Turtle Island
Sara had been easy enough to lead Rafe and the team through the remainder of the catacombs, navigating the corridors and through each puzzle and trap. Rafe had stuck beside her most of the way, smirking each time Sara had outsmarted the riddles left behind by Captain Henry Avery. It made Rafe see just how much a Drake she was. Sara held the same level of intelligence and determination to treasure hunting that had long made him envious of Nathan and Samuel Drake and, in turn, envious of Sara. Rafe could have all the money and power in the world, but it couldn't buy him the abilities that seemed to come naturally to the Drake siblings.
The last leg of the trek through the catacombs had led them through another iron-wrought gate, the massive structure crashing back down as they passed under it. Nadine's lieutenants had tried to lift it, but it wouldn't budge, another feature of Avery's escape route that wouldn't allow anyone to return. They reluctantly pushed ahead, hoping that they would find their exit at the end when they found the treasure. Finally reaching the end of the catacombs, they could hear the sound of water rushing and lapping at rocks—a hidden cave. Sara smiled, her hunch correct. She knew that Avery would have had a hidden sea cave where he would have anchored his ship, ready to sail away if the moment arose.
Climbing down an old ladder and manoeuvring over a collapsing path, Sara made the trek down to a slowly rotting pier. She gasped loudly when her eyes landed on the forty—six—gun frigate, the shelter of the cove keeping it in near-perfect condition, safe from the effects of the outside weather.
"The Fancy." She breathed. Sara was in utter awe of it, and her eyes couldn't help but welled up with tears. To her, she'd never seen something so majestic. The historical value of such a find, in its condition and the pirate history attached to it, made it a rare find, and Sara could only dream of the wealth of knowledge contained within.
"And the treasure!" Nadine beamed, hastily stomping past Sara down further onto the pier, finding a stockpile of pirate treasure just sitting there, ready for the taking. "Where's the rest of it?" She barked, looking around. She had expected more, far more. The treasure was meant to be well over one hundred and sixty million in value, yet what sat on the docks wasn't that. Sara stepped beside Nadine, pointing at the man-of-war anchored not too far away. Of course, that's where the rest was stashed away; Sara was sure of it.
Nadine turned sharply, barking at Orca and Knot to activate the GPS and alert the rest of Shoreline where to find them. Once the entrance to the cave was located, they could send in boats and haul it all away. It was a successful find. And if everything continued to go their way, it would be without Samuel and Nathan Drake not showing their faces and ruining everything. Sara had no qualms with Shoreline taking the treasure away, hoping she could catalogue and identify some of it. While waiting for Shoreline mercenaries to arrive, Sara carefully picked up some artefacts, identifying the era and quality of the pieces. Rafe had stood nearby, smirking and chuckling under his breath, finding her attention to anything historical amusing.
"Once the boats have hauled away what's here on the dock, we'll start on the ship," Nadine ordered, watching as her two lieutenants began to shift the cargo, separating and packing the treasure securely.
"No!" Sara barked as soon as Nadine finished speaking. The British woman had turned, meeting Sara with a glare. The brunette glared back, not affected at all by the heated stare. Nadine had been quick to question Sara why they couldn't answer, and the woman was more than happy to answer. "That frigate is well over three hundred years old, and I would bet it is riddled with traps." She stated sternly, gesturing at the ship. Sara went off on a long tangent, almost lecturing Nadine about how possessive and mistrustful the pirate Captain had been until his supposed end. "And we haven't even seen what I would say is his corpse yet, so it's probably on that ship, seeing as he wasn't able to sail it out of the cave!" Sara was practically panting as she finished speaking, the Shoreline mercenaries and Rafe staring at her with raised eyebrows.
Nadine looked to Rafe, who was standing behind the woman, her mouth in a thin line. She was not in the mood to deal with Sara's antics.
Rafe breathed deeply. "Sara's right. We can't just go stepping onto that ship." He spoke, stepping forward, his hands clasped firmly behind his back. "We take what's here on the pier, close up the route we came, and return later to secure what treasure is on the Fancy." His explanation had Nadine almost seething. She didn't like being ordered around when she was sure she knew what she was doing, but she wasn't a treasure hunter, only a hired gun. She knew how to fight and handle a combat situation, so traps and ruins were not her forte. Nadine reluctantly nodded, a rough 'fine' leaving her lips.
