Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
RIGEL
Disbelief washes over me.
“Blake?” I croak, my voice raw with shock and confusion. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Blake smirks. “I asked first. What the fuck are you doing in the middle of the ocean with our target?”
“Your friends tossed her overboard.” I glance at the men, glaring while hovering protectively over Mia. I know Blake, but these men are strangers.
“Your little hero act fucked our perfectly planned extraction ten ways to Tuesday.” One of the men fires back at me, his face twisted in frustration.
I raise an eyebrow, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Extraction? Is that what you call throwing an unconscious woman into the ocean?”
“She wasn’t unconscious when I tossed her in, and I put her in a life vest first.” The man throws his hands up, exasperated. “It wasn’t supposed to go down like that. We had a plan to engage her, tell her we were there for rescue, and escort her down to the back dive platform. From there, into the RIB. Nice and easy.” He jabs a finger at me accusingly. “But then you had to play the white knight, and everything devolved into a shit show. I had to think on my feet, and that meant getting her off that boat by any means necessary.”
I slowly realize this man is the leader of this team, but it doesn’t stop my anger from rising hot and cutting. My fists clench at my sides.
“So you’re saying it’s my fault she nearly drowned?”
“If the shoe fits,” the man mutters, but he’s quickly cut off by Blake.
“Enough, Ethan,” Blake says firmly, his eyes darting between us. “What’s done is done. We’ve got her, and that’s what matters.” He turns to me, his expression softening slightly. “But seriously, what the hell were you doing?”
“I thought I was rescuing Mia from assassins.” I run a hand through my wet hair, finger-combing the strands.
“Blake, fish your friend out of the water.” Ethan turns to the other men on the RIB, barking orders with the authority of a seasoned commander. “Walt, Gabe, get the girl. Hank, keep an eye out for any other hostiles.”
“Hostiles?” I ask.
“We’re not the only ones looking for your girl.” The man wipes at a bloody nose. “You’ve got one hell of a right hook.”
“Yeah, not sorry about that.”
I help them lift Mia’s unconscious form onto the boat, my muscles screaming in protest. Blake gives me a hand as I climb into the boat. Once onboard, I turn to Blake, my expression serious.
“Seriously, Blake, what the hell are you doing out here?”
“What’s it look like?” Blake grins, his eyes glinting with mischief. “We’re saving your ass.”
“What part of serious do you not understand? And for the record, my ass doesn’t need saving. I had everything under control.”
“Your friend kicked our asses, that’s for sure.” Walt pulls off his goggles and gives me a stare that could cut diamonds. “He took us on like it was nothing.” He rubs his jaw ruefully. “Even when Gabe joined in, and it was three-to-one, it still felt like we were fighting ten of him. If Ethan hadn’t grabbed the girl…”
“He would’ve been mopping the deck with us,” Hank chimes in, rubbing his jaw ruefully. “And then he decided to take a swim and kick our asses in the water too.”
I recognize him as the one I had a chokehold on.
“Fucking monster nearly drowned me. If Gabe hadn’t gotten him off me, I’d be swimming with the fishes.”
Despite the tension of the moment, a swell of pride runs through me. It’s been a while since I’ve put my skills to the test like that, but it’s good to know I haven’t lost my edge.
“Now, that doesn’t surprise me in the slightest.” Blake laughs, clapping me on the shoulder. “Back in the day, Rigel was the team’s resident MMA champ. If you wanted to brush up on your hand-to-hand, Rigel was your man. Kicked my ass more times than I can count.”
I shake my head, a grin tugging at my lips despite the situation. “Former champ. I’m retired, remember?”
“Could’ve fooled me,” Ethan mutters, but his eyes show a glint of respect.
“So, is no one going to tell me what you’re doing out here, absconding with my girl?” I look at the men and demand the answer Blake’s evading.
“That’s need to know only, and you don’t need to know,” Ethan lays down the gauntlet, but I’m not playing his game.
“You’ve got five seconds to tell me what the fuck you’re doing with Mia, or all five of you are taking a nice long swim.” I doubt I can take all five of them on at once, but I will.
