We were settling into the boat as Hawk came down with the last woman. I still didn’t know her name because we hadn’t had time for further introductions.
“It’s going to be slow going because we’re overloaded,” Winchester said.
The women appeared frightened.
“We’ll be okay; we just can’t rush,” he gruffly explained.
It seemed to take hours to make the trip back to the boat. Once we were alongside it, they helped us all aboard.
Winchester had obviously notified them we had extra guests, because no one seemed surprised.
As soon as everyone was on the boat, we pulled the inflatable craft up and deflated it. The anchor was next as I helped get us underway. Then we were on the move. By then we were slightly out of breath from adrenaline and rushing to get our asses out of there.
“Take the women below and get them something to drink,” Winchester told Justice. “Angel, you’re the one with medic experience. You may want to join them.”
“On it,” Angel gruffly agreed as he and Hawk went down into the cabin.
I made the call to Laila as soon as we were far enough out. I wanted to talk to her longer, but I needed to stay focused. We weren’t in the clear yet.
After the women were out of the picture and Justice came back up, every weapon was wiped, disassembled, and placed in two weighted, waterproof trunks. When we were probably halfway between the island and Jacksonville, we slowed down. Phoenix and I looked at Winchester like they were nuts. Then the boxes went over the side and quickly sank in the dark waves.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Phoenix asked Winchester.
The SAA for the Jacksonville chapter chuckled as he flashed a white smile. “We know where to find them if and when we need them. If they get found, there’s nothing to tie them to us.”
I left that one alone. Whatever worked for them.
The rest of the ride was silent except for the sound of the motor and the splash of the water we sped through. The women were still in the cabin being checked over by Angel and Hawk. It made me sick to think of what they might’ve endured. I glanced at the stairs that led to the cabin.
“Don’t worry, my brother,” Justice said as his hair blew wildly, obscuring his dark eyes momentarily. “We’ll go back and take care of them if the plan falls through. We’ll also ensure the other three women are safe and taken care of. You have papers for yours?”
“Yes,” I replied. Eliska was the sister of Laila’s client, and we had IDs generated for her since we had no idea where her purse and belongings had gone. We were meeting her brother at a bar near the Nashville airport.
The lights on the shore of Jacksonville drew closer, and I breathed a sigh of relief. We headed back to the dark cove where we started.
Footsteps on the stairs grabbed my attention, and I glanced over my shoulder to see Angel coming up, followed by Hawk. Neither looked happy.
“Ghost, a word,” Angel said, and moved to the bow of the boat.
“Excuse me, brother. I’ll be right back,” I told Winchester. He nodded, and I followed Angel, who stood with his legs braced and a hand over his mouth as he stared out into the dark cove.
“What’s the problem?” I asked.
“Eliska says she doesn’t have a brother.”