46. Emmett

Chapter 46

Emmett

I leaned forward on the speedboat, my knuckles white as I gripped the windshield frame. My gaze remained fixed on the yacht ahead.

Be all right, Jenn. Just be all right.

“Tell me the safety’s on.” Dante stood at the helm, his voice betraying a hint of nervousness. Who could blame him, given the gun aimed at his back?

Rav’s response was flat and emotionless. “My finger’s not on the trigger. That’s as close as you’ll get to a safety.”

The plan was risky, but it was all we had. Dante would be our insurance policy, ensuring Massimo kept Enzo and the guards from opening fire once I handed over the disc.

Such a stupid decision, Emmett. You just had to tell Jayce to grab the disc, didn’t you? If you hadn’t been so hot-headed and just stuck to the job, you’d be back at the hotel with Jenn, safe and sound.

“It’s a solid plan, Emmett,” Rav said for the fifth time.

I muttered, “It’s not enough of a plan. There’s too much playing it by ear.”

“Never thought I’d hear you say that,” said Rav.

Surprisingly, Scarlett didn’t chime in with a sarcastic comment. She was the one who refused jobs that were too risky or lacked sufficient planning time. Yet here I was, rushing headlong into what could very well be a trap.

“I can’t talk my way out of things with Enzo there.” If I even could talk with him there. He was the one who haunted my nightmares. And now that monster had Jenn.

“She’s going to be all right, Emmett,” Rav reassured me, but his words did little to ease the knot in my stomach.

“This is my fault.”

Will’s voice carried through my earpiece. “Noah’s holding Jenn. Enzo, Massimo, and another guy are with them. I count four guns. She’s wearing a black jacket. I’m guessing Noah’s, since he’s without one. She’s… shit… she’s holding her cheek. They were out of view for a few minutes while I surveilled the rest of the yacht. I think he?—”

“Don’t say it.” I already knew—Enzo had happened. Rage surged through me, trying to push the nerves away.

Will continued his report, detailing the positions of the staff and potential threats. I barely registered his words, my mind consumed with images of Enzo’s hands on Jenn.

“Slow down, Dante,” Rav said.

“I know what I’m doing.” Either Dante was as indignant as he sounded, or he was getting into character as we got closer to our target.

Across the distance, Massimo’s face contorted with rage. He stepped ahead of the others, shouting something I couldn’t make out over the boat’s engine.

Good. The plan’s already working.

Two armed men on the yacht—one on the top deck and a bodyguard next to Massimo—trained their guns on me. Someone else guided a spotlight onto us.

I reached into my jacket pocket, fingers closing around the golden disc. I pulled it out, holding it high in the air so everyone could see. “We’re only here for the trade, not to make trouble!”

“Then let my son go!” Massimo shouted back.

I shook my head slightly. “As soon as we get back to shore safely.”

Dante skillfully maneuvered our boat alongside the deck at the yacht’s stern and cut the engine. He handled the vessel with impressive skill. Of course he did, if he grew up around yachts like this. If my own father hadn’t been in prison for most of my life, maybe he’d have taught me skills like this.

Focus, Em.

“I’m all right, Papa,” Dante called out, raising his hands in a placating gesture. “We can speak of revenge when I’m safely back on shore.”

Rav’s voice came from behind Dante, who he was using as a human shield. “Noah, you can confirm I pose no danger, unless your team thinks of double-crossing us or opening fire.”

Enzo’s face twisted into a snarl. He’d been on the wrong end of Rav’s fists after my kidnapping, and was likely stupid enough to want to try round two. Enzo grabbed Jenn by the hair, yanking her away from Noah. My stomach lurched as he pressed the muzzle of his gun to her head. “I don’t trust you.”

Jenn squeezed her eyes shut, trying to shrink away from the gun, and let out a tiny whimper. The sound tore at my heart, and I had to fight every instinct not to leap onto the yacht and tear Enzo apart with my bare hands. We had a plan. We had to stick to it.