At most, I can get two, maybe three, of them in the water, but that would leave two of them to fight in the boat. With Mia passed out on the floorboard, there is no room to maneuver.
It’s a bluff.
We all know it.
But they need to know I’m serious.
Ethan looks to Blake, who shrugs. “Rigel’s solid, and if I know anything about him, he’s already pieced most of it together. I say read him in.”
“Damn straight.” My words come out low and growly, and my patience is nearly at an end .
“If you know Blake,” Ethan says, “then you know who we are.”
“Actually, I haven’t a fucking clue who you are.”
“We’re Guardians,” Blake pipes up, but his words mean nothing to me. When I return a flat stare, he continues. “Guardian Hostage Rescue Specialists, at your service.”
“Guardians?” I stare at him, pieces clicking into place. “That’s the private firm you joined after the Navy?”
“The one and only. We specialize in hostage rescue, personal protection, and odd jobs when called upon when official channels just won’t do. We were hired to protect Mia.”
“Tell me everything,” I say to Blake, my voice low and intense. “I need to know what I’m up against.”
Blake meets my gaze, his eyes glinting with the same determined fire I feel burning in my own veins. “Buckle up, brother. You’re in for one hell of a ride.”
He glances at Ethan, waiting for a sign to continue.
Ethan gives a solid jerk of his chin, which is probably as close as we’re going to get to a yes.
“An agent was killed in Manila,” Blake begins. “We got a call from the U.S. Embassy. They needed our help locating Mia and extracting her from the Serenity before it docked in Sydney. Before anyone else can get to her.”
“Agent Torres? Go on.”
Ethan gives me a look. “Is it safe to assume Mia told you what’s happening?”
“She told me everything.”
“Mind sharing what you know?” Ethan demands.
“I mind very much, especially since those are Mia’s secrets to share. Not mine. Considering you boarded the Serenity with the specific intent to kidnap Mia, I figure this is a you-go-first kind of scenario. You tell me what you know, and I’ll either confirm or deny what I can.”
“Not interested in a pissing contest.” Ethan gives me a hard look. “What you need to know is the Chinese government is after her, and the U.S. Embassy doesn’t want them to succeed. ”
“She was afraid of that.” I figure it’s time to extend a bit of trust. “I assume this has to do with Red Phoenix Pharmaceuticals?”
“It might.” Ethan exchanges a look with Blake and the others, then turns to me. “What do you know about Red Phoenix?”
“Only that Mia discovered they were doing something they shouldn’t.”
“Fair enough,” Ethan concedes with grace. “They sent an assassin. That person killed Mia’s contact in Manila.”
“Agent Torres.”
“Correct.” Ethan’s expression remains grim. “We’ve been tracking her ever since.”
“The assassin or Mia?”
“The assassin didn’t survive. I’m talking about Mia. The embassy tracked her to the Serenity . Evidently, she used Agent Torres’s credit card for the purchase, but we’re not the only ones who know that and are looking for her. If the embassy thought to track his credit cards, you can bet Red Phoenix assumed the same. We were hired to extract her before another assassin could finish what the first one did not. They want her dead.”
“Over my dead body.” My muscles tense, my protective instincts surging.
“That’s why we’re here, brother.” Blake’s eyes meet mine. “To make sure it doesn’t come to that.” He claps a hand on my shoulder, his grip firm and reassuring. “Now, if you don’t mind, let’s see about your girl.”
Ethan takes control of the boat, and Walt, a certified medic, pushes me out of the way and focuses on Mia, checking her vitals and wrapping her in silver heat blankets. I watch him work, my mind racing with possibilities and plans.
“Your girl’s got herself into some deep shit,” Ethan says.
“Hypothermic and unconscious but stable,” Walt reports on Mia’s condition.
A knot of tension loosens in my chest.
“You’re looking a bit peachy,” Blake says.
“Peachy?”
“Like a drowned rat.” He flashes a shit-eating grin .
Fucker’s having too much fun with this.
