by Ella Miles
The man nods at me. “I’ll escort you to your rooms. Play starts at midnight.”
I bat my eyelashes at him. “I can’t wait.”
The man leads me and Maxwell to two adjoining rooms, complete with a balcony and jacuzzi tub.
“You’ll find everything you need inside. If not, dial one on the phone, and anything you need will be provided. The yacht leaves in two hours. As I said, play starts at midnight.” Then the gentleman, who never gave us a name, leaves.
Maxwell stands frozen with his hands in his pocket, staring at me in disbelief.
“Liesel, what the heck have you gotten us into?”
I remove my mask, knowing that it will be one of the few times this weekend that I can. “Not us—me.”
“I’m on the damn ship, same as you. You just gave a fake name while boarding a ship without any luggage for a weekend. What the hell is going on?”
“I pay you to follow orders, Max, not to question my decisions.”
“Liesel, I’m speaking as a friend. What is going on?”
“Something was stolen from me. I’m just ensuring I get it back and that nothing else is ever stolen from me again.”
10
Langston
I stand on the pier, looking up at the giant yacht. Never have I been so hesitant to set foot on a boat.
Liesel came here because she needs money. Apparently, she thinks boarding this boat will help, but I’ve never found less information about an organization before stepping foot on their yacht than this one.
I scoured the internet but found nothing on this group. I don’t even know who owns this boat, or who runs whatever excursion we are about to embark on.
My guess is this is an exclusive poker tournament or betting ring. Liesel thinks this is the fastest way to earn a lot of money since she won’t ask her fiancé for money.
Their conversation the other morning was quite intriguing. So much unspoken in between them. I don’t understand why they are together—love, lust, power? What draws them together? It can’t be love. At least from Liesel’s side, the woman is incapable of the emotion.
“You sure about this, boss?” Enzo asks, standing next to me in a tux and black mask—the only requirements listed to board the yacht.
“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.
“We keep Liesel from getting money. She’s desperate. I need her that way to end this.”
Kai and Siren exchange glances.
Beckett nods in agreement—I’ve always liked him.
Zeke shows no emotion. He’s always ready to do what I ask; no questions asked—even after everything that has happened between us.
Enzo studies Siren, like he’s begging her to be the voice of reason.
“No kidnapping or hurting her to get what you want. There are five of us. We can stop her from getting money or harming us without hurting her. Liesel’s on our side. We just have to remind her of that,” Siren says, her look threatening death if I disobey her.
Siren’s wrong—Liesel isn’t on our side. I don’t think she was ever on anyone’s side except her own.
“Promise me, no hurting or kidnapping Liesel. We’ve all betrayed this family at one point or another to protect ourselves or someone we love. That’s all Liesel is doing. Just remind her that we all love her and want her to join us again,” Siren continues as she walks to me.
I frown as she puts her hands on either side of my face. “Promise me.”
There is no getting around this. Siren won’t stop until I promise. And she knows I won’t break a promise—not with her. I won’t risk my relationship with her. Our connection is too strong. I need Siren in my life.
“I promise I won’t kidnap or hurt Liesel unless she’s trying to hurt or kill one of us. I will protect everyone in this room above everything. But if Liesel tries to hurt one of you, I will stop her with whatever means necessary.”
“Liesel won’t try to hurt us,” Siren says.
Everyone else in the room exchanges glances. Liesel has already hurt the rest of us. Siren just hasn’t felt the same level of pain because she knows Liesel the least.
“She might,” Kai says.
Siren’s head whips to her. “You’re not helping.”
“I’m just being honest. Liesel is always welcome in this group, but only if she chooses to put our family first. She’s not doing that right now. We don’t know what she’s gotten into. We don’t know how dangerous she is,” Kai answers.
I pull Siren to me, holding her tight against my chest to try and reassure her. “I promise I won’t hurt her unless I have to.”
She nods, and a soft sigh escapes her lips.
I’ll do my best to keep my promise to her, at least while we are on this yacht. But someday, I’ll be forced to break my promise. There is no way this ends without Liesel dead. She’s done too much.