"Thank you," Sara spoke, looking at Rafe. She was grateful he had backed her up. While she understood Nadine's eagerness to collect the treasure within the ship, precautions had to be taken. There was no telling of the traps Avery would have arranged for those who dared step onto the vessel without his permission. As the Shoreline boats entered the cave through an overgrown and hidden entrance to begin loading away the treasure on the dock, Sara and Rafe began to talk in detail about how to handle best getting the treasure off the ship. Sara was adamant that the boat would need to be investigated with a keen eye first to identify the traps and how to avoid them to create a safe pathway to take the treasure. Sara was also curious about finding a way to deactivate and remove the traps, as the ship had historical value. Rafe had agreed with that. A private collector or museum would be willing to pay a fortune to purchase an intact ship, having belonged to the famed Captain Henry Avery.
"We almost done here?" Nadine asked, her eyes on Knot as he hauled the last treasure onto one of the boats brought in. She was pacing back and forth, eager to get out of the cave and away from the island for a well-deserved break. With the money she was set to make from this mess of a treasure hunt, she could pay off the groups hounding Shoreline for her father's mistakes and bring it back to the glory where it once stood.
"This is the last of them, ma'am," Knot spoke, grunting from the hefty weight of the treasure as he moved it around, creating a clearing on the small boat for them to move around with it being clustered.
Nadine nodded, pleased with the response. "Good. If we hurry, we can catch up with the others." There had already been several small boats that had gone ahead, carrying the bulk of what they'd collected, returning to Rafe's yacht waiting out in the bay for them. As she was about to step down onto the boat and join Knot, a single speedboat passed, reading towards Avery's ship, garnishing everyone's attention. Nadine's brows furrowed, and confusion settled in. She hadn't ordered any of her men to go to the vessel and doubted Rafe would have given the order.
"That was Sam!" Sara gasped, rushing down the dock towards Nadine and Knot, Rafe and Orca tailing behind her. "That idiot is going to set off those traps and get himself killed!" She was in utter awe of her older brother's stupidity. She thought that Samuel, with his insight, would have realised the ship was riddled with traps, yet the man's greed for treasure and beat Rafe had overpowered his thoughts.
"Let him. We're done." Nadine spoke sternly, simply shrugging it off like it wasn't their problem to fix.
Rafe scowled. "We're done?" He stared at Nadine. To him, it was their problem. If Samuel got on that ship and caused it to go down, they would lose the rest of the treasure, and the glory of having found Avery's treasure would go down with it. "I say we're not."
"Most of my men are dead, Rafe. And those who aren't have already left." She scoffed, trying to reason with him. It was just the five of them now, and Sara's concerns about the ship being heavily rigged were at the forefront of Nadine's mind. If they acted, there was a good chance they would all die.
"Sam will cause the Fancy to sink." Sara breathed, gesturing wildly to the large vessel. "All that history. Gone." She barked, the frustration evident.
Nadine scoffed again. "History be damned, that maniac pirate has rigged this entire cave. I'm not setting foot on his ship." She looked between the two, bewildered that both were willing to stop Samuel Drake, even if the motive behind that reasoning differed.
"Nadine. If you cut and run right now, the loss of all your men…everything that we've done is for nothing." Rafe's voice was becoming more agitated, his reasoning firm. He wasn't about to let a Drake beat him, especially the eldest. He was almost there. He got to the ship first and found the treasure first.
"We have millions in gold right here." She pointed down at the chests of treasure sitting aboard the speedboat just inches away. They only needed to get on it and sail out of the cave. "I'd say that plus our lives is something." She stomped past him, planning to get on the boat with or without him. She had the treasure and could quickly leave him and Sara behind, taking it all for herself.
"No wonder so many of your men abandoned you." No sooner had the insult left Rafe's lips did Nadine spin, her eyes narrowing on Rafe. How dare he imply she didn't care for all those who had died trying to find Avery's treasure. Even Sara had hissed Rafe's name in a lecturing tone, gobsmacked that he would say something so foul. Rafe waved Sara's concerns away, and he focused his attention on Nadine. "We're on the verge…of making history here, and you're willing to just walk off with a pittance. A fraction of what Sam's gonna get from that boat." He stood over her, threatening her with everything he could. Behind him, Sara stood by Orca. Her arms crossed over her chest as her gaze flickered between the scene before her and Avery's ship. Her heart was racing, and she felt they were wasting time.
