16. CHAPTER 16
As Alex’s senses slowly returned to him, he found himself enveloped in a disorienting fog. The smell of chloroform lingered in his nostrils with its pungent scent. Gradually, awareness flooded back, and he realized he was in a cabin. Not just any cabin, his cabin on his yacht. His brow creased even more when his feet landed on the floor, and he realized that the boat was moving and not just swaying from the choppy sea while it was docked. Alex’s yacht was moving. A glance out the porthole confirmed his fears.
Ignoring the dull ache radiating from his broken hand, where the splint had come loose, Alex took stock of his surroundings, grimacing when he noted he was locked in his cabin. There was only one possible reason he was here—Ron Jackson. This was his revenge for Alex going against the man’s crude warnings and marrying Daniella. The thought sent a shiver down Alex’s spine, his heart pounding in his chest with newfound urgency. If Ron had indeed orchestrated this abduction, Alex feared Ron wasn’t taking Alex on a fishing excursion–unless he planned on using Alex as the bait to dispose of his body.
Summoning his resolve, Alex set to work on freeing himself from his room. With practiced skill, he manipulated the lock on the cabin door, his movements swift and sure despite the lingering effects of the chloroform. As he crept along the hallway and was startled by the sound of banging emanating from one of the guest cabin doors. With his curiosity piqued, Alex paused, listening intently as a recognizable man’s enraged voice pierced the silence. Alex’s frown deepened.
Is that Todd Spiers?The man’s colorful language and accusations against the Blackwells, blaming them for kidnapping him and trussing him up like a roast chicken, confused Alex even more. Why on earth would Ron kidnap Todd? The only explanation was that Todd was in the wrong place at the wrong time, which wouldn’t have surprised Alex as the man loved to snoop around where he shouldn’t.
“Maybe now he’ll learn his lesson,” Alex muttered, deciding to leave Todd confined in a cabin for now. “There’s no way he’ll believe I wasn’t responsible for this.”
Alex inched his way up the stairs with caution and concealed himself behind a nearby panel as the sound of approaching footsteps echoed down the hall. Peering through a crack in the wood, he caught sight of one of the goons who had ambushed him earlier by Daniella’s car. The man was accompanied by another shadowy figure that Alex reasoned must’ve been the man who’d knocked him out with a rag of chloroform. He wondered if there could be any side effects from being knocked out by that stuff twice in one month.
He shook the thought off as tension coiled in Alex’s chest. He was watching the men disappear down the hall. While he waited for them to disappear, the gravity of Alex’s situation became increasingly apparent. He knew that if he was to emerge from this ordeal unscathed, he would need to rely on every ounce of cunning and resourcefulness at his disposal. Alex’s one advantage was that this was his boat, and he knew every inch of her, having designed it himself. Which meant he knew how to move around it without being seen and how to trap someone in it. Not that his security hatches to shut down each floor of the boat were to trap people. It was meant to stop the ship from sinking and save lives.
But today, they were going to be used to ensure Alex could make his way to the cockpit and call for help while trapping the men who’d kidnapped him. He swallowed at the thought that he might even have to abandon his beautiful yacht, especially on the same day he’d lost his lovely house. An image of Daniella flashed through his mind. At least if he got through this ordeal alive, he’d still have his beautiful wife. That is if she’d let him explain what she’d overheard and wasn’t chased away by his confession and hopefully returned his feelings.
Alex remembered how she’d clung to him while they sat in the ambulance, the look in her eyes as they met his, and the kiss they’d shared after they were married. While Alex knew it may just be wishful thinking, he was sure he’d seen and felt she may feel more for him than gratitude and just friendship. Another image flashed through his mind. The picture of betrayal and hurt in her eyes when she’d overheard Alex and Harriet’s conversation. He could see how she’d take that out of context, especially since she didn’t know everything Alex had to tell her.
A movement caught his attention and pulled him out of his thoughts. He watched as two more men hurried into the hallway. Alex knew he had to move quickly because it wouldn’t be long before they discovered he was no longer in his cabin. He snuck out of his hiding place, up the stairs, toward the hidden control panel on the upper deck, and sealed the lowered decks. Alex quickly covered the panel and ducked behind a counter when he heard a male voice calling for the others.
