Warning Everyone

ZANE

That night, we all made our way to the go-kart track that was set aside just for us. Conner had spent the better part of the day trying to trace the signal, but it led to nowhere.

Someone had hacked into our system, but the source was cleverly scrambled at the main connection.

A few of our guys were still on it, trying to figure out where it was coming from and who was spying on us.

Conner had a chat with the captain about it and showed him what was happening, so they let him into the main computer room that controlled all the ship’s equipment.

He let out a deep sigh next to me as we took the elevator to the top deck.

“Can’t we have one damn day where I don’t have to work? This is getting old. Every time we try to do something, someone has to screw it up.”

“We’ve got guys on it 24/7. They’ll crack the firewalls and then we’ll know where the signal is coming from.

“I think it’s Luca, but I can’t tell if he’s on the ship or somewhere on the mainland,” I said, giving him a friendly slap on the shoulder as we stepped out.

“Yeah, I know. We knew this wouldn’t be all fun and games. You always get these gut feelings when things are about to go downhill fast.

“We’ve got a lot of guys on this ship, so if he’s here, they’ll find him.”

I stopped dead in my tracks. “Shit, if he has access to that, then he knows exactly how many guys we have here with us and what they look like. He knows everyone on this ship that’s here to protect us.”

Forest stepped up with a smirk. “Not everyone. I made sure some people on this boat are completely off the radar.

“Their families booked rooms under fake names and IDs. They’re here to keep an eye on us from a distance without us knowing, so if he thinks he knows everyone, he’s in for a big surprise.”

Shay wrapped her arm around his neck and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “When did you get so damn smart? In school, you were this geeky kid who always played dumb.”

He shrugged.

“That was just a front to hide how smart I really was. If everyone knew I was a straight-A student, I’d be swamped with people wanting to cheat off me or get tutored.

“No way. I had better things to do than spend my afternoons trying to teach lazy kids who’d just hand me their work and walk off.”

She laughed as we got to the roped-off area that was now reserved just for us. People were standing all around the track, grumbling about it being closed.

I couldn’t help but smile as we walked up and showed them my ID. Then about fifteen of us walked up to the entrance to grab the karts.

I turned to Shay and the rest of the group, “I’m only going to say this once. If anyone hits her, or if you hit anyone, I swear you’ll be over there watching us race.

“Do you get it? You’re farther along now, and I’m not taking any chances this time. Shay, I mean it.”

She looked at me from under her long lashes. “Yes, Daddy, I promise.”

“Oh shit! Did she just say what I think she said?” Conner spun around to face us.

I growled low and stepped up close to her, looking her in the eyes.

“This isn’t a game, love. I mean it, don’t test me on this. You know what will happen if you defy me. We’ll be on these, and your ass will be right over there with your bodyguard.”

She crossed her arms and huffed, “Fine, I get it! Way to kill the mood.”

I cupped her face. “I don’t own these, love. We’ll race, but I mean it—no bumping into anyone.”

Everyone climbed into a kart as they let us go. The karts zoomed out of the pit area, and once again, she had a fast kart. How did she always manage to get these?

I did my best to catch up to her, but she took the corners like a pro and sped off on the straightaways. Finally, I caught up with her after a quick pit stop where they tweaked mine, overriding the governor on it.

We raced around the track, competing with each other and the other guys for our hour. People had gathered around the track to watch us, but others were pissed at how long we took.

After they pulled us back in, we all exited back onto the top deck as they opened the track back up for everyone else.

People were cursing about how we managed to do that, but I didn’t pay them any mind, instead taking my love’s hand.

She let out a long yawn, so I took her back to our suite for a few hours. She lay down on the bed and was out like a light in minutes.

After kissing her forehead and closing her door, I went into the office area where Conner was sitting at the desk.

“Boss, I swear this is the toughest thing I’ve ever done. He’s got so many signal scramblers on this that it’s like trying to follow a spider web that never ends.”

“Don’t stress yourself out over it. That’s what the other guys are for. Take a break, go for a swim or something to take your mind off this.”

Conner looked at me over his computer. “You know that’s not how I roll. I can’t just—”

“Conner, don’t make me say it again. We came on this vacation to have fun and relax, and that’s what you’re going to do.

“Shut that thing down and let’s hit the casino. She’ll be asleep for at least an hour.

“Max can watch her while we’re gone so I don’t have to worry about her getting kidnapped.”

I sent a quick text and Max showed up shortly. I told him not to leave the room until we got back. He nodded and settled down on the couch with the remote.

I pushed Conner out the door and we grabbed Noah and Forest to head down to the casino for a bit. Once there, I tried a few tables but then settled down at a blackjack game.

I had a mountain of chips stacked next to me. I was still on a winning streak when the guys showed up. They hung back, watching my lucky run at the game I never lose.

I went all-in on my final hand and hit the jackpot. The attendant handed me trays filled with my winnings and I headed to cash out.

The cashier looked at me as I pushed three trays of chips towards him. “How would you like your payout, sir?”

“Cash is fine. If you don’t have enough back there, give me what you can and credit the rest to my band for later use.”

“Here you go, sir. Two hundred and fifty thousand in cash and five hundred thousand on your account. You can transfer it to your bank when you need to,” he said.

He slid me the cash and the ticket for the rest under the bars. I pocketed them and turned to head back to our room.

Suddenly, Max came running up, blood trickling down his forehead.

“Max, where’s Shay?” I asked, taking in his battered appearance.

“I’m sorry, man. I dozed off on the couch watching TV, then heard the door crash open. Four guys jumped me before I could reach my gun.

“He’s here on this damn ship. It was Luca, man. I saw him go into the bedroom and carry her out.

“They knocked me out after giving me a good beating. I can’t tell you how sorry I am.”

“Conner, hack into the security system now! I need to see where they took her.”

I sprinted down the hall back towards the rooms.