The voice echoed through the ship.
Soft.
Almost amused.
Yet somehow more terrifying than the gunfire, explosions, and alarms that had come before it.
"Well…"
The man's chuckle rolled through the speakers.
"This is becoming interesting."
Silence followed.
Not because nobody had anything to say.
Because everyone was listening.
Even the storm seemed quieter.
Even the ocean felt farther away.
Then something happened Allison never expected.
Dorian Kreel looked afraid.
Not nervous.
Not irritated.
Afraid.
The hardened mercenary who had manipulated billionaires, kidnapped a child, survived federal pursuit, and stared down Lucian Calloway without blinking—
Actually looked afraid.
His face lost color.
His grip tightened around the trigger.
And for the first time all night, Dorian stopped looking like the most dangerous person on the ship.
Theo noticed immediately.
"Oh."
His voice lowered.
"Oh, that's not good."
The federal woman standing across the deck went still.