Alex’s eyes fell on the heavy crystal decanter Dawn had given him. His heart twinged at the thought of having to use it as a weapon, but Alex was sure she’d understand. Stealthily, he reached up to grab it as the man figured out that the lower decks had neatly been sealed off, and Alex wasn’t going to let the man go find out if the other entrance was sealed. While the goon was trying to figure out what was going on, Alex snuck up behind him and whacked the guy over the head with Dawn’s bottle.
The man crumpled to the floor as the impact ricocheted through Alex’s hand, and to his surprise, the decanter didn’t break. He knew he couldn’t leave the man lying in the middle of the floor, so Alex moved quickly. He reopened the hatch, and when he heard the other men down there, he did something terrible. He pushed the limp thug down the opening before quickly sealing it off again.
“I hope he’s alive and I didn’t break his neck,” Alex shuddered, guilt washing over him. “I’m sorry,” he said to the sealed hatch before dodging the cameras that he knew would click on as soon as they sensed movement. The monitors in the cockpit would alert whoever was sailing Alex’s boat. “Whoever’s sailing my boat better have a captain’s license.”
Alex picked up the crystal decanter as his weapon and carried on, making his way to the cockpit. He didn’t find anyone else until he got to the cockpit. He heard a man talking.
“Is that a boat in the distance?” The man asked whoever was in the cockpit.
“Where?” Alex’s brows rose in surprise when he heard his co-captain, Malcolm, answer.
“I think it might be a fishing boat,” Malcom told them.
A fishing boat?Alex’s eyes narrowed as he glanced around and saw a boat off in the distance.
While Alex didn’t have supervision, he was pretty sure it was a red boat, and he didn’t know of any red fishing boats. Could it be a sea rescue boat? Alex wondered, knowing that they did do routine tests and training runs. Hopefully, this was one of those days.
“Where are the binoculars?” The goon asked. “I want to make sure.”
“You and your men took all the binoculars off the boat along with all the other items you took off to ensure none of us got off this boat without your boss’s permission,” Malcolm reminded the man.
Relief flooded through Alex as he realized Malcolm had also been kidnapped, probably to sail the boat.
“We can’t turn around or slow down,” Malcolm pointed out. “We have to keep going along these coordinates, or the boat explodes.”
“Only if we’re not on it,” the goon told him. “Our boss isn’t going to kill us. We’re needed for the next phase of the plan.”
“Which is?” Malcolm asked.
“Nice, try, buddy.” The goon laughed. “Just keep this floating hotel heading in the right direction. I’m going to get the only dinghy and find out what our tail wants.”
As the man stepped away and was about to pull the door shut, Alex stepped around with the decanter raised. Malcolm put his booted foot against the door, and when the goon was distracted by Alex, Malcolm knocked him out.
“Alex,” Malcolm called as Alex stepped aside when the goon crumpled to the floor. “I’m so glad you’re alive. We have to move fast. There are three other men, and they have Todd Speirs.”
“I know,” Alex said and explained that the goons were trapped below deck. “What’s this about my boat going boom?”
“It’s rigged with explosives,” Malcolm told Alex.
“Why do I feel like I’ve stepped into the real-life version of a Keeunu Reeves movie?” Alex said.
“Isn’t Speed one of your favorite movies?” Malcolm asked, knowing how many times Alex watched the movie on their many cruises.
“Yeah.” Alex nodded before moving the subject back to their immediate problem. “I think I know who their boss is, an obsessed man named Ron Jackson.” He glanced back at the rescue boat. “Can we radio that boat?”
“Nope!” Malcolm shook his head. “The radio was disconnected before we left Plum Island. They took anything that I could call for backup with.”
Alex’s eyes widened. “We’re on a ticking time bomb with no way of calling for help?”
“The backup mobile device went out of range a few minutes ago,” Malcolm explained. “I knew we should’ve waited for the proper ones to arrive.”
“I didn’t think we were going to get hijacked,” Alex defended his actions. “We need to get everyone off this yacht.” He started to pace the cockpit as Malcolm dragged the goon inside and used safety rope to tie the man up.”
“I say, let’s put the boat on autopilot, signal Miss Joyce to collect us, and jump,” Malcolm told him.
“What did you say?” Alex frowned.
“That boat on the horizon, it’s Miss Joyce,” Malcolm told him. “She messaged me on the secret mobile phone before we went out of range.”
“How did she know?” Alex asked, his heart starting to pound. “Does she know there’s a bomb on board?”
