Chapter 30
30
RYKER
T he SUV rolled to a stop, tires crunching against the pavement. The doors unlocked with a quiet click, and for a second, I just sat there, fingers flexing against my thighs, my breathing even.
The ocean stretched out ahead, dark and restless, the slow roll of waves barely visible in the dim glow of dusk. Beyond that, the pier jutted into the abyss, swallowed by shadows, disappearing into nothingness.
The wind had picked up. The salt in the air mixed with the scent of an oncoming storm, thick and electric, wrapping around me like a warning.
I stepped out of the car, shutting the door behind me. The second my boots hit the pavement, my earpiece came alive.
“Target is still in position,” Elias reported. “No movement. Facing the structure at the end of the pier. Identity recognition is a negative.”
I kept moving, slow and steady, my boots hitting the wooden planks in measured intervals. The boards creaked under my weight, the sound lost beneath the distant crash of waves against the pylons.
This was too easy.
Too fucking clean.
The ransom deposit had been paid. My comms were clear. There were no enemy positions marked, no stray signals, no extra bodies on thermal.
It was just me. And the unmoving figure waiting at the far end of the pier.
A vibration buzzed against my thigh. My phone.
Blocked number.
Right on schedule.
I pressed accept, lifting the phone to my ear.
“Wire the money,” a distorted voice instructed. Male, robotic, devoid of inflection.
I exhaled slowly, my grip tightening around the phone. “Not until I get proof of life.”
A brief pause. Then?—
“Tell your teams to zoom in.”
I didn’t repeat it aloud. I didn’t have to. Elias was already relaying the order.
Silence crackled in my ear as the team adjusted their surveillance feeds. My pulse remained steady, but every muscle in my body was coiled tight, ready for something to happen.
Finally, Elias’ voice came through.
“Target just turned. Now facing the pier. We’re ninety percent sure it’s Will.”
Ninety percent.
Not a hundred.
My stomach clenched. Ninety percent was good. But ninety percent still got people killed.
I took a slow breath, forcing my voice to stay even. “Wiring it now. ”
My people handled the transfer, their confirmations coming through in clipped, controlled tones. A few seconds later, the reply came through:
“Funds received.” The voice on the line exhaled, then said, “Thank you. Don’t come looking for us.”
The call cut off.
I stayed still, listening to my team over comms.
“All clear. No additional movement.”
“No thermal readings outside of Scout and the target.”
Nothing.
But my instincts weren’t satisfied.
Something wasn’t right.
It was too perfect. Too fucking perfect. Whoever had Will, whoever had orchestrated this—they weren’t amateurs.
And that was the problem.
Professionals didn’t make clean trades. They didn’t leave behind loose ends. They didn’t return their hostages in one piece unless there was a reason.
Unless they wanted me to let my guard down.
My fingers curled into fists. My heartbeat didn’t pick up, didn’t slam in my chest. Not yet.
I took a breath.
Fuck it.
I ran.
The wind tore against my face, the night swallowing my footsteps as my boots pounded against the planks. The shadows ahead didn’t shift. No movement. No signs of an ambush.
But I still couldn’t see the end of the pier.
Couldn’t see what waited beyond the dark.
Twenty feet.
Ten .
Five.
I stopped short.
Will was there.
One eye swollen shut. Hands bound. A fucking earpiece in his left ear.
The tension in his shoulders wasn’t just exhaustion. It was fear. He wasn’t relieved to see me. He wasn’t desperate for help.
He was warning me.
His jaw locked tight, his whole body stiff as he shook his head.
His lips barely moved when he spoke, but I still heard it.
“It’s a trap.”
I didn’t think.
Didn’t hesitate.
I grabbed Will, threw him over my shoulder, and bolted for the railing.
The world erupted.
Slow motion took over my senses. The pier split apart, debris splintering through the air as I leapt onto, then over the railing. We launched over the edge as the concussive blast hit us in full, and then into nothingness, the darkness swallowed us whole.