Noah took a few steps toward our boat, his expression unreadable. “Rav’s telling the truth. He’s a man of honor.”

“Honor.” Enzo spat on the deck, his contempt evident.

Noah’s eyes turned heavenward for a moment. Had Scarlett been right about the fracture in the Fenix team? Or was it only Noah and Enzo who appeared to hate each other?

“Guns down, everyone!” Noah commanded, his voice ringing with authority.

To my surprise, the armed men lowered their weapons, with the exception of Enzo. It might have been Massimo’s yacht, but Noah held control here.

Noah extended his hand toward me. “Let me see it.”

Will said over my earpiece, “The second drone’s five minutes out.”

You’ve got this, Em.

Cautiously, I stepped onto the yacht’s deck and passed the disc to Noah. My gaze locked with Jenn’s, all her fear and desperation on full display. Infusing my voice with every ounce of confidence I could muster, I said, “It’s almost over, honey.”

Noah walked toward a light, holding the disc up to examine it.

Enzo jostled Jenn, and she sobbed, a strangled noise that cut through me like a knife. “She makes the same noises when I hit her that you did. Crying like a little girl.”

Fire built in my gut, threatening to consume me. Keep control of yourself. My hands clenched into fists at my sides. This was a job, but she was my woman. I couldn’t risk her life by doing something foolish, like attacking him.

Not until the right moment.

Enzo stepped closer, dragging Jenn by her hair. “Maybe I should taste her before you go.”

She sniffled, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Scarlett whispered in my ear, “Stay calm, Emmett.”

I took a deep breath, forcing my voice to remain steady as I addressed the scarred asshole. “We agreed to a fair trade.”

Enzo growled, swinging his gun to point at me instead of Jenn. “We win again, don’t we?”

That’s it, Enzo, stay with me. I took another step, this time sideways, further from Noah and closer to the water’s edge. “I suppose you’re just better than us.”

Enzo took the bait, sidestepping to match my movement. “We always have been.”

“Thirty seconds,” Will’s voice came through the earpiece.

I sidestepped again, and Enzo mirrored me, his attention on our dance rather than the world around us.

Massimo stormed over to Noah. “Why are you so quiet?”

Noah’s response was measured. “I need to be sure.”

“Four. Three,” said Will. He paused and then, with a tinge of regret, added, “Goodbye, baby.”

I shifted in the opposite direction I’d been moving, my eyes locked on Jenn.

“Drop!” I shouted.

A small explosion erupted from the yacht’s starboard side.

Enzo’s head snapped toward the noise, his gun pivoting away from me.

Jenn dropped to the ground.

I lunged forward, adrenaline spiking exactly when I needed it. I grabbed Enzo’s gun arm, forcing it upward and away from Jenn. With my other hand, I drove a punch into his gut, his grunt of pain satisfying a need inside my soul.

Rav’s calm voice came through the earpiece, “Guards have moved starboard.”

A gun blast cracked across the water as Enzo staggered backward, his finger clenching the trigger. The wild shot triggered chaos on deck, and Rav provided an update I couldn’t make out over the ringing in my ears.

I fought through the pain in my eardrums and grappled with Enzo. Fuck, he’s strong. But I had surprise on my side, and more importantly, I had my woman to protect.

My. Woman.

I surged forward, colliding with Enzo to tip him off balance.

As he brought the gun back down, I kicked one of his legs out, and he toppled. His gun dropped. He flailed for my jacket, but I freed myself as he fell into the water.

I spun, searching for Jenn. She was still on the deck, dazed but unharmed. I hauled her to her feet, my grip probably too tight, but it wasn’t the time to be gentle. We darted for our boat, and I kept myself between her and every Fenix player I could.

Checking over my shoulder, I spotted Noah at the light. He gave me an almost imperceptible nod, then stepped in front of Massimo, preventing him from coming after us. What did that mean? I filed the information away for later analysis—right now, getting Jenn to safety was all that mattered.

