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“Kate, you need to do your thing,” Malakai says, looking over at her.
She nods, flipping open the laptop, booting it up. Within minutes she’s typing away and the black screen is filled with lines and lines of code. Her fingers move quickly across the keyboard as she frowns in concentration.
“Do you know, Kate, if I weren’t so crazy about Asia, I might just fancy you a little bit,” Sonny says with a laugh. “Nothing like a computer geek to get the blood pumping.”
In response Kate lifts her hand, flipping him the middle finger. We all laugh, and that laughter gains momentum as we wait for her to tell us she’s cracked the security system.
“Enough!” Malakai snaps, twisting in his seat to face us. He taps on his iPhone watch. “According to Connie, they’ve arrived and are being led to the dining hall by the butler. When she messages me to say they’re all seated together, we move.”
“Isn’t it a bit risky her texting you?” Ford asks, leaning forward in his seat so that he’s looking over my shoulder from behind. My skin warms at his closeness, and when he brushes a kiss against my neck, I tremble a little.
“She has an iPhone watch too. One quick tap on her wrist and the pre-programmed message is sent.”
After another ten minutes of waiting, Malakai’s watch lights up. “We’re a go,” he confirms, a muscle in his jaw feathering as another message pops up on his wrist. “Kate, we good?”
“Piece of cake,” she confirms, grinning at us all. “You’ve got one-hour tops before the security firewalls kick in and the sensors pick you up. You need to be out of here at ten past eight. Any later and we’re in trouble.”
“That should be more than enough time. Thank you.” Malakai pulls down his black ski mask, indicating we should do the same. One by one we follow suit, leaving only our eyes and mouths visible as we pile out of the car. Before heading towards the gate, Malakai leans inside the open door.
“If I send you an SOS, I want you to message this number then get the hell out of here. I’m assuming you can drive?” Malakai asks.
“You assume correctly.”
“Good. Drive to the harbour and wait on Princess. Someone will come for you.”
Kate nods, her eyes fearful. “Who am I messaging?”
“Backup.”
“You have backup?” Eastern asks, surprised.
Malakai closes the car door with a gentle click. “A good soldier always has a backup plan. Fortunately for you all, I’m the best of the goddamn best. Now, come on. Let’s find your friend.”
“Just a minute,” Eastern says facing me. He grips my shoulders. “You could stay with Kate. We can do this on our own. You don’t need to come.”
“No way. I’m not letting you go in there without me. That’s not happening, Eastern.”
He grits his teeth biting down on his response. I know he’s afraid for me. I’m afraid too, but I will not back down. I need to prove to them that I have their backs after I let them down so spectacularly the other day. For betternotworse, I’ve chosen these boys, these men, and they’ve chosen me. If one makes a stand then we all do. That’s the way it has to be from now on in. We’re a family by choice and that’s what makes us strong.
“Asia, you ready?” Ford asks me, drawing me back into the moment.
I grit my teeth and nod my head, ignoring the bead of sweat that falls down my spine, reminding me of the fear and danger we’re all in. “I’m ready.”
He glances at the rest of the guys, a determined set to his jaw. “We finish this tonight. No one fucks with our family and gets away with it.”
Stepping forward, he holds his arm out, his hand fisted. Eastern doesn’t hesitate, he places his palm over Ford’s closed fist and grips it tightly, a fierce look passes between them. So much has changed these past few months since I joined Oceanside, and despite the dangerous situation we’re in, my heart swells with admiration, with joy at the fierce loyalty they share now.
Next to place his hand into the circle is Camden. His split knuckles are still weeping a little, and beneath the swelling of his face I catch the darkness in his gaze and the need for revenge.
“You up for this, Cam?” Ford asks him, concerned for his friend, because they are friends. We all are. The last few months have brought us closer, bound us together in an unbreakable unit. Camden gives Ford a look that cuts his question dead.
“No motherfucker is going to stop me, and if I should die tonight, I will spend all of eternity making sure that cunt wished he’d never been born.”
Ford nods, grimacing. We exchange looks. Both of us fearful for him. If we survive tonight, it’ll take Camden a long time to recover. Perhaps he never will. Either way, we’ll be right there by his side ready to catch him when he breaks, and he will break. We all will eventually.
Sonny flicks his gaze to mine and for a moment I can’t breathe. He says so much without saying anything at all.
“Sonny?” I question. Being here is hard for him, not because he doesn’t want to fight, but because he’s afraid of what will happen if he does.
