Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 20940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
He screams something at me in his language.
“You’re about to find out just how protective I am when it comes to my girl,” I tell him in a low controlled voice. “I’m going to make you pay with the force of a thousand—”
The long pole comes crashing down on his head with a thump. His eyes roll back and he drops down unconscious, the knife clattering on the metal floor.
I turn to Janice with my forehead scrunched up and with my arms out. “You interrupted my big speech!”
“It was getting a little long,” she says with a wink.
“You break the lights,” I say with a grin. “I break the jaws.”
We smile at each other and then she gets back to work smashing the lights as I stand there on guard like her own personal Bengal tiger.
Once they’re all broken, we cut the nets and toss the illegal stuff they already caught over the side of the boat. The meat sinks below the surface and disappears. At least it will feed the ocean creatures instead of the assholes who buy this stuff. And maybe they’ll think twice before rolling up in here again.
We head back into the boats and drive away with our adrenaline finally slowing down. I catch Janice’s eye and we smile at each other.
God, I fucking love her.
“What are you thinking?” she yells in my face over the roaring of the speeding boat.
“I’m thinking that I could get used to this. It was fun.”
Her smile widens and it reaches her beautiful blue eyes. I can’t help but lean in and kiss her even though the boat is bouncing around like crazy.
“So, we can count you in as a Marine Protector?” she asks after licking her lips.
“You can count me in as a Janice Protector. Wherever you go, I’ll be there watching out for you.”
“Sounds perfect to me,” she says as she wraps her arms around mine and rests her head on my shoulder.
I kiss her hair and hold her tightly as we sail off into the sunset, perfectly happy in every way.
Epilogue
Janice
* * *
Twenty-five years later…
* * *
I’m in shock as they call my name.
All the heads in the beautiful hall turn to me as my mouth drops open in stunned awe. I turn to Shane and he’s already standing up and clapping the loudest.
“Get up there, babe!” he says as he helps me up. “You won!”
It feels like my spirit has left my body as I stand up and walk over to the stage. The sound of clapping is deafening in my ears.
I can’t believe I actually won. It’s the most prestigious award in the Marine Protectors’ organization—the lifetime achievement award.
Tyler is smiling at me on stage and hands me the award as I step up to the microphone. I’m blushing as I see everyone in the room cheering and clapping.
My eyes dart to Shane. He’s the last one to sit down.
He looks so proud of me.
My husband is truly the best. We’ve had an amazing few decades together and our love runs deeper every year we’re together.
During our first year as a couple, he sold his oil rig and we both joined the organization full time. Once I got pregnant with our first child—a boy named Liam—we stopped doing runs in the field and instead helped turn the small organization into a global powerhouse of a charity. We’re helping to clean up the garbage around the ocean and stop illegal fishing worldwide. It’s been a very rewarding career and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Shane.
He’s been so supportive with all of my goals and dreams and has helped me achieve them all.
Not only that, he’s been an amazing father to our four children—two boys and two girls. We settled down in Manhattan and have loved living in the action of the city.
I thank the organizers of the charity and go through the motions.
When it’s time to thank Shane, I tear up. I get so emotional when discussing my love for him.
“How can I thank the man who means everything to me?” I ask as I stare at him through the crowd. “I love you so much, Shane. Every day that love grows. I couldn’t have done any of this without your watchful eyes looking out for me. I love you so much. Thank you.”
I nod to the crowd and then leave the stage with my new award.