“I didn’t have time to tell her everything except for the secret code before we went out of range,“ Malcolm emphasized the word range.
“I know, I know!” Alex hissed. “As soon as we’re out of this mess, I’ll get the proper ones.”
“That’s assuming you still have a boat, and it doesn’t explode.” Malcolm looked at him with raised brows and pursed lips, which to Alex was an I told you so look.
“That goon mentioned there was still a dingy,” Alex said. “If we tie everyone up, we can get them on it. Put the yacht onto autopilot and hopefully get out of range of the boat before it explodes.” He glanced toward the horizon. “We can’t bring Harriet closer.”
“How are we going to get those goons onto the dinghy without them trying to kill us?” Malcolm asked.
“Knock them all out?” Alex shrugged. “You’re the former marine.”
“I’d leave those thugs and jump,” Malcolm stated. “You’d be doing the world a favor.”
“There’s also Todd,” Alex pointed out. “While the man is as crooked as they come and a horrible human, we can’t just leave him.”
“Fine!” Malcom sighed. “You stay here and keep the boat at a steady speed on the coordinates set. “I’ll deal with the others.”
Alex moved into the cockpit as Malcolm took the thug’s gun.
“In case things go sideways,” Malcolm said at the door, “I managed to hide a flair beneath that seat.” He pointed. “There are also two lifejackets I hid under there.”
“Thanks.” Alex stepped up to the helm while Malcolm snuck out.
Ten minutes later, Malcolm was back with a snarling Todd with him.
“I knew it!” Todd said. “What is the meaning of this?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Alex drawled. “While I know why I was kidnapped, I’m not sure why you were.”
“Mr. Spiers said he was getting ready to leave the hotel to head back to New York when he was attacked and woke up on your yacht,” Malcolm told Alex. “As we’re out on the ocean and not able to confirm his story…” He glanced coldly at Todd. “I say we just throw him overboard and be done with him.”
“Wait!” Todd’s face broke into a shiny sweat at Malcolm’s threat. “I was wearing my jacket when the thugs took me. It must be on the boat somewhere. It has my mobile phone in it.”
“Your mobile won’t work out here,” Malcolm told him.
“Yes, mine will,” Todd told them. “It’s a satellite phone.”
“I’m not even going to ask why you have one of those,” Alex told him and looked at Malcolm. “We need to find Todd’s jacket.”
“I’m on it,” Malcolm nodded, glaring warningly at Todd. “If I come back and you’re lying or I find out you’re the mastermind behind this…” His voice trailed off menacingly. “There are going to be some very happy sharks.”
“I had nothing to do with this,” Todd spluttered, and his beady eyes flew to Alex’s. “I’m telling you the truth. I have no idea why I’d be kidnapped.”
“I’ll be back,” Malcolm disappeared.
“Can’t we just turn around and go back to shore now that Malcolm has subdued those thugs?” Todd asked.
“Not unless you want my boat to explode,” Alex explained as he kept the boat at a steady pace. “It seems whoever put us on it rigged it with explosives.”
“What?” Toddy’s jaw slackened. “What kind of explosives?”
“I don’t know, Todd,” Alex said sarcastically. “I haven’t actually seen them.”
“Who told you the boat was wired with explosives?” Todd pressed.
“I did.” The goon woke up. “And I know it’s rigged because I planted the explosives.”
Todd’s shoulders stiffened as his eyes narrowed on the man. “Why do you look so familiar?”
“Because you fired me from your company and blamed me and my crew for your inferior-quality props, which I warned you about,” the goon stated, and Alex watched Todd pale. “You know, that train that killed a stunt person and then you found a way to wiggle out of taking responsibility for.”
“Who do you work for?” Alex looked around at the man, a cold feeling rippling down his spine. What if this wasn’t about Daniella and had to do with that accident three years ago? While it wasn’t a Blackwell Production movie, Alex’s father recommended Todd’s company to the film studio that was producing the movie. Could this be revenge for the loss of Stanley Wells’s partner? Alex didn’t know the man, but he shook the thought off.
This had to be Ron Jackson’s work. Stanley Wells had no reason to come after Alex or his family.
“I can’t say,” the goon stubbornly said and went back to glaring at Todd.
“Is this about Todd?” Alex frowned. “If so, why would you blow up my house?”
