by Dee Garcia
“It’ll be you that doesn’t fare so well if you don’t let them go,” I retorted, taking several steps further.
Obviously, that was a bad move on my part, but I didn't realize it until Dimitri pressed the tip of the gun to Knox’s head.
“Don't do it, Mishka. I will shoot him and obliterate your little friend.”
“You're bluffing.” I knew it damn well. “If you press that button, we all go. Drop the gun, Dimitri.”
“Damn it, Maya,” he roared furiously. “Do as I say or you'll regret it the next time we’re alone!”
“There is no next time for you,” I corrected, because salvation had arrived...
Thunderous stomps abruptly sounded off from overhead, furrowing Dimitri’s brow in confusion. I smiled triumphantly, waiting the final seconds as help came barreling down the hallway, help I'd called for after locking those men in that room. Stealing a peek at Knox, I nodded to assure him this nightmare would be over in three…
Two…
One…
“U.S. Coast Guard! Everybody, hands up!”
Letting the handgun fall to the ground, I lifted my arms as they whipped right past me in their protective gear, with weapons drawn, and stormed into the room at lightning speed, knocking Dimitri right onto his ass.
“Don't you move, don't move!” one of them barked as he struggled, but his efforts were futile. Outnumbered and caught off guard, they disarmed him with ease and slapped the cuffs on his wrists, yanking him back onto his feet to escort him up to the top of the ship. And when I say escort, I mean more like dragged. The sight was extremely satisfying despite the malignant glare he shot my way as they exited the room.
“And the other woman?” one of the Coasties asked as a few more dispersed into the hallway for the men who remained alive.
“He's locked her up somewhere on board with a bomb strapped to her body. Before you guys came in, he had a-”
The Coastie held up the small box. “We snatched it the second he hit the ground. It's weightless, though, which leads me to believe it was all for show.”
“Are you positive?” Knox questioned beside me, desperation clear in his blue eyes, and the Coast Guard nodded.
“These trigger buttons usually weigh more than this. I'd say all that's in here is the wiring to light up the button itself, again for show. Chances are, there's nothing to worry about, other than finding her; but when we do, we’ll check her thoroughly.”
“They took my buddy too,” Knox added, forcing an audible gasp to slip past my lips.
“Manny?”
He nodded. “The second they brought us in here, they took him right back out. I was so dazed I didn't hear where.”
“We’ll find them,” the Coastie assured us. “You two just make your way up top. We’ll be finished here soon.”
Maya screaming.
Dimitri grunting.
His confidants snickering.
That’s all I could hear, even in my solitary state.
Maksim – or whatever the hell his name was – tried keeping me upstairs in the room adjacent to where Maya was being destroyed, but the more I heard her scream, the more manic I became. He’d warned me several times to take it down a notch, but his demands went unacknowledged as I tried escaping him to rescue the woman who’d swiftly become a sister. After knocking me around, he’d tossed me back in here, in this godforsaken dungeon, where I was losing my fucking mind. I’d crawled my way on the dirty floor to the mattress, seeking refuge from whatever monsters might lurk in the dark. But the monsters weren’t in the dark, they were in my head...
Rocking back and forth with my knees to my chest, the entire assault played out over and over again, in a horrific loop I couldn't escape. I screamed for the millionth time, desperate to be rid of the gruesome images seared in my mind, but to no avail.
“U.S. Coast Guard! Is there anybody down here?” I heard suddenly.
My head snapped up toward the sound, but when only the silence answered, I was sure it was simply my mind playing tricks on me.
Wishful thinking, Perry...
No one was coming for me, not unless it was one of Dimitri’s men to finish me off, and at this point, I probably wouldn’t stop them if they tried. I’d failed Maya, failed her epically, and after all I’d been through in my life, there was no way I could carry this loss with me too. It's not like I had anything to live for… No family. My coach, gone. My career had gone to shit, my best friend was still mad at me, and my relationship was one stone away from shattering. Everyone and everything was better off without me, and I never should've thought otherwise.
“U.S. Coast Guard! Is there anybody down here?” I heard again, but this time, a bright white light peeked in from underneath the door. “There's a door at the end!”
Was this real? I blinked and blinked and blinked, expecting to see the light fade away, but it only got closer, as did the loud stomps that forced me back into the wall.
Two seconds later, the door was slammed open and the light shone down on me.
“She's in here! Ma’am are you okay?” a Guard asked as he dropped to his knees in front of me, another two stopping at the threshold.
All of them were in helmets and Kevlar, their weapons readily equipped for war, reminding me just how grim the night had been. I nodded despite the fact I felt anything but. Not one minute ago I'd thought about letting Dimitri’s men put me out of my misery, but now that salvation was kneeling before me, I couldn't get out of here fast enough. Tears spilled over my cheeks as gratitude and relief washed over me. Until I thought of Maya...
“I'm okay,” I sobbed, “but my sister isn-”
“Your sister is just fine. She's on deck as we speak, with your boyfriend,” the Coastie assured me.
Knox is here? No...
“My boyfriend?”
“Yes, ma’am. He was already on board when we arrived.”
