Page 16 of Guarding The Phoenix: Vol. 2

“It could. But it’s following our direct path and maintaining a decent clip. It’s pacing us.”

Fuck me. This was exactly what I had been worried about. It’s why we had to be on guard at all times. Because Santos wouldn’t stop until he was six feet under. And I would put that fucker in his grave. “Okay. Here’s the plan. I want you to sail us south for two days. Draw whomever the fuck it is in the opposite direction of our destination and let’s see if they follow. If they do, we’ll strategize a way to take them out. If not, we loop around and head north.”

“We can’t forget to stop in Seattle. It shouldn’t take long to connect with my contact and get the equipment I need,” Mateo reminded me.

If there was computer shit he needed to track down the hacker who breached our defenses, I was all for it. Because when Mateo was in his element, he could take down a country’s infrastructure or grind the world’s financial systems to a halt. That hacker didn’t stand a chance against him. And I was all for him taking down that motherfucker. They were behind Kylie’s injuries, so fuck them. They could rot. “Before we dock in Seattle, we need to ensure we aren’t being followed. The information we need to retrieve at the house in Sitka is too important.”

“Our alternative route will tack extra days to the trip north. We’re looking at the very least an extra four days if the weather holds,” Chase warned.

I shrugged. “We have the supplies we need to survive. I realize we don’t have fresh fruit or veggies or anything like that and for Kylie, that will be roughing it.” It couldn’t be helped. Glad I trusted my gut, and we stocked the yacht over the last week. “After the ship trailing us has been dealt with, if we need to stop before we reach Seattle, so be it. Otherwise, when we stop in Seattle, we’ll make a run and pick up supplies. Might be something Axel and I do with her. We can rent a truck and head to one of those big warehouse stores and grab enough supplies to get us to Alaska, while you meet up with your contact, Mateo. And Chase, I want you staying with the boat and guarding it. We can’t trust anyone with all of that fucker’s mob connections. He likely has eyes in every port from Baja through Seattle and beyond.”

“Maybe I can run ashore once Mateo is back. There’s this great soup dumpling place along the wharf, Tiger Soup Dumplings. I gotta get me some steamed pork and fried chicken dumplings.”

Chase was right. Once we made it into port, we could do what we could to make things better for Kylie. I nodded. “I remember that place. They’re spectacular. Maybe you could grab dinner for all of us. We’ll spend a night in port with soup dumplings and beer. We’ll still have to be on our guard, but it might be nice for Kylie. Especially after what I just discovered.”

“That you are a real boy?” Chase teased with an arrogant smirk.

“If you don’t want to learn about Kylie’s fucking hot as hell fantasy, that’s fine. I’m sure I could fulfill part of it without you idiots.”

My comment drew their attention.

“What does she want?” Axel asked with brows raised. “You can’t keep shit like this to yourself.”

I could and they all knew it.

“Yeah, stop holding out on us and fess up.” Mateo pleaded, and begged on his knees like an idiot.

Chase leaned back in his chair with a wry grin. “This is gonna be good. I can feel it. What’s our girl want us to do?”

I held out for a minute. Better to savor the moment while they peppered me with questions. “She has always fantasized about being in a gang bang where she’s forced into it.”

“Holy fuck! Seriously?” Axel’s shock was comical. His eyes bulged and his mouth dropped open wide enough birds could fly through the opening.

“No way,” Mateo exclaimed.

“Now we’re talking. When can we do this?” Chase asked, rubbing his hands together with a ribald gleam.

“Our priority is ensuring her safety. We can’t take time out for a gang bang when we’re being trailed. Which means the first order of business is losing the tail. Second, we need a detailed list of supplies on hand with a daily tally each morning of where we stand. And I don’t just mean food. We need to monitor our fuel levels. While we have extra stored on board, we need to monitor our levels in correspondence with our proximity to land. I suggest, once we shake the tail, we hug the shoreline on our trip north. That way, if we need to stop, we can.”

“You think the Alaska house might be the best location for us to enact her fantasy?” Chase asked with a pensive expression.

“Possibly. Until then, we always need two of us thinking with the right heads. We all want her. We all can take time with her. But until we reach a secure location, we need to stick to individual turns.”

“We should make a schedule,” Mateo said. “Establish deck rotations and time with Kylie.”

“I agree. And since all you ladies have been with her since we boarded the vessel, I’ll take tonight,” Axel stated with finality.

I knew better than to fight him on it. Axel was obsessed with her. We saw how much he cared about her. Even if he hadn’t admitted his feelings, it was plain as day. The guy was head over boots for our Kylie.

“You can take tonight. She’s resting now. One of us will have to figure out a meal for dinner. Axel, if you’d keep watch for now, I’ll work on the schedule. Chase, get this ship on a southwest course. And Mateo, inform command about the ship on our tail. Maybe they can take care of it if it’s one of Santos’s vessels.”

“I’m on it.” Mateo swiveled in his seat. His fingers flew over the keyboard.

Axel said, “You know, there are some modifications we could make to the yacht. We need to organize the supplies better. Now that we’re on the move, we need weapons stations throughout the ship. We don’t want to get caught with our pants down and asses hanging out without the means to defend ourselves quickly.”

Weapons stations? That wasn’t a half bad idea. “I see your point. What do you have in mind?”

Axel took a seat and grabbed a pen and paper. He sketched a rough drawing of the ship. He was the weapons expert. There was no better person to make this place a floating fortress than him.

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