Nadine pointed at the ship, her words meeting Rafe's threatening tone. "If he can walk away from that ship alive… he can have it. Hell, I'd say he's earned it. God knows you didn't." Nadine's eyes narrowed, flicking past Rafe to Sara, catching the brunette's eyes.
Rafe's jaw tensed as Nadine's insult hit him, his eyes following the Brits to Sara. He was unable to control himself, the rage boiling up, and in an instant, he slapped her. The harsh sound echoed in the cave, reverberating off the rocks and water. The two lieutenants and Sara flinched, but neither moved. For a split second, Sara's eyes flickered to the two mercenaries, curious why neither had come to their commander's defence, simply pointing their weapons at Rafe and Sara. The shock of the slap had even shocked Nadine, the dark-skinned woman's fingers tracing her cheek, feeling the throbbing skin.
"Now, look…" Rafe spoke, his voice having lost its aggressive tone, the one little slap removing the anger from his very core. "We can stand here and insult each other all day…or we can finish what it is that we—" Rafe doubled over, his words becoming lost as Nadine landed a hard punch to his gut. Sara had called out for him, watching in horror as Nadine gripped the man's left arm, holding tight and putting all of her strength into a hard shoving, throwing Rafe back onto his back and hitting the stern deck of the pier.
Nadine pulled out her pistol, pointing it down at Rafe, ready to shoot, ignoring Sara as the brunette ran to Rafe, clinging to the man and reaching out a single hand to Nadine, begging her to stop. "Oh, we're finishing it all right—" Her hiss was silenced, the clicking of guns loud as both Orca and Knot trained their weapons on her. She stared at them in shock, looking at the two men who'd served under her willingly. Orca offered an apology, but it was useless, as the betrayal had been done.
Knowing that they were safe, Sara assisted Rafe to stand, the man groaning in pain as his gut still rang. Nadine knew how to land a punch. "Yeah…thing about mercenaries, Nadine…their loyalty, it's bought…it's not earned." Rafe coughed out, pain obvious in his words and slight discomfort, bringing Nadine some joy. "Now, come on. Either we finish this thing together…or we can just end it right here."
Nadine's eyes flickered between the mercenaries and the gun in her hand before finally landing on Rafe and Sara, staring at the two. Sara was clinging to Rafe's chest, almost using her own body as a shield, ready to take the hit if Nadine chose to shoot. "Let's go make history." She gritted out, finally lowering her weapon. She stowed the gun back in the holster on her left hip and begrudgingly got onto the boat after Rafe gestured for her. Sara had stopped Rafe, a firm hand on his chest. Orca had passed them, the mercenary rifle trained on Nadine as he followed his now former employer onto the boat.
"Are you okay?" Sara whispered, her brows knotting together as she looked up at him. Rafe smirked, a light chuckle leaving his lips. He nodded, gripping her hand on his chest tightly.
"Perfect." He answered, making Sara scoff and roll her eyes. When she pulled away, he grabbed her, pulling her back up against him. Rafe's kiss was brief enough to reassure Sara that he was okay. Rafe stepped onto the boat first, assisting Sara with an extended hand. Once they were both down in the speedboat, sitting opposite Nadine, Knot started the engine and drove them to the Fancy.
Nathan had been beneath the dock the entire time, listening to the conversation above. His heart raced when he heard his sister's voice, a thrill inside him to abandon the voice of reason and risk the danger of climbing onto the pier and pulling Sara into his embrace, evening knowing that she'd tried to shoot Samuel. Nathan had watched Sara and Rafe interact; their attraction was evident, and Nathan understood that feeling. Before Elena, there were many women Nathan had felt that way for, and now, he felt that way for his wife and always would. He couldn't blame Sara for that. Even his past attractions could be called a mistake now.
