Chapter Twenty-Nine

Two weeks later just before dawn…

Echo lay flat on the lower roof of the fifty-foot yacht.

Ice crouched in the darkness.

Five Pegasus agents floated in a skiff, port side about fifty yards out, ready to rescue the three innocents who they’d identified on board—two young boys and a little girl.

Echo glanced up. Wrapped in darkness somewhere on the top roof of the boat was Ice. The killer preferred to assassinate from afar if possible.

Whatever floats your boat, Echo thought.

Ice jammed the ships electronics frequency so comms and cell phones became unusable and Echo took that as his cue.

Echo slipped over the side of the lower roof and dropped soundlessly onto the deck. He preferred up close and personal. He wanted to look into their eyes and see the light fade. It didn’t matter if they regretted their actions. Actions couldn’t be taken back like words could.

Actions had consequences.

Sliding the Ulu knife from its sheath, he gripped the knuckle handle and held the curved blade at the ready with his right hand. With his left, he ran his fingers along his belt, checking the six Doran dagger holsters. Each held three battle ready Honshu Kunai blades. From there, he unclipped the knives tucked into the leather sheaths on each of his thighs.

A guard with a fully loaded automatic rifle came out the passageway and Echo slid upwards, completely encased in black. When the man reached him, he struck. Four quick jabs to the lungs and the guy was done. Echo sliced the man’s throat open just for shits and giggles before he melted into the darkness.

From above, Ice saw the killing blows Echo delivered just under the guy’s ribcage, which would cause the lungs to collapse. The blur of the attack had been stunning. Echo was absolutely amazing, and Ice had never seen anyone that fast or deadly. But at the very fucking least, Echo could have move the body from the walkway.

“Shit,” Ice whispered and placed his rifle on the roof. He climbed down from the top to the lower roof and from there, he followed Echo’s path. Reaching the dead guy, he avoided the dark pool of blood on the deck and grabbed the guy’s legs. Dragging the dead body over to the railing, he rolled it off the ship, where it hit the waves with a slight splash—the sound was lost in the hum of the boat’s motor. Crouching, Ice ran back to pick up the man’s automatic rifle and chucked that over the side as well.

When he reached for the metal bar he used to climb to his spot, he suddenly found Echo watching him. The man’s head was tipped just a bit as if questioning what he was doing. Ice hesitated.

Fucking ass.

“Hide the fucking bodies,” Ice growled with just enough sound to reach Echo and his voice filled with menace. “Otherwise, they won’t come out.”

The senator and councilman were behind a door that could only be opened from the inside. The room was impenetrable, and Ice figured if the men knew people were dying out here, then they wouldn’t come out at all. It was a good damned thing that the innocents on this ship were not in that room with those fuckers.

“Hiding bodies is not my style,” Echo whispered and flipped his wrist.

The dagger came fast and landed in the fiberglass next to his hand, so close that Ice felt the bite of steel.

“Motherfucker,” he hissed, shaking out his hand, but Echo was gone.

Ice took the dagger and tucked it into his boot. You never knew when you’d need an extra blade. He shook his hand again and sucked at the drop of blood coming from the cut.

He hauled ass upward and retook his spot on the top roof. Another guard came down the opposite side from where Echo had killed the one. Ice lifted the sniper rifle to his eyes, released his breath, and put a bullet in the man’s head. The guy dropped like a stone. Just about ready to go down, he saw Echo come from the shadows and using his foot, Echo rolled the body over the side along with the rifle.

Ice smiled. He so badly wanted comms between them, but it wasn’t their thing. He supposed if he ever had a partner in crime they’d share earpieces, but so far, he hadn’t found anyone he could live with that long. Rolling to his back, he checked his weapon then sat up.

Echo climbed up and over the top roof and crouched near his feet. Their gazes held in the darkness.

“I found the victims. They’re being held in the galley. I don’t know how many guards are inside. I found two more who are patrolling the hallways.”

“Are you asking for my help?” Ice smirked.