Rav’s voice rang out from our boat, “If I hear any more gunshots, Dante’s dead!”

“I’m going to kill you all!” Enzo bellowed from the water. No gunshots, though. He must not have found his gun.

I practically tossed Jenn into the boat, jumping in after her. I tackled her to the ground, covering her body with mine, and shouted at Dante, “Go!”

The boat lurched forward as we sped away from the yacht. A minute—or five or ten—later, Dante said, “The yacht’s engines are starting up. You can take the gun off me.”

Rav’s reply was terse. “Not until we’re out of sight. You don’t want them to suspect you were working with us.”

Beneath me, Jenn began to struggle. “Get off me!”

I eased up, but only enough to grab her hands, preventing her from hitting me. “Not until you’re safe.”

Jenn continued to fight against my grip. “I’m cold, my face hurts, and the floor of this stupid boat hurts, especially with all your stupid weight on top of me!”

Fuck. I sat up quickly, pulling her with me into a sitting position. I took inventory—torn dress, messy hair, mascara-streaked cheeks, and a swollen eye. And Noah’s jacket! I yanked it off her and threw it overboard. “He might have put a bug or a tracker in there.”

Jenn wrapped her arms around her body, her teeth chattering. “Who are you people?”

Rav came closer, positioning himself beside us. He kept his gun trained on Dante, but his eyes on the men aboard the yacht.

I removed my jacket and wrapped it around Jenn’s shoulders. Cupping her face gently, I tried to meet her eyes, but she swatted my hands away. “What do you mean?”

“I think we’re clear,” Rav announced.

“Noah told me everything,” rasped Jenn. “I didn’t believe him at first, but the disc, and the guns, and…”

How much had Noah revealed? How much damage control would we need to do?

“It’s me and Rav,” I said. “We’re the same people you’ve known most of your life.”

But Jenn wasn’t buying it. “You’re a heist crew. You stole the scarab, didn’t you?”

She knew. There was no going back now. Everything I’d built with Jenn over the past week was crumbling in front of my eyes. The way she’d looked at me earlier? Gone. I’d known this moment would come, but I hadn’t been prepared for it.

Jenn continued, her words coming faster now. “And the disc. And you’re a con artist. Scarlett’s your mastermind, like it’s some freaking movie. Your mom’s in MI6?—”

Oh shit . I also wasn’t ready for the team to hear that.

“And Enzo framed your dad for espionage. And Jayce?—”

“Wait, what?” I grabbed her hands again, trying to slow her down. My father?

Jenn pulled her hands free to cover her face as she sobbed. “She’s a thief!”

Every member of the team was chattering over my earpiece. Rav’s confused “MI6?” Brie’s shocked “Framed?” And Scarlett’s disbelieving “Enzo?”

I gently dragged Jenn’s hands away from her face, trying to focus on her despite the conversations in my ear. “Enzo framed my dad?”

Jenn’s mouth gaped open in disbelief. “That’s the only thing you can say? So all the rest of it’s true?”

Scarlett’s voice cut through all the others. “Tell her it’s all a lie. She can’t believe Noah.”

I stared at Jenn, my mind a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts and emotions. “After everything Noah did to you, how can you?—”

“Because I can see it in your face,” Jenn interrupted, her voice trembling. “Scarlett’s listening in, isn’t she? Noah said you have earpieces to communicate during a heist. If it’s a lie, show me there’s nothing in your ear. Or in Rav’s.”

“Shit,” whispered Scarlett.

“I can explain,” I began, but Jenn turned away from me.

“No, you can’t.” She hiccupped a sob and huddled at the boat’s edge, staring out across the water. “Just take me back to the hotel.”

As much as I wanted to, this wasn’t the time to press her. I stood and joined Rav at the stern. We watched in silence as Massimo’s yacht moved, leaving Monaco behind.