There's no way…
“Are you sure we’re talking about the same person? Tall, blue eyes, full of-”
“Tattoos?” The Coastie asked, his tone light, to which I nodded once more.
“Yes, ma’am, he's here and he's just fine. We’ll make it up there in a few minutes, I just need to check you for explosives.”
“Explosives?” My eyes widened.
“Apparently, Mr. Petrova claimed to have strapped a bomb to your body?”
“I can assure you there's nothing on me. One of his men roughed me up a bit before tossing me in here, but they never strapped a thing to me.”
“There's another one over here!” A different Guard yelled from somewhere outside of the room, prompting the two that’d been standing at the door to take off and offer assistance.
“Come on, let's get you out of here.” The one attending to me rose to his feet and held out a hand. “Can you walk?”
“Yeah, I'm good,” I said, pulling myself up with his help.
He checked me over quickly, just to be sure nothing had been hidden in one of my pockets. Thankfully, there was nothing. Dimitri had lied. Why?
“We’re all clear,” the Coastie radioed in. “There was nothing on her.”
“We’re clear here too,” one said behind us.
I turned around and had to do a double take at what followed him, or really, who followed him.
“Manny,” I squeaked, bounding up to him, my arms flying around him when he bent down to catch me.
“Good fucking God, you're alive!” He squeezed the shit out of me, breathing out a sigh a relief.
“How did you find us?”
“Sicko kept your phone on. I tracked it as soon as I woke up and realized you two had been taken.”
“Oh my God, they put you out too.”
He nodded, setting me onto my feet. “All of us. They left us seated in the arena. A janitor woke us up before he left.”
“Jesus, Manny, and then you woke up to this shit storm.” I shook my head in disbelief as we followed the Coast Guard through all the different levels o
f the ship, to the deck.
“Took me about two minutes to put the pieces together before I sprang into action. By the time I met up with Knox, it’d been well over two hours. I was so worried something had happened to the both of you. Then we get here and they throw me down there. I was going crazy,” he admitted, scrubbing a hand down his face.
“Trust me, so was I. It was bad, Manny...not so much for me, but for Maya. I thought she was dead.”
He stiffened beside me, almost blanching. I reached for his hand and gave it a little squeeze, knowing this wasn’t what he wanted to hear. There was definitely something there between those two, and it both broke and warmed my heart that he’d been as worried for her safety as he’d been for mine, especially when they hadn’t been too fond of one another at the start of it all.
Manny squeezed my hand back and helped me up the last flight of iron steps. “I’m interested to know what Dimitri wanted with Knox.”
With Knox?
Knox. He was here. He’d come for me, even when I’d pushed him in anger.
“What are you talking about?”
“When Knox and I made it onto the ship, there was no one on the deck, so we made it into the deckhouse in under two minutes. The second we made it down the first flight of stairs, two of Dimitri’s men caught us and they forced us further downstairs with their guns at our heads.”
My heart shot up to my throat, rendering me speechless, so Manny continued.
“They led us to some vast room that sits right above the hold and as soon we walked in, they had one drag me right back out.”
“Just you?” I asked, as we passed dozens of cargo pods.
“Apparently, Dimitri wanted to have a word with Knox.”
“About?”
“I have no idea.” He shrugged. “They literally dragged me out before he came in.”
My stomach roiled around at the mere thought of how this story looked through their eyes. It was cringe-worthy from all angles, some better than the others, but still distressing in their own ways.
“I'm not even going to ask how he knew who you guys were. I just wanna know how Knox got here so fast,” I admitted, because the time frame wasn’t adding up in my head.
“He was already in the air when all this shit started.”
“Wow…” There was no mistaking the shock in my voice. “I was not expecting to hear that.”
“Why?” Manny arched a brow.
“We got into it last night, about Brie and work. I hung up on him. The last place I'd imagine he'd be right now is here.”
“But he is, baby girl.” His arm came around my shoulders, giving them a squeeze as he tipped his chin. “The man loves you, even through the bad times...”
I gasped as I caught sight of Knox just twenty feet away. My knight in steel and inked armor. He stood stock still, regarding me with an expression I hadn’t even seen the night Jason kidnapped him; one that tugged at my heartstrings in more ways than one.
I bounded up to him faster than I had Manny, jumping into his arms with a squeal I’m sure could be heard from the city of Miami.
“Baby…” he choked out, threading a shaky hand into my dirty hair. I sighed contentedly, feeling like I could finally breathe.
“I can't believe you're here.”
“Well, believe it, cause it’s me and I’m never letting you go again.”
It was a promise unlike any other, and as he kissed me with a fierce amount of relief and passion, I vowed to do the very same. Sure, we were going to have to sit down and talk about what happened, this nightmare included, but for right now, I just wanted to relish the fact my man was here, and we were alive. Pulling away, I observed his face; how his brows worried, the desolate swirl in his eyes, droplets of blood spattered on his temple. He'd dealt with Dimitri head on and I wasn't sure I wanted to know exactly what happened.
“Are you okay?” I asked him, running my thumb along his cheek.
“I'm fine, it's you I'm worried about.”
“I'll be okay, but I need to see Maya.”
