Chapter Thirty Delphine

"Irish, why are you doing this?" Cleo asks him, her voice surprisingly calm considering she's staring into the barrel of a gun.

"I have no choice," Irish says, and I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes. Why do those who make bad choices always claim that they have no choice? There is always a choice. I don't say the first part out loud, of course, because I'm dealing with a man too close to the edge.

"Of course you have a choice," I tell him. "Why would you turn on your family?"

"My family?" Irish says with a sneer. "The Demon Dawgs aren't my family. They're just using me to get free labor. They won't make me a member."

"Well, not anymore," Sasha says. I shoot her a look, but she gestures toward the gun. "Tell me I'm wrong."

"Shut up!" Irish yells, causing Sasha to jolt.

"Why would you think the guys won't patch you in? You're a prospect. If they didn't believe you could earn your patch, you wouldn't be a prospect," Cleo says.

"They brought Levi in and they're giving all the important jobs to Jack," Irish spits out.

"They brought Levi in because they're always looking for potential members. They didn't bring him in to replace you. As for Jack, he's been there the longest and has earned their trust," I explain.

"And I haven't? I screwed up and Mikel escaped. Since then, they don't trust me."

"That's not true," Cleo says. "If they didn't trust you, they would have kicked you out."

"They make fun of me and tell me I can't do anything right," Irish whines, and this time, I can't stop my eyes from rolling.

"It no longer matters what they thought of you before, because you've made yourself their enemy with this stunt," I say, using my best mom's voice. "They'll know you kidnapped us and they'll hunt you down no matter where you go. If you want to live, pull over and leave us. We'll convince them to let you go. That's the best option you have now."

"No, it's not," Irish says, straightening his shoulders and glaring at me in the rearview mirror. "I have another option. One that will give me enough money to get out of the country and live my life doing what I want, rather than being an errand boy for a bunch of bikers."

I glance around and realize where we are. Where he's taken us. The port. I glance at Cleo, who is staring outside at a ship. It looks like a cargo ship, only slightly smaller. I can just make out the name on the side. Roman Rule. This is one of Cleo's ships. The ship scheduled to sail today, with Maxim on board.

Irish ignores the signs and drives right up to the loading dock. He yanks Cleo across the car and pulls her out of the driver's side. Holding the gun to her head, he instructs all of us to get out.

"Come out on this side," he orders. "Do it now or she dies. She's not the one he wants. She's expendable."

"But still useful," comes the voice I hate. Turning, I see Maxim standing nearby. He has four of his thugs standing on each side of him and a smug smile on his face. Some women probably find the man attractive, but compared to Dixie, all I see is a weak man pretending to be strong.

"You've really screwed up this time," I taunt Maxim. "You'll have every member of the Demon Dawgs after you."

He chuckles. "You think I'm afraid of a bunch of bikers? Don't you remember how powerful I am? They're nothing. Especially with Armond at the helm. He's weak. He's always been weak."

I snort. "You're the one who is weak. You should get on that ship and leave now, because it won't be long before Hex hunts you down. He's not the baby you left behind."

"You forget, I've met him. Can't say I'm too impressed. He couldn't keep you safe, could he? Won't matter once we've set sail. I'm not planning on coming back to this decrepit country ever again."

His words surprise me. Not because he's badmouthing the US. He's always hated it here. His goal was to take over a territory in Russia, but those have been under the control of the same families for hundreds of years. Maybe longer. Not by the Bratva, of course, but by old families who have survived and thrived. He's never had the cachet or the power to even think of going up against them. Unless something has changed.

"You won't get away with this," I tell him before looking at each man. "Any of you."

"Shut up, Delphine," Irish barks. Maxim backhands him without taking his eyes off of me.

"Don't speak to her," Maxim growls at Irish.

"Hey, I'm on your side, remember? Mikel set it up. I bring you the women and you free him from the Demon Dawgs and take us with you."

"Why would I do that?" Maxim says with a laugh as his guard takes out his gun and shoots Irish. Olivia screams while I glare at Maxim.

"Did you have to do that?" I ask him as the guard who pulled the trigger pushes Irish's body into the water.

