Chapter 48 Declan
DECLAN
“There it is, Boss.” Connor points at the container ship two hundred feet away from us on the dock. “It’s not as guarded as I thought it would be.”
“Likely because they want to blend in with the other ships,” I grunt, ready to cut down anyone and anything that gets in my way.
Arman had been right. Cyrus is hiding away in a docked ship just off the coast of the Persian Gulf.
We'd taken a quick flight to Bandar Abbas, the closest port city, overnight while our retrieval plan.
My uncle Lorkan informed me that this was one of Naser's favorite cities in Iran. My uncle, father, and Naser would take a boat out to Hormuz Island, hike along the rainbow mountains, and discuss a better future for us. I have no doubts that Cyrus chose to dock here as a sick way of mocking Naser. Another thing he’d pay for.
“Mind if I do the honors, pretty boy?” Azula licks her lips, gently pushing Connor out of the way. She positions her gun, and a breath later, I watch as body after body drops into the harbor.
We all pull out our binoculars and check for any stray guards we may have left alive. Connor gives the all clear and we start barreling toward the ship. Connor uses an industrial grade laser to cut through a large metal door on the side of the ship, allowing us to enter.
“The main security unit is in that room, according to the map Arman found.” Connor nods his chin toward the farthest back corner of the ship.
“Kill any soldier who gets in our way. I have no room in my cells for traitors,” I growl at the group of men and women behind me. We’d enlisted all the elite members of my firing squad for this mission.
One by one, members of our unit stalk down the hall, killing anyone and anything we see.
My heart feels like it stops when we reach the end of the murky hall. All that’s left between me and Zahra is this thick metal door.
Connor reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small grenade, waiting for us all to tighten our masks before letting it fly.
The detonation rocks the boat, and we all brace ourselves as the metal wall in front of us slowly disintegrates.
"MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!" Connor shouts to all the soldiers behind me, gesturing toward Cyrus’ soldiers who come flying out of the room.
The sound of bullets flying fills the ship.
Azula, Lorkan, Aidan, and I head inside.
I had debated whether or not to bring Aidan with me.
Frankly, I wanted to leave him back in Istanbul, but Arman claimed we may be able to use him to our advantage.
Aidan knows the real Cyrus better than any of us does.
"BOSS, THEY'RE IN HERE!" Connor calls out from the control room.
I push through everyone and everything in my way, not stopping for a second until my eyes lock onto her. Zahra. My sweet, strong, courageous wife is laid out on the floor, while one of the medic soldiers inspects her.
"Her pulse is steady, and breathing is fine, but it looks like she's been drugged with something because her motor skills are definitely off.” The medic informs me as Azula and Aidan run in behind me.
Azula scans the room and snarls as she sees Cyrus sitting in the corner, handcuffed and shackled. We had done it. We had won.
Zahra groans, struggling to stand up on her feet.
I move to give her support, but she keeps shoving me away, which feels like a knife to the heart.
I try to remind myself that she's drugged right now and probably doesn't realize what she's doing.
Or who I am. The last thing I want is to make her feel even more traumatized than she already is by forcing her.
She uses a chair nearby to prop herself up. "It's…a…trap..." she mumbles, moving away from me. "It's a trap..."
"No, it's not a trap, Zahra, it's me. I'm here to help—"
"You should really listen to your wife, Declan." Cyrus smirks, tossing his handcuffs to the side, aiming his gun at Zahra's chest, and pulling the trigger.
"NO!" I scream as Azula rushes to tackle him to the ground, but it's too late. The pop of the gun hits my ears seconds before Azula wrestles Cyrus to the floor. I watch in horror as Zahra falls to the ground...with Aidan on top of her.
He flips onto the floor, clutching his abdomen, as blood leaks through his fingers. His blood. Zahra crawls toward him—unscathed. "You saved me," she whispers, tears falling from her eyes. She moves her shaky hands on top of his and presses down in a feeble attempt to help stop the bleeding.
"You brought my brother back to life. It's the least I could do." Aidan smiles before wheezing and groaning in pain. Aidan’s eyes start to shut, a telltale sign that the end is near. I nearly vomit at the thought.
I fall to my knees next to Aidan, but my body feels like it's frozen in time. "WE NEED A MEDIC STAT," I scream so loud my throat aches in pain. I feel like I’m watching in slow motion as our entire medical team rolls in, gently shoving myself and Zahra away so they can get to work.
"We need to get him to a hospital," one of the nurses shouts, as they lift him onto a makeshift gurney.
I search the room for Cyrus, but he's already been knocked unconscious and chained up by Azula.
"You should also get her fully checked out," another nurse states, pointing to Zahra. "Why don't you ride with us to the hospital?"
I nod, lifting her into my arms and relishing in the way she immediately curls into me. "Declan?"
"Yes, angel?"
"I love you. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to say that to you ever, so I need to say it now."
My throat constricts. I had dreamed of hearing those words from her so many times. None of those dreams compared to this moment now. "I love you too, Zahra. You and me, we were always inevitable."
She hums in agreement, holding me closer as we step outside into the sunlight, leaving behind the cold, damp darkness of the ship.