Chapter Thirty-Five
ELLIOT
Mason was waiting for us in arrivals when we landed in Nice. He wasn’t hard to miss. I swear he’s even bulkier than the last time we saw him.
After greeting us, he leads us to his SUV, waiting until we’re in the confines of the vehicle before updating us on anything we missed while we were in the air.
“There’s been little to no movement, neither coming nor going from the Yacht in the past twenty-four hours. But we’ve had eyes on others who appear to be doing covert surveillance.”
“Do you know who they are?”
He shakes his head. “No, not yet. I’m looking into it and called in a couple of favours.”
“We appreciate it, man, thank you.”
His eyes flick to Jax. “After what you guys did to help Jess, it’s the least I could do. But I won’t lie, it’d be nice to catch up over a beer like normal people as opposed to needing to put another arsehole in his place.”
“You can say that again,” River says from beside me in the back, his thigh brushing against mine. “I don’t know about you, but I can think of better reasons to visit Monaco. ”
He reaches into his bag between his feet, pulls out one of his knives, and slips it into the inside of his boot. Thank goodness for the private jet Caleb helped Jax procure.
River glances over and winks, but it does fuck all to put me at ease, knowing how close the darkness is to breaking the surface. I’ll do anything to protect him. If that means protecting him from himself, then so be it.
We arrive at the house Mason procured to get everything ready. He introduces us to two guys he called to help, Louis and Gabriel. We all shake hands in greeting, but I don’t miss the way River looks at them suspiciously. But if Mason trusts them, I do too. Under any other circumstances, I know River wouldn’t even question it, but I get it. This is unlike anything we’ve ever had to do before.
While we eat, Mason goes over everything in more detail, and then we all change, and I grab my duffel bag full of equipment. We all check the weapons we’re all carrying today. I glance around and see everyone’s faces set with determination. This is it, we’re getting our girl’s sister back, and we’re taking the cunt down.
“Let’s do this,” Jax says, his voice hard. “This ends today.”
With everything in place, we move out. Mason and his guys take one SUV while we take the other. The drive to the marina is tense, and the weight of what’s at stake is heavy on our shoulders.
Our need for vengeance is a palpable presence, one I can almost taste.
As we approach the marina, I hack into the security system, disabling alarms and the cameras. There are often issues with the live streaming, so I’ll make it seem like a temporary downtime and an issue with the port camera. I’ll keep my mini tablet in hand in case someone tries to reboot it, but it’s doubtful.
At least this way it will give us the clearest path possible, and one that leaves no trail of us.
We park a small distance away and exit our vehicles. Even with my face covered, I can still feel the chill in the air, followed by the scent of fresh salt water. Gabriel stays back as we move out on foot to avoid detection. The yachtis docked at the furthest end, its sleek lines barely visible in the dim light. Like the rest of the guys, I’m hyperaware of our surroundings as I scan the area. My heart is pounding heavily behind my ribs. I glance at River, the two of us locking gazes; he gives a subtle nod.
Jax signals for us to move in. We approach the yacht as quietly as humanly possible, each step measured and careful as we reach the gangplank. There’s a glimpse of movement inside, and we all freeze.
It’s Richard.
Jax and River move in first, their weapons drawn, followed by Mason and me as Louis takes up the rear. Our eyes scan the area for any other potential threats or a glimpse of Mia. What’s concerning is that while Mason was staking out the yacht, he saw no signs of her whatsoever.
The first thing I notice is the all too familiar fragrance of his favourite cigar brand. The image of Lily’s scars filters my mind, and I immediately want to put a bullet between his eyes.
“About fucking time you got back,” Richard says, turning to face us. We’re covered head to toe in dark clothing, our faces hidden behind our balaclavas.
His eyes go wide.“Who are—” Jax doesn’tgive him a chance to finishhis sentence as he cocks the gun and presses the barrelto Richard’s temple, causing him to take a staggered step back.
“We’re the only ones asking questions.”
Mason moves back to where we boarded, knowing Richard is waiting for someone, which means we don’t have much time, but we also need to keep our wits about us.
“Who else is on board? Where’s the crew? And don’t lie to me.”
Richard swallows hard. “Most of them have the night off. There’s only three still here, and they’re either in their cabins or the crew’s mess.”
Jax glances at Mason, who signals Louis to check it out.
“You better hope for your sake you’re not lying.” He digs the barrel of the gun into his skin for emphasis.
He holds up his trembling hands. “I’m not. I swear they’ve been given specific instructions to stay below deck.”
“And why is that?”
He’s jittery as fuck, his eyes darting towards where Mason is standing. “Because I have some business to take care of.”
Louis’s French voice comes through on our earpieces, confirming all three crew members are below deck in the crew mess. They’re secured, whatever that means. Mason tells him to check all the other cabins to be sure Richard isn’t lying.
“Where is she?” Jax demands, his voice a low growl.
Richard stammers, backing away. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about?—”
River steps forward, his knife glinting. “Don’t lie to us, Richard,” he says, his voice growing louder.
“I’m going to ask you one more time. Where. Is. She?”
I swear he’s growing more and more jittery by the second.
“A-at home. I don’t know why you’re still interested. She’s damaged goods. I said I can get you your money. I just need some time.”
By the time his words have registered, and I realise Richard thinks we’re asking about Lily, River’s patience has snapped and he lunges for Richard, dragging his back against his chest, his knife at his throat .
“You don’t get to talk about her like that, do you hear me?” The edge of the blade presses into his skin and draws blood.
River’s eyes glance at the ashtray and the cigar, the grey ash still burning. He drags Richard closer to the table, the knife continuing to dig into his flesh.
Using his other hand, he reaches for the cigar and brings it up to Richard’s face, and I swear I can imagine River’s lip forming a ruthless smile underneath his balaclava.