Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 69365 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69365 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Finally, coming to a new door closer to one end of the ship pushes me to immediately attempt to open it, only to discover it’s locked.
Not a huge surprise.
But not a great one.
And as if that’s not irritating enough, there isn’t time to contemplate what to do about it courtesy of a patrolling merc rounding the corner right into us.
Garcia’s immediate instinct has him forcefully swinging the pillowcase at the man’s ribs, successfully knocking him off to the side and the air out of his lungs. This prevents him from yelling and reaching for a weapon and has him defenselessly hunching forward exposing the side of his neck, a space that I swiftly slash the letter opener across.
Despite it being in the territory of his jugular, it’s not enough to do fatal damage.
It is – thankfully – the right amount to get his hand flying up to the area instead of his weapon leaving him vulnerable to a second attack from my escape partner. Being whacked across the face bucks his head backwards granting me the chance to ram the pointed object into the opposite side, possibly penetrating the vein.
Naturally, the fumbling, disoriented individual slaps his other hand on the new wound, allowing a repeated swing to the same territory, but instead of his head simply flying in reverse, his entire frame does.
Over the railing.
Making a splash so giant that we exchange cringes.
“Fuuuuccckkkk…” nervously grumbles Garcia, makeshift weapon dropping to his side. “Think anyone heard that?”
“You mean like me?” a familiar, feminine voice asks, causing us to whip our faces over our shoulders to see two weapon wielding men at her side, pointing their guns at us. “Because I saw it too.”
Chapter 24
Zero
“And so did I…” Thaddeus smugly states during our approach from the opposite end of the ship from his sister. “It was quite the spectacle.”
The two men flanking his sibling shift their weapons to us prompting the pair of security members at his side to train their guns onto their counter parts rather than his twin.
Man…I gotta confess…I don’t really like guns.
Not even water guns.
They’re just not my preferred weapon of choice.
You know.
If I had a weapon of choice that wasn’t a keyboard attached to an incredible network connection.
“Thaddy,” sneers Temperance, appearance a bit difficult to see around the bodies blocking me from being in view.
“Tempy.”
Kinda feels like baby name.com would’ve been a useful tool when picking theirs out.
I mean I’m assuming.
I’ve never personally been there.
Never needed to.
Never figured I would need to.
Or want to.
At least…not before Salay.
Not before she hacked into our lives and rewrote our code.
Changed our program.
Upgraded us.
Fuck.
Upgraded us to an us.
And that upgrade is the reason why I’m doing what I’m doing.
Even if it results in crashing the very system we’ve created.
“Have you mistakenly wandered onto the wrong yacht?” mocks Temperance alongside folding her hands together in front of her. “This one is not filled with Disco Crumpets or barely legal topless gemstones for you to be plastered across soc’ snogging.”
“No, however, it does contain the woman who holds the decoded riddles, which is the other half of what is needed to have me crowned king.”
“No,” Temperance instantly declines, “she possesses the coordinates, not the decoded riddles.”
“No,” Thad swiftly rebuts, “she possesses the riddles and Zero possesses the coordinates.”
“Why would she possess the decoded riddles?”
“Because she was the one who decoded them.”
That was more of a group project but now doesn’t seem like a good moment to interject.
“No,” his sister exasperatedly snips, “she was the one who led Zero to the actual coordinates, which only she knows since that Code Monkey cannot even read a bloody map without Google Assistance.”
Ouch.
And pretty fucking untrue.
“Flotation tits over here,” Temperance thoughtlessly demeans, head tipping towards Salay, “is the lead on the exact location of the treasure she found underwater while Sir Strokes a lot – wherever he is – holds the cracked riddles as well as the physical proof needed to claim the throne.”
“Stabbing you would be a wonderful bon voyage gift to myself,” Salay viciously proclaims.
“They’d put two in you before you could lift your unmanicured fingers,” Temperance emotionlessly announces.
“Worth it.”
“No,” Garcia quickly refutes. “It wouldn’t be.”
“She doesn’t hold the physical proof,” Thad informs during our slow continued approach. “He does.”
“Jimmy Buffet’s housekeeper?” She ponders in obvious surprise. “You actually believe this irresponsible law practicing creatin is the one holding onto valuable, ancient treasure?”
“Eso fue racista,” grunts the man I hope can forgive me for what I’ve done to save them.
“Bit racist, yeah, but what do you expect from someone who’s probably never had to literally wipe her own ass,” our water princess casually states.
“How about this?” Thad cheekily chimes. “How about we simply ask the man who was originally assigned the task for all the answers rather than wasting additional breath about how wrong you are?” Another word isn’t said prior to him stepping to the side and waving an open palm in my direction. “Mr. Fiorenzo.”