Once the speedboat had zoomed off, Nathan ducked into the water, swimming through the wooden columns that held up the pier and reemerging on the other side, climbing onto the dock and admiring the ship. Even Nathan couldn't deny his shivers from seeing the massive frigate, its golden trimming shining under the small light that had trickled in.
"Let's see what you have in store for us, Captain Avery." Nathan breathed out, a low whistle leaving his lips at the impressive sight. He dived into the water and swam swiftly, knowing he needed to get to his brother and sister fast, only hoping that Sara would hold onto whatever shred of familial love she had left and let nothing wrong happen to Samuel.
He lurched in the water when the ship's bow broke into the water, an explosion loud and blowing out a part of the ship. A loud feminine scream echoed after it, and Nathan recognised it instantly as Sara. His heart quickened, and he swam faster, fully aware that one of the traps his sister had been concerned about had been triggered. He had no idea who had set it off, only that it had been and that Sara or Samuel might have been harmed. As he got closer, he found the path around the ship blocked by the broken bow and fire, having no choice but to climb up the other side of the vessel to where an open hole was blown.
As he climbed up, he could hear someone coughing, the smoke from the flames filling the ship. Before pulling himself up the final hurdle, he reached for his gun, ready to defend himself. His mouth dropped open as the individual came into view, his eyes landing on Sara.
"Sara!" He yelled to her, sliding along the wood on his knees and wrapping his arms around her as the woman tried to control her breathing, her lungs filling with smoke. Sara turned in his embrace, her coughing easing.
"Nate—!" She choked out, throwing her arms around him. "You're alive!" Sara sobbed. She was grateful to see him and that he was genuinely in front of her, not a vision dreamt up by her smoke-addled mind. "How? You were shot and went over the cliff?"
"Takes a lot to kill us Morgans." He teased, pulling her to stand, needing to get her out of the smoke-filled room and clear her lungs. He paused when his eyes landed on the Shoreline soldier lying on the ground not far from them and not moving. Nathan recognised him as one of Nadine's lieutenants.
"Knot," Sara coughed. "He tried to save me during the explosion." The words were sullen and mournful as she gazed down at the mercenary. Knot had been kind to her in their brief interactions, something he didn't need to be. He was only a hired gun, after all. Next to her, Nathan frowned, clearly understanding his sister's remorse for the man's death. Helping Sara climb up to the next level, where she had initially fallen from, he guided her to the second floor of the ship, the top deck gone, whether from the continuous explosion as the fire spread or from three hundred years of rotting away, neither was sure and nor would they ever come to know now.
Outside of the smoke-filled room, Sara was finally able to breathe easier. With his sister now somewhat safe, Nathan began calling out for Samuel, desperate to find his brother, wanting to escape with his siblings.
"He went below deck. Rafe, Nadine and Orca went after him." Sara explained, gesturing aimlessly ahead. It had all happened so suddenly. The five of them were standing on the ship, guns pointed at Samuel, and in a quick movement of the Drake man darting away, a loud explosion shook the ship. Rafe had ordered Knot to stay with Sara as the rest ran after Samuel, trying to stop him.
Nathan nodded, clasping Sara's hand and moving forward, looking for a way below. The doors ahead seemed to be caved in due to the triggered traps. They had come to a hole in the floor, the only way down. Nathan had gone first, ensuring it was clear before gesturing for Sara to follow. While part of him wanted to send her away, to find somewhere safe, he knew he had to keep her in his sights at all times now, not wanting to risk losing her again to Avery's traps.
"Whoa. Look at that. There's your treasure…god damn…was it worth it?" Nathan breathed, admiring the glittering gold and jewels that surrounded them. There was an abundance of chests, ornaments, statues and coins everywhere, sparkling through the hazy smoke filling the large compartment. A sharp 'no' from Sara behind Nathan had him smirking, and he had to agree with her. The risk for gold was not the cost of one's life. Nathan had seen many fall to greed, and he was saddened that his brother was one to risk everything and everyone.
The two siblings walked carefully through an outlined path, avoiding slipping on any loose coins that would be a safety hazard while searching through the smoke. They coughed to keep their lungs clear. They stopped before an obvious doorway, sealed shut. Nathan had been the one to lean down, lifting it until it clicked into place, unable to fall manually closed. Nathan went first, stepping into the room, and Sara followed closely. They paused when they spotted someone moving towards them and coughing in the smoke. At first, they couldn't see who it was, but Nathan had his gun pointed at them.
