“Do you think they can find you if we can get rid of the jammer?”
I nodded. “They will stop at nothing to bring me back.”
His face twisted momentarily before it smoothed back to passivity. He sat silently for a moment before he looked at his watch. “We’ve been here for about two days. If the ship left a port in New York, and we’re headed to Dürres in Albania, we might be deep into the Atlantic by now.”
“So if we take out the jammer, the guys would still have to get here. Most likely in their own boat. If they can get a signal from my ring.”
Max gusted a breath. “That’s a big if.”
“Ciel knows what he’s doing,” I said confidently. He would have made it so the ring could get a signal anywhere across the world, because that’s the kind of man he was. He always put maximum effort into his work.
“So you need my help to get that jammer down,” Max said. He sized me up. “You can’t reach it on your own.”
I pressed my lips together and jerked a nod.
“What happens to me whenyour guysget here?” His voice went sour. “They’ll either kill me, or leave me behind.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Or I will.”
He snorted and glanced away. “Or you will, yes, excellent point. So then why should I help at all? Maybe I should just take my chances.”
I stared at him as Buzz Cut’s face flashed in front of my eyes. “He’ll rape me, Max. He’ll get even worse, and he’ll keep hurting those women in the cargo hold.”
His face hardened, and he reached a hand to grab my elbow. “I won’t let him.”
“You won’t have much choice, and neither will I. If not on this ship, it will happen when we get to Albania.”
His jaw clenched as he dragged a hand down his face. “Fuck.”
“Please,” I murmured. We were still trying to keep our voices low to avoid the camera. “Help me. Temporary truce until we get off the ship.”
A war of emotions flashed across his face in quick succession. “One condition. When they come for you, you will take me with you.”
The guys would fight that. But if Max and I didn’t take out that signal jammer, they might never find me. Working together was the only choice.
“Fine.”
He huffed a laugh. “Don’t look so disappointed,piccola.”
“Don’t call me that,” I snapped, voice quiet. “I’m not a girl anymore. I’m a fucking queen, and when we get back to New York, you’ll get the full force of my wrath.”
He tilted his head back. “Pinky promise?”
I rolled my eyes, but didn’t respond.
He glanced over my shoulder at the camera. “There’s one big problem, though.”
“What?”
“If we get close to the signal jammer, they’re going to see on the camera.” He locked eyes with me again. “They will come backagain, and there will be punishment. I can try to get their attention on me, but…”
I let a slow breath out through my nose while squeezing my eyes shut. My hands trembled, but I jumped on that rattling box over and over to seal it down and bury the fear. If I didn’t do this, it would only get worse. I could survive whatever they threw at me, and when I did, I’d kill them all.
“I know,” I finally responded. “But it’s our only play here. We have to do something, or we’re both going to die.”
“We do it quick, then,” he said, moving to stand. “And hope your guys are paying attention.”
“They’re paying attention.” I grabbed his outstretched hand and let him pull me to my feet. I bit back a hiss at the shooting pain running through almost every single one of my nerve endings.
