Page 20

Archer

“What cuff?” I ask, feigning stupidity. The lie tastes acrid on my tongue; both parties know we are in possession of it, but maybe I can buy us time.

If it weren’t for the M16’s in their hands and the pistols on their hips, I’d take these fuckers as a joke. They’re each wearing casual V-neck tees—showcasing impressive patches of hair—and swim trunks with flip flops. The guys from the beach… They must have been lying in wait until we found the cuff, ready to ambush us.

And we’re the goddamn idiots who let our guard down in the excitement of Mia’s discovery.

My trigger finger itches.

I assess our odds: five to four…all armed (though we’re not drawn)…no Kevlar…it’d be a blood bath at this close range.

“The cuff that’s behind you,” the man in the middle says. He raises his gun and points it at me, center mass. I don’t blink.

Behind me, Mia touches my back. “Dillon.” Her voice is tiny and soft. She’s trying to push her way between Phantom and myself. I shift my left arm behind me, blocking her. “Dillon, this isn’t worth dying over.” She slips her right hand through my arm, wedging her way forward. “Please.”

A cagey smile spreads across the man who has me at gunpoint. “Smart move.” His eyes drop to the box she’s holding. He lowers the gun and holds out his hand.

Mia looks from the box to him, then back. “I want proof of life,” she says adamantly. “I won’t give it to you until I have proof my father is alive.”

The man sighs and flicks his head to his right. His accomplice produces his phone and turns the screen so Mia can see it. It’s a black and white live stream. A man is tied to a chair in the middle of what appears to be a warehouse.

Mia swallows a sob. “Release him.” Her grip on my arm tightens. I want to shield her from this, erase the trauma. Never have her experience the ugly things in this world. But her stoicism is remarkable.

“I don’t think you’re the one in the position to be calling the shots, Mia,” he says sardonically.

Her back straightens when she says, “Are you forgetting I hold the cuff?” From the corner of my eye, I can see she’s cocked her head to side. She’s giving him attitude.

For a moment, they’re at a stalemate. He and Mia stare at one another. Where the man is losing patience, Mia is rooted in place with her determination. And my heart swells at her courage in the face of absolute danger.

Finally, the man sighs like he’s inconvenienced. He makes a phone call. “Untie him.”

The live stream shows a man enter the screen. Mia’s father is cut loose.

“Now, the cuff, princess.”

On a deep sigh, she passes it to him.

I huff out a breath forcefully from my nose. My molars grind together. After everything we’ve gone through to find that damn bracelet…now it’s fallen into their hands. And why? Because the five of us were too wrapped up in playing archeologists to even recognize a potential threat. It’s a mistake that won’t happen again. I don’t have to look to the rest of the guys to know they share the same sentiment.

I pull Mia back to me, slipping her behind a protective arm once more.

“You’ve got what you came for,” I say conversationally. “And it’s been real fun—”

“—Leave your weapons,” he says, interrupting me. He nods to each of us like we don’t understand his elementary instructions. Reluctantly, we place our handguns and knives on the ground. “Tie them up,” the man says to the others. They extract zip ties from their back pockets.

Mia’s eyes have doubled in size. Her hands encircle my forearm. It’s vicelike. Her fear is slowly killing me, and there’s nothing I can do but let this play out.

“It’ll be alright,” I say to her, capturing her eyes. Her brows are raised as she regards me like I’ve lost my mind. “Trust me, okay?”

One of the men grabs my arm, pulling us apart. Mia whimpers. He forces my hands behind my back. The grating of the zip tie is all I hear. “Aw, come on. Tighter,” I goad. “Is that all the better you can do?”

The man scoffs. “Suit yourself, asshole.” He yanks on the plastic. I feel the bite as it pinches the skin at my wrists. I smile at him.

Blaze sighs as he turns around to accommodate the other guy. “You insult me,” Blaze says yawning. “Is it even a zip tie if it doesn’t break the skin?” He winces then clucks his tongue. “There ya go, sweetheart. That’s better.”

“Do you need me to lean down to you?” Phantom asks as if he’s discussing the weather.

Legion joins in. “Must be my lucky day. This is my favorite type of foreplay.”

“Shut up!” the leader yells. His eyes that are dark and beady land on Mia. He rakes them up and down her body. His mouth angles up at the corner and he’s in no way hiding his appreciation at what he sees.

What I see is red. An anger that boils low in my stomach like acid. An anger that runs through my veins like a stampede of wild animals. An anger that is stronger than adrenaline. I can taste blood where I’ve bitten through my cheek. If he touches her, I will kill him.

Before he can, the man that tied me moves on to her and efficiently binds her wrists. If he’s disappointed, the leader doesn’t show it. He motions with his gun. “Move. This way.”

Midas is first, following one of the accomplices. Being the professional he is, Midas says nothing. We’re led down the hill—something that is a little harder to do when our equilibrium is compromised. My foot slips, but I recover quickly. Mia isn’t so lucky. She’s fallen several times. When I turn to try and help her, I see that she’s being roughly hoisted up by one of the men.

“Get your fucking hands off her,” I growl.

The man whistles. “Bossy. Doesn’t suit you—it’s a better look for her.”

“Arch…” It’s the first time Midas has spoken. I catch his eye. There’s an almost imperceptible movement in his neck, telling me to let it go. I swallow the bile that sits in my throat.

When we’re back on the dirt road, the men motion for us to climb down to the beach. It’s small with a strange rock formation just in the surf. And beyond that is a boat tied to a robust shrub.

There’s not a chance in hell they’re taking us for a pleasure cruise. Six of us won’t be coming back. Mia seems to sense it too. She balks at the sight of it.

“Get in.” We’re ushered at gunpoint until our team is aboard with the leader and one other; there’s not room for the other two.

