"Aye."
Saelyn froze at the edge of the dock, sneakers squeaking soft on damp planks. The ship loomed in front of her. black steel, sharp edges, too clean, too quiet. Not a ferry. Not a cargo hauler. More like some iron monster pretending it had manners.
She didn't even get to set foot on the ramp before a wall of muscle blocked her path. Shoulders broad as a damn doorframe, eyes slicing like blades.
"Identification." Voice flat. No patience.
Her laugh slipped out, sharp, mocking. "Qué, you want me to pull a disneyland passport or somethin'?"
She dug a hand into her pocket, flicked out the thin card Kaezren had shoved her earlier. Just a name stamped, nothing more. The second the man's eyes caught it, everything shifted. Card snapped back, gate opened. Door to the dark.
Damn. One name and giants fold. Connections kill bullets, huh. Or at least, make 'em bow.
She stepped inside. Diesel hung faint in the air, tangled with brine and salt. Crew scattered around, busy with ropes, machines, eyes set anywhere but her.
No one asked why a leather jacketed girl walked on like she owned the place. Passengers? None. This wasn't public. This was tailored.
Sae leaned against the railing, dragging in air that stung her lungs. A day at sea. Better be a bed somewhere. Hell, even a thin mattress would do. No way she was curling up on cold steel.
And her stomach. Already reminding her food wasn't optional.
But her head, her head wouldn't let go. The laptop glow. That screen Kaezren slammed shut with a bag to her chest.
Blink and gone, but enough to scrape her nerves raw. What the hell was that? A list? Faces? Intel? Didn't matter. Not my circus, not my monkeys.
She smacked her cheek, sharp, chasing the thought off. Couldn't afford loops. Especially not with Kae. He thrived in shadows. And if he caught her prying? Game over, cabrona.
The cabin light hit her, warm, yellow, but heavy, air stale. Not some crusty drug runner barge, this looked official, polished, while still dripping crime. Sweet irony.
She tossed her jacket on the chair, glance flicking once more to the door. Still saw him there, smirking, laugh biting her ear as he shoved the bag into her chest. Gonna miss u.
"Shit," she muttered, half laugh, half growl at herself. "Me? Missin' somebody? Hell nah." But her lips curved anyway, traitorous.
First wave rolled under the hull, ship shuddering alive. Mattress sagged beneath her when she dropped onto it. thin, cheap, smelled like bleach. The world shifted, shore pulling back.
But her chest didn't move as easy.
The mattress had given up under her back three hours ago. Her eyes? Still wide, no mercy.
Jacket bunched beneath her skull, Saelyn stared at the ceiling, thin steel trembling every time the ship groaned. Hand flat over her stomach, stiff.
Her brain refused to shut the hell up, circling, always circling, back to that damn laptop.
Just a glimpse. Not clear. But she knew the pattern. Folders. Not her name, not spelled out, but the vibe? Same. Like staring into a mirror that tilted wrong. Not straight, not false… just off.
The fuck you hidin', Rey? That ain't paperwork.
Her fist clenched against her belly, knuckles pressing bone. I run with your forged docs, and you makin'… what? A backup bitch? Another me?
She didn't move. Didn't blink more than she had to. Time slid heavy, like her body had turned statue.
The ship swayed, waves breathing for her, long, short, then a pause, like the ocean teased her lungs.
Silence. Until…
Tok.
Muted. Heavy steps, weight dragged soft. Outside her door. Neck stiff. Air snagged in her chest. She didn't dare tilt her head, but her ears chased it.
Tok… tok… slow, spaced, like whoever it was circled right there in front of her cabin.
Aw, hell no. Don't you stop there.
Her eyes cut sideways to the door. A slice of hallway light bled underneath. Every step shifted the shadow thin across the gap. No chatter from crew. No clank of work. Just the low hum of engines beneath it all.
She bit her lip, laugh almost breaking loose, stuck raw in her throat.
What, crew playin' games? Or intel already sniffin' my ass? Damn. If papí knows I'm on this boat… dead girl walkin'.
Heart ragged. Face blank. Always blank. She'd learned, look cool even when your skull screamed.
The steps stopped. Right outside.
Cold crawled over her skin, deep. The door felt paper thin, useless against whatever stood there.
Seconds cracked one by one. No knock. No hello. Just… there.
Her mouth barely moved, whisper cut with venom, meant only for herself "If you gon' come in, bitch, then come the fuck in."
Nothing.
The door stayed shut.
Until the steps started again. Slow. Fading.
But the tension didn't leave with 'em. It curled up her spine, stuck like a nail hammered in bone.
The footsteps had faded. But hell, her ears still caught the weight of them, echo stuck in bone.
Bitch, go sleep or somethin'. Why you pacing like that?
Saelyn finally pushed herself upright. slow, heart still hammered like a blacksmith had taken interest in her ribcage.
Her feet barely whispered against the thin mattress when she slid off. She didn't step out. Hell no. Just pressed her ear flat to the door, lungs locked.
What she got? Nothing but muffled rumble. Damn door was too thick. Frustration scratched sharp at her nape.
Fine. Plan B.
Her fingers brushed the handle, cautious. She pulled. Just enough for a line of air, a crack of light. Green eyes slipped through.
And, who the fuck, it was only that refrigerator sized dude from earlier, the one blocking the entrance.
Pacing the hall like a watchdog on shift. She almost laughed, choked on it.
Seriously? You gonna ruin my night's sleep 'cause you need your midnight cardio?
But no. Something else brewed.
At the far end of the corridor, two crew stood close, voices pitched low. Lips moving clear enough, eyes flicking sharp. Watching. Like they knew.
Saelyn crouched lower behind the crack. Her pulse flatlined when one of them lifted his chin, gaze sweeping over the cabin doors before sliding back to his buddy. Words slid out, thin, almost caught.
