Page 39 of Weston

“Who is that?” she asked.

“I don’t know, and we’re not hanging around to find out.” The rubber craft bounced hard, slamming into each wave, as Wes drove it forward. Reaching down, he grabbed a tactical vest, slipped it on and secured it. The weight of the Glock in his holster was reassuring, but he wished he had something a little bigger with a helluva lot more kick.

From the corner of his eye, he spotted another boat approaching and he swore, redirecting their craft, knowing hehad to outrun these bastards. “Ellie! Stay down and be ready to move!” He yanked his phone out and hit Brand’s number. When the other man answered, Wes filled him in on their current situation then glanced down at his watch, rattling off their current coordinates.

“We’re on our way,” Brand said.

His team would be coming in the disguised fishing boat, which was practically a floating arsenal. All he had to do was evade these fuckers until his guys showed up and saved the day. No problem.

“Wes! There’s another boat!”

His attention spun and his heart sank.Fuck.Three enemy boats was a problem. They were closing them in, heading toward their raft at full speed. Everything in Wes knew he had one job to do, and one job only. And that was to protect Ellie with his life. He’d die before handing her over to these fucking pirates.

???

Saltwater sprayed Ellie’s face and panic made her heart thump triple-time in her chest. They were surrounded, and unless Wes tried to barrel straight through the approaching boats—which held its own amount of risk—the situation could get very messy very fast.Not good.She knew his team was on their way, but how long would that take?Dammit.Why had she insisted on visiting the turtles? Wes was going to hate the poor creatures even more now.

Turning to face him, she saw the worried lines on his face. “Wes?”

“Come here, Ellie.” He eased back on the gas, all but stopping them. Ellie got up and hurried over. “Put this on.”

She looked down at the big tactical body armor then pulled it on without question and Wes tightened the straps. It was far too large, but it’s not like any of the guys wore a size small or even a medium. More like XXL. Wes pulled his gun from its holster and Ellie swallowed the lump of fear in her throat.

“I need you to stay by my side and be brave, okay? Brand and the guys are on their way. Everything is going to be fine,” he said, though he didn’t sound quite as assured as he had earlier.

The three boats pulled up, surrounding them, and Ellie counted three men on each boat. Nine against two. Sucky odds even for a Navy SEAL who could kick some serious ass. The men looked like nefarious pirates, too, with skin that had been exposed to too much sun and ratty-looking clothing that had seen better days. They each held a big, scary-looking machine gun while Wes only had a single pistol.

Shit, shit, shit.Her gaze scanned the water.C’mon, Motley Crew. Where are you?

A couple of the men said something to each other in Indonesian then the one who looked like he was in charge glared at Wes.

“One of your men killed my son,” he snarled.Nayvadius,she realized. The man Taman had warned them about.

“No clue what you’re talking about. We’re just out here feeding sea turtles.” Wes didn’t bother hiding his pistol or tempering the irritation and warning in his voice. In fact, she thought he let them all get a good look at the gun, allowing themto see he was armed. “Now why don’t you let us pass by before we have a problem.”

“Liar! I want to know who did it!”

But Wes didn’t say a word and Ellie realized she was holding her breath, desperately praying that Brand and company would appear.

“I know where your men are staying,” Nayvadius snarled.

“Is that supposed to be a threat?” Wes’ fingers flexed around the gun’s grip and Ellie told herself to stay calm.

“If you do not tell me who killed my son then I will kill you all. I swear it.”

“Look, I think you have us mixed up with someone else—”

“Kill him.”

To Ellie’s complete horror, the second pirate lifted his weapon and opened fire. Bullets peppered the raft, blowing holes into it, and she screamed as Wes shoved her down. RAT-A-TAT-A-TAT! The rapid, extremely loud gunfire had her covering her ears. As the Zodiac hissed and shifted, she rolled to the side then glanced up to see Wes suddenly clutch his chest, lose his balance and stumble backwards. He fell over the side and landed in the ocean with a splash.

Ellie screamed his name as she scrambled up, determined to jump overboard and help him. But before she could reach the edge, a rough hand grabbed her arm, yanking her backwards hard.

“He’s dead,” the Indonesian growled. “Just like my son.”

“No!” she yelled, struggling to break free. “Let me go!”

“If he is not, then he will be soon.” Nayvaduius sent her a twisted smile. “The sharks will finish him off.”

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