Page 43

Sam

There hasn’t been anyone in these waters for the last year, and there’s a good reason.

They’re too dangerous. So it’s too much to think the Project Thunder racing toward us is here for anything but nefarious reasons.

Even though a small part of me hopes that maybe Rocky put a reward out for his son and the Lürssen is here to help us.

But Easton’s right: a private SEAL Team Six operation is more Rocky’s style.

Right now, I just want Haley safe... and I can’t help thinking that this is definitely an out of the fire and into the frying pan situation.

Unlike the pirate ship, it’s got every damn light in the vessel burning.

They’re more than announcing their presence—the only thing more blatant would be them playing musical horns like an over-powered cruise ship.

The presumed pirate captain bursts out of the galley. He takes two steps and stumbles. He’s yelling, and it’s not English or French.

It’s our new friend who takes a gun out of his waistband and shoots the captain in the chest. The man drops to the deck, dead.

“Shit, you had a gun the whole time?” Easton says.

He shrugs and tries to hand it to Easton.

“Keep it, my friend,” says Easton.

“Rodel.” The guy taps his chest and wiggles his eyebrows.

“Don’t be a bloody fool, Easton.” Zane takes the gun. “No offense,” he says to the man.

“No.” He shrugs back.

Dante points at the approaching ship. “We need to worry about that, not his feelings.” He launches into French, and the guy replies.

“Rodel says there are another three crew members on board, but they’re all sleeping.

They left another six at their port, thinking this was going to be an easy job.

Then there’s the three back on the island, looking for Easton and Hal.

.. They left with twelve. Normally, they are eighteen to twenty. ”

“Three on the island?” I turn to Easton and Haley.

“We stole their tender. They could take ours, though,” Haley says.

“Except I disconnected the battery wires and turned off the battery switch. Given enough time, they should be able to figure it out,” Calvin says.

“That would have been nice to know,” Easton grunts.

“You stole the tender?” I say under my breath to Haley, and she smirks back at me. “You’re...” I pull her in for a quick hug. “Sorry, I smell like rotten fish.”

“I don’t care.” Our new friend, Rodel, pulls the feet of his deceased captain across the ship to the starboard rail.

Dante grabs a leg and helps him roll the body overboard.

Then Rodel opens the galley door, grabs a board like he didn’t just throw a body to the fish, and locks the door, trapping anyone below deck.

He nonchalantly chats to Dante while he rounds the galley, takes another board inside the galley, and locks it from the other side while Dante follows along.

I get the feeling he’s never done this before, but he’s definitely had it done to him.

It’s the smirk of almost glee when he pushes the second board into position.

The megayacht slows. “It’s going to be on our port in five minutes,” I say.

“Yeah, they wanted us alive. I think that’s the only thing going for us,” Calvin says.

“Unless they wanted to make sure they’re giving the reward money for the right people. Before they kill us,” Dante says, crossing his hands over his chest.

The eyes of our new friend go wide.

“Did he understand?” Zane asks.

For the first time since he let us out of the fish hold, Rodel looks nervous. “Rodel.” He points to himself, smiling at Haley.

“Oh, I’m Hal,” Haley says.

“Hi, Hal.” He smiles, and I now want to drop Rodel into the fish hold.

The closer the Lürssen gets, the more I can make out.

It’s not traveling with its fenders flapping in the breeze.

And it’s not one guy sitting on the aft deck smoking.

There’s a half-dozen armed guards positioned all over the ship: the communications platform at the top, either side of the bridge, and the front bow.

“There will be more,” Dante says, seemingly reading my mind.

“It’s not a rescue.” Haley’s dropped her deep voice.

“You came in smart, Sassy, dressing like a teenager. Don’t worry, your voice will change soon enough. We’ll figure a way through this.” He puts his arm around her like we aren’t waiting for our doom to arrive. But fuck, maybe he’s got the right idea, touching her.

He drops his arm when the yacht pulls right up next to the fishing boat.

Their bow’s a good ten feet higher. The crew of the yacht hook onto the fishing boat and toss a boarding ladder over.

Guard after guard jumps down onto the deck next to us.

They scatter around the ship, one of them staying with us.

He’s not pointing his gun at us, but he’s not out for a stroll either. “Weapons,” he says in an accent I can’t place. His furrowed brow stays focused on us.

Easton and Zane place their guns on the deck. Zane has placed Rodel’s a foot away from the stain the captain left. If the guard notices, he doesn’t react.

Another guard drops from the ladder and pats each of us down. He’s thorough but not invasive. He takes a radio from Easton.

When he’s finished, another beefy guard rounds the deck. “Clear.”

Five minutes later, which feels more like an hour, a tall, dark-haired man drops to the deck. He’s got that casual appearance that says I’m wealthy, but I don’t care . Other than the Audemars Piguet watch on his wrist.

“Ah, good to see all of you.” His eyes scan the group. “Where are your hosts?” He looks briefly at Rodel before he dismisses him as not the captain.

His guard motions to the spot on the deck and the smear of blood that crosses to the other side.

“Well, I suppose you don’t survive on an island for nearly a year without having some resources.

Easton Rockwell, Zane Morris, and Calvin Green.

And then there’s Dante Jones. I have an associate who says you make the best hamburgers.

He said that when I find you, I should be sure to tell him.

” The billionaire cocks his head like he’s considering whether he should do it or not.

