Chapter Twenty-five
SERENITY VEYLOR-KORVEN
A few hours earlier..
Ihad never slept as well as I had these past five days in my life.
Falling asleep every night on my husband’s chest, his dick still inside me, both of us thoroughly fucked and spent.
Those goodnight fucks always sent me straight into a deep sleep.
It had taken less than a week for me to get used to it, so used to it that I couldn’t imagine sleeping any other way now.
Tonight was no exception. After Konflict finished with me, he’d wrapped his arms around me and I drifted off, feeling him deep inside me, safe and claimed.
When I opened my eyes in the darkness, I knew it was still night.
My husband was sleeping heavily, not noticing as I shifted.
That was just as well because I needed to slip away for a few minutes without raising his suspicions.
I was six weeks pregnant, and the morning sickness was starting to hit.
Thankfully, it wasn’t bad enough that Konflict had noticed yet, but I doubted I could hide it much longer.
I had no intention of keeping this pregnancy a secret from him.
The moment I decided to give him my heart, I’d also chosen to give our marriage another chance, to build our family.
I just… wanted to tell him in a special way.
He was supposed to come with me to my next doctor’s appointment, and that’s when he’d know everything.
I only had to hold out and hide my nausea for a few more days.
Moving carefully so I wouldn’t wake him, I slipped out from under his arm.
His dick had softened and slid out from my pussy a while ago.
I left the bed without a sound and made my way down the hall to my old room.
Thank God the bedrooms were at opposite ends of the yacht.
I rushed straight to the bathroom, dropped to my knees, and emptied my stomach into the toilet.
When I was finished, I rinsed out my mouth, pulled on some sweatpants, a t-shirt, and a sweater, then headed to the kitchen. I needed a little something to eat before slipping back into bed, otherwise Konflict would notice I’d been gone too long.
I’d just opened the fridge, searching for something bland to nibble, when a hand clamped over my mouth. Fear shot through me, panic flooding my veins. My heart hammered as I tried to figure out who it was and what they wanted.
“Shhh… Serenity, it’s me. Don’t make a sound.”
Valery.
Relief and confusion mixed together as she let go and I spun around.
“I don’t have time to explain. You need to come with me right now. Trust me,” she whispered, gripping my hand.
She started pulling me toward the exit, but I planted my feet. “Wait, you have to explain. I can’t just leave. I have to warn Konflict.”
She stopped, grabbed my face in her hands, and held me steady.
“Listen to me. We don’t have time. There’s going to be a shootout in a few minutes.
Krash and the others are coming as backup for Konflict.
You can’t warn him. If you do, Krash’s plan will fall apart.
They think they’re taking him by surprise, but he already knows what to do, and his team will be here just in time to take these people out.
But you… you’re pregnant. I refuse to let you go through that kind of stress.
My job is to get you out quietly, without alerting anyone.
Let your man and his guys do what they do best: protect you. ”
My panic spiked as she explained, but if Krash and the others were ready and the plan was to get me out, I believed her. Still, my heart was pounding for Konflict.
“Valery, who are these people? Who’s attacking us?”
“Probably men Sawyer sent to finish things with Konflict. You know they have unfinished business. As long as that man’s alive, you’ll always be in danger.
Please, Serenity. There’s a speedboat waiting.
You trust me, right? You know you’re like a little sister to me.
I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you. ”
“Okay, I’ll come. But promise me Krash is coming. I don’t want Konflict left alone in this.”
“Trust me. My man has it all under control. Let’s go.”
My heart was thudding like crazy as I followed Valery off the yacht and down to the small boat.
The yacht was anchored far from the shore, so it took a few minutes to reach land.
The whole time, I kept looking over my shoulder, worried about Konflict.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that I shouldn’t have left without telling him.
If something this dangerous was coming, he should have warned me, right?
“Valery, are you sure? I feel like I should have spoken to Konflict before leaving.”
“Serenity, just trust—”
Ratatatatatata.
Gunfire exploded from the direction of the yacht. My heart nearly burst and panic crushed me.