At midnight, we all leave my room and head to the center of the yacht. We are all wearing tuxes, fancy dresses, and masks to cover our faces. Although, we don’t really need to hide who we are.
We are greeted by one of the employees as we walk down the hallway.
“If you could head to the top deck, you will be given more instructions from there,” a man in a sharp suit says.
Wordlessly, we climb to the top deck, where several people are already gathered. There is a small bar set up with drinks. We all walk over to get one to hold in our hands, not because any of us will be partaking. We need to be completely clear-headed for whatever we have gotten ourselves into.
“Where is she?” Zeke asks, holding a whiskey drink in his hand as he scans the deck. Everyone is dressed like this is the most extravagant party they have ever attended. And everyone has a mask on. Even so, I can spot some politicians, athletes, and models in the crowd.
“I don’t see her yet,” I answer.
“She better be here. I don’t know what we’ve gotten ourselves into, but I don’t like it,” Zeke says.
“She will be,” I say.
I tracked her phone here. She’s here.
I take a sip of my scotch. I guess I’m going to be needing a bit of alcohol to get through tonight after all.
“Jesus,” Zeke mumbles under his breath.
I turn to follow his gaze as chills creep up on my arms.
At first, all I see is a glimmer as her dress sparkles under the moonlight. Then my entire body adapts to Liesel being in the same space as me. She dominates everything—my attention, my breath, my heartbeat, it’s all hers.
I’ve never seen a more sexy woman. Liesel may not care for makeup and dresses and all the foo-fooey things some girls like, but damn does she know how to wear it well. The dress is the perfect mix of skin, silk, and lace. I can see the outline of her body through the thin material—her nipples are already hard.
I finally force my eyes off her body to her face. She’s wearing a glittery mask, like everyone else here. The shine of the mask makes it difficult to get a good glimpse of her eyes. That, combined with the jet black wig she’s wearing, would make her almost unrecognizable to anyone else who knows her.
But she could be wearing a head to toe Mickey Mouse costume and I’d still know it was her underneath. She can’t hide from me.
“Wait, I thought Kai was wearing a green dress, and what is she doing with that guy?” Zeke asks.
I snort. “That’s not Kai, that’s Liesel.”
“Wow, she looks deadly,” Zeke says.
My lips thin. “You have no idea.”
I turn my attention to the man at her side—Maxwell. He’s dressed like us in a sharp suit that shows off how many muscles he has beneath his jacket, and a plain black mask covers half his face. His jaw is tight, his lips showing no emotion, and his eyes scanning everyone in the room. He seems as unsettled as I feel.
It hits me all at once that he doesn’t know why we’re here any more than I do. I know it’s about Liesel getting money to fight me, but I don’t know this game we will be playing.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming,” a man in a suit says. He’s the only one not wearing a mask as he makes his way to the center of the deck.
The stars are sparkling overhead, making it feel like this is meant to be a romantic night with some rich fuckers. But I have a feeling that’s part of the lure, to get us to relax and let our guard down before this game starts.
“Does everyone have a drink?” he asks, scanning the crowd of people.
Most people are nodding their heads, yes. For the few that don’t have drinks, bartenders are quickly bringing around glasses to fill their hands.
Once the man in the center is assured that everyone has a drink, he continues.
“My name is Mr. Reyes. I’m here to oversee this weekend’s games. I recognize a couple of familiar faces, but for the majority of you, this is your first time. I want to assure you that you will be well taken care of for as long as your stay lasts.”
Enzo gives me a tight glare as we both try to figure out what’s happening.
“The game is simple. The last one remaining wins the twenty million-dollar prize.”
Fuck—Liesel could do a lot with twenty million. No wonder we are here. She would instantly regain everything I took from her in one weekend if she won.
“As you know, there is no buy-in. No money is required to enter. The winnings are generously provided by the ship’s owner. The owner enjoys watching people get pushed to their limits. The owner and a very select group of people are the only ones watching the games along with the game’s remaining participants.”
So someone is watching, which means there are cameras. I just need to find them.
“What is the game exactly? I’m sure you’re all eager to know.”
Yes, spill, old man.
