Page 161 of The Best of Us

“Well, screw that douche, then,” Colin gritted out.

My sea legs weren’t the best, but I managed to make it over to join them, unsure why I wanted to risk making my stomach turn even more.

I made it in time to see Sebastian fire point-blank at a man’s forehead like it was nothing.

I redirected my focus to another screen to avoid watching Sebastian kill people.

Bad idea. A man was rushing Enzo in the kitchen, wielding a meat cleaver of all things. Enzo didn’t hesitate. He grabbed a knife from the butcher’s block and threw it like a dart. The blade sank deep into the guy’s thigh. The guard staggered back, and in the same breath, Enzo reached for his pistol and put a round in his head.

“My brother . . . the chef,” Izzy muttered, her commentary on par with Colin’s.

“The guy’s leg is twitching. Is that normal?” I sputtered.

Colin nodded, completely unfazed, as if he were suddenly an expert on post-mortem muscle spasms. “You should know, though, right? Nurse and all.”

“I’m not normally in the room when . . .” I let my thoughts go, wasting my breath.

I returned my attention to Delta Team in time to see Emilia go full“Lara Croft” on a guy. Well, those were Colin’s words. And okay, I had to admit, watching a badass woman taking down threats like it was just another Monday was impressive.

Emilia flipped her pistol in her grip and fired upside down under a guy’s chin. At the same time, Sebastian intercepted another enemy—coming at Emilia with a machete—only to turn it on the guy himself.

“Oh no. No, no, no!” Colin suddenly shouted, pointing at another feed.

My stomach dropped at the sight.

Daniel had cut himself loose, and shit, he had a gun. He was trying to escape the room, forcing Lennon along with him.

“Alpha Two, we’ve got a problem. Daniel and Lennon just left the house. They escaped the Rizzos in the chaos, but it looks like he’s taking her toward the cliffs.” Gwen’s voice carried through the comms, and Colin cursed before abruptly turning toward the deck like he was about to run for it.

Did he forget we were at sea?

I blocked his path and held up my arms as Constantine responded over the radio, “On it.”

The next few minutes were a blur.

Colin’s entire demeanor changed with Lennon now in danger. My stomach flipped again when things went south, and Constantine announced he had to go cliff diving.

But it was Enzo’s words a few minutes later that did me in.

“Alpha Two’s down. He’s been shot. He fell into the water. I’m going after him.”

Before I could react, before I could even breathe, Colin launched forward to go up on deck, and I couldn’t stop him this time. When I caught up with him, he was about to dive into the water.

Wyatt got to him first, yanking Colin back by his shirt. “We’ll drive. It’ll be faster.” He signaled to one of the operators to get behind the wheel and pull up the anchor.

“But they’re still under fire,” the guy protested, looking back and forth between us.

“Dad needs Mom,” Colin said in desperation. “She’s a nurse. She can save him.” He turned to me like I could fix this. Like I could order us into the middle of a war zone.

Maybe I can?I had to try. “Get in the cabin and take cover,” I told Colin, barely recognizing my own voice. Then I spun on the operator, my pulse roaring in my ears. “Get us to Constantine right the hell now!”

Wyatt gave him a sharp nod to do as he was told, then turned and took position behind the mounted machine gun. We’d shoot our way onto the scene if need be.

I grabbed Colin since he’d yet to budge and ushered him back into the cabin. The anchor came up, and the boat launched forward before it was even fully out of the water.

“Tell me he’s okay.” My voice cracked. “Tell me he had on a bulletproof vest, so he’ll be fine,” I demanded to Izzy, my vision blurred with tears.

“He had on a vest, but I—I don’t know.” Izzy’s voice wavered as she shared, “Enzo and Hudson are searching for him now.” Tears streamed down her face, matching mine.

---