Page 83 of Rescuing Mia
The rib pulls up alongside the attackers first. The man on board hauls them from the water and then turns toward us, engine revving as it closes the distance.
I brace for a fight, my body coiled and ready to strike. I may be outnumbered and outmatched, but I’ll be damned if I let them take Mia without a fight.
But as the boat draws closer, something feels off. The men on board aren’t aiming weapons at me. They aren’t shouting threats or demands. Instead, they’re focused on Mia and her unconscious form. Then, a voice cuts through the night, a voice I haven’t heard in years but would recognize anywhere.
“Rigel? Rigel Hanson, is that you?”
I whip my head around, my eyes widening in disbelief as I take in the sight of the man at the helm. He rips off his goggles and HUD, revealing a face I haven’t seen in years.
“Well, I’ll be damned. You son of a bitch! What the hell are you doing out here?”
Chapter Thirty-One
RIGEL
Disbelief washes over me.
“Blake?” I croak, my voice raw with shock and confusion. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Blake smirks. “I asked first. What the fuck are you doing in the middle of the ocean with our target?”
“Your friends tossed her overboard.” I glance at the men, glaring while hovering protectively over Mia. I know Blake, but these men are strangers.
“Your little hero act fucked our perfectly planned extraction ten ways to Tuesday.” One of the men fires back at me, his face twisted in frustration.
I raise an eyebrow, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Extraction? Is that what you call throwing an unconscious woman into the ocean?”
“She wasn’t unconscious when I tossed her in, and I put her in a life vest first.” The man throws his hands up, exasperated. “It wasn’t supposed to go down like that. We had a plan to engage her, tell her we were there for rescue, and escort her down to the back dive platform. From there, into the RIB. Nice and easy.” He jabs a finger at me accusingly. “But then you had to play the white knight, andeverything devolved into a shit show. I had to think on my feet, and that meant getting her off that boat by any means necessary.”
I slowly realize this man is the leader of this team, but it doesn’t stop my anger from rising hot and cutting. My fists clench at my sides.
“So you’re saying it’s my fault she nearly drowned?”
“If the shoe fits,” the man mutters, but he’s quickly cut off by Blake.
“Enough, Ethan,” Blake says firmly, his eyes darting between us. “What’s done is done. We’ve got her, and that’s what matters.” He turns to me, his expression softening slightly. “But seriously, what the hell were you doing?”
“I thought I was rescuing Mia from assassins.” I run a hand through my wet hair, finger-combing the strands.
“Blake, fish your friend out of the water.” Ethan turns to the other men on the RIB, barking orders with the authority of a seasoned commander. “Walt, Gabe, get the girl. Hank, keep an eye out for any other hostiles.”
“Hostiles?” I ask.
“We’re not the only ones looking for your girl.” The man wipes at a bloody nose. “You’ve got one hell of a right hook.”
“Yeah, not sorry about that.”
I help them lift Mia’s unconscious form onto the boat, my muscles screaming in protest. Blake gives me a hand as I climb into the boat. Once onboard, I turn to Blake, my expression serious.
“Seriously, Blake, what the hell are you doing out here?”
“What’s it look like?” Blake grins, his eyes glinting with mischief. “We’re saving your ass.”
“What part of serious do you not understand? And for the record, my ass doesn’t need saving. I had everything under control.”
“Your friend kicked our asses, that’s for sure.” Walt pulls off his goggles and gives me a stare that could cut diamonds. “He took us on like it was nothing.” He rubs his jaw ruefully. “Even when Gabe joined in, and it was three-to-one, it still felt like we were fighting ten of him. If Ethan hadn’t grabbed the girl…”
“He would’ve been mopping the deck with us,” Hank chimes in,rubbing his jaw ruefully. “And then he decided to take a swim and kick our asses in the water too.”