“THERE IT IS.” I HANDED the night-vision binoculars to Luna. “West side, farthest slip.”

Crouched next to me in the type of mangroves I fucking hated because the roots grew up out of the ground like spikes, Luna took the night vision and looked. “Jesucristo,” he muttered. “There’s not a single approach from the docks where we won’t be visible.”

“I know.” I checked the magazine on the rifle I’d taken from the Escalade for the third time.

Luna scanned from the marina entrance all the way to the dock. “Even with a fast approach, that’s a thirty, forty-five second run.” He lowered the night vision and looked at me. “We’ll be sitting ducks.”

“That’s why I’m swimming in.” Standing up, I screwed the suppressor on one of the two 9mms I’d also taken from the back of Luna’s Escalade. “Stay here and keep the deck in your sights.”

Luna used the night-vision binoculars again. “All I can see is one man on patrol.”

“I left nine on the island. With Dante and the captain, there’s potentially eleven on that fucking boat. Ten if you don’t count whoever is following Collins.” I moved an extra magazine from my cargo pocket to my tactical vest.

“Not great odds,” Luna mused.

“I made it off the island, didn’t I?” I scanned the water again. “When I get out there, take out the man on deck.”

Luna shook his head. “If I fire first, they’ll know you’re coming. I’ll wait till until you have a problem.”

“Dante already knows I’m coming. That fucker is waiting. Why else would he still be here?” He didn’t stay anywhere for more than thirty-six hours.

“He thinks he still has Loic under his thumb. He called him a half hour ago. Loic didn’t let on that he knew his daughter was out.”

“Clock’s ticking.” I glanced at the distance to the yacht again as I put a comm in my ear. “Give me four minutes, then be ready.”

Luna sighted through his scope. “I was born ready.”

Nerves of steel, he wasn’t fucking lying. I’d never seen him on the battlefield, but he was relentless in this line of work. Downrange, I’d bet the fucker had been a beast.

Shouldering my rifle strap, I swung the AR-15 to my back and eased into the water. Thigh deep, I dropped to a crouch and glanced over my shoulder at Luna. “If I don’t come back, do me a favor.”

Luna looked up from his scope. “I got your sister covered, amigo.”

I tipped my chin in thanks. “I know you do, but give the brunette a message from me. Tell her I said she’s sexy as hell when she signs.”

Luna stared at me for a hard beat. Then he looked back through his scope. “You slept with her.”

“Yep.” I looked toward the yacht. “Then I walked the fuck away like a good Marine.”

“Idiota,” Luna muttered.

“No fucking shit.” My 9mm with the silencer at the ready, I ducked underwater and swam to the beginning of the dock.

I didn’t give a damn about the temperature of the water, my sore fucking ribs, or the sleep deprivation pounding at my temples. I was focused on one goddamn thing.

Dante dead.

I’d never forget seeing her tied to that bed bleeding.

Or the feel of taking her virginity and coming inside her.

I came up for air under the dock and shook the thought out of my head. Mission intent, I had one fucking goal. Slowing down to make as little wake as possible from my movements, I covered the distance of the main dock. Before moving under the dock where the yacht was, I glanced back toward shore.

I couldn’t see shit through the mangroves or the darkness. “Fifteen seconds,” I whispered into the comm.

“Copy,” Luna replied. “In my sights.”

I swam to the end of the dock.

Glancing through the slats, I looked up at the deck, but I couldn’t see the guard.

Fuck.

Now or never.

The 9mm in front of me, I swam starboard and grabbed the edge of the boat singlehanded. My ribs screaming, I hoisted up, aiming.

Before my head cleared the side to see the deck, Luna spoke through the comm and I heard the shot.

“Firing.”

Wind whipped, the bullet whined and a distinctive thud hit the deck.

“Target down,” Luna confirmed.

I double-timed it.

Pulling myself up and over, I landed on deck, rolled and was back on my feet. Stepping over the dead guard with a bullet between his eyes, I moved to the side of the main sliders into the cabin and risked a quick glance.

Three men at a table playing cards, and my target on the couch on the phone.

I calculated the time to open the slider.

Too fucking long.

Slinging my rifle to my front, I whispered in the comm, “Going in.”

“Copy. Got your six.”

I stepped in front of the slider then I fucking unloaded.

The glass shattered, the bullets hit their marks, but I kept fucking firing. The entire goddamn magazine. Then I let the rifle drop, and with my 9mm aimed at Dante, I kicked the spidered glass in and stepped through to the cabin.

Looking less than fucking happy, Dante held his hands up. “Asher,” he stated like he wasn’t about to fucking die.

One of the fuckers that had been playing cards moved his arm.

I fired a single shot to his head then aimed back at Dante. “Where are the other four and the captain?”

Dante smirked. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“No movement on deck,” Luna said through the comm.

I should’ve fucking killed Dante on the spot, but I wanted him to sweat. Then I wanted him to fucking beg me for death. “Wanna know what I would’ve done?”

“Taken the girl, fucked her, then held her for ransom?” Dante mused before his expression turned lethal. “You don’t know who you’ve fucked with, Ty Asher.”

“What will it matter when you’re dead?”

“I’m not going to die,” he said confidently. “You are.”

My ears ringing from the AR-15, I didn’t hear him until it was too late.

Glass crunched underfoot and a barrel hit the back of my head. “Don’t move.”

Motherfucker.

“Kid,” I stated.

“Report,” Luna clipped.

“I’m not a kid,” the kid protested, shoving the barrel harder.

“You’re too fucking young to be working for this asshole,” I told him.

“Shut up,” the kid snapped.

“Sharp inhale if you’re in trouble,” Luna ordered.

Dante smirked. “You lose. Lower your weapon.”

I kept my breathing even. “Make me.”

