Page 198 of Heir

I leaned back until my shoulders touched the bars.

Fuck, but what was I going to do?

34

KAI

There was a second ship.

Fucking hell, but we almost missed that had I not seen men with the Bratva tattoos boarding it as we were heading back to our car.

And they were leaving a day ahead of schedule, which told me that the ship we’d destroyed was a decoy, a distraction.

The authorities were on the water, distracted by the explosion we caused, which created a perfect opportunity for them to leave.

We almost made it too easy for them.

The five of us hid a distance away and watched as they brought the women in—nineteen, by our count—and still, when it seemed everything was ready, they hadn’t boarded.

It wasn’t until I fucking checked Gemma’s location that I understood why they were waiting.

The necklace I had given her earlier had a tracker in it, along with her engagement ring.

I wasn’t taking any chances with her, and this turned out to be a good fucking decision.

A call to Ace and Vice went unanswered.

That could only mean one thing. Those men would have answered had they been able to.

I closed my eyes and sent a small prayer to the fallen brothers.

Dad tensed beside me as another car pulled up, and fucking Jude came out. He reached into the car and lifted an unconscious Gemma into his arms.

I closed my eyes briefly.

Fuck, but she looked dead.

Please don’t fucking be dead. Keep breathing for me, baby.

I could feel Dad’s and Roman’s eyes on me, but I didn’t react, remembering Dad’s words.

I needed to be patient. To control my emotions. I was hunting prey. One misstep and it wouldn’t mean just my death, but the deaths of everyone I cared about.

I took a deep breath.

As soon as Jude boarded the ship, we moved.

I snuck up on the man responsible for closing the door, slit his throat before he knew what was happening, and stashed his body in a nearby bush.

The four of us boarded the ship and closed the door.

Blue stayed behind to call in reinforcements. Once we’d destroyed everyone, we would need a way off this ship, along with the girls they took, and Gemma.

And by everyone, I meant fucking everyone.

“Let’s split up,” Dad said. “Roman and Micah, take the upper deck. We’ll go down. No one lives.”

I nodded.

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