Page 70 of Dark Consequences

Raphael

My entire body is restless and eager to spill blood.

Every second I’m made to wait is another second Lily and Mei spend with Xiao being forced in to whatever hell he has planned.

For every wound on them, I will deliver three times over on Xiao and his men. They have no idea the devil that comes for them, but they will before the night’s over.

My fingers tap against the knife strapped to my leg, my eyes on the yacht in the distance. We have to wait until night falls to approach. Otherwise, we’ll be seen by Xiao’s lookouts. Even then, to avoid radar, Michael and I will need to dive and board the boat from the back.

Michael hands me a mask and a respirator designed to pull air from the water while I swim. Genius piece of tech, really. Just like how our guns are specially designed to work after being submerged in the water.

Enzo, who's been keeping an eye on the boat through a pair of binoculars, curses. “Shit.”

I freeze. “What?”

“We need to go now.”

“It’s not dark enough yet,” Michael says.

“We don’t have time to wait. Look.” He hands me the binoculars and then starts the boat.

Mei is trying hard to keep hold of Lily while a guard tries to pull her away. Another guard wrenches Lily’s hand back until Mei’s hold gives out. I can’t hear her cries over the ocean waves from this distance, but I can feel them in my gut.

“Hurry, Enzo,” I order my friend, knowing he already has the speed boat going as fast as it can.

Lily struggles against a guard while Mei is taken away. And then in the blink of an eye, Lily is on Xiao’s back, and blood flies.

“Fuck! She just stabbed Xiao.”

“What?” Michael grabs a rifle and looks through the scope. “Holy shit! Does she have some kind of death wish?”

Lily doesn’t know I’m coming for her. And while I hope she trusts I am, she can’t be certain. So in her mind, she can only count on herself right now. As dangerous as that is.

A guard pulls a feral Lily off Xiao’s back, and my chest swells with pride at the pure viciousness on her face. Blood covers her hands, her face, and hair, but she’s never looked more beautiful to me.

Xiao spins around, and a second later, a guard hands him a gun.

“Enzo, we need to get there now. He’s going to shoot her.”

We’re not going to make it. We’re still too far away.

I’m going to lose her.

I’m going to lose her before we even have a chance to be together.

“Raphael, do you trust me?” Michael asks, his voice calm and steady over the rushing sound of the water.

“Yes,” I answer without hesitation.

“Good.”

And then he fires the rifle.

I don’t even have a second to get angry because, through the binoculars, I watch the guard holding Lily drop to the ground. I can’t see where she goes after, but I watch Xiao’s eyes snap up and narrow in our direction. Michael ejects the casing and loads another bullet. But before he can fire the bullet, Xiao takes cover, and the bullet buries itself right where the bastard stood only a second before.

My eyes scan the deck and catch sight of a blond dressed in red. It’s Lily. Relief floods my chest when I see she’s been able to get away. My arms would be better, but I’ll take the bottom deck for now.

“Hold on to something,” Enzo warns. “This is gonna be quick.”

---