bChapter 364 /b

KESTERb. /b

bSaint /bbdidn’t /beven turn his headb. /bbHe /bjust said, “What is it?”

Kyrie rotated hisptop to face the table and paused the video on a frame I’d already seen too many goddamn times.

But this time, he did something different.

He tweaked bthe /bsound levels. Stripped ityer byyer like he was cutting flesh from bone.

b“/bYou hear that?” he askedb, /bdragging the slider higher.

Everyone leaned in. A low creaking sound came through the speakers. It was barely audible, but… There

“That’s not the chair. It’s background resonance,” Kyrie bsaid/bb, /btapping the screen. “Rhythmic and subtle. Like ba /bsteady sway.”

I frowned. “What the fuck does that mean?b” /b

“It means,” he said without looking at meb, /b“this room is in motion. The whole structure is shifting slightly every three secondsb. /bbI /bmatched bthe /bfrequency. It’s not an earthquake, it’s too consistent. bIt’s /bwater movement. They’re on something afloat.”

Saint finally turned, just enough to flick his cold gaze to Kyrie. “bA /bship,” he said.

b“/bExactly,” Kyrie nodded. “Mid–sized. Single engine. Something they could keep off–grid, no radar signature.b” /b

I clenched my jaw. It made sense. The video didn’t show windows. No natural light. bJust /bthose dim, t lights above her.

Saint reached for hisptop again, and this time he zoomed in on something I hadn’t even paid attention tob… /ba metal btray /bbset /bbehind bNagel/bb. /b

He stilled the frame and enhanced it.

b“/bYou see this?” he said.

There was a faint blur in the tray’s reflection. bA /bcircr outline. Thin, bolted. I squinted.

“That’s a fucking porthole,” Saint said. “Marine grade. Small ship design. It’s facing east – based on the way the light filtered during the start of

the video.”

I stared, breath caught somewhere between a curse and a scream. “You’re telling me…”

“They’re at sea,” Saint interrupted coldly, like it wasn’t the most important thing I’d heard all fucking week.

He zoomed in againb. /b

“That metal chain hanging from the ceiling…b” /bhe tapped the screen. “It’s not for torture. It’s an anchortch. These models bare /bbwelded /bin emergency rooms of military boats. That puts us in the twenty–to–fifty–bton /bcategoryb. /bCould be an old naval bvessel/bb, /brepurposedb./b”

b“/bJesus… someone muttered.

Then came the voice I hadn’t expected to hear… Soft. bCrisp/b. Female.

“They’re using artificial skylight panels,b” /bshe said, barely above ba /bwhisperb, /bbut every head turned.

bChapter /b364

bThe /bbgirl /bbhad /bbbeen /bbsitting /bbat /bbthe /bbfar /bbend /bbof /bbthe /bbroom /bbthis /bbwhole /bbtime/bb. /bbShe’s /bbbeen /bquietb, /bbfocused/bb, /band btapping /bbaway /bon bher /btereen or blooked /bblike /bbone /bbof /bbthose /bbpeople /bwho bnever /braised their bvoice /bunless bthe /bb /bwas cracking.

bPretty, /bbAnnoyingly /bbso/b. Dark bhair /bbin /bba /btight ponytail, eyes like bpolished /bss. I’d caught bNon /bstealing nces bat /bbher /bball /bdamn day, the locker bthought /bI bwouldn’t /bbnotice/bb. /b

bJust /blike bnow/b. bHe /bwas already standing before her, instinctivelyb, /bwaiting to hear bwhat /bshe had to bsay/b.

b“/bbWhat’s /bbthat/bb?/bb” /bNon eximed and bI /bswear to fuck, I almostughed out loud.

bIf /bbthere /bbwas /banyone else in this room who understood what these men were saying, it was Non. This bwas /bba /bbranch bof /bhis own bjob/bb. /bHe bknew /ball these. But, guess who was feigning ignorance just because bof /ba woman he just met…? My shit head bestfriend.

bI’ll /bbtease /bhim about this when this bis /ball over.

She looked up at Non and then at Saint. “Circadian panels. Meant to mimic sunlight in closed–off quarters. It’s designed to trick bthe /bbody into thinking it’s daytime. That’s why Kasmine didn’t show bsigns /bof jetg or disorientation – the ship is bpensating/bb. /bThat bsystem /bis expensive. ck market tech. Very few people use it.”

Saint stared at her for a second. Nodded onceb. /b

And somehow, that one nod from him was more praise than a speech.

I could bet my own balls this time around that Non was already falling for this girl. She was damn intelligent. His kind bof /bwoman.

Thank God. Now I’d be able to kill June in peace.

The room went silent again, and I… I didn’t know what to feelb. /b

I’d been ready to kill them all ten seconds ago. But now? They were fucking decoding hell from mere shadows and sounds.

I hated how fucking efficient they were.

Thank God Non hired them.

bThey /bwere getting me closer to Kasmine. That was all that mattered.

Even if I had to burn through every ounce of pride to bept /bit.

“They’re not onnd,” Saint confirmed. “He’s moving her across the bsea/b.b” /b

“Which sea?” I asked through clenched teeth.

“We’ll find out,” Kyrie said, already pulling up a digital maritime mapb. /b“bBut /bwe just narrowed the search bradius /bby ny percent.”

Saint’s eyes were still on the screen.

“Now,” he said, in a voice lower than before, “we make the bsea /bbleed.”