Page 49 of Every Last Breath

The stairs opened onto a smaller sitting room, outfitted with the same luxury as the one above. An additional security guard was posted. Two against five. The guards had their weapons attached to slings over their shoulders underneath their jackets. Wouldn’t be easy to get his hands on a gun, but the odds needed leveling.

“Take her to Van Helden’s quarters,” said the biggest guard, nodding at the two goons closest to Maddox. “We’ll secure him in the gym.”

Cole grabbed her forearm with his free hand. “My wife stays with me.”

The one who’d spouted orders, standing at six five and at least two-twenty of pure muscle, pushed right up to Cole.

“It’s okay, darling. Let’s do as they say.” Maddox put her hand to his chest, throwing him a stern look.

This wasn’t the time for her to prove she was a badass secret agent. Five capable, armed men surrounded them. Two more on the deck above, no idea how many other guards were on the yacht. They still didn’t have eyes on the bioweapon, and that creepy motherfucker with the damn Joker grin was roaming loose upstairs with his serial-killer sidekick.

“You’re staying with me,” Cole said.

“I hope you gentlemen don’t mind,” she said, removing her shoes and holding them low. “These heels are killer.”

Maddox’s thumbs moved so quickly, Cole barely tracked her flicking the little black end caps from the tips of her heels, and at the same time, she stepped closer to stand over them. Her hands blocked the guards’ angle of view.

“I’ll be fine. They’ll verify this is all a mistake soon enough. Trust me.” She kissed his cheek. “See you soon.”

How could she expect him to let her go off alone with a freaking merc?

Microseconds ticked down. A blueprint of premeditated violence floated into place. Clear. Precise.

One of those slimy meatheads put his hand on her arm.

Declaration of war.

Cole swiveled, facing the big guard. He thrust the pen into the soft sweet spot under the guy’s chin, up into his mouth. Once. Twice. Then he jammed it hard into the throat.

The big guy staggered. Blood spurted beneath his chin and a garbled noise bubbled out of him. He toppled backward to the floor.

In his peripheral vision, Cole glimpsed Maddox in motion. Grasping both shoes in her left hand, she’d whirled on the guard behind her, ramming the base of her right palm up into his nose, hard and fast. Then she followed up with a swift fist to the solar plexus. The man doubled over, bleeding and breathless.

Keep moving. Don’t stop. His heart pounded off the rails. He popped the guard closest in the throat with a snap punch, compressing the windpipe. A game-ending blow. The guy was done.

The guard to his left lifted his gun. Cole grabbed his necklace and lunged, whipping the steel ball bearings across the guard’s gun hand and lashing at his head.

Gasping, eyes bulging, the man stumbled, his bell properly rung.

With the heel of his foot, Cole struck the guy’s knee. Bone snapped. The wheezing merc dropped. Cole slammed his knee into his face, sending him crashing to the floor.

No time to wrangle the gun loose from the strap, he spun to help Maddox.

The guard who’d passed her to head for Cole had pivoted back, realizing she was a serious threat. Bad move. She walloped him with the heels of her shoes. Face, throat, hands that’d lifted to protect himself. Once he was bleeding and on the defensive in full retreat, she threw a swift front kick to his head, propelling him toward Cole.

Cole sent an elbow sailing hard into the side of the guard’s head. The man jerked and dropped in a boneless sprawl.

As Cole unclipped the HK MP7 from the sling strapped to a fallen guard, the merc behind Maddox recovered from the solar plexus hit and lunged for her.

No way for her to stop the tackle—basic physics. Checking a larger opponent coming quickly would be tough.

Everything happened at lightning speed. The shoes slipped from her hands. She struck his shoulders downward with her fists and flowed into a guillotine hold—locking her forearm up against his trachea. Fast, she moved so fast. Using the momentum and his substantial mass to her advantage, she drove her knees into his abdomen as they went to the ground. She rolled straight back and flipped him over with her legs while keeping an iron grip on his throat.

His neck snapped.

Basic physics.

Admiration swelled in his chest. She was a badass warrior. Fearless. Deadly.