Page 29 of Dark Horizon New Dawn

"We left no evidence," Kalugal said. "All the bodies were burned, the vehicles and the weapons were delivered to Turner's arms supplier, and the two boys we left alive were thralled to remember that it was a Colombian cartel attack."

"They'll know that the boys were thralled." Lokan returned to his chair. "Since there will be no bodies for them to find and no vehicles, they might assume a coup. The cartel thugs could have overpowered their immortal overlords. It wouldn't be the first time something like that happened."

Kian snorted. "We should be so lucky." He took a puff from his cigar. "So, what's our next move, gentlemen?"

Kalugal pushed to his feet. "We don't stop in Cabo, and we keep sailing back to Long Beach without stopping anywhere. This ship can defend itself in case of an attack, but a hasty retreat is best."

"I disagree," Lokan said. "Ships get tracked, and it's easy to access that information. The mention of Cabo will lead them to believe that the clan members involved in the attack are traveling by ship, and they can follow all the ships that left Acapulco earlier today and are sailing north. We are already going faster than any cruise ship in the area, which will make us stand out, but if we continue all the way to Long Beach as if the hounds of hell are on our heels, they will figure out right away that the Silver Swan is their target and wait for us in Long Beach. We should stop in Cabo as planned and have a few groups go ashore and do all the touristy activities that people do there. If possible, they should disguise themselves to look like humans, meaning older and less attractive."

"Good idea." Kian put his glass down and pulled out his phone. "I need to talk to Eva about disguises. I hope she can do something with what's available."

"One more thing," Lokan said. "You should slow down to a normal cruising speed. First of all, it will appear less suspicious if you are going at the same speed as all the other cruise liners, and secondly, it will give us more time to prepare."

19

MARGO

Since Jasmine seemed to be enjoying herself at the bar, Margo continued chatting with Mia for a few minutes longer. After all, it would have been rude to get what she needed from her friend and not talk with her about the things they usually talked about.

"I have to go," Mia said. "I'm sitting here in my underwear while Tom is already dressed in his tux."

Margo laughed. "I'll let you go. Get dressed and have fun at the wedding."

"I intend to. Stay safe, and get Jasmine to the Airbnb." Mia ended the call.

Mia was the best. It helped that she had a very rich fiancé, who made sure that she didn't lack for a thing.

A tiny pang of envy coursed through Margo, but she quickly shoved it away. If anyone deserved a major happily ever after, it was Mia. She had gone through so much. Losing both her legs at such a young age was terrible, and she had been so brave, learning to walk on dual prostheses, which was a very hard thing to do that not many managed well.

Mia might look small and fragile, but she was a fighter.

At the bar, Jasmine said something to the guy sitting next to her, and he turned to look at Margo with a hostile look before getting up and motioning for her to take his seat.

"Someone isn't happy," she muttered under her breath.

Not that she could blame him. If she were a guy, she would also be mad if her flirting with a gorgeous woman was interrupted.

"See you later, Liam." Jasmine waved.

Margo took the seat Liam had vacated. "You probably won't. My friend got you an Airbnb that's walking distance from the hotel. It's under her name, and the door has a code lock, so you don't even need to meet the owner, and no one can trace you there."

The music was loud, so Margo felt okay talking with Jaz about it in the open. Unless someone had bat hearing, their conversation was private.

"I don't know." Jasmine grimaced. "I'm sorry to have put your friend through all that trouble, but I had some time to think, and I realized that we might have overreacted. If Alberto wanted to sell me, he would have shown me to prospective buyers, but he hasn't introduced me to anyone."

That was a good point. But he didn't need to show her in person. There could be hidden cameras in the hotel penthouse.

"What if he put tiny cameras in the bathroom so prospective buyers could see you naked when you are showering or taking a bath?"

Jasmine recoiled. "I didn't think about that angle. Let's check. It's much harder to hide a camera in the bathroom than in the other rooms. If he put one in the shower, we should be able to find it."

Margo slid off the stool and stood up. "Let's do it."

"One moment." Jasmine signaled for the bartender to come closer. "I need to sign for the drinks."

"Check, please," she said.

He nodded. "Give me a moment."

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