Page 81 of Erase Me
“Probably not.”
“Okay, give me something to do.”
“What happened to your paddle?”
“It broke somehow.Crazy, huh?”She peered into the dining area.
Not as crazy as what I was feeling right now.
Here was this woman that I’d just fought beside in a pitched battle in that apartment.A woman who’d more than held her own.She’d kicked ass up there.Here was a woman who—with minimal training—had successfully hacked her way into the Quantum Commuter Division and then traveled back to exactly the right moment in time to keep her grandmother safe.To keep her mother safe.To keep her family line safe.
Avalie was capable.Supremely capable.She didn’t need a protector.Still, I wanted to protect her.I needed to protect her.
“What now?”she pressed.“Go after this Vaughn character?Where do you think he is?”
I looked up the stairs.“First, we take care of the ship’s captain.We don’t want him calling the Coast Guard when the shooting starts.”
We’d taken out five members of the crew, and the captain would make six.Most of the attackers in the apartment appeared to be hired henchmen.They might have been crew members among them, but I had no way of knowing.The muscular young man who confronted me the night I killed Volpe might still be recovering in the hospital.I doubted he’d be eager to return to work on this boat.It was impossible to determine how many more were presently aboard.
I also wasn’t sure where Vaughn was hiding, but I had a good idea.What his next step might be was anyone’s guess.But one thing I did know.We weren’t dead yet.
Avalie gestured toward the men, out cold on the deck.“Are you going to use your sonic toy on him too?”
I shook my head.“It’s a single-use weapon.We have no way to recharge it in 2023.”
“I’ll take care of him,” she said.
She looked away, like a professional fighter straining to come out for the tenth round.She was dressed all in black, which probably hid blood from the guys she’d put down in the apartment.But she had skinned knuckles, a darkening bruise on her cheekbone, and her short hair was a mess.She was fucking beautiful.
And there was no holding her.
“Use this.”Extending the electroshock ring toward her, I whispered, “Do it quietly.And be careful.There could be more people on this boat.”
Climbing the steps to the upper deck behind her, I positioned myself in the shadow of a bulkhead.
As Avalie strode across the deck and went into the bridge enclosure, I followed, watching like a hawk.I needed to stay nearby, in case she needed me.
I almost went in when a muffled cry reached my ears.But before I could move, she strolled out.From my vantage point, I could see the captain slumped over the controls.
When she reached me, Avalie took off the ring and shrugged.“Well, this thing didn’t work.But that guy in there is going to have a very sore neck when he wakes up.Anyway, we’re all set.”
“Good.”I looked away, relief washing through me.She was okay.
I considered scouring the boat for any remaining personnel but dismissed the idea.If they weren’t coming for us now, they weren’t too keen for a fight.Just to be sure that no one would be monitoring our whereabouts, though, I activated one of the marble-sized EMP grenades.I tossed it toward the bridge and saw the lights on the console flicker and go dark as the electromagnetic pulses did their job.
Glancing at Avalie, I considered leaving her on the bridge until my business with Vaughn was done.However, there was still the risk of other crew members cornering her there.The safest course of action was to keep her by my side.
“Okay, follow me.I have a good idea where Vaughn will be.”
Going back to the lower deck, I led Avalie past the galley.There was no sound coming from the companionway that led down to the crew’s quarters.
Not far ahead were the steps leading to the passageway where the cabins were located.The spa and exercise rooms were dark as we passed by.However, only a few steps beyond, I sensed a surge of energy behind me.
Turning, I witnessed a man gripping Avalie by the neck, a gun pressed against her head.I recognized him as one of Volpe’s bodyguards.The first one I’d run into the last time I was boarding this boat.The big ugly face and the bad haircut.
Her face was unreadable, but cold dread washed through me.
“I was hoping to see you again, pal,” he said coolly, prodding Avalie’s temple with the muzzle of his pistol.“Nice of you to bring along this one too.Now, let’s go see the boss.”
