“No problem. Just swing your leg over and sit behind me.” I do as he says, my thighs resting securely on either side of him. “Now, put your arms around me, just like that, and move when I move, like you’re an extension of my body.”
“I feel like a koala bear.”
The roar of the engine drowns out his wild laugh as he starts his bike. He kicks off, then passes the Hummer waiting for us in the front drive.
“Ready for that taste of freedom I was talking about?”
I tighten my hold on him. “Show me.”
We pull onto the main road outside of their property and Akio hits the throttle, the engine’s rumble echoing through my thighs, my bones, my chest. Wind rips at us, and I can see why he prefers to wear tight-fitting clothes when riding. Akio hits a button andMonstersby Ruelle plays through the speakers of the helmet as we zoom down the open stretch of road.
The landscape flies by in a blur, the open fields and clusters of trees giving way to neighborhoods and buildings as the sun fades into the horizon. Every sharp turn and dip in the road leaves me breathless yet exhilarated, but my trust in Akio never wavers. I surrender control to him and soak in the experience, this intimate connection between man and machine that floods my veins with adrenaline.
The Hummer is far behind, but I assume they went over the plan before we left. Streetlights guide our way across the city until we pull up to the docks.
Akio reaches down, rubbing my thigh as we slow. “We had a tip they’d be here soon. I’m going to kill the engine and walk us a little closer so we don’t alert anyone who may be waiting.”
Silently, he moves us so that we’re positioned behind a stack of containers, with a perfect view of the docks. “Where are the others?” I whisper. There’s no movement near the boat docks yet, but that doesn’t mean someone isn’t here.
Akio takes out his tablet and brings up the footage of the hidden cameras he has set up. “They’re about two minutes out. When they get here, they’ll be on the far side, near the boathouse. If I can’t get a picture of who shows up with the cameras, then they might be close enough to get a decent look from there.”
My knee bounces, nerves getting the best of me. I know there’s bad shit that goes down in Axton Harbor. Cerberus provided the proof of it all. So why is it so hard for me to believe that my cold-hearted, couldn’t-care-less-about-me father would be involved in something so depraved, so sickening?Because you’re still holding out hope that he’s the man Mom fell in love with.
“You good, Siren?”
I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Can I ask why you agreed to bring me tonight? It’s obvious Matteo doesn’t want me here.”
He maneuvers his legs over the side of the bike and perches on the seat to look over at me. “Besides having you here to identify anyone involved who’s tied to Helix Enterprises, you need to see this with your own eyesto fully accept what’s been happening under your nose. Then you’ll know for sure we’re right about your father.”
And if they’re right? Then what? Knots form in my stomach when I think about what happens after tonight. But Akio’s right. I need to see hard proof before I make any moves.
The distant hum of an engine draws our attention back to the marina. Two SUVs converge at the mouth of the dock and a half-dozen men step out of the cars. I scoot closer to Akio to get a better view on the camera.
“Recognize anyone?” he asks.
I squint at the screen, eyes jumping from one man to the next. With night vision, it’s hard to really detect anyone’s features, but I don’t miss the guns each of them have in hand. I shake my head. “Nobody looks familiar.” They’re all just standing around, like they’re waiting on something. It puts me on edge. Akio swipes up, connecting the audio from the camera closest to the SUVs to our helmets.
“—hear about O'Brian?” one of them is saying.
Another leans against the side of the vehicle. “Yeah, I saw the video. He wasn’t as good at covering his tracks as he thought.”
“Nah, man,” the first says. “Cerberus is just that good.”
The second kicks at a loose piece of gravel. “Fuck, Cerberus.” He scoffs. “Those freaks in masks are amateurs, thinking they’re the big fish in the pond. Little do they know, they’re swimming with sharks. If they posed a real threat to the operations, the boss wouldn’t risk another shipment right away.”
Beside me, Akio curses and presses a button that brings up all four cameras he has lined up around the place, one facing the entrance of the shipyard where a familiar car is rolling in. “Look who's back.”
My throat tightens as I get a look at the same car he showed me on the footage from a few weeks ago. The sedan pulls in next to the others, and just like before, all of Akio’s screens go blank.
“Motherfucker,” he hisses under his breath. “We’re blind. Whoever is in that car brought the signal jammer again.” We can’t hear anything either. I crane my neck, trying to get a look at who the new arrival is, but with the car blocking our view of the men now, we are truly fucked. “Teo says they can’t get a visual either.” He looks up from his phone. “Sorry, Siren. We’ll have to try again next time.”
My gloved fists clench against the burning disappointment in my chest. Am I willing to leave here without answers? Willing to go on not knowing if my father is the monster Cerberus is convinced he is?
The answer is no.
I’m sliding off the bike and slinking between metal containers before Akio can stop me, moving closer to get a better view. I will find the truth tonight.
“Get back here.Now,” Akio barks in my ear.
