All Chapters of COLLATERAL DESIRE : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

"Answer me, Vance!" My father’s voice cracked through the high-definition monitor like a whip, filling the command room with the cold, unforgiving edge of a man losing his grip on an empire. "You are playing a child's game while Vance Global crumbles beneath your feet!"Ethan’s heavy arm swept around my waist before I could even flinch, his palm clamping flush against my hip as he hauled my body backward into his broad chest. His heat burned through the thin fabric of my clothes, pinning me securely under his physical control. I gasped, instinctively pressing my palms flat against his forearm to push away, but his fingers clamped firmly around my jawline, tilting my head back until my throat was entirely exposed to the lens."Let go of her," Richard Croft growled from his lavish Monaco study on the sixty-inch screen. His pristine tailored suit looked crisp, yet a fine sheen of sweat glistened across his forehead under the frame of the Mediterranean sun. "She is not yours to hold.""Yo

"Stay with me!" Ethan's shout was cut off as ninety miles an hour of momentum slammed us straight into the Atlantic.The chopper hit the water like solid concrete. The cabin frame groaned and buckled, and freezing sea blasted through the side doors, flooding the interior in a sudden, violent swirl. The dark ocean swallowed us whole before I could even draw a full breath, the sudden shock of ice-cold water burning through my lungs. Inside the sinking fuselage, absolute darkness closed in, broken only by the roar of trapped air bubbles and tearing metal as the heavy engine block dragged us straight toward the sea floor.Gravity vanished. Panic surged in my chest, but the steel cuff locked around my right wrist jerked hard, yanking my body directly against Ethan's torso. We were bound together. Every kick of my legs pulled him off balance, and every frantic reach of his arm dragged me with him. If we fought each other underwater, the short tension of the steel chain would lock our limbs

"Get your hands off those controls!" Ethan shouted, his voice cutting through the deafening roar of the gale as his massive body pinned me against the primary helm station.Outside the bridge, blinding white searchlights from three pursuing naval interceptors cut through the rain, washing over the upper deck and painting the pitch-black ocean in a harsh, glaring light. The steady thrum of the yacht's twin turbine engines vibrated straight through the metal floorboards and into my bare feet, but Ethan stayed locked directly behind me. His broad chest pressed flat against my spine, trapping me firmly against the primary console as his large hands slid down my wet arms to grip my fingers over the engine throttles.Across the water, a harsh, distorted voice crackled over a military loudhailer, booming through the storm with absolute authority. "Unidentified vessel, you are in breach of international maritime security! Cut your engines immediately and prepare to be boarded, or we will open

The heavy steel floor hatch blew wide open with a deafening screech of tearing metal, hitting the floor deck with a brutal thud. Ethan didn't hesitate. He leaned straight over the opening, firing two rapid shots down the dark shaft. The double gunshot blasts echoed like thunder inside the enclosed room, leaving a ringing sound in my ears.Before the empty shell casings even hit the floor, Ethan’s large hand clamped tightly around my arm, dragging me backward through the doorway and into the engine room walkway."Get down and keep moving!" Ethan barked, his voice cutting through the noise as he pushed me into the cover of the narrow metal path.Thick, white steam hissed out of a ruptured pipe overhead, spraying across the room and filling the air with a blinding fog. Dark engine oil slicked the iron grating beneath my feet. My shoes slipped, my knees slamming hard against the metal floorboards before I could scramble back up.Below us, heavy combat boots began pounding up the ladder. T

Ethan slamming his forearm across my chest to pin me into the leather cabin chair as the private jet plummeted through a wall of turbulence.The aircraft groaned, metal screaming against the violent mountain winds high over the Swiss Alps. Outside the reinforced windows, absolute darkness swallowed the sky, broken only by the icy flashing of the wingtip lights. Sub-zero air whistled dangerously through the pressurized door seals, dropping the cabin temperature so fast my breath bloomed in thick, white clouds."We don't have time for a clean landing," Ethan said, his voice hard, flat, and completely devoid of fear.He dropped to his knees between my legs, dragging a heavy tactical harness over my arms. I pulled against the stiff nylon straps, my chest heaving as panic tightened my throat."Ethan, wait!" I gasped, grabbing his wrists as he yanked the lower leg straps tight around my thighs. "We're flying through a blizzard! You can't be serious about a night drop!""It's the only way on