’m afraid we may have lost one of the Archipelago’s best young divers!” Starting his boat’s engine, he turned to the guards. “Secure Perry’s raft. We’re heading back!”
“Wait!” Madison shouted. A single tear rolled down her cheek. “Give him some more time… please!”
“Hah! Looks like Miss Ray believes in miracles!” Leo laughed and began to turn the boat toward the Archipelago. The second boat followed slowly, towing the Seeker in its wake.
Madison slumped on her seat and buried her head in her hands. She felt dizzy. They were really going to leave Flynn to drown… This was cold blooded murder! And there was nothing she could do about it. Overwhelmed by the horror of it all, she felt her whole body begin to shake… But it was also Flynn’s fault, she thought angrily, catching her breath and wiping away her tears. Yes, Leo Van Zandt was a monster, but why did Flynn take the challenge? How could he be such an idiot?
The boats were picking up speed, when Madison suddenly heard Flynn’s voice rise above the roar of the engines. “Stop!” she cried, trying to stand up. “Stop the boat!”
“Hey! Van Zandt!” Flynn was yelling louder now for all to hear.
Leo and his friends all turned to look. The sight of Flynn’s head bobbing in the water wiped the smile from Leo’s face. He made a sharp U-turn and headed back toward Flynn. “Look who’s back!” said Leo, struggling to hide his anger and disappointment. “Empty handed I guess?”
Grinning, Flynn raised his hand above his head. He was holding a six-pack of algae covered cans. “Catch!” he shouted and hurled the cans at Van Zandt.
Leo almost fell back as he caught the pack. He stared at it for a moment then tossed it to his friends. “Have some beer, boys!” said Leo, trying hard to sound cool and indifferent to what had just taken place… But history was repeating itself! The scum boy had made him appear stupid and weak in front of so many people… His face darkened as he followed Flynn out of the water.
Flynn now stood on the Seeker’s deck. “So…” he began, with a note of victory in his voice, “…I kept my part of the deal!”
Leo’s eyes narrowed. He pointed a finger at Flynn. “You lucked out this time, Perry boy! It won’t happen again. One wrong move and I’ll make sure you’re banished! Is that clear?”
Flynn nodded as he bent down to cut his raft free from the Van Zandt power boat.
Leo shifted his gaze to Madison. “As for you,” he said, “…my dinner invitation still stands… I bet you won’t miss your hero boy, once you get a taste of the Upper Side!”
“Really?” Madison flashed her teeth at him. “I can’t wait!”
“Oh, you won’t have to wait, my dear,” said Leo and turned to his friends. “You can let the girl go.”
The moment his friends loosened their grip, Madison broke free and was back on the Seeker in a flash. She stood next to Flynn, trying to match his defiant stance. “I think I’ll stay here for now!” she said, throwing her shoulders back.
Leo Van Zandt cocked an eyebrow. The corner of his mouth twitched. “Your loss, beautiful!” he said and blew her a kiss. Then, pushing down on the throttle, he backed the Fury away from the raft and sped toward the Archipelago.
With the Van Zandt boats a safe distance away, Madison swung around and slapped Flynn hard on the face. “You jerk!” she cried, hitting him again. “I thought you’d drowned down there!”
Stunned, Flynn tried to shield himself from her angry fists, but Madison kept coming at him. Throwing his arms around Madison, he pinned her hands down in a tight grip. He felt her struggle against his body. Eventually, the girl began to calm down, and allowed her head to rest on his chest. They stayed like that, locked in an awkward embrace, until Flynn slowly released his grip… Madison pushed away from him gently and stepped back. Still a little teary, she studied his face. Flynn felt his face grow hot and lowered his gaze.
“How did you do it?” she asked, finally breaking their awkward silence. “How did you manage to stay underwater for so long?”
“Well…” said Flynn, clearing his throat… After having held Madison in his arms, he was finding it hard to regain his composure. “I’ve got this secret compartment…”
“Secret compartment, huh?”
“Yeah, in one of the barrels under the Seeker, you know…” Flynn was now relieved to change the subject and not to be standing so close to Madison. “…Some of my stash was still in there and…. when the bastard challenged me, I thought…”
“Oh! So, all that time you were hiding under the raft?”
“Yeah… I could hear everything, and… thanks for your concern back there! You sounded really worried about me.”
Madison stared at him for a moment then shook her head. “Don’t mention it!” she said and slumped down on the battered car seat.
“Disappointed?” Flynn sat next to her. “Well, sorry I’m not the incredible hero you thought I was!”
A tiny smile forced up the corner of Madison’s lips. “I’m glad you’re not! Otherwise, you’d be dead.”
“It’s not too late to go and have dinner with Leo Van Zandt!”
Madison’s eyebrows shot up and her eyes narrowed. “You still don’t get it, do you?”
“What?”
She rolled her eyes, leaned in and kissed Flynn lightly on the lips. “Can you take me home now? It’s been a really long day,” she whispered.
“Sure!” Flynn grinned, trying not to think about the little kiss. “Home, sweet home it is…”
ELEVEN
“I knew this was gonna happen, amigo! That prick will make your life hell,” Tony said shaking his head. Flynn had just finished telling him about his encounter with Leo Van Zandt.