Dark Vengeance by Kristi Belcamino (libby ebook reader .txt) 📗

the ferry. There were only a half dozen beat-up rusted vehicles, probably belonging to fishermen out on the water.

I was in the back of X’s sedan, some big black luxury model. My hands were bound behind my back again. When I’d come downstairs ready to go, he’d nodded and the bodyguard had come over with some fabric to bind my wrists. Unprofessional jerry rigging for sure. I thought about trying to fight or run, but that same guy sat in the corner with his assault rifle casually pointed at me.

The bodyguard had held a pistol to my back until I’d gotten into the backseat. I thought I would have a chance with my feet free. I was already imagining how I’d wrap my ankles around the driver’s head and neck to choke him out when the bullish bodyguard with the assault weapon slid into the backseat beside me.

X sat up front, and the other bodyguard drove.

At the marina, I was nudged out of the vehicle.

“You gonna untie me?” I asked X.

He ignored me, looking out at the water.

I turned and saw the same thing he did—a large boat anchored just off the long wooden deck where the ferry came in. The boat was dark. Not even a glimmer of light anywhere.

The Sultan.

I looked around the marina parking lot, trying not to move my head or be obvious.

If the boat was here, the Sultan’s men were already on shore somewhere.

X had underestimated everyone he came up against. I wasn’t surprised. He wasn’t a hard-core criminal. He was a con artist who had killed out of fear and necessity.

He had the money to pay for men like the two bodyguards flanking me, but if it was strictly a paycheck, they could be bought.

X had wandered off toward the small shack at the base of the dock.

I spoke in a low voice.

“X is going to be dead by the time the sun rises. You should probably pick your side now. If you stick by him, you’ll probably be dead, as well. If you leave now, you might have a chance to live.”

Neither one spoke, but they did exchange looks over the top of my head.

“If you do live, if you walk away right now, I’ll make it worth your while. If you give me one of your guns, I’ll make sure you don’t have to work for a year.”

“You wish, bitch.”

“You have two seconds to decide?”

One of them snickered. “No fucking way we’d agree to that.”

The other said, “Why would we believe you, anyway?”

“Now that you’ve made your decision, here’s how it’s going to go down.”

I’d worked the bindings loose around my wrist. Inside the car, I’d reached into my back pocket where I’d slid the razor blades. Now the binding was hanging by a thread.

“Oh, do tell,” one of the brothers said.

“In two seconds, I’m going to take your gun and shoot your brother in the leg with it. And when he falls to the ground, I’m going to take the butt of your gun and ram it into your balls so you end up on the ground, as well. Then I’m going to stomp on your neck with the heel of my boot, crushing your carotid sheath, larynx and trachea all at once. I may be able to tear your hypoglossal artery, so you choke on your own blood. At the same time, I’m going to lean down and use your own fingers to squeeze the trigger, blowing off your brother’s head.”

There was the start of a scoffing sound before I did just as I described.

I’m not gonna lie, I was a little surprised I was able to execute it exactly as I’d described.

As soon as I’d shot the one brother in the head and the other was slowly dying, suffocating from his crushed airway, I looked toward the dock.

X was gone. I turned, scooping up one of the assault rifles and fired at the tires of X’s sedan. I hit one and then when I was about to take out the rest, something made me turn back around.

Standing in front of the dock was a man I’d only heard about.

The Sultan.

28

He was a hulking figure in a black robe that fell to the pavement. He seemed to glide instead of walk. He was wearing a hood. His face was completely engulfed by the darkness.

I couldn’t believe it—the Sultan had come in person. It sent a chill down my spine.

He was alone. That couldn’t be right.

That’s when I heard them. I was surrounded. I turned to see small ninja-like figures with masks surrounding me. They didn’t have guns. But they were moving toward me fast.

I still had the assault rifle in my arms. They didn’t seem too worried about it. That alone worried me. Then I remembered that Eva had told me the Sultan’s soldiers, mostly young women were brainwashed. They would die for him. Kamikaze style. That was not good.

For them or for me.

I ignored them, staring at the Sultan. He stood eerily still. His face was just out of the beam of light, remaining in the shadows. I took a step forward, fascinated. He exuded an aura of dark evil. It was tangible. It was unlike anything I’d ever felt before.

I took another step, glancing behind me. The small ninjas were surrounding me from behind now in a semi-circle. But they were keeping their distance. I assumed they were waiting for a command from the Sultan.

Keeping my eyes trained on him now, I took another step forward. Now, I’d cleared the dead or dying brothers. But I was still too far away to shoot him with the rifle I held.

With my focus on the Sultan, I didn’t really register the sound of a helicopter until he turned his head to look behind him. Even at a distance, I could tell by the bone-thudding sound that it was a military bird.

And then, with just a tilt of his head, the ninja-like figures raced past me in a flurry and