Page 55 of The Vipers' Vow

“Leave that to me,” he says. “It would be a good idea if we stop before we reach where the tender is and use the drone. Take a good look around, see if we can recon the boat? If that’s okay with you guys?”

I like the fact that he defers to me and Zane. He’s probably a lot more qualified about this situation than we are, but he isn’t throwing his weight around and being a dick. I respect that.

I duck my head in a nod. “That sounds like a plan.Merci.”

“Hey.” He gives a shrug. “They’ve got your brother, and you want him back. This is your mission. We’re just back up, but it’s a good idea to check things out before we rush in.”

“It does make sense.” Vani nibbles at her lower lip “I wish we could figure out where Jarl got the boat, and if it’s his or leased. Then we’d be able to get a layout of the yacht. If I had more time, I might be able to hack into some of his information and find out, but it would take days. Without an email or physical access, it will take far too long.”

She’s right. We don’t have that kind of time to spare.

“So, shall we get going?” I ask.

They all nod and some grunt agreement.

Vani jerks her head toward her bike. “You can ride with me.”

I smile. I like that idea. Pressed up close behind Vani will be fun. Zoo takes a spare helmet from the back of his bike and hands it to me.

“This should fit you.”

I put it on, and it does fit. It’s kind of claustrophobic, and as I get on behind Vani, I decide I’m not that crazy about the feeling of wearing a helmet. Plus, it’s going to mess up my hair.

We set off, and the roar of the engines and scent of the fuel has my adrenaline kicking in. We’re going to get my brother back, and those motherfuckers will regret the day they took him.

19

VANI

Phoenix and Saint having the drone is giving me a sense of control I hadn’t had before. We can at least check out the boat, where it is visually on the lake, the size of it, see how many men are on deck. It won’t help if there are more below deck, but it’s something. We can also check the tender is safe and not surrounded by men before we head to it.

The road speeds by under the thick wheels of my bike. Saint is tucked in close behind me. He feels so different than Zane. Whereas Zane felt like a safety harness behind me, Saint feels electric and scary, and I’m not sure if it’s the situation we’re heading into, or if it’s just him. His natural energy. Saint is a chaos gremlin, but life is never boring with him around.

The day has dawned bright and glorious, and it makes me hope God is on our side. If the weather had been terrible like yesterday, it would have been difficult—if not impossible—for Phoenix and Zoo to swim to the boat. Zane has taken the lead, and he has the coordinates, Saint and I are in the middle, and Zoo and Phoenix bring up the rear.

I’m glad we have them with us. I trust my men, but we have no idea how many of Jarl’s thugs are on that boat, and Phoenix is one bad ass. He was injured, while serving in the military, and was badly burned. Rumor is he crawled out of the wreckage of his vehicle, literally on fire, stood, and carried on shooting at the enemy. Hence his name, Phoenix, like the bird.

As for Zoo, he’s just an animal all round. I doubt if that guy cares if he lives or dies, the way he behaves.

We must be getting near because Zane slows and keeps turning to look at the small roads peeling off from the main artery to the right. When he finally finds what he’s looking for, he lifts his left hand and wags two fingers at the road, telling us to follow him down there.

We drive for around half a mile, and Zane brings his bike to a stop. We all pull up behind him and take off our helmets. I shake my hair loose, happy to have some air circulating around my scalp, and climb off my bike. I need to stretch my legs. We’ve done a ton of hours on the bikes already today, and after last night with Zane, my body feels like it could do with some self-care.

Phoenix takes the backpack from Saint and starts to mess around with the drone. It’s small, and I hope that means it won’t easily be seen. The college has some larger ones, too, but I guess the smaller ones are harder to spot, particularly if they stay high in the sky.

Saint and Phoenix work together, setting up the drone, the remote, and the video monitoring on Saint’s phone.

I leave them to it and lean back against a tree trunk, closing my eyes and taking a moment to just breathe. Overhead, the branches and leaves rustle in the breeze. It’s all been so much. Going home, having to tell my dad about Mom and Jarl. Zane telling me he loved me.

In fact, the entire past year has been a lot. I’ve lived more in this past year, experienced more, than I have in the entirety of my life to this point. I’ve felt grief of a level I never thought possible. Pain so bad it feels as if it’s tearing your soul out of your body. I’ve cried, bent double, until I’ve made myself sick.

I’ve also pushed my boundaries and done things that at one point I’d never have dared. I’ve made new friends. Started college. And fallen in love, and lust, with three crazy men. Men who make my body tremble in a way no one else ever has or can. I know that no matter what else life throws at me, these guys have ruined me forever for anyone else.

“We’re ready,” Saint announces.

I push myself up from the tree I’ve been leaning against and walk over to them.

Zane signs something, and Saint nods. “He says we should check out the tender first, and then take the drone out over the lake, high up, and try to recon the yacht.”

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