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Chapter Sixteen
Coop
Somehow I had to find a way to stretch that promise. At least long enough to give her a chance at real freedom.
The sun had begun to descend on the western horizon. Far away, a few clouds had built up high and white on top, dark with rain at the bottom. Typical of the patchy systems that would move over quickly. The ocean was calm and the M/YZamarad was the only vessel in visual range. At any moment that could change thanks to the half-billion-dollar asset being brought up.
I noticed Nik was also staying situationally aware as he and Titan played an impromptu game of fetch with a chunk of driftwood. Zee and Thea had taken off their shoes to wade into the water as Thea had no memory of ever having been to the ocean. Now the women had returned to sit on the beach while we waited for the tender to come pick us up.
“Fancy diving boat you got us, brother.”
I turned to Leo, whose eyes roved the stunning modern lines of the Italian-built Zamarad.
“It’s not a boat, it’s a yacht. A mega one. It’s actually the smallest of the three in the Beryl fleet.” Both the Zamarad and the Zanjibayl had been named after Zaki’s deceased daughters, while the Zamirah bore his granddaughter’s name.
Having worked a job off the Zamarad in Monaco six months ago with Scott Hayes, I easily recalled the layout of each of her four decks. Like the others, the luxury ocean liner had been exquisitely outfitted. The ship’s grand design came complete with all the frills from a topside Jacuzzi, bar, and multiple cushioned lounge spaces all the way down to a teak-paneled, fully stocked tender and toy garage at ocean level.
“So, like, how much would a weekly charter on something like this run?” Leo asked.
Spotting the approaching tender, Aziza stood up and shrugged. “Last season we were getting anywhere between two and three hundred a week. Not including tips, of course.”
“Hundred…?”
Zee nodded. “Thousand.”
As I watched her brush the sand off her backside, my fingers ached and my cock twitched. “Need help?”
She swatted my offered hand away as she focused on her conversation with Leo. “It stays booked, too.”
“A million a month? Dang.”
I clapped Leo’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, bro, we’ll likely only be here for three days. With your Outbreak endorsement deal, you should be able to pick up the tab, right?”
Before even giving Leo a chance to do the math, Zee assured him, “Sharky’s teasing. No one’s getting charged. This is a job, not a charter. But if any of you ever want to take a week’s vacation on her, everything will be compliments of Zaki, including handsome tips for the staff.”
Leo cocked a brow at me as he flashed a shit-stirring grin. “Sharky, is it? That’s a new one.”
“Seriously?” I rolled my eyes. “Zee just offered you the most amazing week of your life, and you want to ask about that?”
“Yes, I’m very curious, Sharky.”
I shot my little brother an I’ll-be-killing-you-later smile, which he returned with an it-will-so-be-worth-it one.
“It’s actually mushaeghib and he earns it. Often,” Zee added with a chuckle.
“Troublemaker, right?” Thea piped up as she dusted sand from the backs of her calves.
“Yes! You know Arabic?” Zee asked, sounding impressed.
“Apparently. And German. But I couldn’t tell you how.”
Zee flashed her a sympathetic smile, no doubt aware of Thea’s unique lack of memories due to a head injury during a tornado back in Kansas.
“Well, like the troublemaker Coop is”—Zee turned her grin on me—“he’s convinced I’m calling him My-sharky instead.”
“Fits you,” Nik said, coming up behind Thea and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. The twinkle in his green eyes as they volleyed between Aziza and me meant the comment wasn’t referring to the nickname. “I like it.”
He was being a hell of a lot nicer about Zee than I’d been about Thea. Not knowing how long I had before the ticking timebomb in my skull went off, I’d been impatient and on edge. I’d been eager to see Aziza and I’d blamed Thea for delaying us. But what had really gotten my brotherly concern up was how quickly after he’d retired that their relationship had become serious. He still had blood behind his ears from leaving the Teams and he was playing house with new bathmats and a beautiful woman’s heart.