“I'm right here,” her soft voice said, and my breath hitched as I all but jumped off Knox to get to her, wrapping my arms around her in a tight hug.
“Jesus, I thought…”
“I know, I know.” She hushed me, rocking us side to side. “But I fought back, Hazel. Dimitri left me with those men at one point and I fought back.”
“And you said you weren't a fighter.”
“I am now, because of you.”
“I'll take that over a win any day,” I said, smiling into her neck.
The Coast Guard buzzed around us, preparing to take us all back to land. I heard one of them say Dimitri and his men has already been taken away, bringing a closing sense of relief to this nightmare. Judging by everything around me, I’d say they weren’t going to be a problem anymore.
“Group hug,” Manny called out suddenly as he and Knox came around us, each of us taking a moment to regard one another with a lot more gratification than just yesterday.
“Can we get the hell off this ship now?” Maya asked, and we all couldn't help but laugh.
God, it felt good to laugh.
To laugh, to breathe, to be surrounded by love. These were my people, some of my dearest at that, and even when the darkness consumed us all in one way or another, we fought our ways back to the light.
And we always would.
Together.
Forever.
The two weeks that followed what happened on that cargo ship were long and, at times, very trying, filled with heart-wrenchingly emotional moments brought on by the hellish nightmare that was Dimitri Petrova. But knowing he was behind bars for many, many years helped bring us back to reality, time and time again. We were alive and well, and with time, all of it – Dimitri included – would be nothing more than just that...a nightmare.
So tonight, we weren’t thinking about Dimitri or what could’ve happened that night, we were celebrating all the good things in our lives, love being the primary theme. As I adjusted my bow tie in the mirror, I couldn’t believe my big sis was getting married. In some ways, that competitive sense of sibling rivalry was off the charts with jealousy that she’d beat me to it, but in others, I was happy to have someone to go to with questions when it came time for me to do the same. Which she kept hounding me better be soon, but that was my own fault for showing her the ring after I made my last payment.
Sliding on my double-breasted jacket, I walked back to the mirror and did up the buttons, leaving the very last one undone as my sister had expressed was a very important detail. I didn’t see the difference, but apparently, proper tuxedo etiquette called for such things. Chuckling softly at the memory of that conversation, I barely recognized myself as I gave myself a once over. Aside from the ink sweeping up my neck and what covered my hands, I looked so...normal. It was weird as fuck, but I greatly appreciated the fact Karley had insisted on the tuxedo being tailored. It fit perfectly and I had to admit, I was rocking it damn well. Hopefully my girl would think so too…
A smile drifted across my face as she came to the forefront of my mind. I was beyond anxious to see her. She hadn’t given me a single clue as to what her dress looked like, other than the color and Karley had insisted she wear it. Given my sister’s taste, I assumed it probably something extravagant, but the occasion called for it, and something in me was looking forward to seeing Hazel so dressed up for the first time. To seeing us so dressed up for the first time. The next time would be...well, I’m sure you can guess.
Flipping off the light in our bedroom, I trailed into the sitting room just off the entry of the suite and all but came to a screeching halt at the vision in royal blue before me. Every last bit of air just about left my lungs as I took her in. Hazel had her back to me, looking out the massive windows at the bustling city of New York around us. The sapphire gown she wore fit her petite hourglass figure like a glove, all the curves, dips, and swells of her body accentuated like never before. Made almo
st entirely of lace – minus the sheer material sheathing her arms – it flared out ever so slightly mid-calf and spilled onto the floor behind her in a small train. But what had me out of my right mind was the back. It dipped low in a V-shape, exposing miles of her soft, fair skin that would likely draw my hands there all evening long. Subduing the urge to peel that dress off her was not going to be easy.
Wanting to catch her off-guard, I padded toward her with slow, precise steps. She stilled as my front brushed against her bare back, my hands sliding around her tiny waist, settling along defined curves to hold her in place. With her blonde hair draped over one shoulder, it left most of her neck on display, luring me into her smooth column. I dipped my head low and nuzzled her skin with my lips, breathing her in deeply.
“You're stunning,” I murmured while planting a trail of soft kisses from the shell of her ear to the lace-covered edge of her shoulder.
Hazel turned her head toward me, peeking up through sky-high lashes. “Says the man who's insanely good-looking.”
Pivoting in my grasp, she took a step back and gave me a onceover I swear I felt down to my toes. Her appreciative stare burned through my being, sizzling my skin to the point of combustion beneath all the suited layers. I was suddenly very, very warm.
“I have no words,” she said quietly.
“Neither do I,” I agreed, drinking her in greedily.
Seeing her from the back had struck me stupid, but the entire package was out of this fucking world. She was the definition of perfect, so disarmingly beautiful in any way, shape, or form, I almost had a hard time believing she was really mine.
Almost.
Slithering back toward me, she grabbed the lapels of my jacket and brought her lips up to my ear. “Is it awful I wanna peel off every single layer of this tuxedo and jump your bones right now?”
“No, cause I already thought the same thing,” I admitted, my hand hitching up her thigh through the slit of her dress.
“You’re not supposed to agree with me. You’re supposed to tell me I’m a bad girl,” she purred in that little way that drove me wild.