Dante looked over my shoulder. “Thomas.” He nodded. “Take care of him.”

“You kill me, kid, you’re killing your future.” I took a gamble. “How many times have you pulled the trigger? You know what’s gonna happen with a point-blank headshot? You ever tasted brain matter?”

“Goddamn it, Ty, report,” Luna clipped. “I don’t have eyes inside that cabin.”

“Shut up,” the kid barked at me.

“Do the right thing,” I warned him.

“You killed Santos and blamed it on me!” the kid yelled.

I put two and two together. “I didn’t blame shit on you. I take responsibility for every single one of my kills. Whatever the fuck Dante told you, he’s lying. He knows who killed his sick fuck of a cousin.”

“Shoot him!” Dante ordered.

“I’m coming in,” Luna clipped. “Thirty seconds.”

“I’m giving you one last chance to make the right decision, kid. Drop your weapon.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Dante stood. “Do you need me to do it for you, Thomas?”

“Time’s up.” I gave the kid my last warning. “Now or never.”

The kid lost it. “I told you to shut up!”

Ducking, I spun.

Before the kid’s brain synapses fired and made the connection to move, I grabbed his trigger hand, forced his aim on Dante and fired the gun for him.

Three shots to the heart, Dante dropped.

“Ty!” Luna yelled through the comm.

I let go of the kid’s hand and glared at him. “That was doing the right thing.” I touched my comm. “Four guards and the captain unaccounted for.”

“Copy,” Luna answered. “Fifteen seconds.”

His chest heaving, the kid stared at Dante.

“Where are the others?” I demanded.

“What others?” he asked, his voice flat.

“Four of the eight guards on the island and the captain.”

The kid didn’t look up. “Two are still on the island, two went with Addis. The captain is asleep in his berth.”

Luna’s voice came both through the comm and through the broken slider door. “On board.” Aiming at the kid, he stepped inside the cabin. “Threats?”

“One,” I answered. “The captain. Supposedly sleeping in his quarters.”

“On it.” Luna spared me a glance before heading toward the stairs going below deck. “You got this?”

I tipped my chin. “Handled.”

Luna disappeared down the stairs.

I gave the kid an option. “You have two choices.”

His gaze moved to the three dead guards. “Which are?”

He was a hell of a lot calmer than I thought he’d be, I’d give him that. “Leave and don’t look back.”

“Or?”

“Make better fucking choices.”

“You’re here too,” he accused.

I leveled him with a look.

Inhaling, he let it out slow. “I’m not stupid. I know you did that on purpose. There’ll be footage of me on the marina’s security cameras. When the cops show, I’ll be the one going down for this because my prints are on the gun.”

“You play, you pay.” I told myself I had no sympathy for him.

Luna came up the stairs. “Captain’s handled. We need to go.” He glanced at the kid and switched to Spanish. “Why is he still alive?”

“He’s just a kid,” I answered back in Spanish.

The kid looked between us. “I can understand you two.”

“Jesu-fucking-cristo,” Luna swore under his breath before glancing at the kid. “What’s with the haircut? You served?”

The kid straightened his shoulders. “Yes, sir, the Marines. I was medically discharged.”

“For?”

“Preexisting condition.” The kid didn’t elaborate.

Luna narrowed his eyes at him. “Name?”

“Thomas Knight.”

Luna glanced at Dante then back at the kid. “You shoot him?”

I gave the kid credit, he didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

“Would you do it again?” Luna asked.

The kid looked me right in the eye as he answered Luna. “Yes.”

Luna glanced at me. “Am I gonna regret this?”

I didn’t lie. “Yep.”

Luna nodded slow then looked back at the kid. “You done with this cartel bullshit?”

The kid nodded emphatically.

Luna stared at him. “You want an honest job?”

“Yes, sir,” the kid practically yelled.

“You’re hired.” Luna looked at me. “He’s your responsibility.”

“Jesus fucking Christ, I’m not a babysitter.”

Luna eyed me. “You need something to do besides pulling a trigger.”

“This isn’t it,” I bitched.

“Train him, teach him how to shoot. He doesn’t even hold his damn rifle correctly.”

I glared at the kid, and he moved his finger to the ready position on the trigger guard. “No fucking kidding.”

The engines on the yacht started up.

“Let’s go.” Luna pushed past me.

Shit. “I thought you said you took care of the captain.”

The kid looked between us like he didn’t know what the fuck to do.

“I did.” Luna paused to look over his shoulder at me. “The captain’s gonna clean house.”

I picked up on his last word. “How clean?”

“Boat and island,” Luna confirmed. “Not his first rodeo.”

“And the caretaker couple in residence?” I hated loose ends.

“He’ll handle that too.”

Christ. “How much did that cost us?”

“Not as much as you’d think,” Luna evaded.

I nodded. I didn’t need to know what deal he’d struck. “And the security footage of the dock?”

“I’ll hack in and scrub it after we get out of here. Let’s go.” Luna crossed the deck.

I glanced behind me to see if the kid was coming, but I shouldn’t have bothered. He was right on my six.

I shook my head. “You fuck this up, I’m taking you out myself.”

“Yes, sir.” He fucking saluted me.

“Do that again and I’ll shoot you,” I warned.

He instantly dropped his hand. “Yes, si—”

“Ty,” I corrected.

He opened his mouth, and I held my hand up.

“Ándale,” Luna snapped, before glancing at me. “And you can tell your chica yourself she’s sexy. Collins is bringing her in to L and A.”

I stopped dead in my tracks. “What?” Where thirty Marines worked, half of whom were single? No fucking way. “Why the hell is Collins doing that?” She was supposed to go to her father’s guarded estate.

“She requested not to go home.” Luna shrugged.

Jesus fucking Christ. “I need to get back to Miami. Now.”