Fourteen

It was hard to go through without even being caught by those men.

I held on to Rex as he sneaked our way out of the room. Those men started their move as they checked every room.

The yacht had plenty of empty rooms, and it was owned by only ten people.

Hearing them talk about taking the women and killing the men makes my stomach sick. I can not believe something like this happened during a family vacation.

I thought a tropical paradise would be peaceful and fun, but to think a band of modern pirates showed up and infiltrated our vacation, and for what? A ransom?

Do they want money?

I don't have what they will ask for since I'm not taking over Grandpa's company.

Are they Grandpa's enemies? Do they know that Odin King's grandchildren were on board and sent for revenge?

But they said to kill all men, which included Ares. So, in theory, they have no connection to any of Grandpa's enemies.

Grandpa warned us he has many enemies; some are dangerous and don't shed a tear at death. Those are sadists with no remorse. They find death amusing, like watching a concert for killers.

Oh god, just the thought of it makes my stomach feel even worse.

Rex stops and crouches down, gesturing for me to stay quiet as he slightly peers at the corner.

"What do you see?" I whisper next to his ear.

"Two bogies, and they are searching Logan's room."

"Damn it," I hissed silently. "They already found the room."

"It's good that Logan and the others had left before those two showed up."

"But they will notice they are gone and be on high alert," I whisper scream. "We must get to the others fast before they find us first."

Rex takes my hand as we dash straight to the stairs, heading down. He came to a halt, almost hitting my face with his back, when another group of two started scanning around with their guns in hand until one of them spotted us.

"Hey!"

"Shit! Go! Go!" Rex cried out as we ran away.

"Lorenzo! I found them!" The second guy screamed while the other was shouting in his language, and both started firing their gun at us.

Rex and I duck our heads and avoid the bullets flying at us. He made a sharp right, and we hid to keep ourselves alive.

"Rex, what are we going to do?!" I frantically asked.

Bullets kept firing endlessly.

Before he could answer me, one of them surprised us and aimed his gun at us. I let out a scream as it made Rex pounce at the guy and wrestle the gun. I peeked at the corner for the other two as another round of bullets flew at us.

"Rex, hurry!"

Rex's headbutt is the guy who makes his stubble grow back and loses his grip on the gun. Once the gun was let go, Rex grabbed the weapon and did another hard swing in the face. The guy falls back, unconscious.

"Okay, let's go," Rex extended his hand as I grabbed it.

"He won't wake up, right?" I asked, worried that he didn't hit the guy hard enough.

"If he did, then I would have to shoot him," Rex put my hand and asked me to grab his shirt. "Whatever you do, don't let go."

I nodded and used both hands to grip his shirt as he held the gun in a ready-to-shoot position and continued to meet up with our friends.

We made our way around to meet the other pirates who had been shooting at us. Rex told me to stay behind as he sneaked and attacked the two in the head.

Both went down in a flash.

Rex didn't want to kill any of them, which sometimes made me worried, but I trusted him with his decision.

I've never seen Rex in action. Seeing him all commando and take on those pirates one by one makes him hella sexy. I'm so lucky to have him in my life.

Making him take on the bad guys while I'm the damsel in distress makes me think I'm useless. I should help him and take on a few guys, but I will get in the way. Rex has more experience in situations like this, while I tend to pick fights.

"Okay, shhh...I see one bogey left. He's probably the leader of this party," Rex says as we lie low, but I didn't respond. "Thea, what's wrong?"

I look up at him. "Rex, I'm supposed to be a tough girl. I have to put on a persona in front of my siblings to show I can be the sister they can count on. Getting into fights is what I'm used to doing as a hard-headed kid, but involving guns is a different story. I have never experienced fighting with someone who has a weapon in hand. The thought of being stabbed or shot scares me sometimes; I won't see my family anymore. That is why I stopped acting like a delinquent and started thinking about my family and future."

I lowered my head and clenched his shirt tight. "Seeing you do all this while I hide and watch makes me useless. I want to help, but I'm scared. What if I do something reckless and you get hurt? I don't want that to happen, not again."

I hear him drop the gun and cup my face as we share contact. Even under the night sky with the moon lighting, we look at each other. I got a warp in his blue eyes, and suddenly all my worries faded away.

"Baby, you are not useless," he says to me. "You don't even have to tough it to prove you can be useful. I like this side of you. I get to show my manly side for you."

"You are just mocking me," I pout, making him chuckle lightly.

"I would never mock you for being yourself. That strong and willful woman is the one I'm happy to spend my life with." Rex brushes a strain of my hair back, kisses my forehead, and then shares a kiss. "I love you and Jacob."

My heart melted at his words, and I felt stupid.

I had never met a man like him. All the other assholes I've dated are either afraid of me or don't like my temper. I would always act cute and girly in front of them, but whenever I get ticked off, my true colors are revealed.

But with Rex, I can be myself.

If he knew I knew him when we were young, the day he saved my life, he would understand. I wonder how he will react.

"I love you too, and I'm sorry I brought this up even in this state."

Another kiss was planted on my lips for encouragement. "Don't be sorry. Let me take care of this guy, and we will-"

A gun clicked as my eyes grew wide, and I looked up at the leader of the pirates standing behind Rex with a gun to the back of his head.