"Hey, Nate." Rafe rasped, stepping into view, his gun pointed right back at Nathan. At the sight of him, Sara bolted past her brother, wrapping her arms around Rafe's shoulders and hugging him tightly. "Sara…" Rafe sighed, his eyes locking onto hers as she eased back in his grasp, his free hand securely around her middle. Nathan gritted his teeth, and his brows furrowed. The attraction between Rafe and Sara was extremely evident up this close to them, causing Rafe almost to forget that Nathan was there and pointing a gun at him. "Where is—?" Rafe had begun to speak, questioning the location of Knot, but when Sara frowned and shook her head, he understood completely.
"Where is Sam?!" Nathan barked, drawing the attention back to himself.
Rafe looked to Nathan, scowling at the man for interrupting his moment with Sara. "Oh, he's right there." He gestured to his head to the side, and both of the younger Drake siblings followed, their eyes landing on Samuel. The older man was crushed beneath a large beam that had collapsed during an explosion, knocking Samuel unconscious and smashing him into the deck under his body. Nathan bawked at the sight of his brother, calling out to him, which was useless. "Relax, he's alive. Y'know, this idiot nearly got us all killed." Rafe scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"I'm getting him outta here," Nathan stated. "Sara, too."
Rafe's eyes narrowed. He pushed Sara behind him harshly, firmly showing that he wouldn't let her go with him. His hand tightened around the gun. "No….you're not."
"Rafe, you can have the treasure, all right?" Nathan tried to reason. "Just let me save my brother and sister."
Rafe couldn't help but laugh. "After everything he's done…? After how he tried to kill Sara…?" It was comical how loyal Nathan was to his brother, who had lied, cheated, stolen, and murdered in chasing his greed. At the mention of Samuel having tried to kill Sara, Nathan's brows furrowed, and he questioned it, accusing Rafe of lying and making Rafe laugh again. "Oh? You don't know?" Rafe looked to Sara, letting her step forward to speak.
"It's true. He pushed me into a trap, knowing it would kill me so that he could escape." Sara admitted bitterly.
"No," Nathan shook his head, not wanting to believe it. "Sam said that you tried to kill him!"
"Oh, she did," Rafe jested, smirking. "After, he tried to kill her."
Nathan's eyes shot to his big brother, staring at the unconscious man. "He left that part out…" He rasped. In a way, it all made sense. Nathan had struggled with the idea of Sara trying to kill Samuel outright, deeming it unthinkable, but if the idiot had tried to kill her first, it made sense for the woman to go after him. "Look, if we stay here any longer and we're all dead. Is that what you want? For Sara to die?" Nathan looks between Rafe and Sara, trying to appeal to Rafe's attraction to the woman to get him to let them all escape. Rafe's eyes dropped, Nathan's words having some effect on him. His eyes flicked to Sara beside him, who looked up at him pleadingly. Sara didn't wish for her brothers and Rafe to fight; even if a small part wanted to leave Samuel behind, she couldn't for Nathan.
"Hand it over." Nadine's voice called out over the silence; her gun pressed into Nathan's back. Knowing he was outgunned, Nathan obeyed. He cursed himself for getting distracted, for not even considering where the Shoreline Commander could have vanished. Nathan rasped out a question, asking Nadine if she could trust Rafe, but she blew the statement off. "Not your concern."
"Now, why are you trying to instigate?" Rafe chuckled, gesturing between himself and Nadine. "Nadine and I are partners…I don't screw over my partners. Get over there. You and your brother, though…right from the start, you took advantage of my generosity. You tried to cut me out, and it's high time you learned—" Rafe started to lecture, looking down on Nathan as he casually strolled over to Nadine, Sara following cautiously as Nadine took the gun from the middle Drake child, storing it on the holster on her right hip. Sara gasped and stepped back when Nadine pressed her weapon into the back of Rafe's head. "—What are you doing?" His lips thinned, his aggravation rising again.
