Page 3 of Kai
A lighthouse.
Yup.
A fucking lighthouse.
I lifted my eyes to the sky and smirked at the moon. “Hello there,tutu. Even for you, this one’s a little on the nose.”
I could almost hear her gruff laughter among the waves.
Tonight, I was the disciplined Marine Raider who destroyed to build. To me, fate felt like a goal, and destiny was a future waiting to be constructed. Before I left for the mission, my team and I had turned every detail that Thena and Missy provided into actionable intel. Satellite images verified that someone was using the abandoned lighthouse.
In the end, Ichoseto accept this mission to pre-empt the NWO and thwart their plans because it was the right thing to do. I had a job to do, and I would do it. Whatever happened, happened. If it didn’t happen, I was cool with that, too.
At least that’s what I’d told myself.
I’d come a long way from the anguished, guilt-ridden soul I’d once been. I’d searched far and wide for purpose, wisdom, and inner peace. So much so that my teammates liked to tease me, calling me the Chill King and the Zen Master.
When they said shit like that, I just smiled and embraced it as a compliment, hoping they were right and my work on myself had paid off. This time around, if that cruel bitch called Life offered me a chance at hope, I was ready to move forward. Provided it wasmydecision. Opportunity might be a crapshoot, but choice?
It was mine, always mine.
The roar of a set of powerful outboard motors reverberated through the water and caught my attention. Adjusting my angle, I detoured toward the bay’s narrow mouth. Once there, I kept low on the surfboard, dug out my binoculars, and activated the thermal function, focusing on the fast boat approaching from the south, hugging the shore at top velocity.
Ah, fuck.
The ocean parted for a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat, an amphibious troop-insertion carrier leaving a wake in its path. The RHIB’s approach took advantage of the wind to conceal the rumble of the engines, but the old trick didn’t fool me. I’d learned to swim before I could walk. Water was my element, and the ocean was my home. It didn’t keep secrets from me.
The lack of markings on the vessel told me I wasn’t dealing with the US Navy, the Coast Guard, or the private island’s security division. Neither the boat nor the humans on it belonged in these waters. Adjusting my settings, I spotted theheat signatures of two crew and eight armed assets crammed onto the benches. What were the odds that the watercraft carried friendlies instead of enemies?
Short answer?
Zero.
The watercraft veered well short of the bay and made landfall several clicks south of my position on a rocky inlet, the only viable landing point along the craggy coast. I had considered the spot as an extraction site but decided against it because of the difficult terrain. I didn’t wanna put my principal through a grueling trek up the steep hills and down the treacherous canyons to return to the boat. If Thena and Missy’s sister got hurt, or worse, they’d never forgive me. As for my boss, Omega would skin me alive.
In no way did I ever want to pokethatbear.
As soon as the rubber hull hit the shore, the tangos spilled out of the boat like rats abandoning ship. They disappeared behind the volcanic cliffs. The waves laughed at me, a taunt from the universe itself.Yeah, I got it. Easy had never been in the cards.
Taking into consideration the hazardous topography, and assuming a competent outfit, I had thirty mikes to execute my mission, if that. Floating atop the swells, I redirected my binos to the lighthouse and surveyed the woman again. Isolated in her tower and oblivious to the danger, she had no idea that there was more than one storm coming her way.
Surf’s up, Marine.
I put away the binoculars and paddled across at full speed. The tide was coming in, and the swells gave me a good push. It wouldn’t be nearly as easy to get out. Good thing I was equipped for an extraction and had taken the time to set up my contingencies.
The next wave looked like a winner, so I lined up. As itsucked me out and lifted me up, I paddled and kicked my legs, gaining speed. I kept my body aligned with the stringer line and pressed my chest down to ensure my board angled to the curve of the wave. Then, I laid my palms flat and pushed up with my shoulders, arms, and chest. Bringing my back foot forward, I parked it on the traction pad, right before I popped up.
Avoiding the breaker’s churn and keeping my lower body compact and my knees bent, I glided into the shallows and rode my board to shore. I’d found the missing sister. Now came the hard part. I had to get Cece Astor out of the lighthousebeforeit became her tomb.
Chapter Two
Cece
“Dammit!” I slammed my elbows on the desk way too hard. Twin shocks blasted up my arms. “Ow.” I rubbed my smarting joints, then stared at my reflection on the windowpane and scolded myself. “Astor, you’re such a dummy.”
Talking to myself was a habit. It was my way of exercising my little-used vocal cords and breaking the silence that presided over my space. Looking away from the worn-out, plain stranger staring back at me from the glass, I took a deep breath and perched my forearms back on the desk, this time gently. No sense in infuriating my ulnar nerve again.
The jolts subsided, but the frustration tightening my jaw stuck around like a tapeworm, feeding on my energy. I dropped my head and massaged my aching temples. My stomach grumbled, and my eyelids drooped. How long since I last ate something? How many days since I’d slept more than a couple of hours in a row?
