Page 91 of Not Your Ordinary Shifter

“Okay. Nova, you’ll stay here while we take care of the guards. Let’s knock all their asses out, tie them up, and toss them overboard in a dinghy.”

Nova’s lips turned down in a scowl. “I can help.” She stepped toward the knocked-out guard and grabbed the gun from his holster.

“Hey, give me that.” Kato held out his hand. “We aren’t shooting anyone, even if they deserve it.”

After giving it a bit of thought, I disagreed. “It would be a good idea for her to have some protection just in case one of them gets by us. Have you ever shot a gun before?”

Nova gave a tight nod. “My dad was a big gun nut. We used to go to shooting competitions all the time. I held my own.”

“Shooting someone is much different from a target. Don’t hesitate if you feel threatened,” Beck said.

“Trust me, I know these guys won’t hesitate to hurt me.” Nova tilted her head to the side. “Wait. What are you guys doing here? I mean, you didn’t come to rescue me, so what’s going on?”

“We’ll explain once we’ve dealt with the guards and are underway,” I replied.

“Just know that we’re the good guys.” Beck gave her one of his megawatt smiles that women couldn’t resist. “Stay safe. Aquaman and his sidekicks will have this place cleared out in no time.”

Chapter

Four

KATO

The woman kept catching my attention, drawing my eyes again and again. Nova. What a beautiful name. I’d never felt such an intense longing to be close to a woman before. It was obvious Beck was feeling the same. I seemed to gravitate closer toward her without thinking. But there was no time to worry about it now.

When she threw her head back, laughing at some stupid crap Beck was spouting, I couldn’t drag my eyes off her. I found myself smiling, even though I wasn’t in on the joke.

“Enough. Let’s get this done so we can get the fuck out of here before Trent comes back. We don’t want to engage his full team without back-up,” Will said. “We’re sticking together. I didn’t realize how big this damn boat was and how many freaking rooms it had. I’ll contact the island and let them know we need a full sweep. Stay safe, Nova. Close this after us,” he said while opening the door a crack and making sure the coast was clear.

“Wait. You’ll want a master key. The captain and Trent are the only ones who have them,” Nova said. “Most of the crew is gone, but the ones that are here haven’t been horrible. Some even treated me kindly.”

“Okay, we’ll head to the captain’s quarters and wheelhouse first. Let’s go.”

My brothers and I changed back into our mudskipper forms for ease of sneaking up on the thugs. Nova let out a breathy, “So cool.”

My dorsal fins fanned out, and I jumped high into the air. I noticed Beck doing the same. Nova giggled. “You guys are adorable. Be careful.”

“Enough!” Will barked through our mind link. “Heads in the game, for fuck sakes.”

We obediently followed him to the door and slipped out. Nova closed it behind us.

“I don’t like leaving her alone,” I admitted. “Let’s get this done quick.”

Following the plan, we made our way to the upper deck of the ship, skirting around any guards we came across. Once we’d located the wheelhouse, we listened at the door after finding it locked.

“Beck, change to human and knock,” Will directed.

After Beck pounded on the door, heavy footsteps thudded toward us while he ducked around a corner. The door swung open, and Kato and I slipped inside, then changed into our human form. Before the man had the chance to turn around, Will had him in a sleeper hold. Once he was out, we let Beck into the room.

“Holy shit.” I whistled while shaking my head. “We’re going to need him to get us out of here. This is way above my paygrade,” I said as I took in all the dials, buttons and monitors.

“Let’s find the master key, take his cell phone and lock him in his quarters for now. We’ll worry about that later,” Will said. “I’ll wipe the security cameras after we’ve got control of the yacht.”

We moved quickly as a team, Beck was checking out the security cameras while Will and I searched the room until wefound what we were looking for. I checked that the coast was clear, and we hauled the unconscious man to his room next door. Using what was on hand, we cut up the bedsheets, tied him up and gagged him.

“He’s good. Let’s get a move on. Something is telling me we need to get a move on,” Beck said.

“He looks like he’s about my size. I’ll stay human from here on. Just let me throw on some clothes,” Will said.

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