CHAPTER 74: WARNING SHOTS

"Raise your hands where we can see them!" The voice boomed from the helicopter above, sharp and commanding.

They all hesitated, and another burst of gunfire cracked through the air, ricocheting off the rocks behind them.

Georgia flinched with a scream. Nick immediately stepped in front of her, shielding her with his body.

"Georgia," he said, gripping her arms and looking straight into her eyes. "No matter what happens, my decision doesn’t change. I’m not letting you go. We’ll get through this, together."

She trembled, her entire body shaking from fear, but still she nodded, unable to form words.

And then came the sound of boots against the water.

A group of armed men stormed the shoreline, rifles raised, their formation tight and unforgiving. And from the center of them, like a serpent slithering from its nest, emerged Raymond.

Georgia’s heart clenched. Her stomach flipped as her eyes locked onto his smug face.

She stepped forward, fury overtaking fear. "What the fuck is this, Raymond? Guns?! Are you insane?!"

Liam and Oliver recognized him immediately. They all moved in the same wealthy circles back home. Trying to diffuse the tension, Liam lowered his arms and casually stepped forward.

"Raymond—hey, man—" he started.

But before he could take a second step, rifles clicked and trained on him.

"Don’t move, Liam," Raymond barked. "If you all want to live, stay where you are."

The air turned colder, electric with danger.

Then Raymond walked straight toward Georgia, fury flashing in his eyes. Without warning, he grabbed her arm.

Georgia recoiled. "Get off me!" she shouted, trying to pull away.

Nick charged.

"Don’t touch her!" he growled, ripping Raymond’s hand off her with brutal force.

It happened fast—Raymond’s fist smashed into Nick’s jaw.

Georgia screamed as Nick staggered back. Another gunshot tore through the air—again not aimed, but closer this time. A warning for Nick.

"Stay away from my fiancée, Nicholas. Mind your own business! Touch me again and I’ll be the one to shoot you instead!" Raymond yelled at Nick.

Georgia’s eyes welled up with tears. She was sobbing now, terrified and furious all at once. "Raymond, stop this! Please! What are you doing?! We are done, leave me alone, leave this island!"

Raymond snarled through gritted teeth, grabbing her again with more force, "I’m not leaving without you!"

"Let go of me, you cheating bastard!" she cried, hitting him, struggling, kicking.

But Raymond’s grip only tightened as he began dragging her toward the waiting speedboat.

Nick wiped the blood from his lip, his fists clenched, eyes blazing with murderous intent. But none of them can’t do anything unless they want to be dead.

All they could do was watch Raymond take Georgia to the speedboat while all the guns were aimed at them.

Raymond shoved Georgia into the speedboat, ignoring her screams as she fought against his hold. The moment she was inside, the rest of his men began pulling back in formation, retreating swiftly as they boarded their respective speedboats. Within seconds, the shoreline was empty—no trace of the chaos, only silence and scattered footprints on the sand.

Nick stood still, his jaw tight, hands fisted at his sides as the speedboats disappeared into the horizon.

Then, he exhaled sharply and dusted the sand from his trousers, a grim smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Well done, everyone," he muttered.

Oliver stepped beside him, pulled his phone from his pocket, and checked something.

"Did you get it all?" Nick asked without looking away from the sea.

"Crystal clear," Oliver confirmed.

"Perfect." Nick’s eyes darkened with fierce determination. "That bastard won’t be able to threaten Georgia now..."

Liam joined them, his expression unreadable. Nick turned to him with a sharp nod.

"Now, let’s move," Nick added.

Without another word, everyone grabbed their stuff and sprinted toward the hybrid plane. The engine roared to life, slicing through the island’s stillness.

Nick slid into the co-pilot seat, jaw set. "Strap in."

’You can’t take Georgia from me, Raymond. You don’t know what you have just done,’ Nick thought as he joined Liam in preparing the plane for take-off.

In the speedboat...

Georgia had stopped crying long before the beach disappeared from view. Her face was now cold, hard. She glared at Raymond from across the speedboat, her fists clenched and eyes burning with fury.

"Where the hell are you taking me?" she snapped, her voice filled with fury.

Raymond didn’t flinch. Instead, he leaned back with infuriating calm, as if they were on some romantic getaway instead of a forced escape. "To the nearest port. We’ll spend the night in a hotel, and tomorrow morning, we fly home."

"Home?" Georgia hissed, leaning forward. "You mean your house. Your twisted fantasy. We’re not together anymore, Raymond. I told you—we’re done!"

But Raymond only smiled, the same smug, possessive smile that made her skin crawl. "Oh, come now, love. I just rescued you from that skirt-chasing playboy. You should be thanking me.

I even moved our wedding up—to next month. The wedding planner found a perfect venue. I figured maybe getting married on a ship was bad luck, given what happened to David."

Georgia’s fury snapped like a whip. "Don’t you dare mention my brother!"

He raised his hands in mock surrender, a condescending chuckle slipping through his lips. "Alright, alright. I’m sorry. Everything I say just upsets you. Maybe it’s the island—no food, no sleep. You’re just tired. I booked us into a suite near the airport. Room service. Hot shower. A real bed. You’ll feel better in the morning."

She rolled her eyes and sank back into her seat, crossing her arms tightly across her chest. There was no point arguing. Not here. Not now. He had the guns, the men, the means—and she had nothing but time and anger.

Her gaze shifted back to the sea, glistening under the dying light, and her heart clenched.

’Nick...’

She shut her eyes, letting the wind whip through her hair as she sent her thoughts to the man who had been left behind.

’Please, be safe. I’ll come to you as soon as I get the chance,’ she promised herself more than to Nick.

She told herself that no matter what it takes, she’d escape. She’d find her way back to him.

*********

Thank you, martina_kralj for the Golden Tickets!