“No, Todd was just an enjoyable afterthought of the person who hired me,” the man sneered at Todd. “It’s the only part of this that I got a bit of enjoyment from. You killed a good friend of mine all to save a few bucks.”
The guy really hates Todd.“Do you work for Ron Jackson?”
“The congressman’s son?” The goon asked and shook his head. “No one works for the pig anymore.”
Alex felt a cold shiver creep up his spine. “What does that mean?”
“Two of the men downstairs are mercenaries. When the person who hired us got all the information they needed from Ron Jackson, they were ordered to get rid of him.“ The man’s eyes were hooded, but Alex could see that the action didn’t sit well with the man.
“As in, kill him?” Todd gasped.
“Yes.” The man nodded in confirmation. “Look, I can show you where the explosives are, but I can’t diffuse them. While I don’t think the person who employed us wants you dead, they do want to destroy your boat.”
“You blew up my house!” Alex looked at the man accusingly.
“I’m sorry, but I had no choice,” the man told Alex. “The person has my family under surveillance, and I have a wife and daughter. They already killed my dog and the gardener as an example of what will happen if I don’t cooperate.”
“So you blew up my house and wired my boat to succumb to the same fate?” Alex hissed, and an image of Daniella and Emily flashed through his mind. He knew if he were in the man’s position, he’d probably comply as well.
“Your best option is to try and hail that rescue boat that’s been following us. Put the boat on autopilot, which will give you at least five minutes to get free,” the man told them.
“I’m not jumping in the ocean,” Todd exclaimed.
“You will if you don’t want to become a shark shish kebab,” Alex told him. “Malcolm is rounding up your men, and we’ll get you all on the dinghy as I’m not having any deaths on my conscience.”
“Then I suggest you use the chloroform on the bar on the deck below the cockpit to knock them out,” the man instructed. “Oh, and do the same for me, but please. If you can, get to my wife and kid. They’re innocent in all this.”
“I found the jacket and the phone,” Malcom rushed back into the cockpit.
“I’ll call Harriet,” Alex told him. “Take the wheel and keep an eye on both of them.”
Alex walked onto the deck and punched in a number he knew by heart. But instead of Harriet answering, a voice he’d been longing to hear since he’d come around answered.
****
Daniella and Harriet floated a distance behind Alex’s yacht.
“How long does the Coast Guard take to get here?” Daniella paced the deck. “And why do you have a satellite phone?”
She looked at the phone in her hand.
“In case I go sailing,” Harriet told her. “Can you stop pacing?”
“No, I’ll get sick if I do,” Daniella admitted. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Is this about Alex and me?” Harriet guessed, and Daniella nodded. “How much of our conversation did you overhear?” Harriet asked her.
“Enough,” Daniella hedged before admitting. “All of it.”
“What do you want to ask?” Harriet sighed. “Although I know Alex is going to kill me because he wanted to tell you everything himself.” She raised her eyebrows as Daniella’s surprise registered on her face. “Yes. Alex was going to tell you everything this evening with a romantic dinner and midnight cruise on his yacht.”
“Oh!” Daniella’s heart lurched. “But... uh… how does that make you feel? I mean, me marrying Alex?”
“I’m happy that Alex finally married someone like you,” Harriet surprised her by saying. “Someone who loves him for who he is.”
“I’m not…” Daniella swallowed. “I don’t…”
“I think all that you’ve done up to this point shows how much you care for Alex,” Harriet pointed out with a warm smile and blew out a breath. “Daniella, I know what you overheard could’ve been taken in the wrong context. I love Alex, and I always will.” She snorted. “I was that kid, the one who skipped two years ahead of my peers. Alex should’ve skipped a few years as well and could’ve gone to this elite school, but he didn’t.” She glanced at the yacht in the distance. “He knew how daunting it was for me being the youngest in the class, so he stayed behind for me.”
“He really loves you,” Daniella’s heart ached.
“Yes, Alex loves me. But he’s not in love with me, Daniella. Nor am I in love with him,” Harriet admitted. “We got married more out of thumbing our noses at our authoritarian parents while believing we were in love with each other. We were married for seven months, and of those seven months, we lived together fighting nonstop for three.”
“So you’re not in love with Alex?” Daniella stared at Harriet wide-eyed.
“No.” Harriet gave a little shudder. “But I am extremely protective over him, and even when we were at odds, I always kept an eye on him.”
