Moving to grab the door handle, my heart sank as the door refused to open no matter how hard I pulled.That was when I realized a bullet had shattered the security panel that opened the door.
“Fuck!The door is broken!”I shouted over the gunfire.Looking up, I noticed the helicopter was no longer at the front of the yacht, but I could still hear it hovering near the main deck.Seconds later, more gunfire erupted.
“Stay behind me!”Sloane called as I clutched Camaro’s frazzled body closer to me.The gunfire continued on for several more minutes until Sloane cursed under her breath.“I only have four bullets left.”
Well fuck.
“Time to make them count,” I stated, nodding out to the bow where the gunmen were still hiding behind the now shot-to-shit furniture and storage containers.
Sloane growled in frustration.“I could really use some backup over here!”she snarled into the mic of her earpiece, but considering what was still going on at the stern, I doubted anyone would be able to get to us.
Sloane sighed as she stared at me, knowing what she had to do.“Do not move,” she ordered sternly, poking my chest.“I’ll be right back.”
Turning away, she darted from the cover of the wall and maneuvered beyond my sight into the gunfire.Seconds later, I could hear the shouts of two of the gunmen before they hit the floor.
Camaro growled at my side as she sniffed the air, her body moving anxiously in anticipation of an impending threat.And she was right, because thirty seconds later, one of the gunmen appeared about ten feet from us.
Camaro jumped into action before I could order a single command, running for the gunman at full speed and launching herself into the air.He barely had time to raise his rifle before her body slammed into his chest and her teeth sank into his neck.Jerking her head back and forth, she violently ripped into his throat, blood spurting all over the floor as the man screamed.
But then the fourth gunman appeared from behind a crate, his gun pointing at my dog.Moving quickly, I dove for Camaro, rolling to the floor so I could snatch the dead guy’s gun and aimed it at the fourth gunman.He went down after I fired off two shots, forcing Sloane to suddenly reappear with an angry look on her face.She then turned back to fire an additional bullet into the guy’s head and then beelined it for me.
“I told younotto move,” she scolded as she reached down to pull me up from the ground.Gunfire continued from the other end of the yacht, telling us both the evening was far from over.
“I know, but?—”
“You’re fucking pregnant, Jaden,” she continued sharply.“Act like it already.If you and your fetus die, all three of us will be entering the afterlife together, and so will Camaro.Understand?”
I chewed on my lip for a second before acknowledging that I had been reckless and nodded.But it was Camaro, and I knew I was capable.Still, Sloane had a point.I didn’t want to see my dog end up as Darren’s fireplace rug if I lost this pregnancy.
“Yeah, I got it.”
“Good.Now, come on,” she said, pulling me to follow her as she led us back to the door with the busted lock.She tried several times to get the lock to disengage, punching in code after code, but nothing seemed to work.“Blin!”she cursed in Russian, groaning in annoyance before pulling out one of her guns to reload.“This is the only door back inside on this level,” Sloane said calmly as she pulled the slide back to load a bullet into the chamber.“The only way to get you somewhere secure is to go up the ladder to the second level, which unfortunately is near the damn main deck.”
I frowned at her plan.“Camaro can’t climb ladders.”
Sloane took out her second gun to reload it.“My job is to protect you, Jaden, not Camaro.”
I returned her warning with a glare.“Where I go, she goes.”
She sighed heavily as she cocked the Sig in her hand and looked down at me.“I know.Now, let’s go.”
Taking my arm, she led me around the side of the yacht, random rounds of gunfire and shouting ringing in my ears.But as we scaled along the side of the walls, a loud explosion blasted through the air, rumbling the entire yacht and lighting up the sky.A loud splash followed, and I couldn’t stop myself from peering further out and seeing the remnants of a burning helicopter sink into the water.
“Was that an RPG?”I asked Sloane as we watched the helicopter disappear into the darkness of the water.
“Most likely,” she said as she shoved me back against the wall.“Now, stay low.”
I followed Sloane’s lead until we came to the ladder, but by then, the gunfire had died down, causing her to pause for a moment.
“Stay behind me,” she ordered, peering around the barrier to check the scene.“Clear!?”she called out.
“Clear!”
“Clear!”
“All clear!”
After enough guards had given verbal confirmation that the area was secure, Sloane allowed me to follow her onto the main deck.The gruesome scene I walked out to was nothing short of typical Darren bullshit.Bodies were littered everywhere, blood splattered on the shiny polished wood, bullet holes in the walls, and casings scattered on the floor.