Chapter 415:
“There she is! Get her!”
They lunged immediately, seizing her arms and slamming her hard against the cabin wall. The rotting wood splintered under the force, jagged edges tearing into her neck and drawing thin streams of blood that slid down her skin. She gave no sign of pain, her face unreadable.
Dragged toward the deck, Rylie passed a bedroom door left slightly ajar. The faint outline of an iron wardrobe was visible inside. Her gaze flicked to it for only a heartbeat, a fleeting glance that looked accidental before she let herself be shoved forward once more.
Curled inside the wardrobe, Marsha met Rylie’s gaze with exact precision, a silent understanding flashing between them. Her chest tightened, sweat pooling in her palms as she froze for a brief moment. She adjusted the small camera fastened to her shirt button, drew in a shaky breath, and gathered her courage before slipping out quietly to follow unnoticed.
Out on the deck, just as Ronan was about to shout “One!” and hurl the boy into the sea, his walkie-talkie crackled sharply to life. A patrolman’s voice rang out, brimming with excitement. “Mr. Boyd! We caught the woman you wanted! We’ve got her!”
“Well, that little trick actually worked! Get Rylie up here. Move!” Ronan’s chest swelled with excitement. He waved his men forward, urging them to bring the girl back. To him, a child was worth a fortune. Tossing one into the ocean felt like burning stacks of cash.
They flung Jeffry onto the deck like he was nothing. He lay limp, staring blankly — until his gaze found Rylie. Whatever hope he had left vanished then and there. He’d believed she was stronger. Thought she’d fight until the bitter end. He never imagined she’d step out willingly just to save a handful of kids. Didn’t she see what her death would mean? Without her, the children were doomed anyway.
To Jeffry, she had just handed their lives over for nothing. What a fool.
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Ronan’s grin twisted with delight the moment she stepped into view. “Well, look at that. You actually showed yourself, Rylie. All this trouble — for a bunch of brats? You really are clueless.”
He kicked Jeffry’s body without hesitation. “Knew it. Kids always come in handy when things get rough. If it weren’t for them, I’d be dead right now.” They dragged Rylie forward. All around her, guns were raised and aimed. The fog clung to the deck, thick and heavy. She stood alone, slender and still, not flinching in the slightest. Only when she saw Jeffry being kicked did her expression shift — but only for a second.
“Where did you find all these children?” she asked evenly. “Don’t the police ever look into this?”
Confident that Rylie couldn’t escape anymore and would soon be killed, Ronan saw no reason to keep it secret. “Police? Look into what? These are kids from the slums. No parents. No one gives a damn. We lure them out by pretending we’ve found their folks. Once they bite, we catch them. Most of their families stop searching after a few days.”
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