Chapter 5

Chapter

Five

NOVA

W hen there was a knock at my door, I tucked the gun behind my back while approaching it. “Who’s there?” I called out.

“It’s me,” Beck said. “It’s all clear out here, so come on out.”

I yanked the door open and flung myself at the unsuspecting man. My arms wrapped around him for a moment before I sheepishly let them fall to my sides. It was disappointing to realize he had found clothing and was no longer naked.

“Sorry. I was just worried something had happened to you,” I admitted.

“We’re all good. Nothing we couldn’t handle,” he reassured me. “We’d like you to talk to the crew. We’re going to need some help if you insist on making our escape on this monster. Any chance you know how to sail her?”

“I’ve never even entered the wheelhouse,” I replied as we made our way toward the stairs leading up to the main salon. “Are the crew members all okay?”

“Yep. And so are the guards. We’re going to dump them on a life raft and get the fuck out of here as soon as we figure out how.”

I felt a surge of relief knowing that nobody had gotten hurt because of my rescue. Walking up marble and stainless steel, I ran my hand along the gigantic chandelier that hung the entire length of the circular staircase.

“It really is a beauty. Trent does have good taste, the asshat.” When we reached the salon, I was shocked to find Mary standing in front of Will, wagging her finger at him.

“My Nova is a good girl. You heathens better let her go or there’ll be hell to pay,” Mary yelled.

The poor man looked like he didn’t know what to do with her. “If you’ll just wait?—”

“Mary,” I called as I jogged toward her. “I’m okay. But what the heck are you doing here?”

She hustled over to meet me, and we hugged each other tightly.

“Oh, my girl, I’ve missed you.” She pulled back to look me over. “The rat bastard your mom married found me. His goons drugged me and brought me here. I heard them say that he was going to use me as leverage to get you to marry him.” Tears glistened as they slid down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Nova.”

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault the man is an absolute prick.” I wiped the tears from her cheek. “These men are going to help us get away.”

As we were reunited, the men were busy getting a lifeboat ready. I watched with wide eyes as they directed the crew members to carry the guards over to the small raft. When one of the guards struggled, Beck punched him in the head, and he flopped over, unconscious. He unceremoniously dragged him the rest of the way, and tossed him into the small boat.

“Oh my,” Mary said. “I’m glad they’re on our side. Did you see the muscles on that boy?”

I laughed as she fanned her face.

Kato stopped beside us. “I take it the two of you know each other?” His wide smile showed off a set of dimples that I’d failed to notice earlier. “Watching you tear into Will was the highlight of my day, ma’am. I think we’ll get along just fine.”

“Ma’am! Good God boy, how old do I look?” I laughed as Mary placed her hands on her hips. “Wait. Don’t answer that.”

“Kato, this is Mary. She’s been my companion for?—”

“Never mind how many years,” Mary said.

Kato chuckled. “You’ve got spunk. We’ll get along just fine.”

“That will depend on you and your friends. How are you getting us out of here?” Mary crossed her arms across her ample chest. “I hope you have a plan.”

“Let me go. You can’t do this,” the captain yelled, interrupting our conversation.

Will dragged him into the salon. “Sit down,” he growled.

“Stay close Mary. I’m going to try talking to the crew.” I held my hands up, attempting to silence the crew who had started panicking. “Excuse me, I have something to say.”

Problem was, they didn’t know it was my yacht. Hell, it was most likely my money that was used to pay them. Mary put her fingers in her mouth and let loose a loud whistle. Everyone stopped what they were doing.

“Go ahead, dear,” Mary said.

“Please remain calm, everyone. First off, you have been deceived. This yacht belongs to me, not Trent Baily. We are not stealing it. We are, in fact, taking back what belongs to me. Trent has been holding me against my will, and these men are here to help me gain my freedom.”

Nobody seemed shocked at this, which told me they weren’t as innocent as I’d hoped. Glances moved back and forth between them, and nobody spoke up.

“We will release you all once we’ve gotten somewhere safe. Someone will take you back to the mainland,” Will said.

The captain cleared his throat and locked eyes with Will. I watched closely but didn’t understand what the unspoken communication was about, and it ended so quickly, I was sure I’d been seeing things.

“Let’s get further from the mainland before disposing of the garbage. Nova and Mary, you’re with the good captain and I,” he said with a sneer. Will pointed his gun at the captain. “Start walking,” he said, poking the man’s chest with the weapon.

I let out a startled squeak when the captain grabbed Will’s gun and tried to wrestle it from him. Will punched him across the face and the man dropped onto the deck.

“Pull that shit again and you’ll get more than a little love tap,” Will said in a dark tone. He kicked him in the ass. “Get up.”

The captain shook his head, blinking at him, then held his hands up in surrender.

“Okay, okay. I’ll go.”

He shakily got to his feet and led the way out of the room with Will close behind. Mary and I followed as we quickly made our way through the yacht. When we got to the wheelhouse, the captain held up a hand. After grabbing a small device out of a cupboard, he pressed some buttons on it, then spoke.

“We can talk freely now.” He glared at Will while rubbing his chin. “Did you have to hit me so fucking hard?”

“Yeah.” Will chuckled. “Had to make it look good.”

My mouth gaped open. “What’s going on?”

“When I went to get the captain, I found out that we have the same employer. After calling in to make sure he was who he said he was, we came up with a plan so that he’d get to keep his cover,” Will explained.

Mary jumped in before I had the chance. “Who’s your employer?”

“There’s a lot we can’t explain, but what we can tell you is that Jody here works for a special branch of the government. We’re independent contractors for the same branch. Trent is in a lot of trouble and hopefully after this, you won’t have to worry about him for a very long time,” Will explained.

“There’s a team getting ready to board. They’re going to take me in, along with the rest of the crew and the guards. Don’t blow my cover. We wanted to prepare you ladies, so you’d know the team boarding us are not bad guys and that you are safe. Don’t resist. Just go along with them until they secure the yacht.”

Will shifted his weight from foot to foot. “After the crew and guards have been taken away, we’re going to sneak you off the yacht and bring you home with us, where you will be safe until everything is wrapped up. Our house is plenty big enough for the two of you to stay for however long you need to. Trent has too many powerful friends to trust witness protection.”

Mary stepped in before I could process everything we’d just learned. “That sounds like an excellent plan. We’ll accept your hospitality.”

I cleared my throat. “There’s something you should know.” I looked down at the shiny hardwood floor. “Anthony, the guard that attacked me today, told me that Trent killed my mom. And that the guards took turn raping her before she was killed.”

Will growled before stalking toward me and wrapping his arm around my shoulder. “I’m so sorry. He will pay, Nova. We will make sure of it.”

A loud commotion came from down below.

“Showtime,” Jody said. “Just don’t forget. Far as you guys know, I’m just another asshole working for Trent.”