Page 102 of The Wrecked One

“We could also just cut to it now,” Mya proposed. “Give up their names, and you can go into hiding until they’re all dead or behind bars. We’re offering to handle the problem for you.”

“What would stop you from coming after us then? You wouldn’t let us live after what my son . . .” Stef cleared his throat as if actually displeased by what went down in Bangkok.

Hugo’s eye twitched. Yeah, both him and his father had no doubt seen the video footage of what happened that day. It was also clear Hugo had issued those disgusting directions to the Interpol agents as to how to handle us.

“What’s it going to be, Soren?” Carter asked, eyes on Stef. “Hide out for the rest of your lives, or have a shot to take back control of your lives on that island?” He hadn’t bothered to reoffer Mya’s suggestion, clearly knowing the Sorens wouldn’t hand over their little black book of names like that.

“This was a smart move, Dominick. I hate saying that, but it is.” Stef pushed at the grass with his cane. “Pulling The Sapphire in like this. Picking a location where you know I can’t order a drone strike to take your people out without having to show up instead. No backup from my organization without exposing why we’re there, which wouldn’t end well for me. From where I’m standing, you’ve given me no choice.”

“It sucks to have your choices taken from you, doesn’t it,” I hissed under my breath, muscles drawing tight again the moment Hugo’s eyes swept to Mya’s legs.

“Think about this, if you defeat us, you get the hotel, and you can call your buddies and let them know you not only found the President’s people who have been hunting them down, but you’ve killed them. You can spin your own story as to how you found us, but regardless, you look like the heroes. Maybe they even upgrade you from the hub of the wheel to something more important in their group.” Mya’s antagonizing the two of them was brazen, bold, and very much like her.

God, I love you.

Hugo lazily drifted his eyes from Mya’s legs to her face. “Your whole team needs to be there or we don’t show.” His jaw locked tight. “Including your little cybergirl here, too. I have a feeling she’s been that annoying thorn in our sides lately. Poking around with the big boys on the dark net where you don’t belong.”

Gwen took the bait, stepping closer to evil, and Jesse matched her steps, remaining defensively at her side. “Since you’ve done your homework on us, let me be clear, we have, too.”

A sly, amused smile crossed Hugo’s lips as he faced off with her.

This unexpected showdown between Gwen and Hugo had me momentarily forgetting the fact Hugo was demanding our entire team be on that island.

“Your people are too afraid to even play around online. Scared of women like me so it would seem.” Gwen went on, “Hence the birds. Because you clearly know I could destroy your group if you dared relay messages over the internet.”

Hugo laughed, and his husky chuckle had Gwen looking like she wanted to grab her laptop from upstairs and smack him across the face with it.

Ditto. Although, I’d rather use my fists. And I was starting to regret that I wouldn’t actually be fighting him.

“No women and children,” Carter remarked, breaking through Hugo’s laugh. “That’s non-negotiable.”

“If these two women on your team aren’t on the island, they could be a problem later.” Stef’s gaze bounced back and forth between Mya and Gwen. “We can’t take the risk. They have to join you ringside.”

“Fine,” Gwen about snarled her response, and that’d be a hard no from her father, and she knew it, but that didn’t stop her bold determination.

Apparently, I wasn’t about to stop Mya, either, because she agreed, “We’ll be there.”

“Absolutely not,” I shot out on instinct, urging Mya to face me by gently tugging her arm.

She refused to look at me and instead told Stef, “If you want me there, you bring my parents ringside as well. I’m not letting them get off so easily.”

I was about to lose my mind at this change of events. “Mya.”

“Done, but one more condition before we tell Nicholas we’re good to go.” Stef’s words had my blood pressure spiking again. “My son gets his chance to redeem himself inside that ring for not closing the deal in Thailand like he should have.”

Closing the deal? Yeah, this really was just business to these people, wasn’t it?

“That’s what we?—”

“You have no intention of truly fighting my son,” Stef cut me off. “The fight is a ploy to get us to that island, but I want it happening. If he can’t defeat you, then he has no place taking over for me.”

“I’m fine with fighting, but you can’t be serious. Sylvester didn’t even have the stomach to come to the party knowing Dominick was here, but you think he can run the company? Be the intermediary for the organization?” Hugo looked toward the ground, cursing. “That son of a bitch set me up, didn’t he?” At that, he took off, leaving us all hanging, including his father.

Before Stef could call him back or say more, the owner and his less-than-perfect timing appeared. “You two come to an agreement? Or is your son power walking away like a man on a mission a bad sign?”

Stef looked between Nicholas and his son’s retreating back as if torn over what to do. I kind of wanted to go after Hugo myself and let him finish whatever he’d been saying.

“It’s a deal,” Stef said in a low voice.

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