“Fuck you, man,” I retort, but a grin tugs at my lips. Even in the middle of all this chaos, it’s damn good to see a friendly face.
“Why don’t you get down there and snuggle with your girl? Share some of your body heat with her,” Blake suggests. Walt shifts, making room for me by Mia’s side. “Unless you want me to…” His voice trails off, and that shit-eating grin is firmly in place.
“No fucking way are you cuddling with Mia.”
“Well, we’ve got about an hour’s ride to the trawler. So either you get comfy, or I’m snuggling with your girl.”
“Fuck that.” I shove him out of the way and do my best to snuggle with Mia. I cradle her head in my lap, brushing the wet hair from her face while Walt does a quick assessment.
“Come on, sweetie, open your eyes,” I whisper, my voice cracking with emotion, but she remains still, her skin pale and clammy in the dim light of the RIB. A surge of panic rises in my chest, a fear that I might already be too late, but Walt wouldn’t be this calm if she was in any real danger.
“She’ll be fine.” Blake kneels beside me with another blanket in his hands. “She’s hypothermic. We’ll do everything we can to help her. I promise.”
“Thank you.” My throat is tight with fear and gratitude. “By the way, I took your advice and got out when it came time to reenlist. Felt I needed something different.”
“I take it that’s why you’re cruising with the Aggressor fleet?” Blake smiles.
“Something like that.”
“How did you meet Mia?”
I explain my connection to Mia, feeling the need to share now that I know who these men are. I look down at Mia, my heart clenching at the sight of her pale, still face. She looks so fragile, so vulnerable.
“She was really evasive at first. I thought it was just a shipboard romance, but there’s something about her that…” I look up at Blake. “I can’t describe our connection. The other night, she finally broke down and told me everything. I know what she discovered. I kn ow about Agent Torres. I’m not sure, but I think that moment in the street, I might have saved her from the assassin.” I take a breath, coming to a decision. “I’m coming with you.” My tone leaves no room for argument. “I’m not leaving her side, not until she’s safe.”
Blake and Ethan exchange a look.
“This isn’t your fight,” Ethan says, his voice gentle but firm. “You’re not part of the team, and this mission is classified. We can’t bring a civilian in on this.”
“Don’t care what you have to say about it.” A hot, pricking sensation starts at the base of my spine and spreads through my body like wildfire. “Mia is mine. I’m not going to sit back and let someone else protect her.”
Blake’s eyes widen, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.
Ethan leans forward, his expression thoughtful. “I understand your feelings, but this is a highly sensitive operation, and we can’t afford any liabilities or distractions.”
“Fortunately, I’m neither of those things.” I meet his gaze, my jaw clenched with determination. “I’m a U.S. Navy SEAL. You know what I’m capable of, and classified is right up my alley. I probably know more than you do about what Mia’s got herself mixed up in. As for staying focused, I’m laser-focused on keeping Mia safe. I’m not leaving her.”
“You know…” Blake taps his chin, “the team is a man down after Jeb’s departure.”
“We’re not the recruiting department.” Ethan grits his teeth, a flicker of respect in his eyes.
“Maybe not, but it’s your team. If you speak with CJ, I bet we can fix that.” Blake turns to me. “What do you say? Interested in a really cool job?”
“You don’t have the authority to offer him a job.” Ethan cuts Blake off and fixes a hard stare on my friend.
“This could be one of those ask for permission later kinds of things. You have to admit, he’s got the skills… He already knows what’s happening. And I can vouch as to his skills. Not that you don’t already know what he’s capable of, considering how he handled himself on deck. ”
“Since it looks like you’re going to give us trouble if we ask you to leave, I’m not against it.” Ethan gives me a long look. “But I’m in command. You get in my way, disobey my orders, and you’re gone. Got it?”
“Got it.” I nod, my heart pounding with determination. “Just tell me what you need.”
As the boat speeds through the darkness, the distant lights of the Serenity fade into the night. I hold Mia close, my arms wrapped around her shivering form, and press my lips to her forehead, whispering words of comfort and reassurance.
