Page 35

In which, as always with the MacTavishes, things do not go to plan.

Logan…

“We have to move up the schedule.”

“Why?” Kai’s voice sharpens, “What’s gone off?”

I’m in the lower engine room, using the metal bunker to block the transmission from getting picked up by anyone on the command deck.

“They’re starting the surgeries today, eight of them. Xenia’s going through the data, she got into the medical ward schedules with the information Bella and Mason brought back. They’re already prepping the operating rooms.” I’m gripping the satellite phone hard enough to crack the plastic casing. “One of the first donors is Bella’s friend, Carol. If I canna get the girl out, ya know my wife will go charging down there and try to do it herself.”

This is where my brother is his least irritating self.

“Of course,” he agrees instantly. “Tell Xenia to start the navigation shift, steering the ship in an arc now. I can call in a favor from the Toscano Mafia in Naples to get me the biggest helicopter The Zephyr’s landing pad can handle. We’ll do a top and side attack. How many of the security force can ye take out before ye give the signal for us to board?”

“We’re certain we know of twenty. Xenia can loop the outside cameras and we’ll shoot ‘em and dump them overboard, no bodies to start a panic. That dinnae account for whoever they’ve got in the medical bay, though. I’m certain they’ve got their most experienced men in there.”

“This is what ye do best,” Kai says, his amusement clear, even through the static on the call. “Ye feck shite up. I’m thinking half the bastards on board will be dead by cocktail hour. Send Ian down to fetch Bella’s friend, tell her it’s for a preoperative massage or some shite. Get her out of her cabin.”

“I’ll do it myself. I’ll take her to Bella and Mason’s stateroom.” Checking my watch, “We’re moving everything up by five hours. I know that’s some serious scrambling on your part. Can ye do it?”

“Ye already know the answer. I’m calling Da and Uncle Lachlan now. Stay sharp, brother.”

“Ye as well.”

By the time I get to Carol’s cabin, she’s already gone.

“Fuuuck!” Xenia runs her hands through her hair, making the tidy bob stick up in every direction. “I’m still trying to break through the systems firewall in the OR. I have all the records but no way no way of knowing where they’ve put her.” Her hands are flying over her keyboard. “Okay, okay, okay… I can halt the water supply in that entire section of the boat. You can’t operate without water, right?”

I’ve never seen Xenia this manic.

“That’s good, that’s grand.” Catriona vigorously massages Xenia’s shoulders. “There’s a lot of medical machinery that’s water-cooled, aye? It’s not just for the medical team to wash up. How long can you delay them before the crew fixes it?”

“An hour, maybe less,” Xenia’s gaze is ping-ponging back and forth between the screens at a dizzying rate. “Maybe by then I can get into the system and shut down the equipment, I can fry some of those fuckers, no problem.” She glances up at me. “You better go kill a bunch of people. There’s no hiding this now. They’re gonna know there’s hostiles on board.”

These crew uniforms are itchy and uncomfortable, but with the dinner jacket on, I can fit in two guns, extra ammo clips and my knife strapped to my calf.

“We divide up, aye?” Ethan, Jack, Hamish, and Theo are crammed in my tiny servant’s cabin, loading up. “Ethan, you’re with me, we hit the command deck. Xenia’s ready to switch the controls to remote operation. We have to take out everyone from the captain to the navigator and disable the cameras.”

“Looking forward to it,” Ethan says, looking a wee bit too happy as he fits his Heckler & Koch in its holster. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a free for all. Makes sense you’re running this circus, cousin.”

“Dinnae worry, I’m not aiming to take your job as clan assassin,” I say dryly. “But I’m glad you’re here.”

“Finder,” he corrects me irritably, “I find things.”

“Aye,” I agree, “and then you kill them. Jack, take Theo and Hamish and start with the guard’s quarters and start shooting from there. Keep an eye out for our mystery arsehole who’s running this show. They’ll likely have a couple of big guys hovering around them.”

I always appreciate when I’m dealing with a load of arrogant arseholes. They canna believe anyone could be a threat to their meticulous fecking plans, and it makes it so much easier to take ‘em out.

“What are you doing here?” Captain Anderson’s standing at the control board, looking at us irritably. “I didn’t order food.”

He’s first.