"Now, you give me your gun," Nadine ordered, her eyes narrowed at the back of the man's head, but her gaze flicked to Sara when she saw the brunette take a step towards them. Nadine quickly unholstered Nathan's gun, pointing it at Sara over her left arm. "Don't." She warned sternly.
Sensing Sara's distress, Rafe raised his right palm, warning Sara to obey. "Nadine…" Rafe hissed, but the gun clicked, Nadine forcing her point. With a tense jaw, Rafe hooked his finger into the trigger of his weapon and hovered it over his shoulder, offering it to her. "You are being…profoundly stupid right now." Rafe bit, his eyes trained on Sara, who was looking back at him with worry. Nadine smirked, holstering Nathan's gun and taking Rafe's. With a shove of the barrel into the back of his neck, Nadine pushed Rafe forward. He turned sharply, glaring at the British woman who now had two guns pointed at them. She gestured for Sara to move over and stand beside Nathan and Rafe, and she complied. Rafe reached a hand towards her, pulling Sara in behind him protectively. Nathan was grateful that Rafe was shielding his baby sister.
"Look over there," Nadine spoke, gesturing to her right.
"Nadine, stop screwing around—" Rafe dared to take a step towards Nadine, but she fired a shot at his feet, making him jump. Sara quickly pulled him back, hissing at 'don't' at him. "Jesus!" Rafe screamed, his eyes flicking to the bullet hole where he'd been standing. Nadine demanded again that he look, and he did. Rafe's eyes landed on the two skeletons sitting beside one another, swords sitting out of their bony chests. "Okay, it's a couple of skeletons. So what?" He shrugged.
Nadine scoffed, shaking her head at Rafe's laze antics. "I don't know as much about history as you boys…but I've got a pretty good idea who those two are." Rafe stared at her, clearly not finding the joke in this situation as she was.
"Captain Henry Avery and Captain Thomas Tew." Sara was the first of the three to speak, her face grim. Everything they had found on Turtle Island as they had hunted for the treasure pointed towards a falling apart between Avery and Tew, a falling out that led to the destruction of the Pirate colony and its citizens. "They killed each other." Sara's eyes flickered to Nadine, the dark-skin woman slowly retreating to the hull's entrance.
Nadine smirked. "Everyone obsessed with this treasure…gets what they deserve.
"So what, you're just leaving us here to die?" Nathan barked, staring at her in disbelief.
"Oh, I'm just leaving," Nadine spoke, stepping backwards past the doorway, the faintest hint of a smirk on her lips. "Whether you die or not, I don't really care."
"You really want that karma, Nadine?!" Sara yelled, stepping forward. Nadine's gun was now trained on her, and Rafe acted quickly, pulling Sara back behind him and out of the line of fire. "You take that treasure, Nadine, and you'll get what you deserve, too." Sara bit, remembering that the treasure from the docks had already been taken away to Rafe's yacht, now free for Nadine to claim all for herself.
Nadine smirked, following the woman's train of thought. She shrugged, lowering her gun. "So long." Nadine forced the door down with a curt goodbye, sealing the hatch and them inside. Rafe ran to the door, slamming his fists against the thick wood and demanding she open it, but there was no compliance from the other side, Nadine leaving them for dead.
"Rafe, she's gone!" Nathan lectured, trying to warn the man from the sealed door as he went to Samuel's side, trying to pry the hefty beam from atop his brother's unconscious form. "C'mon, give me a hand; we'll all get out of here." Rafe paced, his mind being overloaded with thoughts. He had come so close to winning, to finally achieving something so grand, yet it had all been ripped away from him. Had Nadine just been a good little soldier and obeyed, he would have been off this burning ship, Sara at his side, and returning to his yacht to boast about how he'd become a legend. "C'mon, help me with Sam, and I'll help you open the door," Nathan yelled out to him. "Sara?" His eyes flickered to his sister, who was busy inspecting the hull, her eyes darting over every surface to find a weak point or a way out.
"This place is sealed tight. A vault." Sara hissed. "Pretty sure there's no way in or out other than those doors." She pointed towards the two doors, both sealed shut. Seeing Rafe's frustration, she stormed over to him, cupping his jaw and turning his attention to her. "Breathe, Rafe," She murmured, their eyes connecting. His jaw was still ridged under her hands, and his own hands flexing at his sides. He struggled to control his emotions, and the betrayal drove him mad. Sara's gentle touch did little to calm him.