Dante glares back at him.

“And Samuel Miller? Interesting... You weren’t known to be on raft number two. Yet here you are.” He raises his eyebrows at me. If he doesn’t know about the Rock Candy, I’m not going to be the one to tell him. “Then you must b-––”

“Hal,” Rodel says, and points to himself. “Rodel.”

“Hal?” The man laughs and ignoring Rodel he turns to Haley. “As in Haley Brewster.” He takes the skull cap off her head. Zane slips his hand onto Calvin’s forearm. But it’s Dante who takes a step forward.

“Take your hands off of him,” Dante says.

“Oh, I see,” the ass says. “Have you been playing Balthazar for a whole year with these men? Or just for today?”

Her blue eyes are steel as she looks up at him.

“Indeed.” He hands her back her hat.

“And you are?” I ask.

“Mr. Z. But you can call me Thayer.” Thayer, unlike his men, has an American accent—or rather the lack of one, like most yacht owners from the States.

He’s not looking at Haley’s face but her bound breasts, and Zane’s going to have a hard time holding the three of us back.

“Interesting shirt.” His hardened exterior cracks for a brief second.

“Where are the rest of the crew for this boat? Have you disposed of all of them?”

“There are three crew below deck. There are three alive on the island. And four bodies,” I add because I’m not sure what Thayer is yet. I know the crew of this boat is an enemy.

“And Rodel here. I should put a bullet in him. He’ll become just like his former keepers. He’ll be the mussels on someone else’s hull if I let him go.”

“Or he’ll go back to his family and try to forget his past,” Haley says.

“Oh, Hal. You’re an optimist. How nice. I don’t meet many in my line of work.

Fine.” Thayer turns to Rodel. They have a short conversation before he turns back to Haley.

“Well, Hal, it appears you’re right. I offered him this ship and some cash or a ticket back to his home with no cash.

He took the ticket.” Thayer motions to one of his guards.

“Where are you taking him?” Haley asks.

“You might be an optimist, but I am not. Rodel here will be below deck in our special accommodations until we get to port.”

Haley purses her lips, and I see a bit of her optimism slide into the ocean. Dante hasn’t stopped glaring since Thayer stepped on board. I want to kick him before he ends up in the special accommodations with Rodel.

It’s clear that we’re playing by Thayer’s rules, at least for now.

“I see.” Thayer nods to me. “Thank you.” He turns to the guard behind him. “Clean up the island and this ship. Drive it out to deeper water and sink it. Let’s get off this dirty thing, shall we? You first, Hal.” He motions to the ladder.

Haley snaps into charming first stew mode. “Thayer, there are a few things we would like to get off the island.”

“Yes, I imagine there are.” His eyes flick to Easton. “Let my men clean it up. Tomorrow they’ll take you over.”

“Um, so... our dog and cat are over there.”

Thayer inclines his head to the one whom I’m assuming is the head guard. “They’ll bring them back after they finish.”

She nods.

“Ladies first,” Thayer says.

But Dante grabs the ladder and climbs up it with speed to the mega.

“Or chefs first—I suppose it’s the same thing.” Thayer laughs. It’s a good thing he has guards, because I guarantee that Dante would be paying him a visit while he slept if he didn’t. “Hal,” he says again.

Haley steps up onto the ladder, and the rest of us move in unison to go behind her. But I’m a step faster. I stay as close as I can while not impeding her progress to the top of the ladder.

Stepping onto the deck, the first thing I notice is how protectively close Dante’s standing next to Haley.

I fall right in line on the other side of her.

Then it hits me—the smell. It’s like fucking coming home.

Then I see the crew lined up like we’re guests, standing next to giant guards with semi-automatic guns dressed all in black.

It’s overwhelming. But there’s a whisper of hope that Thayer’s not going to feed us to the sharks.

Zane, Easton, and then Calvin pour over the side. I understand the shocked expressions on their faces. I take Haley’s hand and squeeze it like she does to me all the time. Her blue eyes glance up at me, asking, are we okay? And fuck, I only have hope.

“Wonderful. I’ll have my chief of security, Holloway, and my head stew, Kennedy, show you to your rooms.”

“Mr. Z,” Haley says.

“I won’t forget about your pets, Hal.” He nods to us and the crew. And then we’re being whisked down two flights to a row of cabins.

“Hal, this is your cabin,” Kennedy says.

“It’s Haley.” She nods at him but doesn’t leave my side.

“Of course,” Kennedy replies. Haley sucks in her lips but doesn’t step into the cabin. “Is it not okay?”

“Oh, I’m sure it’s lovely. But I haven’t been by myself for a...”

“Did you want to share a cabin?”

“Yes, please,” Haley says.

Kennedy studies the five of us guys. I can see him trying to figure out which of us are connected. “With whom?”

“We could all share one cabin.”

Kennedy pauses. “I’m not sure Mr. Z would... I’ll ask him.” His eyes flick to the chief of security.

“Makes things simpler for me,” the chief grunts.

“Come this way.” Kennedy moves down three doors. “You can all wait in here while I clear things with Mr. Z.” He opens the door of a suite with two large beds. There’s a walk-in closet and an attached bathroom.

We file in quietly. The door closes behind Calvin, the last to enter. And a lock turns from the outside.

“You don’t lock your guests in their cabin,” Calvin says.

“No, no, you don’t.” I stare at the doorknob.