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"As you have probably guessed, we are not heading to Cabo. We are making a detour and stopping at Puerto Vallarta instead. Hopefully, that will confuse the Doomers, and they won't figure out which ship we are on."
She tilted her head. "You will have to explain your logic, my son, because I do not understand how changing ports will achieve that."
"From what they got out of the tour guide, they learned that he collected his passengers at the port, so they might suspect that we are traveling by ship. They also learned from him that we were supposed to collect a woman from the hotel in Cabo. Margo didn't keep it a secret that she was joining a cruise, and she probably told a number of people about it. The Doomers no doubt interrogated some of the staff and guests and learned who she was. When Margo went missing, we were afraid that they had taken her and were holding her hostage like they did with Luis, but that wasn't what happened. In a way, we were lucky that she befriended a woman in the hotel and got caught up in a plot to kidnap and deliver the other woman to a certain cartel boss, who happened to reside in Puerto Vallarta. I don't want to go into all the details, but thanks to Roni's hacking, we were able to find out what happened to her, and since we were close to Puerto Vallarta, we were able to storm the boss's mansion, get him on his helicopter, fly to the yacht where the women were being held and rescue them." He smiled. "Kalugal compelled the boss to change his ways and become a philanthropist, and he's re-educating the boss's men as we speak. The killers will become do-gooders."
Annani's smile was hesitant. "I love it, provided that this boss and his men were not involved in the atrocities. People like that do not deserve a second chance."
"I agree. None of them are nice people, and they have killed plenty, but there are degrees of evil, and they didn't cross that line." He raked his fingers through his hair. "I'm not a vigilante, and it's not my job to get rid of every thug there is. I limit myself to the worst offenders."
She nodded. "I taught you well, my son."
"I wish I could take credit for this plan, but it was Turner's idea. If we killed Modana and his men, the rest of the cartel would have chased after us, and that was in addition to the Doomers. This way, they won't know what hit them. Kalugal used a combination of compulsion and thralling to convince Modana that the Madonna herself had spoken to him and his men and demanded that they change their ways. Nothing will connect Modana's religious awakening to us. Once Kalugal's done, he will erase the entire episode from their memories, and they won't even remember having Margo and her friend on board."
"That is very smart, but what about the Doomers? They might access the same surveillance cameras that Roni did and follow the breadcrumbs to Modana. They will know what caused his so-called religious awakening."
"Even if they had a capable hacker like Roni, which they don't, they wouldn't have thought to check the penthouse surveillance camera feeds, which is where Margo and Jasmine were when they were drugged and kidnapped. They would have only searched those next to Margo's room. But just in case they do get smart, Roni took care of that footage. He replaced those sections of the recordings with the nothing special footage from before and after."
His mother shook her head. "I have a feeling that we are missing something. It cannot be as easy as that."
Kian sighed. "I know. I was contemplating evacuating the ship and flying everyone home, but that would have been so disappointing for the rest of the couples who were planning a cruise wedding. We will stay in Puerto Vallarta for the night and stay on high alert, watching out for the Doomers." He smiled. "Vlad and Wendy will have their wedding tonight after all."
"I am pleased." His mother patted his hand. "Vlad did not know whether he should have his bachelor party, but his friends convinced him to have it even if the wedding was canceled. Wendy is with the girls and her mother, getting pampered just like the other brides."
"Good. I should let them know that it looks like their wedding is happening." Kian pushed to his feet. "The wedding will have to take place late at night, though. We still need to collect Margo and her friend from the yacht, along with Kalugal, Negal, and Edgar. Once we reach Puerto Vallarta, we will pick up the rest of our people." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Edgar flew Modana, Kalugal, and Negal to the yacht in Modana's helicopter. I could have asked him to fly the women over here and go back, but I don't want anything connecting us with the yacht or the helicopter. We will send a lifeboat to collect our people from the yacht, so if the Doomers or anyone else is watching the signals the vessels are broadcasting, they won't see us stopping next to one another."
Annani nodded sagely. "Very well. What time should I tell Amanda to plan Vlad and Wendy's wedding?"
"Ten-thirty should be fine."
65
NEGAL
Negal spent the rest of dinner in silence, pretending to listen to the others gushing over the wonders of Perfect Match. It was old technology on Anumati, and every interstellar ship was equipped with several chambers that were used for training as well as for entertainment.
No special helmets or wiring were required, and it was as simple as choosing a scenario and walking through a door.
He had done hundreds of those if not thousands, and if these people needed ideas for new adventures, he could provide them with plenty. The problem was that they would have no reference for the different worlds and creatures that he had seen firsthand and then experienced virtually.
Casting a sidelong glance at Margo, he wondered if she would have been brave enough to join him on those adventures. She was brave, as evidenced by her jumping in to help a woman she had just met. But on the other hand, she was reserved, almost shy around him, especially as the drugs she'd been injected with against her will were wearing off.
Negal missed those first moments of their interaction when she'd seemed so uninhibited, so free with her admiration and her attraction to him. But now, she was pulling back and retracting into herself, as if she was inexperienced with males or even fearful.
Perhaps her experience on the yacht had been more difficult than what she and Jasmine had admitted to?
What if those scumbags that Kalugal had attempted to turn into decent people had done bad things to the women?
Across the table, Kalugal cleared his throat quite loudly, drawing Negal's attention. "As I was saying just a few moments ago, it's important to stay calm and not let strong emotions hijack your mind." He stared pointedly at Negal.
Finally, he got the hint and closed his eyes, which were probably glowing. "Excuse me." He pushed away from the table. "I need to use the bathroom again."
"What's the matter?" Margo asked. "Are your contact lenses bothering you? Do you need me to help you get to the bathroom without bumping into anything?"
Kalugal chuckled. "I told Negal that he shouldn't wear them today, but he didn't listen."
The guy was such a resourceful liar.
Negal didn't dare open his eyes, so he had to accept Margo's help. Hopefully, she wouldn't insist on coming into the bathroom with him.