Regrettably, Sara pulled herself from Rafe and moved to assist Nathan. The two Drake siblings nodded and turned their focus onto the large beam. Hooking their fingers underneath the sturdy wood, the two strained to lift it, not even moving it an inch.
"It's too heavy." Sara rasped, her fingers snapping free and the force knocking her backwards onto her ass. Nathan had begged her to try again, his desperation to save their brother controlling him. "It's no use!" She yelled. Her green eyes flickered between her two brothers.
"Try again!" He yelled back. He was panting, and all around them, the fire was spreading. Nathan's eyes looked past Sara's, spotting Rafe back at the sealed doors, straining to force the wood open. It wasn't going their way. They would die here, the smoke sucking the air from their lungs, and then the fire would burn them away until the water below swallowed them into the depths. It was too much. Nathan had just gotten back his brother and mending his relationship with Elena. He couldn't die now. None of them could.
"Nathan…"
He glanced down, finding his brother staring up at him weakly. "Sam…" Nathan coughed. "You're an idiot…" He gasped, still trying to haul the heavy beam away.
"Listen to me! Listen to me! All I ever wanted to do…was find this treasure with you." Samuel laughed, the motion hurting his ribs as the wood pushed harder onto his chest. "We did it, little brother. Okay? It's all right."
"He's gone fucking delusional!" Sara barked, moving over to Nathan's side.
Samuel smiled when he saw Sara. "Hey, baby sister."
"Fuck you," Sara stated, glaring down at him. She flicked her eyes over to Rafe. He had collapsed down on the steps of the doorway, his head slumped forward and his hands resting on his knees, clearly given up. All four of them were slowly coughing, the smoke in the room getting thicker as the fire spread and their bodies slick with sweat. "I don't think we're going to make it out of here," Sara muttered, a frown forming. Resigning herself to their fate, she stood, going over to Rafe and sitting beside his right, her fingers wrapping around his hand as she rested her head on his shoulders.
"No, there's gotta be another way." Nathan stood, ignoring his brother's pleas. Samuel was begging him to escape and leave him behind if he had to; as long as Nathan got out alive, that was important to Samuel. "That's it. That's it!" Nathan cried when an idea formed in his head. He ran to the far side of the room, ignoring the questions from his two siblings as he manoeuvred a giant cannon, checking to see if it was loaded. He beamed when it was, turning it to face the ship's side and angling it downwards. "Get your heads down!" Nathan yelled, using a piece of lit timber to light the fuse.
Rafe jumped to his feet, his arms around Sara as he pulled the woman away, cursing at Nathan for not giving them enough warning and calling out his stupidity, swearing that Nathan was set on killing them all rather than providing an escape. As the explosion rang in their ears, water flooded into the hull. "So you plan to drown us instead, Nate?" Rafe yelled, his eyes darting around at the seawater that flooded in, pooling around their feet and rising quickly.
Nathan was beside Samuel, the two fighting against the beam that held him down, yet with the water, it was quickly lifted from his body, and Samuel crawled out, taking a deep breath as the water lapped over his head, nearly drowning him.
"You are one crazy son of a bitch." Samuel laughed, shakily raising to his feet.
Nathan reached for him, and the two men grasped their shoulders in a grateful greeting. "Takes one to know one."
"You're both fucking nuts!" Sara screamed, her gaze heated on her two older brothers. She and Rafe were panicking, the water having risen to chest height, and if they didn't act soon, all four of them would drown. Samuel had gone to yell a retort at his sister, but Nathan pulled on his arm sternly. It wasn't the time for one of their childish fights.
Nathan gestured for them to dive under and follow him out. It was a big ask, but they all took a large gulp of air before ducking under the water. Following Nathan, they swam through the hole he'd blown with the canon, each swimming strongly, racing against the water to the surface. Nathan first popped his head out of the water, inhaling the fresh air in a large gulp. Rafe and Sara followed after, and finally, Samuel, the weakest swimmer of the group. They didn't have time to waste, or even mourn, the sinking of the historical ship and all the treasure that they had hidden onboard, the final traps exploding and mixing with the gunpowder onboard, turning the Fancy into a gigantic bomb.