"What do you care? He was rude to you and he's the reason you'll never be free again. Take Delphine and these two to the cabin next to mine and put the others in the cabin next door." Each of the guards grabs one woman. The one who grabs Shayna grabs my arm as well, but I shake him off and attack Maxim. The other women fight back as well, but five men against five women aren't good odds. Too soon, the men are back in control. Maxim grabs my arm and drags me up the gangplank. "You'll pay for that," he growls. "Or better yet, your friends will. Those two will serve as entertainment for my guards during the voyage. I'll make sure you hear their every scream."

I look for someone to help us as Maxim and his men drag us along. I'm hoping one of the crew will see Cleo and recognize her, but the corridors are empty. Maxim stops at a door and unlocks it. The guard holding Cleo unlocks the door next door before he pushes Cleo and Olivia inside. I lock eyes with Cleo before she disappears and Maxim drags me into the cabin.

"You'll remain in this cabin for the entire voyage. Scream all you want. No one can hear you. I've purchased all the cabins on this level and the one below. I've instructed the crew to stay away."

"You won't get away with this. My son and his club will destroy you."

Maxim laughs. "You already said that. By the time they figure out I have you, we'll be at sea. They can't get onboard." His phone pings. He pulls it out and looks at the display with a smile on his face. "And if you think your other son will come to your rescue again, well, he won't." Maxim turns the phone so I can see the display. The image of Vladimir dead brings tears to my eyes, even though I know he's not really dead. The image looks too real.

"You hired the hit on Vladimir?" I ask.

He grins at me. "Of course. That's what happens to traitors. I know he was the one who helped you three escape. I had hoped that raising him away from you would let me mold him into the man that I could rely upon, but I was wrong. He betrayed me. I knew he'd try to stop me from taking you before I attended Alexandr Stepanov's birthday party."

"That's why you're shipping all those expensive cars in the cargo hold. Right? Why you kept pushing for Cleo to make sure everything was ready for the voyage. She did what you wanted. What do you need with us?" I ask.

"That's easy. You're the bonus gift. Something to sweeten the deal, so to speak. Alexandr has turned to spiritualism since losing his son. He sees enemies all around him and is desperate for an edge. You're the edge. You and your daughters. He's looking for an heir. I planned on that heir being Vladimir, but he betrayed me. So, I'm doing what I should have done from the beginning. I'll become his heir and you're going to make it happen. Once I am, I'll have control over everyone who has ever looked down on me. Alexandr is a powerful man. Almost as powerful as the head of the entire Bratva. He decides who gets what territories, and every family is beholden to him if they want to keep the status quo. I'll get all that power when Alexandr dies."

"We won't help you," I tell him. "This is a long journey. I'll fight you every day if I have to. I'll do whatever I have to in order to destroy your plan."

"Will you?" Maxim sneers. "I'll tell you what's going to happen. You and your daughters will behave and prepare yourselves for meeting your new master. If you don't, your friends will pay the price." He turns to the guards behind him. "Let's give them a sample."

The guard leaves. After he opens the cabin next door, he moves around inside, but then comes rushing back into the room. "They're not there."

"What?" Maxim shouts. He pushes past the guard and I can hear him go into the other cabin. "Find them!" Maxim shouts when he returns. I can't suppress the smirk on face even though Maxim's glaring at me. "I'll be back and you'll be sorry."

He slams the door shuts and locks it.

"Search the room for something we can use as a weapon or a way out," I order the girls. We rush around the room but find nothing. I turn to the door when I hear a thud outside, followed by someone opening the door. Standing in front of my daughters, I prepare myself to fight off Maxim and his men. However, they aren't the ones standing there. Cleo and Olivia are grinning at me. In their hands are two taser guns. They rush forward to hug us.

"How did you…?" I start, but I'm interrupted when a man steps into the doorway. When Cleo doesn't raise her weapon, I grab the gun and point it at him.

"He's on our side," Cleo says, moving the taser out of my reach. "He let us out."

"I work for Vladimir," says the man.

"He's telling the truth," Sasha says.

The guy enters. He's tall and well-built, with white blonde hair and eyes the color of a clear blue sky. "My name is Dominic. You can call me Dom. Vladimir knows you're here. He and the Demon Dawgs are on their way, but we have to get you off the ship."

"Where are Maxim and the other guards?" I ask, following him out the door and down the passage.

"He thinks Cleo is on her way to the cargo hold. He's worried she'll destroy his cars. We should have enough time to escape."