I groan. “Langston thinks I have the hots for the broken girl currently occupying my bedroom. I don’t. And even if I did, it doesn’t matter. I don’t fuck another man’s goods.”
Langston cocks his head. “There is so much more to this story. And I’m dying to know. But right now, we have a decision to make. Reko has been breaking the rules. He’s been smuggling drugs without your consent. He needs to be dealt with.”
I nod, my blood cooling as I think about work and let the taunting about Kai go.
“Who is his lead man?” I ask.
“Warwick,” Langston answers.
“Good, I know the man. He’s a regular at Surrender. He will be easy to snatch.”
“And what are we going to do when we snatch him?” Zeke asks, I can hear the itch in his voice to do some damage.
“Torture him
until he either gives up his boss or he’s dead. Either way, it will send a message.”
“How long?” Langston asks.
I smile. “Two weeks.” I need out of this fucking house. Westcott will be able to handle Kai for two weeks, especially in her weakened state. And I need to get to the ocean. We always do our business on the sea. It’s easier to clean up and dispose of the bodies. We throw a lavish yacht party while doing business. It gives us a good alibi, and we can continue to learn about what goes on in the city and on the sea, my jurisdictions.
I don’t love the party part, but it’s the easiest way to get information out of people. Surrender is good, but the yachts are better. At Surrender, people aren’t really trapped. On the yachts, they have no place to go until I say. Not unless they want to take a dip in the water.
But there is another purpose to wanting to be gone. I decide against my better judgment to pay Jarod a visit. Repay him for how he took care of Kai.
Langston and Zeke both smile. They love the water as much as I do.
“Maybe after a day or two of being apart from the girl, we’ll be able to get more information out of mister romantic here,” Langston teases.
I growl, threatening him.
But Langston runs off, like he knows exactly what he’s doing to me. He knows me too well. I’ve never brought a woman here. This is our place. It’s as much Zeke’s and Langston’s as it is mine. We have all crashed here at various times. But we have one rule, it’s just us. No girls. I broke that rule, and they know it was for a very real purpose.
I’ve broken too many rules for Kai so far. By my rules, she should have died a long time ago. I won’t break any more rules for Kai. From now on, I do everything by the book.
“What did this Jarod guy do?” Langston asks suspiciously.
He destroyed what was mine—Kai. He brutalized her, burned her flesh, stabbed her, broke her bones, raped her. He did so many unthinkable things no man should ever do to a woman. But I don’t want Langston or Zeke to know the real purpose for tracking Jarod down for the past two weeks.
“He destroyed some property of mine to the north,” I say keeping my words vague so I’m not technically lying to my best friend. I hate lying if I can avoid it.
My words seem to be enough for Langston. Neither he nor Zeke need much to follow my orders. They trust me with their lives. They will do anything I ask with zero questions.
“So what’s the plan?” Zeke asks as we crouch down on near the railing of my own yacht staring across the black sea to Jarod’s yacht.
“We sneak onto the boat silently, then take out every man until we find Jarod,” I answer.
“And when we have Jarod?” Zeke asks.
“I send a message that no one touches what is mine,” I say.
Zeke and Langston’s exchange knowing glances. They are more than capable of getting their hands dirty without me being involved. My father would have let his men carry out his orders, but I prefer to be more hands on. It sends a better message. And this is personal.
Langston stares across to the boat. A light flickers off. It’s time. This is as unguarded as the yacht will ever get. There are only three of us and who knows how many men on Jarod’s yacht, but we will win. I could have sent Langston or Zeke by themselves on this mission, and they would have slaughtered everyone on board with ease. The three of us doing this job together is overkill.
“Let’s go,” I say as I silently jump into the water with the tiniest of splashes.
They both follow as quietly into the ocean. And then we begin swimming, careful with our movements to hide in the waves and avoid making a wake, but quick and efficient.