"There! That's our way out! Come on!" Samuel gestured to the opening in the cave, the light from the outside world pouring in. They didn't take a moment to hesitate. Swimming hard, the four individuals put the last remaining ounces of their strength and stamina into reaching the opening as the entire cave came down around them, the chamber echoing as the ship exploded in a fiery inferno and caused the cave ceiling to collapse. They had to swim through falling rocks and flaming debris. There was a chorus of cries from them, each screaming at the other to swim faster, the very entrance of the cave closing in and the light threatening to lock them into a world of complete darkness.
Sara didn't know what had saved them in the end, if it had been karma, good fortune, or the intervention of a God, but all four of them had managed to swim free of the cave, making their way into the overgrown cove.
"Nate! Nate! Hey!"
The voice was like a siren's call, bringing them to the side of the cove and into Elena's awaiting embrace.
"C'mon, I got you. Are you okay?" Elena called out, reaching out to her husband and pulling him free from the water. Her eyes briefly looked past him, spotting Samuel, Sara, and an unknown man whom she could only guess was the mysterious Rafe. She didn't have time to dwell on them, so Nathan answered her question with a 'yeah' and pulled her gaze from the other three. Nathan had collapsed onto the dark stone, panting hard to catch his breath. He couldn't recall a time he'd ever swum so hard. While Elena had reached to pull Samuel from the water, Rafe had already pulled himself to the shore, his hands around Sara and hoisting her into his arms. The two were also collapsing back onto the earth, with Sara resting her head on his chest.
With the four lying down to finally rest after escaping from the jaws of death, Elena stood and pulled the radio from where it was clipped to the back of her belt, her gaze upward as she tried contacting Sullivan. "Hey, Sully, I got 'em." She smiled, looking from the two Drake brothers to Sara and Rafe.
"Where are ya?"
She smirked at his reply, pulling out the flare gun he'd given her and firing a single shot. "We're right here." There was no concern for either of them about Shoreline. Elena had bore witness to two speedboats leaving the mouth of the cave. The first had been a tall, dark-haired man and then a woman. Sara would later share with her sister-in-law that those had been Orca and Nadine, the two Shoreline mercenaries returning to Rafe's yacht, which had shortly sailed away with what treasure they'd collected from the cave's docks. Because of that, Sullivan was safe to land his plane and soon escort them all back to King's Bay. However, there was one issue with that. Rafe.
As soon as the flare had blasted from the gun, Samuel was quick to rise to his feet and yank Sara from Rafe's embrace, threatening to kill him for touching his sister. Elena tried to get involved but was stopped by Nathan. She had questioned him about it, but her eyes widened in understanding as soon as Sara had landed a punch to Samuel's jaw, and then another, and another. Nathan, Elena and Rafe could only watch as Sara pummelled her older brother, cursing him out for all the trouble he'd caused them due to simply living. It was a list. Sara blamed Samuel for causing Nathan to live on the streets after the Orphanage, all the times they served in jail, and for dragging Nathan through so much emotional pain that it left the spectators speechless. Even when Sullivan arrived and stumbled upon the scene was gobsmacked.
When Samuel was nothing more than a moaning and grunting mess with fresh red bruises on his face, Sara finally stood, panting and out of breath. "Sorry," She breathed, turning to face everyone else.
"Bit overkill there…" Sullivan muttered, shaking his head, but he couldn't stop the smirk that played on his lips. He always enjoyed how feisty Sara was, and Samuel was too annoying for his tastes.
"No," Nathan stated, his arm draped lazily over Elena's shoulder as he held her close, the pair now standing. "It's warranted." He said, looking at Sara. The siblings shared a look, and slowly, Nathan jerked his head to Rafe. Sara beamed, ecstatic with Nathan's understanding and permission. While Nathan didn't like Rafe, he knew how his sister felt and saw how Rafe shared those emotions. Sara returned to Rafe, falling into his awaiting embrace, his arms circling her and his head resting upon her head. He may not have his yacht or the treasure, yet there was nowhere Nadine and Shoreline could hide from him once he and Sara returned to the United States. He was sure of that.