“Oh shit, excuse me,” Legion says, straightening himself up after mis stepping. He’s fallen into the driver who gives him a loathsome look.

The six of us are huddled at the stern. “You know, you could probably lower the gun by now. We’re cooperative,” I say to the leader. He ignores me. The other man starts the engine and reefs on the helm. Thankfully, we’ve got our sea legs and steady ourselves. Mia falls against me from the surge, though. Her jasmine scent has been replaced with a windswept saltiness. It doesn’t make me want her any less. Her hair whips in the wind and I want to kiss every goosebump that emerges on her neck.

Nobody speaks while we’re underway. There’s nothing to say, nor could we be heard over the outboard motor. I glance at each guy. Legion is twitching his shoulder and Blaze is looking around like a child that’s spotted a butterfly. Phantom’s face is neutral, but I recognize the amusement at our current challenge. Midas’s gaze is narrowed, his eyes darting between the driver and other man.

I test the ties, feeling the sharp edge of the plastic finally cut into my skin. I glance down and I want to kiss away the redness at Mia’s delicate skin. She’ll have bruising at her wrists for some time.

The driver slows the boat. I look behind us. They’ve taken us far enough out that the water is deep, and small whitecaps begin to form. I’d wager we’re at least two clicks out.

The leader uses his gun as an extension of his arm. He’s starting to annoy the fuck out of me with the way he’s wielding it. He’d be better off with a laser pointer. “In you go,” he says blandly.

“No, thanks. We’ve already gone for a swim today,” Blaze says informatively.

“It’s not a fucking question,” the man seethes.

Blaze sighs. “Fine.” And as ungracefully as a person can be, he flops sideways out of the boat, splashing water up to the deck.

“But I-I can’t swim,” Mia lies.

“I-I don’t care. They can be your life raft.”

The driver sighs heavily. “Just shoot them already…”

“You know we can’t,” the leader hisses under his breath. “Hurry up, get in the water!” he shouts to Mia and me.

“Mia,” I say, imploring her to listen to me. “It’ll be alright. Swim over to Midas, okay?” She and I are the last ones on the boat, and as much as I’d like to be the one she swims to, I’m not leaving her alone with these dipshits. “Okay?” I ask again, when she hasn’t answered right away.

She nods and hesitantly jumps in. She’s awkward in the water, but she meets Midas as he kicks himself toward her.

Then it’s my turn. I sit on the railing, falling backward, diving style. The water is still warm like a bath, and it rushes up my nose. When I breach the surface, I shake my head. Mia is afloat and treading water, but not well. Midas is telling her to steady her breathing; regulating it will be the only way to get through this.

I open my mouth to start breathing exercises with her, but the boat roars to life. The driver does a donut so sharp I can see a decent portion of the hull. Then, we’re left alone, bobbing in a powerful wake. A mile from the shore. And the sun has just set.

“I won’t be able to stay afloat like this.” Mia coughs and water sprays me in the face. Her hair is plastered to her skull.

“What’s taking so long, Legion?” I ask, my teeth gritted. “Keep kicking, Mia. Look at me. Deep breaths with me.” She follows the rhythm I set, albeit shaky.

Water laps at my shoulders. I bring my arms up behind me and attempt to force my wrists against my lower back. The water slows my movement. Snapping zip ties out of water is doable, but now, kicking with all my might, the sea pushing back and working against every move I make, it’s damn near impossible. My clothing and boots act as anvils, trying to pull me under. My legs are on fire, the muscles straining from the constant movement.

Legion swears beside us. “Almost got it,” he says, struggling.

Mia’s breaths continue to fan my face. She looks to Legion, curious at my question. A loud pop startles her. “Did he just…dislocate his shoulder?”

“ Fuck, that hurts,” Legion yells.

“He did,” I say. Then we watch as he maneuvers his long arms further back behind him. He’s a human pretzel when his legs clear the circle of his arms in a summersault. With his hands in front of him, he floats to his back. He raises his arms and in a sharp move, he slams his wrists against his pelvis. The ties snaps free with a pop .

“You can do that?” Mia says, impressed.

“Knife. Left boot.” I too, roll to my back as best I can, lifting my left leg to the surface. Legion is quick and sure, even if he’s only swimming with one good arm. He pulls the knife out, slicing through Mia’s ties with a flick of his wrist.

Her arms shoot to the surface. She spits more water out of her mouth and takes a deep breath.

“Take the knife,” I tell her. Legion is doing a fair job of concealing his pain, but if one of us can alleviate it marginally by setting the rest free, then we will.

The guys rub at their wrists while I inspect Mia’s. The ties never broke the skin, but like I suspected, the marks will linger.

Blaze prods gently at Legion’s shoulder, assessing the damage. “Think you can swim, or do you want me to pop it back in?”

Legion exhales like a pissed off horse. “Pop it back.” Phantom and Midas flank Legion, supporting him and holding him steady for Blaze.

I’ve seen it done before, and it’s not pretty. The way his bone protrudes under the skin is unnatural. I spin in the water, distracting Mia with a kiss. It’s quick and chaste, but necessary.

“Yo-you knew all along? About his shoulder?”

“Told you everything would be alright, didn’t I?”

There’s a shrill whine from behind us as Blaze slides Legion’s shoulder into place.

“You did, but I just didn’t see how we were going to get out of this,” Mia says, her breathing evening out.

Midas swims over to us. “You’re saying you lost faith in us?” He winks.

She blushes and it’s barely noticeable in the dying light. “I’m saying I think I focused on the wrong thing…” Then, the shyness about her shifts to panic. “I need to get a hold of my dad. I need to know he’s safe. And the cuff…what do we do now?”

The waves reflect in her eyes that are as big as saucers.

I smirk at her. “We take it back.”