Page 140 of Kai
“Enough with the chatting.” The merc shook me until my brain rattled in my skull. “You won’t be talking so smart when I’m done with you.”
“Levine…” Kai rumbled. “Let her go, now.”
“Or what?” The sneering merc tapped the gun against my head. “You wanna see her brain splattered all over?”
I kept my gaze on Kai. “Kill the fucker and be done with it.”
“Your boyfriend is not keen to let you die.” Levine planted a kiss on my cheek and leered at Kai. “He won’t. I know his kind.Nobility is a terrible trait in the business of killing. Listen to me, sailor. Unless you want me to hurt her right in front of your eyes, put your gun down.”
“Shoot him,” I pleaded. “Shoot the bastard!”
“He won’t do that.” Levine flashed a knowing grin. “He wants you alive. Don’t you?”
“If you hurt her, you die,” Kai bit out, keeping his gun up.
“How sweet.” Levine’s sugary tone lit my fuse even hotter. “You two are so cute. Shame yours is a tragic romance. Which means…” He hardened his voice, and pressing the knife to my side, shoved the gun into my cheek. “Unless you drop your gun in the water, her pain starts right now.”
“Easy now.” Moving slowly, showing Levine his gun, Kai stretched out his arm over the water.
“No, no, no,” I whimpered.
“Drop it!” the merc snarled.
Kai let go of the gun. It plunged into the ocean with a muted splash. My stomach plummeted. Neither of us had a weapon now.
“Happy now?” Kai asked, his posture relaxed but his stare alert. “Let her go and we’ll talk.”
“You’ve mistaken me for an idiot.” Levine drew the gun out of my mouth and pushed me forward toward the sliders. “You get to die first, homie. Then I get your boat and Cersi all to myself for the duration of our trip around the world. Plenty of time for me to tame this hellion. By the time I’m done with her, she’ll be tame as a kitten.”
A muscle flickered on Kai’s face. I tried swallowing, but a hollow croak betrayed my dry throat. I jumped when a blast went off in the distance. A burst of red flames ignited the darkness far behind us.
“What was that?” I asked, my voice shrill.
“That, dearest, was the work of your ex here.” The mercnudged his chin toward Kai. “Good job, my friend.”
“The drone dropped a few surprises on Li’s boat crew,” Kai said, his jaw tight, his eyes fixed on Levine. “And by the way, I’mnotyour friend.”
“Well, thanks for getting those assholes off my tail, anyway.” Levine rubbed his flabby cheek against the side of my face.
I grimaced and shut my eyes, seeking a break, an advantage that would get us out of this terrible situation.
“Now that you’ve rid me of my ex-colleagues, I have all the time in the world to enjoy Cersi,” the bastard taunted Kai. “Do you want to watch?”
Kai snarled. “You willnothurt her.”
“Step away from the doors,” the mercenary ordered, jabbing the gun against my temple. “Do it!”
Kai complied, walking backwards, keeping his stare on Levine and his hands in the air. The merc shoved me forward until we stepped out of the cabin and onto the deck. He paused next to the outdoor kitchen. In a swift movement, he aimed the gun at Kai across the deck.
I didn’t dare move. Kai didn’t attack either. As long as Levine had one of us in his clutches, he had all the leverage he needed to neutralize the other.
Serenityrocked and pitched, free-floating on the seas. I tried to elbow Levine in the gut, but with my hands tied, I might as well have tickled the brute’s belly. He smothered my movement by clutching me even tighter against him.
Kai took advantage of the moment and lunged.
“Get back!” Levine pointed the gun at him and held the knife over my belly. “You wanna see the bitch’s guts dangling like bloody sausages?”
Kai froze in place.