“I do have feelings for Alex.” It felt good to finally admit that. “But I fear he doesn’t feel the same about me.”
“Are you kidding me?” Harriet stared at her in disbelief. “I can’t tell you what’s in Alex’s heart. That’s for him to do. But I can tell you this: Alex has been making a concerted effort to change and become a better person. He’s not doing that for his family or me, and he doesn’t take his marriage promises lightly either.”
As Harriet’s words sunk in, the phone in Daniella’s hand rang, making her jump. She looked at it and frowned. “It’s an unlisted number.”
“Answer it,” Harriet advised.
“Harriet’s phone,” Daniella answered. “She’s busy at the moment and can’t take your call. You’ll have to call back another time…”
“Daniella!” Alex called into the receiver.
“Alex?” Daniella’s heart went wild. “Are you okay?”
“Are you with Harriet?” Alex asked.
“Yes, she is,” Harriet shouted. “Put the phone over here on speaker.”
Daniella nodded and clicked the phone to the speaker.
“Are you okay?” Daniella repeated the question.
“Yes, I’m fine,” Alex said. “Look at the yacht.”
Daniella looked ahead and wanted to cry with relief when she saw Alex waving in the distance.
“What happened?” Harriet asked.
“Someone kidnapped me,” Alex explained the rest to them. “You two need to get out of here. The boat is rigged with explosives.”
“What?” Daniella and Harriet chorused in unison.
Alex stood staring at the red boat in the distance. “Please stay back.”
“No, we’re coming to get you,” Harriet said stubbornly. “You can jump onto our boat, and we’ll speed away.”
“It’s not that simple, Harry,” Alex explained. “We have the guy who rigged it tied up in the cockpit. He explained that the boat goes boom if the captain is away from the wheel for more than five minutes.”
“Are you kidding me?” Harriet hissed.
“I’m sure the Coast Guard will know what to do,” Daniella said.
“Can you send me Harley’s number?” Alex asked. “I have a favor to ask him.”
“Sure,” Daniella promised. “Please be careful.”
“I will,” Alex told her. “Harriet, would you mind if I had a private word with Daniella?”
“Of course,” Harriet said.
He waited for a few minutes and saw a tiny speck walk to the front of the red boat.
“I can’t talk for long as Malcolm and I have to figure a way off the boat,” Alex told her. “When I’ve hung up, I’ll call Harley and tell him about the boat. But I need you and Harriet to go back to Plum Island. I can’t have you so close to this boat if it’s about to explode.”
“Don’t you dare say that!” Daniella hissed. “You’re not going to die, do you hear me?”
“I’m hoping not,” Alex said. “But lately, I’ve learned that anything can happen, and I don’t want to leave things unsaid between us. This isn’t how I planned to say them, and I’ve given you the cliff notes versions.”
“Okay, but then I have something to say to you, too,” Daniella told him. “But you go first.”
“What you heard earlier between Harriet and me…” Alex was cut off by Daniella.
“Harriet explained everything to me,” Daniella told him and gave a soft laugh. “We’ve been trailing behind your yacht for a while and had to find something to talk about.”
“I love Harriet and always will. She’s my best friend, but my love for her is like my love for my sister and Dawn,” Alex confirmed what Harriet had said. “I don’t know how to tell you this without you thinking I’m a creep, so I’m just going to blurt it out.” He swallowed and ran a hand through his hair. “Daniella, I fell in love with you the moment I saw you packing a U-Haul three years ago.”
“Oh!” Daniella’s voice was soft and filled with surprise.
“I’ve tried to keep you out of my mind, but I couldn’t,” Alex felt relieved and petrified at finally telling her. “And if you don’t feel the same as soon as I’m off this boat, I can sign the divorce papers, and you and Emily will be free as I’ve just been told that Ron Jackson can’t hurt you or anyone ever again.” He took a breath. “I’m sorry I’ve had to tell you this way. I had a whole romantic evening planned.”
“Alex… I…” Daniella started to say as the line started breaking up.
Alex looked up as the sounds of propeller blades thudded through the air. His head turned toward the red boat as he saw a larger one approaching it. “Daniella?”
“Alex?” Daniella’s voice crackled through the receiver before the line went dead.
