Page 34 of Tempest

Her feet trembled slightly as she stood, and I gathered her close, the warmth of her body a comfort against the cold metal of our surroundings. The urge to pull her closer, lose myself in the moment, was a tempting siren song, but the urgency of our situation was a cold splash of water on burning coals.

“We have to go,” I growled, scanning the shadows for any sign of our captors. “Can you move?”

She met my eyes, the fear replaced by a resolute glint. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

Turning to the other women huddled behind us, I lowered my voice. “Stay close. Follow me.”

Each step felt like we were walking on eggshells, every creak of the ship a potential alarm. Kasen clung to me, the pressure of her hand against my back a grounding force in the midst of the chaos.

The cool night air washed over us as we reached the deck. My eyes swept the scene, taking in everything, calculating, planning.

“They’re over there.” I pointed to where Octo, our escape route to freedom, was securing the speedboat. “Let’s go.”

The adrenaline pulsed through me, my body coiled tight, ready to strike at any threat. I helped Kasen into the small boat, my fingers lingering on her arm just a moment, the warmth seeping under my skin.

“Tempest…” she breathed, her eyes locking with mine, a silent question hanging heavy in the air.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Later,” I promised, pushing away the yearning in her eyes and turning to help the remaining women aboard.

With everyone safely tucked into the boat, I took one more look at the dark hulk of the traffickers’ ship. Still. Silent. A monument to their defeat. The satisfaction of victory was a bittersweet aftertaste in my mouth. Didn’t change the fact my woman had been taken from under my nose, or that I’d damn near lost her forever. I still wanted to torch the damn thing. But that might draw the wrong kind of attention. Not to mention, we weren’t in Reapers’ territory. None of the Twisted Tides had made a move to kill any of them. It made me think they weren’t quite as lawless as my club had once been, and in the case of assholes like these human traffickers, we still were.

“Go,” I ordered. Tiger started the engine, the sound ripping through the night, carrying us away from the nightmare, toward the uncertain but hopeful future that lay ahead.

The roar of the engine vibrated through my bones as the speedboat sliced through the obsidian water. Tension radiated down my spine. My every muscle thrummed with it, a symphony of anticipation and fear.

“Any sign of them?” I barked at Tiger, his hands steady on the wheel, his face etched with grim determination.

“Nothing yet,” he called back, his voice calm, a stark counterpoint to the storm brewing inside me.

My mind raced, a chessboard of possibilities laid out before me. Get them to shore. Secure their safety. Deal with the consequences, whatever they may be. My fingers twitched near the gun at my hip, a constant reminder of the threat that lurked just beyond the horizon.

This had been far too easy, which told me it likely wasn’t over yet. I just didn’t know if my club or the Twisted Tides would be the ones caught in the cartel’s sights. They’d discover the missing women and retaliate. It was just a matter of who they decided to blame. I didn’t think we’d left any trace of ourselves on the yacht. With some luck, they’d think some local thugs decided to steal their cargo for extra cash.

Kasen huddled close, her voice barely audible over the engine’s roar. “Thank you.”

I glanced down, surprised by the intensity in her eyes, the moonlight catching them. For a moment, the world narrowed to just her, her face etched with a vulnerability that tugged at something deep inside me. I swallowed hard, the words catching in my throat.

“Don’t thank me yet,” I growled, forcing my gaze back to the inky expanse ahead. “We’re not safe until we hit land.”

The other women huddled together, their voices a mix of relief and fear, their whispers painting the air with uncertainty. I strained to hear anything that didn’t belong, my senses on high alert.

“ETA?” I demanded, needing the reassurance of a timeline.

Tiger’s voice cut through the night, calm and steady. “Ten minutes, maybe less.”

I nodded, a sliver of relief piercing the tension that had me in its grip. “Good. The sooner we’re off this Goddamn water, the better.”

As the shoreline emerged from the darkness, a jagged silhouette against the night sky, the knot in my chest loosened slightly. Almost there. Almost safe.

My boots thudded against the weathered wood of the dock. Turning, I offered Kasen a hand. Her fingers, cool and trembling, slipped into mine, her eyes wide and searching the shadows. I pulled her close, steadying her as she stepped onto solid ground.

“You okay?” I asked, my voice gruff.

She nodded, lips parting as if to speak, but no words escaped. The adrenaline finally ebbing, I exhaled, a long, shuddering breath. My eyes scanned the deserted dock, a habit ingrained through years of battle. Though the muscles in my shoulders remained coiled tight, a sense of calm settled over me.

“Octo, Stinger,” I barked. “Get these women to a safe house. If you don’t have one, I can ask Wire to find one. Then get them home, where they belong. Explain to them why going to the police is a bad idea.”

They hustled the rescued women toward the waiting vehicles, leaving me rooted in place. The weight of the night’s violence pressed down on me, a heavy cloak threatening to suffocate me.

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