“The game is simple. Each round, you will be drawing names to be paired with. Sometimes it will be a one on one competition. Other rounds might be a group of four competing. The goal is to push your competitor to their sexual limits until they withdraw from the competition.”
Fuck.
My eyes find Liesel. She’s standing casually in the same spot she was before. Her heart isn’t thumping wildly, her lips are relaxed, and she takes a quick sip of champagne.
I frown. She knew exactly what she was walking into and did it anyway. These are sex games. Liesel can’t give up control when it comes to sex, so I don’t know how she expects to win.
“The game lasts two days. Most of you won’t make it past tonight’s rounds. You can withdraw at any time for any reason. But if you withdraw tonight, you will be leaving us. You will not get to stay to watch tomorrow’s events. If you make it to tomorrow, even if you withdraw, you can remain and watch the final rounds if you so choose.”
Everyone is eerily silent as Mr. Reyes speaks. There are a few people who seem unfazed—the ones who have been here before. Others are licking their lips in anticipation of what is about to happen. And still, others are jittery, shifting their weight in the spot where they stand or tapping their fingers or heels to try and get the nervous energy out.
I don’t have to glance at my family to know that they will all end up withdrawing by the end of the night unless they draw the names of their spouses. None of them are prudes, but I can’t imagine Enzo sitting by watching Kai getting fucked by some stranger here. Nor Zeke watching Siren. Nora may not be here, but I suspect Beckett won’t push things too far if he wants a chance with her. That means it’ll be up to me to remain in the game.
“What about security?” Maxwell asks.
“I assure you this yacht is completely secure, and my team is here to ensure no one gets hurt who doesn’t want to. You will be pushed to your limits if you remain in the game, but you will have a safe word to use at any time that will alert my team to get you out of here quickly and safely.
“Everyone here must participate in the game or go home. We don’t allow bystanders to just watch or protect. If you feel that you need to remain to protect someone in the game, then you must participate and advance.”
Maxwell frowns and almost kills the guy with one look.
I feel his pain. Maxwell won’t last the night, but I will. Tomorrow he won’t be here to protect Liesel.
“If there are no more questions, we will begin. Everyone’s name and safe words are already in this bowl. I will randomly draw two names at a time to match partners for the first round. Let the games begin.”
11
Liesel
I knew there was a chance that Langston would be here, but seeing him standing in a suit and black mask has my heart skipping beats so often that I�
�m afraid I’m going to flatline and die right here right now.
It was a risk I took coming here to earn my money back. My win was almost guaranteed if I was here alone, but having Langston in the game changes everything.
I can’t stop looking at him in his tux. His chiseled jaw, sharp eyes, and smooth hair would make it seem like he spends every weekend in a tux. In reality, he wears jeans and boots and kills people every day of the week. He’s not comfortable in a tux, in this wealthy, extravagant world. I need to remember that and try to use it to my advantage if I can.
Beat, my reckless heart. Beat hard and steady—I’m going to need every drop of blood and ounce of oxygen in my body to flow through me if I’m going to win.
What surprises me the most is seeing the rest of the gang all here, flanking Langston like he’s the leader instead of Enzo and Kai.
They had no idea what they just walked into. Their tense bodies and guarded expressions make it clear they want to be anywhere but here.
I smirk, raising my champagne glass meant to make me look girly and feminine instead of the scotch I really want. Adding them to the game will make it easier to win if I’m matched with one of them. None of them will be able to withstand watching their partner get fucked.
No, the only threat to me is Langston—for so many fucking reasons.
Maxwell leans over to whisper in my ear. “I’ll try to stay in as long as I can. I promise I’ll at least make it to tomorrow.”
I tilt my head up at him. “Don’t worry about protecting me. I can protect myself here. Stay if you want to stay, but don’t do anything that will wreck your soul for my sake.”
I said the wrong thing. Maxwell’s face morphs into a horrified expression. He’s beyond worried.
I laugh. “Just fuck some women if you want to, Max, but don’t do it on my account.” I pat his chest, trying to calm him, but his heart is beating wildly out of control.
He clears his throat and exhales.
