23. Kingston
KINGSTON
To say my eyes are glued to the monitor is an understatement. You’d need a putty knife and adhesive remover to peel me away.
“He’s got her,” Gabe murmurs as Alex reaches Katherine and her mother.
My grip tightens on Gabe’s shoulder, ready to go. Past ready, to be honest.
I’ve been hovering between the team of hackers he assembled and Alex’s men. The ease, no, the speed with which they called upon friends and colleagues and put this whole plan into action was extraordinary.
Now we watch the events as they unfold miles away. I swear everything happens in slow motion.
“Can we go?” I ask, frustrated with all the waiting around.
Gabe’s got his computer skills, and Alex led the team that boarded the yacht, but I’ve got nothing to offer. I’ve basically been standing around for hours with my dick in my hand. That’s exactly how useful I’ve been, and it’s eating me alive.
At least I’ve moved on from asking ‘What’s taking so long?’ Gold star for Kingston.
They’ve also stopped answering me at this point.
I glance out at the blue water under a fading sky. Fuck it. I’ll swim the distance to the yacht.
As if detecting my train of thought, Gabe reaches up and pats my hand, then presses my fingers tight to his trap. The muscle is taut, ready. I feel the same urgency through every cell of my body.
Fine. But if I have a heart attack because of the stress, they’d better not try to take me to the hospital until I know Katherine’s safe.
“Let’s move,” a tough, terse voice bites out.
I dissolve into the flurry of movement, getting out of the way, eyes trained on the horizon. No boat on Earth could get me there fast enough for my liking. But as we hurtle our way across the Atlantic, I move outside into the salt spray, ready to disembark.
And I do, the instant we pull up behind the yacht. Before our boat’s even stopped moving, I’m leaping across the two or three-foot gap.
My feet hit the lower terrace level, and I take the stairs up three at a time. Breezing by several dudes in handcuffs, I race up another flight of stairs.
“Katherine!” I shout because I have no chill.
Thank goodness I haven’t lost my sea legs these last few weeks.
Zipping past a long bank of windows, I skid to a halt, gaze skipping over all the expensive outdoor furniture to Katherine and Alex.
“Wildfire…” Her name is an exhale.
Alex has her in his arms, staring down like he’s trying to make sure she’s okay. My heart trips in my chest at the tenderness on his face. The man is crazy in love.
Relief floods through my veins like a tsunami, washing away the fear. I stumble forward a step, feeling weak-kneed. His head comes up, his big body tensing, and I see the split second when he gears up for a fight and then settles at the sight of me.
Katherine glances over her shoulder, gaze locking with mine.
“King!”
I gulp in a deep breath. She stretches out a hand toward me, and that’s all the invitation I need. Bolting forward, I leap the outdoor sofa like a hurdle and sweep her into my arms.
“I love you,” I say into her cloud of glorious hair. I crush her against me, inhaling the scent of her shampoo and something much more industrial. It hits me that it’s grease or maybe even engine oil.
Pushing back the anger at that reminder, I lift her gently and spin her around until she laughs.
People talk about how laughter is music, and hers is.
Soft and husky and so happy. Maybe it’s because we’re pressed so tight that I can feel her giggles, but my whole body seems to absorb the sound as I close my eyes. Gratitude fills me from the toes up.
She’s in my arms again, laughing, seemingly unharmed. I’m overwhelmed. Overcome.
A shrill voice cuts through the air. “Kaaaaatherine!”
We sober, and I glance around, noticing for the first time that her mom is nowhere to be seen. The screeching doesn’t stop. If anything, the sound intensifies like an animal caught in a trap.
“Where’s Lucinda?” I hate even speaking her name.
Alex jerks a thumb to the side of the yacht. My jaw drops, and I quickly snap my lips closed as Katherine slips from my arms and strides to the railing. Alex and I flank her.
Lucinda thrashes in the water, every bit as pitiful as you’d expect. Hair drenched and plastered to her head, makeup melted in the salt water, mixed with blood. She reminds me of a fancy poodle in a groomer’s tub. Nature is a great equalizer.
“Why are you standing there?” Her arms slap the water like a puppy who’s only learning how to swim. “I lost my shoe!”
I roll my eyes and turn to Katherine and Alex. There was a time when I would have been concerned about how cold the water is, whether or not the other woman can swim, and even the blood she’s dripping into the water. But that time has long passed.
“The shark turned into shark bait,” Alex muses softly, and my lips twitch.
“No shark’s gonna want her bony ass,” I say. “She’s too tough and gristly.”
This time, Katherine’s head tips back and she laughs. Full on belly laughs, then tucks an arm around my waist and snuggles into my chest. I drop a kiss on the top of her head, then look up to find Alex watching us like a hawk.
Thank you, I mouth.
He gives me a terse nod, then his gaze cuts back to the woman in the water.
“Should we fish her out?” I murmur. “Or make her swim for it?”
Alex glances back at Katherine. “’Sup to her.”
Katherine sighs, and I feel the indecision and frustration and resentment welling up in her body.
“Can you handle it?” I ask him. She doesn’t need to be making decisions now. He nods. “We’ll be inside.”
Alex glances over my shoulder. I follow his gaze and see I have two shadows. They open the salon door, and I wrap an arm around Katherine’s waist, leading her into the elegant space. The glossy brass and glass finishes aren’t exactly restful, but at least she’s out of the breeze.
I reach for the bougie Hermes throw and wrap it around her shoulders. She blinks up at me, eyes shimmering with tears. My heart cracks, and I cup her cheeks. “Are you okay? I was so scared. I love you so much.”
She sort of hiccups a sob as the tears roll down her cheeks. “I love you too,” she whispers, brokenly. I swipe at the droplets with my thumbs.
“I’m okay,” she adds with a brave nod. “I’m so happy to see you guys.”
Her small fist grips the front of my shirt, and her other hand clings to my hip. I’ll never take this for granted, not that I ever have. Later, I’ll examine all the ways I could have lost her over the years, but not now.
Now I press a kiss against her forehead.
She blinks up at me. “If I’d known all I had to do to hear your heart words was a little light kidnapping, I’d have done it sooner.”
There’s a pained groan from behind me, and I glance back to see that Alex has rejoined us. I hold out an arm, welcoming him into our hug.
Without hesitation, he joins us, dropping a heavy arm over my shoulders and snagging Katherine around the waist. I’m surprised, but pleasantly so. He’s so big and strong and warm, and Wildfire relaxes. So do I.
“Don’t even joke about that,” I tell her.
“Too soon?” she asks.
“You’ll be lucky if he lets you pee alone, from here on out,” I tease.
Alex gives an affirmative grunt.
“Sorry,” she whispers. Then, “Where’s Gabe?”