We Need a Vacation

ZANE

A few days later, I found myself pacing down the hallway, heading towards Noah and Conner. The past few days had been a whirlwind of nerves, leaving me feeling like a tangled mess.

The fear of making a wrong move and finding Luca holding my love in his arms was haunting me. I couldn’t even count how many times I’d woken up in a cold sweat from that nightmare recently.

I stepped into my office where Noah and Conner were waiting, just as I’d asked. I closed the door behind me and sank into my chair, trying to rein in my emotions.

“Boss, you okay? You look as tense as a guitar string about to snap,” Noah said, resting his arms on the desk.

“I’ve been trying to track that fucker down for the past two days, but he keeps slipping away. He’s like a shadow, appearing and disappearing without a trace.

“I know you guys have been on the lookout too, but I can’t shake this feeling that he’s lurking around the corner, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.”

I buried my face in my hands, elbows resting on the edge of my desk.

Conner leaned forward. “We won’t rest until we have him back here, and next time, there won’t be a cell waiting for him. He’ll be going straight into the maze so we can have our fun.

“We’ve rooted out all his informants and dealt with them. I couldn’t believe how many he had planted here, working for us.”

“I know, Conner. But the nightmares haven’t stopped, and they get worse every time I close my eyes. He had his hands on her once, and it scares the shit out of me that he might succeed again.

“He knows she’s my weak spot and he’ll do everything he can to exploit that. We need a break from all this. I’ve been looking around online.

“How about a short cruise? I thought about going home, but I think we need some time to relax—for about a week, hopefully.”

The guys smiled at me. “There’s also something else you need to do on this ‘trip’,” Noah said, raising an eyebrow at me.

“Yeah, I need to take care of that too. It’s become something I need to do, on top of everything else.” My thoughts drifted back to my love.

“She won’t see it coming. She’ll be totally surprised, and I don’t think she’ll say no.

“She’s been through a lot with us, and she hasn’t run away since she sorted out her head during that brief time apart from you.” Conner smiled at the thought.

“Should I buy out the whole ship, or just block off an area for us so we don’t have anyone around us?” I wondered aloud, trying to figure out the best move.

“Hey, it’s your money. But would you sleep better knowing the whole ship is ours, or having people around when you hit the bars, casinos, and pools?”

Noah leaned back in his chair, fingers interlocked. Conner looked at me.

“What? I see the wheels turning in your head, Conner.”

“Well, Luca is slick. If you buy out the whole boat, he might plant people in there as workers. Maids might cook up something they can slip under the radar.

“If we block off a part, he might not realize it’s you. People buy off parts of the ship all the time for business trips, family reunions, things like that.

“We’d need to do it in a way that he can’t find out it’s you.

“Book it under a different name he doesn’t know, pay with cash only, and make it look like just some rich guy bought out a part of the ship for friends, family, or coworkers.”

I leaned back in my chair, thinking about whose name I could use for the booking. Then it hit me. I snapped my fingers and grabbed my laptop. I booked it under a name that only we would recognize.

I transferred the money to an offshore account to pay for the entire deck we’d be staying on. Smiling, I turned the laptop around to show them.

“You sure about that name, boss?” Noah scrutinized the computer screen.

“If she ever mentioned it to Mateo, then Luca will know exactly who it is. I know it was your pet name for her, but are you sure you never used it around anyone but us?”

“I never called her that around anyone but you two and my parents. She hated it, so I don’t think anyone else knew about it.

“I mean, Mateo never asked why I called her that or why she hated it. I don’t think she would have mentioned it; he would have used it to piss her off.”

“As long as you’re comfortable using it and we don’t have to worry about an unexpected guest causing a bloodbath on the boat, then I’m fine with it.

“Brandon is using his connections to track down Luca, but we still haven’t heard anything about his group.” Conner pushed the laptop back towards me.

“Call him and see if he can come with us too. We might need a good spy to sweep the boat and keep an eye on Shay while she’s moving around the ship.

“I don’t want to smother her while we’re doing this; she already feels like I’m suffocating her.

“She knows I’m just trying to ensure her safety, but when she’s constantly surrounded by men, she gets snippy and moody.”

Conner was on the phone with Brandon while Noah came around the other side of the desk.

“I’ll head down to the warehouse and make sure the men know their instructions while we’re gone. I’ll put Max in charge; he knows how to run everything while we’re away.”

I shook my head. “I want Max with us, just to be safe. I don’t think we’ll need his skills, but if we do, he’ll be there to take out whoever we need him to—quietly.”

Noah gave a nod of understanding before heading off to the warehouse. His mission was to ensure that my crew was up to speed and to bring Max up here. We needed to be ready to leave at dawn. Meanwhile, Conner ended his phone call.

“He’s agreed to come with us. Since it’s Sunday, he can tell his boss that a family emergency has come up and he needs to be there.

“His dad’s health isn’t the best, so they’re already aware of the situation.”

“Make sure my helicopter is ready to go, just in case something happens and he really does need to leave immediately.

“I won’t be the one to keep someone from a family member who might need them at a moment’s notice.”

Conner nodded in agreement and quickly sent a text to the pilot, letting him know to be on standby for the next week. We then left the office to double-check that everything was set and ready for our week-long absence.