Page 58 of Dark Horizon New Dawn

"One for each woman," Dalhu said, sounding slurred, not because he was tired or drunk but because his fangs had elongated. "That's how he got them out."

"Correct." Roni sped up the recording until the suite doors opened again, and the two men exited with the carts.

"Where is the boyfriend?" Toven asked.

"Let's see." Roni sped the feed up, but not as fast as he had done before. "Here he comes." The guy left the suite, rolling two suitcases. "That's why he stayed behind. He needed to pack." Roni smirked. "Now we will follow him from camera to camera and find out the vehicle he used. My bet is that the so-called waiters have already loaded the content of the two carts into his car."

42

KIAN

Roni followed the boyfriend through the different surveillance cameras all the way to the service entrance of the hotel, where a Ford Explorer waited for him.

He loaded the suitcases into the back, but given the camera's angle, it was impossible to tell whether the women were inside. They might have been laid out on the back seats, or they might not have been there.

"Let's hope that he's delivering them in person," Turner said.

"Let me check." Roni started clicking with his mouse, flipping from one recording to the next. "Got them," he said triumphantly.

An earlier recording showed the two guys with the laundry carts next to the same SUV. They had been smart about unloading their cargo without leaving recorded evidence, though. Aware of the location of the surveillance camera, they had gone to the other side of the vehicle, which wasn't in the camera's view, and a few moments later, they walked away with their carts.

"They definitely loaded the women into the car," Onegus said. "The vehicle dipped slightly from the added weight."

"I noticed that," Kian confirmed. "Now the question is how we will find out where he took them?"

"Street cameras," Roni said. "I need a little time to hack into the city's network."

While their super hacker got busy, Kian pushed to his feet and walked over to the kitchenette. "Anyone want more coffee?"

A chorus of voices answered in the affirmative.

Dawn was already on the horizon, and the light filtering through the glass doors bathed the cabin in soft hues. It was such a surrealistically tranquil moment, given the storm of their reality, that it gave Kian pause.

Doomers, traffickers, two missing women, and a ship full of his clan that he would probably need to evacuate.

"All in a day's work," he murmured under his breath as he waited for the fresh pot of coffee to brew.

When it was ready, he brought it to the two combined tables and refilled everyone's mugs. "Did you get anything?" He leaned over Roni's shoulder.

"Not yet. I'm working as fast as I can, but it's a lot to go through."

The kid was whizzing through the footage, switching from one camera to the next with dizzying speed, but it seemed that it would take him some time to find the Explorer.

"Got him." Roni zoomed in on a license plate. "He's entering the harbor and heading to the yacht club." Roni kept clicking around for several minutes before lifting his head from the laptop. "I need to hack into the harbor surveillance server, and that will take a while. They have better security than the hotel and the street cameras."

"Take your time." Turner clapped Roni on the back before getting up. "I need to stretch my legs. I'm going to the balcony to watch the sunrise."

"That's a great idea." Toven followed him out.

It was also a great opportunity to light up a cigarillo. Kian patted his pockets and pulled out the small tin box.

Out on the balcony, Kian leaned over the railing, lit his cigarillo, and looked at the horizon where the golden orb cast a pathway of shimmering light across the water's surface. The water rippled gently, disturbed only by the ship's passage.

As his companions talked in hushed voices, Kian turned his face toward the sun, enjoying the warmth, the gentle breeze, and the smell of salt in the air.

Nearly an hour later, the door behind him opened, and Roni poked his head out. "I've got it, guys. You can come back inside."

Kian flicked his cigarillo into the water and followed Roni. "What did you find out?"

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