Echo’s eyes narrowed and he lowered his hand to the daggers lining his sides. “Stay here if you’re scared.”

Ice held up his hand and shook his head. Rather than snap back and risk another dagger, he rolled to his feet. He took his rifle with him and stashed it beneath the tarp covering the emergency raft.

Pulling the knife at his thigh, Echo held it out to Ice. When the guy didn’t take it, Echo let out an annoyed sound.

“I have my own,” Ice said and pulled a knife from the back of his pants.

“Not a very safe place to keep that.”

Ice lifted his shirt, showing a black leather knife sheath that Echo hadn’t seen before.

“Custom made?”

Ice smirked and gestured to the hallway. Echo gave an annoyed flick of his eyes and spun to dart down the hallway. He didn’t look back to see if Ice was behind him. He knew for a fact that Ice couldn’t keep up with him. No matter how hard the other assassin tried, he always failed. Not that Ice wasn’t extremely fast, because the fucker was.

When Echo reached the hallway that led to the galley, he waited and a few moments later, Ice crouched at his side. Using signs, Echo signaled he’d take the guy on the left. Ice nodded and launched with a power that was sexy as all hell and Echo almost lost his train of thought.

He lunged upward and flung three daggers in quick succession into the left guy’s throat while Ice plunged his knife into the right guy’s ribs.

Tat, tat, tat.

The automatic rifle in the right guy’s hand sent several rounds into the ceiling. The big fucker wasn’t going down, and Ice pulled the knife from the guy’s ribs, but the guard slapped at his hand and pulled his own knife.

Echo leaped across the distance and sliced at the back of the big guy’s neck. In a blur of motion, he opened the guy’s throat, his blade flashing in the dim light.

Ice stood over the dead body, gazing down at the man. The guy’s throat looked like a gaping yawn. Blood spilled out and the scent of sweat along with copper filled his nostrils.

Echo stalked up to him. The man was so tiny that the top of his head only reached Ice’s throat, but Echo managed to catch his eyes.

“Fucking move,” Echo hissed, and Ice snapped out of whatever the fuck had happened and grabbed up the guy’s rifle.

Entering the galley, Ice stayed low. One lone gunman was inside with the hostages and he was standing with his hand around a young boy’s throat, a gun pointed at him. Echo entered behind Ice and the gun swiveled to level at the other assassin. Ice lifted the rifle and put a bullet in the guy’s throat. Blood splattered the boy’s face, and the little girl screamed.

“You guys ready to get out of here?” Ice kept his voice low and calm even through the fucking carnage. He reached the blood-spattered boy first and saw the vacant look in the boy’s eyes, so he took the boy’s hand. The little girl slapped her hands over her mouth and nodded emphatically.

“Let’s go.” Ice walked to the other little boy who was curled into a ball on the floor near the bed and held out his hand when big dark eyes glanced up at him. The boy took his hand and Ice pulled him to his feet.

“Stay behind me,” Echo told them.

The girl ran to Echo and stayed right on the assassin’s ass and Ice followed, pulling both boys from the room. When they entered the hallway, he put the kids between him and Echo and watched their six.

Reaching the deck, Ice pulled the flare from his boot and sent it upward and gathered the children close. Echo slid away and Ice saw the man going upward to that lower roof.

Within minutes, Oliver, Hunter, and Mason climbed over the railing and onto the deck. Ice took the two earpieces from Mason.

“Use those to communicate with Echo. Dave’s orders. This needs to end tonight,” Mason told him.

Ice nodded and raced back to climb the metal that would take him upward.

He found Echo cleaning his knife and held out the ear piece. They both watched as the children were lowered down into Holden and Gage’s arms in the rocking rescue raft.

The sky was growing lighter by the minute.

“What now?” Ice said.

“They’re not coming out.” Echo’s head jerked toward the end of the boat.

“Dave wants this over now,” Ice said.

“I have an idea.”

Echo’s eyes suddenly flashed.

And the gleam sent a cold shiver down Ice’s spine.