Chapter 279

The massive helicopter blades whirred violently as Nathan Blackwood stood at the open door, his coat whipping in the harsh wind. His piercing gaze locked onto the pirate captain below.

"Fifteen billion dors," he declared, his voice cutting through the noise like ice. "Three times your asking price. It's already in your account."

Five billion per person - but he'd paid for three. This wasn't generosity. This was a statement.

The pirate captain's hawkish eyes gleamed with greed. This haul exceeded his wildest dreams. But his triumph was short-lived.

BANG!

The gunshot echoed across the deck. The captain staggered, his smirk frozen as crimson bloomed across his chest.

Nathan lowered the smoking pistol without flinching. His expression remained glacial. "That bullet's complimentary. No one touches Evelyn Sinclair and lives." His voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "Three lives for fifteen billion. A fair trade."

Tension crackled in the air as weapons clicked into ready positions. But the pirates stood no chance - Nathan's fleet of attack helicopters darkened the sky, their shadows swallowing the ship whole.

Defeated, the pirates could only watch as Nathan's aircraft disappeared over the horizon.

Two thousand nautical miles away, aboard a luxury cruiser...

Evelyn tossed fitfully in her medical bed, trapped in nightmares of gunfire and blood. In her dreams, she was still running - dodging bullets, gasping for air - until the ground vanished beneath her.

She jolted awake with a gasp, only to be pulled back under by the heavy veil of sedation.

Through the fog, she caught fragments of conversation outside her door:

"That woman of yours is something else, Blackwood!" The unfamiliar voice held awe. "Facing down armed pirates? Wounding two of them? If I hadn't heard it from Captain Moretti himself..."

A ghost of a smile touched Nathan's lips. "She's always been fearless." Not the type to beg - not when her car was sabotaged, not when Victoria Ashford sent thugs after her.

Pride warred with terror in his chest. That bravery nearly got her killed. If he'd arrived minutes later...

The military doctor rummaged through his bag. "You know... she reminds me of that girl. The one who saved you from those boxers in Europe years ago." He pulled out a faded photograph. "Look at this resemblance!"

Nathan's face drained of color. The world seemed to tilt on its axis.

Inside the cabin, Evelyn stirred at the sudden silence before slipping back into unconsciousness. Warm fingers laced through hers - rough yet comforting - as distant murmurs washed over her like waves.

On deck, the sunset painted the Pacifica Ocean in fiery hues. Donovan Sterling cradled Leo in his lap, sipping sparkling water as the ship cut through the waves. They'd been racing toward Montecito at full speed for ten days - just two more remained.

He didn't turn at the approaching footsteps. "She'll be fine, Nathan. The bullet missed everything vital."

Nathan's silhouette had grown gaunt, his usual commanding presence now edged with something darker. Something desperate.

Donovan studied him - really studied him - for the first time. The man who'd moved heaven and earth to rescue his sister. The man who might finally be worthy of her.