The helicopter sound got louder, and Alex looked up to the big bird hovering above him as a rope thudded onto the deck. In the blink of an eye, a tall, familiar-looking man dropped down the rope ladder and landed in front of Alex.
“Alex Blackwell,” the man dressed in a black and flat jacket with Coast Guard on it held out his hand, “I don’t know if you remember me, I’m Stanley Wells.”
Alex’s heart froze, and he took a step, ignoring Stanley’s hand. “Have you come to finish the job?”
“No, sir,” Stanley shook his head. “I’m here to get you and everyone else off this boat before it explodes. We have reason to believe it’s been rigged with explosives.”
“Why should I trust you?” Alex asked him.
“You have no reason to,” Stanley turned and signaled to the helicopter, and two other men slid down the ladder. “I know this boat is rigged with explosives, and we only have fifteen minutes at best to get you off it.”
Alex turned to see the two figures board the little red boat, and shortly afterward, it turned and sped off back toward Plum Island, letting Alex breathe a sigh of relief. He turned to look at Stanley with mistrust in his eyes.
“You’re going to be a very sorry man if you’re lying to me,” Alex warned Stanley before letting him know they had subdued the mercenaries.
Five minutes later, the Coast Guard boat pulled up alongside the Yacht. To Alex’s relief, Harley was on the Coast Guard boat.
“Geez, Alex, you get yourself in some glorious messes,” Harley exclaimed as the two men hugged it out.
“Is he with you?” Alex pointed to Stanley, who was ordering the men to gather up the mercenaries.
“Yes,” Harley nodded. “It turns out he’s an ex-Air Force officer. He was investigating the Spiers Company for the accident that killed his wife three years ago when he was propositioned by someone to look for Daniella.”
“Oh, speaking of that, I believe Ron…” Alex didn’t get to finish.
“Ron Jackson is dead,” Harley finished. “We know.”
“Who asked Stanley to look for Daniella?” Alex asked.
“He doesn’t know,” Harley told him. “The person always contacted him on different numbers and never kept one long enough to trace. But Stanley knows it wasn’t Ron Jackson as the man had moved on and had married a nurse who was about to take him to court for spousal abuse.”
“Good grief,” Alex hissed. “What a nice man.” Sarcasm dripped from his voice.
“Stanley was trying to find out who had hired him when a friend of his called him,” Harley explained. “The man used to work with Stanley, and he was terrified for his wife and kids and forced to blow up your house and boat with stolen explosives from the Spiers Company.”
“Would you two like to finish this when we’re off this death trap?” Malcolm walked toward them. “I don’t know about you two, but I’m going in the bird.”
“I’ll go back on the boat,” Harley said.
“I’ll go on the boat with Harley.” Alex looked at Harley. “You are going back to Plum Island, right?”
“Yes,” Harley nodded. “I need to ensure that my cousin and Harriet don’t end up in jail for grand theft auto and boat theft.”
“What?” Alex spluttered.
“Let’s go, and I’ll explain on the way,” Harley led Alex off the yacht.
“The boat’s cleared,” one of the members of the Coast Guard told Harley as the man jumped onto the Coast Guard boat, and they pulled off with a roar while the helicopter lifted off and flew away.
They had just got a fair distance away from Alex’s boat when they were rocked by the explosion that tore through the Black Ocean, spewing debris across the ocean’s surface. Alex’s heart sank as he watched his boat go up in flames while they roared away to safety. A lump formed in his throat as the boat crumpled into the sea, along with his memories made on a ship that he’d carefully designed and had watched being built.
“I’m sorry about your house and boat, Alex.” Harley patted Alex on the shoulder. “What an awful loss.”
Alex nodded, watching his boat sink into its watery grave. “Harley, if this wasn’t Ron Jackson, or revenge for Stanley’s wife’s death, then who did this and why?”
“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” Harley assured him. “All I can say,” he glanced towards Alex’s yacht, “is that whoever’s doing this has a lot of hate in their heart for you and Daniella.”
As Harley said that, an image of the lipstick warning scribbled on Daniella’s nightstand and flashed through his mind. It’s not a very accessible color. Daniella’s words triggered a memory.
What do you think of my new lipstick?
And another conversation hit him. This isn’t over until I say it is. You don’t get to decide.
Alex’s eyes widened as realization dawned on him like a bucket of ice dropping over him, and he turned to Harley. “I know who’s behind this.”