Say the Word(146)

“When you didn’t come back from the bathroom with Simon and Fae, we all knew immediately that something was wrong. We went to the curb and found Agent Greene — the man Conor assigned to watch you for the night — barking into his phone. He said he’d seen you climb into an unmarked cab.”

“Miri called — she was hurt, scared. I didn’t think.” I shook my head. “I wasn’t paying attention. I was dialing Conor…”

I felt Bash’s chest heave in a sigh. “I know. It’s lucky you were able to keep him on the line for a few minutes. He traced your cellphone signal to the Brooklyn Bridge — that’s where it went dead.”

“They tossed it out the window, into the water,” I guessed.

“Probably.” Bash nodded. “By that point, I’d gotten Agent Greene to bring me along as he rode to meet Conor—”

“How’d you manage that?” I tilted my face to look at him, one eyebrow raised.

Bash shrugged. “I was persuasive.”

“Meaning you screamed a lot and threatened his life?” I asked.

He cracked a small smile. “Agent Greene and I rode to meet Conor. He was trying to trace the signal from the bracelet he gave you, but the pings it transmits aren’t always precise. In the meantime, we drove to Red Hook and started searching the docks, but there was no sign of you anywhere. The brewery was abandoned. We got a lucky break when the Coast Guard got a message through to Conor.”

My eyes widened.

“Apparently, they received a radio distress call from an unknown vessel somewhere in the harbor.” Bash’s smile stretched wider. “A young woman named Lux Kincaid had requested aid. She said she’d been kidnapped and gave a location that, within minutes, gave authorities enough information to track down the unregistered freighter.”

I laughed incredulously, tucking my face into the crook of Bash’s neck with a sigh.

“It’s over,” I whispered. “I’m so glad it’s over.”

“Me too, Freckles.” He kissed the top of my head.

A commotion on the gangplank drew both of our gazes.

“Get off me! You have no right to hold me!” Judith screeched, straining against the metal handcuffs on her wrists as two agents led her onto the docks. “You can’t do this! You have no evidence of my involvement.”

“Actually, we have a witness who heard your full confession,” Conor informed her, trailing behind the restraining agents. He smiled broadly at me when his feet landed on the dock.

Judith’s head swiveled in my direction and she opened her mouth to spit another string of venomous words. Her lips froze when her eyes locked on her son, whose arms were still wrapped tight around my frame.

“Sebastian,” she whispered. “Don’t let them do this to me! You know I’m innocent.”

Bash dropped his arms and stepped around me, walking in his mother’s direction with measured strides. When he reached her, he leaned down and spoke in a voice that held no traces of love or familial loyalty.

“You did this to yourself.” His tone was as cold as his words. “You’re not innocent — you haven’t been innocent a day in your life.”

“I’m your mother!” she protested.

“Not anymore.” Bash lifted his head and looked at Conor. “Take her away. I don’t want Lux to have to look at her for another second.”

Judith’s face went pale and her arms went limp as Bash turned his back on her and walked to my side. She didn’t fight the agents as they led her to a black sedan parked nearby and locked her inside.

A parade of nearly a dozen criminals soon followed, as each of her thugs was led from the ship, loaded into a waiting van, and chained to the benches inside. Smash-Nose was one of the last to emerge from the ship, his bloodied nose still seeping and his cold eyes narrowed on me with hatred.

“Bitch,” he hissed as he was led past.

The agent restraining him yanked harshly on his handcuffs, and Smash-Nose fell to his knees several feet from me. “You say something, Miller?” the agent hissed.

Smash-Nose whimpered and shook his head, his eyes averted from me.

“Good.” The agent pulled his prisoner to his feet and shoved him into the waiting van.

Andrew was the last off the ship — brooding in silence as he walked past, too proud to even look in our direction. That was more than fine with me; I had no desire to listen to more of his angry ramblings or promises of revenge. And, anyway, there were much more important things to focus my attention on at the moment.

Like Miri, who was rushing down the gangplank as fast as her legs could carry her.

She hit the docks and flew in my direction — all I could do was open my arms, stand still, and brace for impact.

Her arms wrapped tightly around my midsection and I could feel her labored breathing against my collarbone. The comforting weight of Sebastian’s hand landed on my shoulder and I squeezed Miri tighter, my eyes locked on the gangplank over her head. They filled slowly with tears as I watched the procession of girls.

Each supported or carried by an agent, the girls were ushered off the ship and into the arms of waiting paramedics. I held my breath when Vera finally appeared, lying limp in Conor’s arms. When he lowered her onto a stretcher, Miri and I rushed to her side.