Wyatt moved instantly. He got one man’s arm behind his back and drove him into a second before the remaining three swarmed him, slamming him into the wall with combined force.
“Nobody move.”
Jen lifted her hands. Caro mirrored her a heartbeat later with her uninjured hand. A rifle nudged Caro away from the controls, forcing her to Jen’s side. Two of the men turned to the panel, scanning for information.
The leader wiped blood from the burst lip Wyatt had given him. He stepped forward to where his men held Wyatt and slammed the butt of his handgun into Wyatt’s face.
The crack echoed off the tiles as Wyatt’s head snapped sideways. Blood opened above his eyebrow and ran down his temple.
Jen stifled a sob.
Wyatt didn’t cry out. He just lifted his head and looked straight at the man.
It didn’t take long for the men at the console to realize the situation wasn’t retrievable.
“Topside,” one barked. “Now.”
Hands grabbed Jen, hauling her forward. She stumbled in her wetsuit, shoved out into the corridor. Caro followed. Then Wyatt—dragged, bleeding, but still fighting every step.
They’d won.
But winning didn’t mean surviving.
Rain lashed her face as they were forced back onto Seven’s deck. Wind tore at her hair, freezing against her exposed skin. She zipped her wetsuit back up to the throat. The cargo ship pitched in the distance, too far out now to matter.
Satisfaction curled tight in her gut. Their cargo ship was useless.
On the helipad, a man waited, flanked by guards.
Akilov.
He looked almost ordinary—a neatly groomed beard, composed expression. Like an accountant. Except for his eyes. His eyes were cataloguing them the way Wyatt catalogued targets—measuring distance, calculating value, deciding who to spend first.
His gaze slid to her. “Chief Engineer James.”
He walked to the rail, stared down at the black water where the docking platform should have been.
When he turned back, his expression seethed with contained fury. "You've cost me everything." His gaze swept over her—soaked, bleeding, still standing. "Quite the rebel, Chief Engineer."
“The missiles stay here.” Her chin lifted despite the tremor locking her limbs. This was it. She’d kept the missiles safe. But what now?
Akilov smiled faintly. “Yes. They do. A helicopter is inbound. You will come with me.” His smile sharpened. “Or I'll kill him. Then her.” A glance toward Caro. “And every hostage on this rig.”
The distant thud of rotor blades rose above the storm.
Akilov directed a clipped nod at his men. Two of them forced Wyatt to his knees. Sleet clung to his bare shoulders and chest. One pressed a gun to the back of his skull. He didn’t fight or struggle. Instead, he lifted his head and looked straight at Jen.
Her breath snagged in her throat.
No.
“She’s not coming with you.” Wyatt’s voice was level.
No. No.“Wyatt?—”
He gave a shake of his head. “I am.”
The words knocked the air from her lungs. The man who’d held her face in the dark. Who’d confessed his worst secret to bring her back. Who’d promised her coffee.
