“I’m not the boss. That would be your wife,” I say.
Enzo shakes his head with his hands in his pockets. “We’ve all taken turns being in charge. This is your mission—we are here to support you. That means you’re the boss, and you have to take responsibility for your actions and any lives lost.”
I swallow down the acid creeping up in my throat. Almost everyone I love is standing behind me, waiting to get on this yacht if I give the order.
Kai, Enzo, Zeke, Siren, and Beckett. The only one missing is Nora, but she’s watching the kids. Phoenix also stayed home to watch our kids. If I send us into a trap, five little kids could lose their parents. Nora could lose the man she loves. Phoenix could lose me.
It’s a big decision to make when I don’t have all the facts, but we know yachts more than we know anything. Once on board, we’ll hack into the security system and figure out just what the hell is going on. And we have a crew nearby on one of our own yachts prepared to follow this one. We’ll be safe—safe as we can be, anyway.
“I’m sure,” I say and step forward onto the boat’s boarding ramp. I hear footsteps behind me, and I don’t have to glance back to know that my entire team is following me. I’m not used to being the leader or worrying about anyone except myself, but I vow to keep every one of them safe. No one gets hurt on my watch.
“Name?” a man at the top of the ramp with an iPad asks.
I could give a fake name, but my name, and the name of everyone behind me, is feared. Our names help to protect us. We won’t hide.
“Langston Pearce,” I say.
The man nods and gestures to a woman beside him. “Kala will see you to your room.”
I start to follow the woman as the man asks Enzo his name. She leads me downstairs and through multiple hallways.
“Here is your room for this evening,” the woman finally says, opening the door to a room for me before handing me the keycard.
I step inside the plain room and examine its simple bed and connected bathroom.
“Play starts at midnight,” the woman says, and then she shuts the door without explaining anything else.
Play? I guess this is some type of high roller poker tournament.
I scan the room, looking for any clues. After going through every cabinet and drawer, I find nothing.
I pick up the phone.
“Do you need anything delivered to your room, Mr. Pearce? Food? Drink?” a man starts speaking as I pick it up.
“No, I’m good.”
I hang up.
Hmmm.
I pull out my phone to try and hack into their system. We weren’t allowed any bags, so there was no real way to sneak a laptop onto the yacht.
After scanning the room, the hallway, and the deck outside, I realize there is no system to hack into. There are no security cameras.
Strange.
I suspect there are plenty of rich people here that will need to feel protected and safe. Why are there no cameras?
Three quick knocks at the door.
I walk over and open it. Enzo spills into my small bedroom, followed by everyone else—Kai, Zeke, Siren, and Beckett.
“There are no cameras, are there?” Enzo asks.
“No, only the control systems in the wheelhouse to drive the yacht. There is nothing else to hack,” I answer.
“So, what’s the plan?” Kai asks, stepping in front of the sliding glass door to look out at the night sky.