"Precious cargo…"
Her blood iced.
Then, casual, "Let him guard it." Thumb tilted toward the hulking watchdog still pacing.
Precious cargo. Guarded. By that dumbass fridge of a man.
Wait. What cargo?
Her gaze darted around the cabin. No crates. No chemical stench. No glowing contraband box stuffed with organs. Just a busted bed and her single, beat up suitcase.
Wait…
The click landed hard in her skull.
No. No fuckin' way.
Gooseflesh climbed her arms, breath knifed short.
That's me. I'm the damn cargo.
She slammed the crack shut, spine flush against the door. Fingers locked tight on the handle like it was a weapon.
The ship rocked with the tide, but the tremor in her chest? That wasn't the sea. That was adrenaline smashing headfirst into paranoia.
Shit, Sae. Looks like you just got smuggled yourself.
She couldn't sit still.
Left hand twisted the edge of a towel on the mattress, right foot tapping against the slick ship floor. Her head was a night market, noise and voices crashing, only hers to hear.
Okay. They know. They fuckin' know. That's why the damn fridge outside keeps pacing like a guard dog.
That's why those two idiots whispered. They know I'm Saelyn Rhaemor. Not Neyra. Not Velda. Saelyn. Me. Stamped cargo.
Her breath snagged, spilling out short, sharp, like dragging on smoke but her lungs were empty.
Two options. Stay low. Or, confront.
Stay low meant playing dumb, clueless, harmless. Confront meant fists, maybe blood. And if it came to fists, her hand brushed waist, hip, anywhere. Nothing.
Oh fuck. Where's my gun? Where the actual…
Memory hit. She'd left it. Back with the papers, the accounts, the stupid signatures. Too busy protecting daddy's money.
"Shit, Sae," she muttered, voice cracked.
Her eyes swept the cabin. Thin bed. Tiny drawer. A busted chair with one lame leg. No weapons. No blade. Best she had was a plastic bottle or… her teeth.
Real classy. Mafia princess turned biter. Cute.
Her fingers nearly pressed into her temples when something stabbed sharp against her thigh.
She froze.
Not the ship.
Her phone.
Silent. Just a vibration. cold, precise, like a needle straight into bone.
Hand slipped into her pocket, dragged it out. The thing was old, scratched, screen dim blue. But it glowed.
She opened it. And her blood cut off mid flow.
Live feed. The cabin. Not a corridor. Not the old mansion. Not a city street. Here. This room. Now.
Her.
No. No, no, no. They're here already? Watching me? Right now?
Her hand slapped her mouth. Lungs forgot the job. Heart slammed ribs harder than the ship groaned against the waves.
Her eyes darted wild, scanning corners, lamp, wall seam, the tiny mirror. Anywhere a lens could hide.
Nothing. But the feed didn't lie. Somebody had eyes. Second eyes. Breathing down every twitch she made.
Heh. Fast, huh, papí? I ain't even reached Caevros, and you already sniffin' me out here. Guess I underestimated how bad you wanna drag my ass back on your leash.
Her fingers shook, but her brain re lit, sparking quick. Worst case scenarios stacked in seconds, the fridge outside wasn't just a guard. Crew could already be bought. This ship wasn't transport… it was a trap.
Stay low or confront? Neither. New plan. stay alive.
Sae gripped the window frame so hard her nails nearly carved the wood. Chaos inside, chaos outside, like she'd only just noticed the world was screaming too. Through the cabin's fogged glass, a flash of white split the water.
A speedboat.
The hell…? Out here?
Crew scrambled. Shouts tangled with the rising roar of an engine. Sae told herself not my business, not my fuckin' business. But her brain didn't listen.
She pressed closer, breath fogging the glass, eyes locked on the shadow hunched at the wheel.
For a blink. Just one.
Black hair. Broad shoulders. A frame too sharp, too familiar. No way in hell that was random. Some dude joyriding across the ocean? Bitch, please.
Her pulse spiked. Ribs rattled.
Cabin walls shrank around her, air choking.
"Fuck it," she muttered, shoved the door, boots slapping fast toward the deck. Salt wind slapped her face, dragged damp strands of hair across her mouth.
And out there, the boat turned. Hard. Pointed straight for them.
"Shit…" Her voice cracked raw, teeth on dry lip.
Engines screamed. Water tore apart. Crew voices shot higher, panic feeding panic. The gap vanished in seconds.
Sae braced at the railing, every muscle ready for impact. So this was it, end of a trash day with a crash. Cute.
But right before collision, the boat spun. Wild, reckless. A spray of seawater lashed the deck, stinging her skin. She squinted through the blur, hunting the driver.
Nothing.
"…what the fuck."
Her gaze clung to the boat left bobbing, engine still snarling, rider gone. Vanished. Trick? Ghost? Or her brain frying itself?
CLANK.
Metal slammed.
Her head whipped forward…
And there he was.
At the prow, standing like the ocean hadn't just tried to eat them alive. One hand stuffed in his pocket, the other rolling a cigarette between his fingers, smoke trailing soft.
Calm. Too calm.
Holy… was that… the same man from the boat?
Eyes locked. Black to green.
Cold crept her spine, heat burned her throat. Hit from both sides, shock, fascination. Her mind screamed don't hold it, don't give him a damn thing. But her eyes wouldn't cut loose.
He didn't blink. His stare dragged slow, heavy, until the ship's chaos drowned into silence.
Sae sucked a breath, sharp as a blade.
"…the fuck are you." Words rasped low, more scorched whisper than question.
He exhaled smoke, mouth tugging the ghost of a smile, barely there, not really a smile at all.
And she realized, he wasn't just a man. He was something else.