The shot is clean and true, right through his head and cracking the glass behind him. Ethan’s good as always, he’s already taken out the navigator and ship’s engineer by the time I shoot the deputy captain.

“Excellent. We lock this room down so no one else can get inside and move on to the medical clinic.”

Ethan rolls one of the bodies away from the door with his foot. “Good. I’ve only used two bullets so far. Waste of an afternoon.”

“I’m sure you’ll more than make up for it.”

The sun’s already setting by the time we’ve cleared another floor. There’s a bad moment when one of the unknowing donors catches us throwing a body overboard.

“Dude, what the fuck!”

Ethan slaps his hand over the donor’s mouth, shoving him back into his cabin. “Listen very carefully. You are in danger. We are the good guys and we are here to protect you.”

“Y- you’re not pirates? Because I’ve heard-”

I step in and head-butt him, putting the unconscious man on his bed before we lock him in.

“Really? Ye thought we had time to reason with him?”

“Always the hard way with ye,” Ethan sighs. “Are we sure you’re not Uncle Lachlan’s secret love child?”

“If we had the time, I’d shoot ye for that.” My phone buzzes as we head up the crew stairway to the floor taken over by the medical clinic, squatting malevolently right in the center of the ship.

“Mason? What’s going on, ye should be moving Bella over to-”

“She’s gone.”

I can feel my heart stop. Just a stone in my chest.

Bella…

I dinnae have time to feel betrayal.

Focus, just fecking focus on the next step.

Mason’s phone chimes softly while he’s in the shower. I’m not the one to snoop on people’s phones but it could be an emergency.

It’s from Logan.

They’ve already taken Carol from her cabin. I’m heading up to the med bay with Ethan after we take out the captain.

Do NOT let Bella out of your sight. Keep her in your room, even if you have to handcuff her to the bed.

Do NOT tell her about her friend.

My hand is shaking and I put the phone down gently before I drop it. Carol’s in that place. They’re going to hurt her.

They’re going to kill her.

I’m not completely inept with guns. Logan taught me some basics and took me to the family’s shooting range a couple of times. I take one of Mason’s pistols that I think I can handle, make sure it’s loaded and the safety is on.

The gun is in my beach bag and I’m strolling down the hallway like I’m heading out to the pool for a sunset swim. Logan’s going to kill me.

And kill Mason, probably. Though he really shouldn’t kill Mason, this isn’t his fault.

My steps slow as I approach the clinic’s doors. I’m running through the layout in my head. The hardest part will be getting through the reception area. One of those giant orderlies is standing behind the counter with the nurse I’d seen earlier. There are other ways in and out, right? I remember seeing an emergency exit door, just down the hall from my examination room.

I can barge in, point my gun at them and demand Carol. But there’s got to be half a dozen of them with guns and then… just me. I canna count on Logan getting here in time. Distract. Distract and redirect. I need a distraction.

Which is why I’m crouching in a medical supply closet down the hall. There are soothing aromatherapy candles, match boxes with The Zephyr’s logo on them, massage oils, big bottles of Isopropyl alcohol , stacks of towels…

Big glass bottles of Isopropyl alcohol.

It’s not like I have any experience with explosives, no anarchist bent that makes creating a Molotov cocktail a natural for me, but other than throwing my gun at them, this is what I have.

Stuffing a towel into the biggest bottle of the rubbing alcohol, I scurry back to the alcove across the hall from the clinic’s entrance. My hands are shaking, and like an eejit it takes me three tries with the matches,watching the flimsy things spark and sputter.

The fourth match catches and I light the towel. The muscles in my back spasm as I hurl the flaming bottle at the big picture window at the entrance. The thick glass bottle smashes right through it, sending streaks of fire spraying across the desk and the furniture in the reception area.

The nurse screams, knocking over her chair and racing into the clinic. The fire alarm blares, red lights flashing and I stare at the blaze for a long second, mesmerized by how fast the flames can spread. A little stunned that it worked.

Move it ya eejit!

The emergency exit. I can handle a bottleneck, they can only get through one at a time and I have a gun. I have to do this.

“Mother Mary, I am sorry to be committing violence on these people, but they are bastards. If ye could keep my hand steady it would be much appreciated.” I make the sign of the cross and run.