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“I’m hoping the plan is as simple as this—we sneak on board and kill everyone except for the captives,” said Havana. “Because, personally, I don’t think the bidders should be allowed to wander free any more than Gideon and his employees should.”
“Nor do I, babe,” said Tate. “His ‘guests’ are here to buy people—that lost them the right to live. If it wasn’t for fuckers like them, there’d be no market for this kind of thing.”
Bailey’s brows lifted. “Then no one has a problem if I kill any whom I happen across?”
“No,” Tate told her.
The mamba smiled. “Groovy. Because I’d have done it anyway.”
Tate turned to his pride mates. He’d brought plenty along with him after hearing that Gideon would have a lot of workers on board—some were chefs, waiters, etc., but they were loyal to Gideon and would join him in a fight if necessary.
“This all has to happen very fast. As soon as Gideon realizes his guards are down, he’ll know something is wrong.” Tate turned to Luke. “Alex and I will take out the men on the dock. You will lead some of our pride onto the upper deck to put the guards out of commission. Once they’re down, the rest of us will board except for Farrell, Grant, JP, Chen, and Joaquin—they’ll stand on the dock and eliminate anyone who throws themselves overboard and tries swimming to safety.”
Tate turned to his mate. “I want you, Aspen and Bailey to head to the lowest quarters, take care of whatever guards might be there, and free the captives. Deke and Isaiah will aid you. Take the captives straight to one of our SUVs. We can’t risk them running into the fight, potentially getting caught, and unwittingly making themselves hostages. Sam is waiting near the SUVs, he’ll heal any who might have wounds,” Tate added, referring to the second healer within his pride.
“I’ll get them to safety,” Havana vowed.
“I don’t doubt that. Dad, I want you to see if you can find any papers or documentation from prior auctions that might show us where other trafficked loners were taken. Alex will go with you. If there’s a safe or locked room, he can get you into them.”
Vinnie nodded.
Tate cupped his mate’s neck and gave it a gentle squeeze, almost smiling at her “Be careful” look. “All right, let’s move.”
Despite having utter faith in Tate, Havana felt her pulse quickening when he and Alex slipped away and became part of the night. Luke and a small team of cats also melted away, heading in the other direction.
She squinted, straining to catch sight of Tate. Nothing. Her heart began to beat a little faster, and a knot formed in her gut. It was only her past experiences with these sorts of situations that stopped her from restlessly tapping her foot.
She stilled as he and Alex materialized behind the two men on the dock. Both Tate and the wolverine snapped the necks of their targets in an instant. And the knot in her gut blessedly unraveled. Her devil chuffed, impressed by their stealth. No sooner had they hauled off the bodies than Luke signaled that the guards were all down.
Havana glanced at Farrell and the cats who’d be watching the dock. “Call out if you need us.” She skimmed her gaze over the others and then tipped her chin toward the yacht. With little to no sound, they hurried toward it. She was thankful for the music she could hear playing on the middle deck, because there was no way to stop the wooden boards of the dock from creaking here and there as they dashed across it.
Tate caught up to her there. “Stay alert.”
“You, too,” she said.
Everyone swarmed the yacht in an eerie silence and headed in different directions. The scents of saltwater, sea air, and wood polish were heavy, making her devil’s nose twitch.
Keeping her tread light so that the soles of her sneakers wouldn’t squeak on the deck, Havana led the way as she, Bailey, Aspen, Deke, and Isaiah wandered the ground level in search of the entrance to the crew’s quarters. She heard muffled voices coming from a room up ahead that, if the scents filtering out of it were anything to go by, was probably a kitchen.
Latch door.
Recognizing it from Gavin’s description, Havana crouched near it and grabbed the handle. According to Gavin, only one shifter stayed down there with the captives. Havana knew they’d need to eliminate him fast so that he wouldn’t have a chance to call out for help. She signaled to Bailey, who promptly shifted.
Havana whipped up the hatch door. A man sitting on a stool at the base of the stairs looked up just as the snake dived at him. Before he had the chance to cry out, she’d curled her slender body tight around his neck.
