Page 37 of Whispers and Warriors
Liam shifted, gave her a kiss on the head, and gestured for Alex to follow him out.
She wasn’t certain what they would do, but she was grateful Bash hadn’t done worse to the man, even if throwing him overboard was a death sentence, he hadn’t resorted to beating him to a pulp first.
The storm continued to outside,the howling winds and crashing waves a fitting backdrop to the tumultuous emotions swirling within Chris. He stalked through the narrow corridors of the ship, his mind racing with the implications of what theyhad just discovered. Whoever the fuck had touched Emma was likely dead knowing Bash was the one who saw them and put a stop to it.
Chris stalked across the ship’s deck, his boots pounding against the metal grating as the storm raged around him. The fury that had been simmering beneath his skin since the moment he’d seen Emma’s terrified face now boiled over, consuming him with a single-minded focus. He would find the captain, and he would get answers, one way or another.
He burst onto the bridge, his eyes immediately locking onto the captain’s startled face. The man stumbled back, his hands raised in a placating gesture, but Chris was beyond reason. He crossed the space between them in two long strides, slamming the captain against the wall with a snarl.
“What the hell is going on here?” he growled, his face inches from the captain’s. “What’s the real purpose of this ship? I understood privacy, but someone just attacked my unit. All bets are off.”
Carnie’s eyes were wide with fear, darting between Chris’s face and the gleaming barrel of the gun now pressed against his temple. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he stammered, his voice barely audible over the howling wind.
Chris’s finger tightened on the trigger, his jaw clenched with barely controlled rage. “Don’t lie to me,” he hissed, his voice low and deadly. “I know there’s more to this than just a simple transport. What are you really transporting?”
The captain’s mouth worked soundlessly, his face pale and slick with sweat. Chris could practically smell the fear rolling off him in waves, and a dark part of him reveled in it. This man, this coward, had allowed one of his passengers to be attacked, had put Emma in danger. He deserved to suffer.
But before he could make good on that unspoken promise, the door to the bridge burst open once more, and Liam and Alex spilled inside, their faces tight with worry.
“Chris!” Liam shouted, his hand outstretched in a calming gesture. “Don’t do this. This isn’t the way. Answers first, then beat his ass.”
Chris didn’t take his eyes off the captain, didn’t loosen his grip on the man’s collar. “He knows something,” he bit out, his voice rough with barely contained violence. “He’s going to tell us what it is.”
Alex stepped forward, his own hand coming to rest on Chris’s arm. “We’ll get answers,” he said softly, his voice a soothing counterpoint to Chris’s fury. “But not like this. We’re better than this, Chris. Emma needs us to be better than this.”
At the mention of Emma’s name, Chris some of the rage drain out of him, replaced by a bone-deep weariness. He knew Alex was right, knew that he couldn’t let his anger control him, not when Emma was counting on him to keep them all safe.
With a final, disgusted look at the captain, he released his grip, letting the man slump against the wall in a boneless heap. He turned to face his brothers, his shoulders slumping with the weight of responsibility.
-
FIFTEEN
Every musclein Liam’s body was tensed ready to spring like a snake grabbing it’s prey. And Carnie was his prey.
The air crackled with thick, suffocating tension. Liam, Alex and Chris’s fury was a tangible presence, bearing down on them all.
Rage simmered beneath his skin, demanding release, demanding retribution. But he needed answers first. This man might not be where his revenge was aimed, but Liam could wait. He wasn’t like Chris and Bash. He didn’t fly off the handle even when he wanted to.
His jaw ticked as the clenched it tighter, trying to reign himself back from finishing what Christ started. That wasn’t why he’d grabbed Alex to follow him.
Chris’s voice cut through the heavy silence. “Tell us the truth, Carnie. What is this ship really for?” Despite the way his chest heaved from exertion, Chris’s words were sharp as a blade, leaving no room for evasion.
Carnie licked his lips nervously, his gaze skittering away from Chris’s piercing stare. “The ship... it’s not just for cargo. It’s absolutely all smuggling, make no mistake.” His voice wavered,the confession dragged out of him. “We transport women. To a larger vessel bound for London. I had a hunch you were looking for the ferry to take you to a very different ship, but you won’t be getting there. Even if you kill me, you’re bound for the United Kingdom. Don’t worry, they pay well, and I hear treat their women much better.”
Shock rippled through him. The ships floor may as well have shifted out from under his feet. This ship was nothing more than a floating prison, a conduit for the very evil they had sought to escape.
“You’re running a breeding trade,” Liam said, his voice low and dangerous. The words tasted like poison on his tongue. “Selling women to the highest bidder, not even your own fucking country!”
Carnie flinched as if struck. “It’s not like that. We’re just following orders.”
“Orders?” Chris scoffed, his face twisted with disgust. “You’re complicit in this.”
Liam’s mind raced, pieces clicking into place with sickening clarity. The secrecy, the ease with what they’d secured travel. It all made sense now. They’d thought the disguise worked, but it was just within the best interest of Carnie’s crew to keep their mouths shut.
“You’re wrong about who’s not making it where,” Chris snarled, stealing the worlds from Liam’s mouth.
Liam’s fists clenched at his sides, his knuckles turning white as he struggled to contain the rage that coursed through him. The thought of Emma, his Emma, being subjected to such a horrific fate made every fiber of his being scream for retribution. He wanted to tear this ship apart with his bare hands, to make every one of these men pay for their sins.
