Page 17 of Guarding The Phoenix: Vol. 2

“Part of the problem with this craft is there are far too many entry points, and it makes defense problematic. To ensure we have supplies readily available should we get boarded, I think we should create weapons stations. Here. Here. Here. And here. On every level.” He pointed at the locations.

“But what about the enemy confiscating our guns and ammo to use against us?” The last thing I wanted was to make it easy for Santos’s goons to take us out and leave Kylie unprotected.

“It’s a risk I admit, but to leave them stored below deck is an even bigger one. I will make them as hidden as possible so only we know their locations. There’s no doubt it could backfire. But the problem is, what happens if we have a sneak attack? We don’t know how many vessels Santos owns. We have guesstimates but nothing concrete. And that creates unforeseen challenges. We took out one helicopter. But a guy like Luka Santos won’t rest on his laurels. He likely has multiple. And we can’t assume we’re safe, because the moment we do, that’s when he’ll attack just like we saw at the house.”

“What kind of artillery do you want to store at those locations? We have a lot of firepower down below.” If he planned on bringing out the big guns, I’d have to veto that.

“For safety, I say we stick with rifles and handguns on every level. Then on the top deck near the stern, I want to put up the fifty cal. We can keep it covered. I have just the thing we can use.”

“You’ll have to take it back down before we reach the port in Seattle and anywhere else we need to make port.”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Piece of cake. But this way, we’ll be ready for the next attack.”

I studied the points he wanted to make weapons stations. He wasn’t wrong. We needed to be on point and prepared. After what happened at the mansion, I wasn’t willing to let anything slide. “Okay, I say do it. I’m sure Kylie won’t mind.”

“And you guys talked about more than that she wants a gang bang?”

Axel was like a dog going after a bone. Crossing my arms, I sighed and nodded. “Yeah, she was worried I didn’t want her anymore. And she’s concerned that we’re going to make her choose between us.”

“What did you tell her?”

“That we’re all in. That she belongs to us. And we have no intentions of making her pick one of us.”

“That’s good.” Some of the tension left his shoulders.

“But I also mentioned that if she ever decides she only wants one of us, that the rest of us would back off and respect her wishes.”

“Why the fuck would you tell her that?” he shouted with a frown.

“Because it’s the right thing to do.”

“And what about what the rest of us wants?” Axel seethed crumpling the paper in his hands.

“What do you want?” But I knew. It was painted all over his face.

“Her. For as long as she’ll have me.”

While we had shared women before, we hadn’t been interested in anything long term. We couldn’t with our jobs. But Kylie was different on every level. “You love her, don’t you?”

“Yes.” Axel didn’t hesitate with his response.

“And you’re worried she won’t choose you?” My heart fucking squeezed because I didn’t want to give her up either. Nor did I know where it would leave us if she picked only one of us.

“As opposed to you or Mateo or Chase? Yes. I can’t lose her.”

“Then we make sure that you don’t.” Because for someone like Axel, he didn’t fall lightly. When he did, he was all in. It’s why the chick, whose name I couldn’t remember, nearly destroyed him when she walked away years ago.

And I would ensure, should Kylie waver on being shared, that I gently pushed her toward Axel. Losing her would hurt like hell because I had deep feelings for her too. But I also knew that losing her would crush Axel to the point he might never recover. In all the years I had known him, I had never seen him like this with a woman. He was my brother from another mother, and I would ensure he got to keep her.

“Good. I’ll get started on the weapons stations.” Axel left the command deck without a backward glance.

Fuck. What a day.

We had entered uncharted waters. Our priorities had shifted from using Kylie as the means to take Santos down to protecting her from the very man we needed to capture.

I’d feel better once the yacht turned into a fortress. Because Santos was on the hunt and would never stop until he achieved his aims.

Chapter seven

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