“Valery, we have to go back. Konflict is alone. I didn’t see Krash or anyone else.”
I tried to persuade her to turn around, but she ignored me, steering the boat to the shore.
“Come on, Serenity. You can’t go back, it’s too dangerous.”
“You don’t understand! I can’t just leave my husband like that. I’m going back, whether you want to or not. If you’re too afraid to face what’s happening, then go, but I won’t abandon him.”
“Do you really think the best solution is to put yourself in danger so he can’t fight back because he’s busy worrying about you? You want both of you to die?”
I knew she was right, but it was hard to accept.
I couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to Konflict.
I would never forgive myself. I couldn’t imagine life without him.
But Valery was right. If I stayed, I’d only be in his way, but one thing was certain—my husband was a fighter.
I’d seen it with my own eyes. I had to trust him.
We’d barely made it a few meters from the shore when more gunshots echoed over the water. My heart pounded harder, my worry mounting. The gunfight sounded intense, several weapons firing at once. I could only hope Konflict wasn’t alone, that Krash and the others had made it to him.
“Hurry! We have to go, now. I need to get you somewhere safe,” Valery urged.
“Where do you think you’re going?” A man’s voice rang out from the darkness, directly where Valery and I were heading.
A tall, muscular man stood there, his skin dark and his expression menacing. He aimed a gun at us, and my heart slammed against my ribs.
“Who are you, what do you want?” Valery demanded, stepping in front of me protectively.
“Who I am, you’ll find out soon. What I want, is for you to get back in the boat and return to the yacht.” He stepped closer, gun raised. “Get back in the fucking boat. Now!” He fired off a shot near us, the bullet whistling past and splashing into the water. The threat was clear.
We scrambled back onto the boat, my cheeks wet with tears. I didn’t understand what was happening. None of it made sense. If these were Sawyer’s men, I hoped Konflict would destroy them.
The man climbed in with us, gun pointed directly at us, and ordered Valery to take the speedboat back to the yacht.
As we approached, the scene waiting for us was shocking.
Konflict stood with his weapon drawn, aiming at a man whose face looked familiar, though I couldn’t quite place him.
Konflict’s voice cut through the chaos, demanding to know where I was.
I froze. For a second, I thought he knew Valery was getting me to safety. But the confusion on his face told me he didn’t. And suddenly, all the pieces of the plan felt like they were falling apart.
We climbed back onto the yacht and everything started happening so fast, I could barely keep up.
One moment, someone was announcing they had come to kill my husband and Konflict was ready to sacrifice himself for me, as if I could ever live without him.
Then, suddenly, the man with the familiar face claimed to be my uncle, and old images from when I was ten—at my mother’s funeral, the last time I’d seen him—flashed in my mind.
Shit. He was my infamous uncle from Newfoundland and Labrador, the one I’d tried to reach during my escape a few weeks ago.
I didn’t even have time to process any of it before everything shifted with dizzying speed and suddenly, every pair of eyes was on Valery.
“Valery, what’s going on? What is he talking about?” I demanded, confusion and dread making my voice shake.
All of us were full of questions except the guy who’d forced us back onto the yacht and Krash, who now looked so angry he was practically vibrating with rage.
Konflict drew his weapon, fury written all over his face, and stepped right up to Valery, pressing the barrel to her forehead.
“You better start opening your fucking mouth and explain what’s going on before I blow your brains out. I’m not patient when someone fucks with my family.”
“Whoa, baby, no. Don’t do that,” I said, jumping up, rushing to put myself between him and Valery. I couldn’t believe what everyone seemed to be insinuating. I’d known Valery all my life. There had to be some mistake.
“Baby, please calm down. Let me talk to her.” I turned to Valery. “Can you say something? I need to understand what’s going on.”
“Serenity… I haven’t done any of the things they’re accusing me of,” she answered, eyes wide with fear.
She didn’t have time to say more. Krash pressed his own gun to her head, voice low and shaking with betrayal.