“It’s going to be okay,” I murmur, my voice hoarse with emotion, but even as the words leave my lips, a sense of dread settles in the pit of my stomach, a fear that I may not be able to keep that promise.
The fight to keep Mia safe has only just begun.
As I sit there, surrounded by a team of elite operatives on a mission to protect the woman I hold in my arms, I can’t help but be in awe of the twists and turns that have brought me to this moment.
Just a few short days ago, I was a man adrift, searching for purpose and direction in a world that had lost its meaning. Now, with Mia, I have a new mission to fulfill.
I’m filled with a sense of clarity and focus that I haven’t felt in years. A sense of peace settles over me, a calm in the midst of the storm. As the RIB cuts through the waves, speeding toward an uncertain future, I hold Mia close and whisper a silent promise to the stars above.
Just as I allow myself to relax, a sound cuts through the air. A sound that sends a chill down my spine. It’s a low, rhythmic thumping, barely audible over the roar of the RIB’s engine but growing louder with each passing second.
I look up and scan the sky. That’s when I see a helicopter, its sleek black form barely visible against the inky black of the night sky. It’s flying low, skimming the water’s surface, and heading straight for us.
“Please tell me that’s yours,” I shout, my voice nearly lost in the howling wind .
Ethan and Blake exchange a glance, their expressions grim.
“Fuck,” Ethan says, his voice tight with tension. “Red Phoenix tracked us.”
“What do we do?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
“You put your girlfriend down and fight.” Blake’s jaw clenches, his eyes hardening with determination. He reaches for a weapon and hands it to me.
The others follow suit, their movements practiced and efficient as they ready their weapons and take up defensive positions on the RIB.
I look down at Mia, her face pale and still in the dim light. The helicopter closes in, and its searchlights blind us in the darkness. Gunfire erupts from its open doors, bright flashes of light that send deadly projectiles toward us. I throw myself over Mia, shielding her with my body as the team returns fire. Their bullets spark against the helicopter’s armored hull.
The night explodes with the sound of combat, the clash of metal against metal. I want to hold on to Mia, but this conflict ends only one way.
It’s us or them.
I take the weapon Blake handed me and aim at the pilot.
We’re outgunned and outnumbered, but I’m an excellent shot.
I stare at the helicopter; its blades whip the ocean into a frenzy, and I take aim.
I steady my breath. My finger rests on the trigger, waiting for the perfect moment. The helicopter banks, its searchlight sweeping across the water.
For a split second, I have a clear view of the pilot.
I exhale, my body still, my mind focused on the single point between his eyes. The world around me fades away, the chaos of the battle receding until there is nothing but the target, the crosshairs, and the absolute certainty of the shot.
Before I pull the trigger, I already know the man’s dead.
The rifle kicks against my shoulder.
Time slows .
The bullet races through the air, a messenger of death and destruction.
A heartbeat later, the helicopter’s windshield shatters and a spiderweb of cracks radiate out from the point of impact. The pilot slumps and his hands fall away from the controls.
The helicopter lists to the side, headed toward a fatal eventuality.
For a moment, it hangs suspended in the air, then it plummets toward the water, its blades slicing through the air in a dizzying spiral.
My heart pounds as the helicopter slams into the water. The impact sends a plume of spray, the force of it rocking the RIB and sending us stumbling.
For a moment, there’s silence, a stillness that feels unnatural in the wake of the chaos. Then, the night erupts with shouts of triumph.
“Nice shot, Rigel.” Blake claps me on the shoulder, his eyes glinting with pride and relief.
But I barely hear him, my attention focused solely on Mia. I gather her in my arms, pressing my face to her hair, feeling the steady rise and fall of her chest against mine.
“You’re safe. I’ve got you.” I whisper the same thing over and over, my voice hoarse with emotion.
This is only the beginning.
The helicopter may be gone, but the threat to Mia’s life is far from over.
As the RIB speeds away from the wreckage, the flames of the burning helicopter cast an eerie glow across the water. I can’t shake the feeling Red Phoenix won’t stop until they have what they want: Mia silenced and the secrets she carries buried forever.
But I won’t let that happen.