Chapter 3
Once the voices below faded, I dragged myself back to the nightstand, grabbed the glass of drugged water Flynn had left me, and poured every drop down the bathroom sink. I replaced it with fresh tap water, smeared a small smudge of white powder on the rim to look untouched, and crawled under the covers just as the suite door clicked open.
Flynn walked in, his face a mask of soft, gentle concern.
“Mabel, sweetie? How are you feeling?” he purred, sitting on the edge of the mattress. He reached out, gently caressing my cheek. I had to summon every ounce of willpower not to bite his finger off.
“So dizzy, Flynn…” I slurred, keeping my eyes half-lidded, acting completely incapacitated. “The water… tastes bitter…”
“It’s just the electrolytes, darling,” he lied smoothly, kissing my forehead. “Sleep now. I’ll wake you up later for some fresh air.”
The second he turned his back and stepped out of the suite, I sat up. The recording was saved on the burner phone.
I picked up the secure satellite connection device connected to my father’s private security network. I dialed the one number I knew by heart—my father’s head of security, a former Navy SEAL who had protected our family for twenty years.
“Mabel?” the low voice answered on the second ring.
“They’re drugging me,” I whispered, my voice tight and razor-sharp. “Flynn, Aidan, and Fiona. They plan to throw me overboard at midnight and stage a car crash for Mom and Dad next week. I have a full audio recording of the conspiracy.”
There was an immediate, terrifying beat of silence on the line.
May you like
“Give me your GPS coordinates, Mabel,” he commanded flatly. “We are forty minutes out on the secondary intercept vessel. Stay down. Do not consume anything. Can you make it thirty minutes?”
“I’ll play the victim until the very last second,” I answered. “Bring heavy restraints.”
