Page 77 of The Devil's Daughter

“Everything will be okay,” he says, his deep voice reverberating into my ears through the headphones. I thread my fingers through his and hold on tight, eyes meeting Ben’s and Baz’s as we head back to the yacht.

I think we all want desperately to believe it, but after tonight, our confidence has been too shaken for us to be sure of anything anymore.

39

Elle

I dozefor much of the flight back to the yacht, but wake up when we land. Upon entering the lounge, Ben heads straight for the wet bar and pours us all drinks while Drake hangs back to give Duffy instructions. A moment later, the helicopter lifts off again and departs, and Drake joins us, slipping off his tuxedo jacket and tossing it over an armchair, then rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt. His bow tie disappeared sometime en route, and if anything, he looks more handsome now than he did fully dressed, despite the bloodstain marring the back of his collar.

“Duff’s on-call to meet us at our next port if we need him.”

“Do we know where we’re going?” I ask.

“I left it up to Theo. He’ll make sure we stay off the radar for as long as we can. But we’re completely restocked and fueled up, so we can disappear for a few weeks before we show our faces anywhere civilized again.”

“Wouldn’t we have to refuel before that?” Baz asks. “I know the fuel tank is big, but it isn’t that big.”

Drake takes the tumbler of Scotch Ben hands him and sits on the sofa, taking a restorative sip. “Once we’re moving, we rely on auxiliary sources for power. You probably didn’t go up to the bridge deck. There are wind turbines and a bank of solar panels up there that charge the auxiliary batteries, and water turbines attached to the hull that generate power whenever we’re moving. We’re basically self-sufficient until we run out of food. I put most of the staff on paid leave, so with a skeleton crew, we can last as long as we need to.”

“So this is where we need to be in a zombie apocalypse. Got it,” Baz says, chuckling as he props himself against the arm of the sofa and nurses his drink. He’s down to his sleeveless undershirt and tuxedo pants now, looking more like he belongs in a gang than he ever has.

I sniff my glass, and my nostrils fill with the smoky scent of the Lagavulin, or at least whatever is left over from my father’s visit last night.

Ben drops down next to Drake and leans his head against the back of the sofa with a groan. “What a fucking night. On the plus side, at least we survived Elle’s brothers.” Both Baz and Drake grunt in agreement, directing smirks my way.

“They like you guys. But more importantly, theyloveme. Ben, what did your mom keep hounding you about?”

“She wants us to come back to work for Arturo,” Ben says. “Which is never going to happen.”

“But I thought you made up last night,” I say.

“It’s got nothing to do with that,” Baz supplies. “We just like working for Drake more. And for other obvious reasons. Not to mention it’d be hella weird if we’re with youandworking for your dad.”

“I just don’t want to move back to LA,” Ben says. He raises his glass to his lips, then winces and shifts it to his other hand. His tuxedo jacket survived the night, but his shirt didn’t, so he’s bare-chested, the swaths of dark tattoos across his brown skin. My heart stutters when I take in the three of them and consider the near-miss we had tonight.

“I don’t want you to move back to LA, either,” I say. “In fact, I’m glad we can’t leave this boat for a while. There’s nowhere else I want to be.”

I set down my glass and rise, impulsively moving to Drake. He opens his arms and I slide onto his lap, embracing him.

“I almost lost you,” I say, holding tight and burying my face in his neck. I inhale the sharp scent of sweat and aftershave, taking deep, sustaining gulps of him. I want to wrap them all in my embrace, but the best I can do is reach out a hand for Ben, who takes mine and squeezes, then lifts it to his lips. I reach for Baz on the other side, grasping his hand and pulling him down onto the sofa next to Drake.

“We should’ve sent you home with Arturo,” Drake says, his brow knitting. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“I disagree,” Ben says. “Sitnik had to have seen you with Elle tonight. He’d have to be an idiot not to realize she’s important to you. Leaving her behind, evenwithFlores, would’ve put her at risk more than bringing her with us. I don’t want to think about what that bastard might do with her if he took her.”

“I wouldn’t have left you anyway,” I say.

Baz chuckles. “Of course you wouldn’t.”

The world begins to shift disconcertingly, and I grab hold of Drake, eyes widening. “I’m not that drunk, am I?”

He smiles indulgently. “No. That’s just Theo turning theBrizoto take her out of the harbor. When we wake up tomorrow, we’ll be several hundred miles from here. If you listen, you can hear her engines running.”

I close my eyes and can make out the deep, rhythmic pulse of an immense motor somewhere far beneath us. It’s comforting to know we’re moving, yet still completely sheltered, and more than that—together.

When I open my eyes, I take Drake’s face in both hands, rest my forehead against his, and say, “I love you.”

He responds with startling sureness, grasping my head and pressing his mouth to mine. The kiss is both searing and sweet, and lights up all my nerve endings at once.

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