“I could protect you better if you told me your plan,” Maxwell says.
My smile drops. “Sorry, Max, but I have to keep my intentions to myself.”
“But Mr. Brown knows?”
My eyes cut to Maxwell as we reach the top of the ramp.
“Miss…?” A man on the yacht with a tablet asks as I approach.
“Ms. Juliane White,” I say, giving a fake name.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. White. And you are?” The man turns to Maxwell.
“Mr. Maxwell,” he gives me a confused glance out of the corner of his eye but goes with the flow. He doesn’t know what tonight is about or what kind of yacht we just boarded. He doesn’t know that he’s going to have to earn his keep this weekend when some of the most powerful and dangerous men on the planet will all be gathered on this yacht.
The man nods at me. “I’ll escort you to your rooms. Play starts at midnight.”
I bat my eyelashes at him. “I can’t wait.”
The man leads me and Maxwell to two adjoining rooms, complete with a balcony and jacuzzi tub.
“You’ll find everything you need inside. If not, dial one on the phone, and anything you need will be provided. The yacht leaves in two hours. As I said, play starts at midnight.” Then the gentleman, who never gave us a name, leaves.
Maxwell stands frozen with his hands in his pocket, staring at me in disbelief.
“Liesel, what the heck have you gotten us into?”
I remove my mask, knowing that it will be one of the few times this weekend that I can. “Not us—me.”
“I’m on the damn ship, same as you. You just gave a fake name while boarding a ship without any luggage for a weekend. What the hell is going on?”
“I pay you to follow orders, Max, not to question my decisions.”
“Liesel, I’m speaking as a friend. What is going on?”
“Something was stolen from me. I’m just ensuring I get it back and that nothing else is ever stolen from me again.”
10
Langston
I stand on the pier, looking up at the giant yacht. Never have I been so hesitant to set foot on a boat.
Liesel came here because she needs money. Apparently, she thinks boarding this boat will help, but I’ve never found less information about an organization before stepping foot on their yacht than this one.
I scoured the internet but found nothing on this group. I don’t even know who owns this boat, or who runs whatever excursion we are about to embark on.
My guess is this is an exclusive poker tournament or betting ring. Liesel thinks this is the fastest way to earn a lot of money since she won’t ask her fiancé for money.
Their conversation the other morning was quite intriguing. So much unspoken in between them. I don’t understand why they are together—love, lust, power? What draws them together? It can’t be love. At least from Liesel’s side, the woman is incapable of the emotion.
“You sure about this, boss?” Enzo asks, standing next to me in a tux and black mask—the only requirements listed to board the yacht.
“I’m not the boss. That would be your wife,” I say.
Enzo shakes his head with his hands in his pockets. “We’ve all taken turns being in charge. This is your mission—we are here to support you. That means you’re the boss, and you have to take responsibility for your actions and any lives lost.”
I swallow down the acid creeping up in my throat. Almost everyone I love is standing behind me, waiting to get on this yacht if I give the order.
Kai, Enzo, Zeke, Siren, and Beckett. The only one missing is Nora, but she’s watching the kids. Phoenix also stayed home to watch our kids. If I send us into a trap, five little kids could lose their parents. Nora could lose the man she loves. Phoenix could lose me.
It’s a big decision to make when I don’t have all the facts, but we know yachts more than we know anything. Once on board, we’ll hack into the security system and figure out just what the hell is going on. And we have a crew nearby on one of our own yachts prepared to follow this one. We’ll be safe—safe as we can be, anyway.
“I’m sure,” I say and step forward onto the boat’s boarding ramp. I hear footsteps behind me, and I don’t have to glance back to know that my entire team is following me. I’m not used to being the leader or worrying about anyone except myself, but I vow to keep every one of them safe. No one gets hurt on my watch.
“Name?” a man at the top of the ramp with an iPad asks.
I could give a fake name, but my name, and the name of everyone behind me, is feared. Our names help to protect us. We won’t hide.
“Langston Pearce,” I say.
The man nods and gestures to a woman beside him. “Kala will see you to your room.”
I start to follow the woman as the man asks Enzo his name. She leads me downstairs and through multiple hallways.
“Here is your room for this evening,” the woman finally says, opening the door to a room for me before handing me the keycard.
I step inside the plain room and examine its simple bed and connected bathroom.
“Play starts at midnight,” the woman says, and then she shuts the door without explaining anything else.
Play? I guess this is some type of high roller poker tournament.
I scan the room, looking for any clues. After going through every cabinet and drawer, I find nothing.
I pick up the phone.
“Do you need anything delivered to your room, Mr. Pearce? Food? Drink?” a man starts speaking as I pick it up.
“No, I’m good.”
I hang up.
Hmmm.
I pull out my phone to try and hack into their system. We weren’t allowed any bags, so there was no real way to sneak a laptop onto the yacht.
After scanning the room, the hallway, and the deck outside, I
