Jonas was kneeling with his head bowed outside the door when Gray and Darius returned to their cabin.

A guard was standing there too, one whom Darius seemed pleased to see.

“Another night shift, I see.” He smiled and shook hands with the guard, as if they were buddies.

“Yup, just started, sir.” The guy chuckled and stifled a yawn. “I brought you your staff toy. Given the hour, Ms. Valerie could only allow two hours. I’ll be back then to pick him up, and if you need medical assistance for him, just call ahead.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Darius kept his face composed, which was more than anyone could say about Gray. He was sickened.

A reality check was what it was. The hour he’d spent on the top deck had given him a reprieve, and now they were back. He listened with one ear as the guard went on and advised Darius to keep his toys restrained, since there were two now, and that assistance was only a call away.

Jonas didn’t look up even once.

“I thought I’d catch Valerie before she goes to bed,” Darius said, opening the door to their suite. “Help me tie the pets.”

Man, this really was gonna be a long night. Gray had hoped they could postpone the shit with Valerie till tomorrow. Couldn’t they have breakfast together instead? Why did they have to meet up at a time of the day when some tipsy bitches were looking to score?

“You wanna miss out on your playtime to see Valerie?” The guard quirked a grin but was quick to do as told. He got Jonas on his feet and aimed for the hooks next to the bathroom door in the stateroom. It was the same spot Gray had sat on the floor and eaten from a dog bowl.

“If I get my way, my fun with this little thing won’t be temporary.” Darius patted Jonas on the head before ushering Gray to the bed. “Valerie’s the woman to see when you wanna discuss a price tag.”

“Understood, sir.” The guy secured Jonas to the wall while Gray ended up restrained to the bedpost on his side of the bed.

Darius slipped the key to the cuffs into Gray’s hand. “Be good for me. I won’t be long.”

Gray nodded once and worried his bottom lip with his teeth. Despite reassurances, he wasn’t sure they were in the clear from earlier. Occupying that lounger had possibly only delayed the search. Darius had seemed confident, but he couldn’t be one hundred percent certain. He’d said he had studied the guards who worked that shift enough to know they’d just skip the little supply closet where the lifeboat was hidden. With the gun.

Darius had mentioned the shift change too, and that the new guys who worked during the night had other tasks to focus on.

Still. What if they found the stuff Darius’s brother had hidden?

“Anything else you need from me, sir?” the guard asked.

Darius shook his head, only to think of something. “Actually, is everyone asleep? We were the last to leave the upper deck.”

“A couple gentlemen are gathered on the aft deck for brandy and cigars.”

“Thank you.” Darius dismissed the guard and closed the door, though he didn’t let go of the handle. He gave Gray a pointed look. “You know what to do, yeah?”

Gray nodded. “Unless the plans have changed again.”

“No, smartass, they haven’t changed.” His mouth twisted up a little. “I’ll be back as soon as I can—and quit worrying about the lifeboat.”

“How come you aren’t worried?” Gray blurted out, because he didn’t get it.

To Darius’s credit, he didn’t lose his patience. Instead, he walked over and squatted down in front of Gray. “You have to consider the leap, knucklehead. Valerie ordered that search to appease us, not because she’s actually worried. A crowbar is nothing when there’s no suspicion. You and I may see hiding spots and risks of guns being found, but they don’t know what we know.” He gave Gray’s leg a squeeze and stood up again. “They’re most likely thinking it was left behind from some maintenance shit. So when you’re not expecting to find anything, you won’t look as hard. Okay?”

Gray gave another nod, and he mulled over what Darius had said. It made sense when he put it like that.

Darius left shortly after, and Gray didn’t waste any time uncuffing himself. Jonas lifted his gaze and observed Gray as he slid farther down the bed and held up the key between his fingers.

“We can trust you, right?”

Jonas’s expression didn’t change. It stayed empty, and maybe a little curious. “I have an eight-year-old brother I have to get back to. He’s on his own—or stuck in the system, I guess. I haven’t seen him in over a year.”

Good enough. There was no way to confirm anything out here, and they didn’t have the time to take any more steps back. Gray leaned forward and turned the key in the lock.

“Thanks. What do you need from me?” Jonas looked up at him with big light-brown eyes, and it tugged at Gray. They were close in age and body build, but there was an innocence about Jonas that had been tainted by horror. The guy had seen too much, and it showed.

“I don’t know yet,” Gray admitted. “Darius will fill you in about tomorrow when he comes back.”

“Darius,” Jonas replied softly to himself. He pulled up his knees and hugged them to his chest. “I’m still expecting this to go to shit.”

“You and me both.” Gray snorted and rounded the bed to check the fridge under the desk. Darius had saved some leftovers for them, and there was plenty of water and juice and snacks. “Are you hungry?”

“A little.”

Gray grabbed what he could carry and returned to his side of the bed. “So, um…do you mind if I ask some questions?”

“Go for it.” Jonas nodded in thanks and accepted a bag of chips, and it just wasn’t good enough. Sensing his apprehension, Gray asked if it wouldn’t be more comfortable to sit on the bed. Or if he’d like to sit at the desk; either way, he didn’t want Jonas to sit on the floor.

Jonas cleared his throat and awkwardly got off the floor, then settled down on the bottom corner of the bed. It was as if he was afraid the bed was gonna bite him.

Actually…it was as if he didn’t have any good memories from being in a bed lately.

“Darius won’t lay a hand on you,” Gray murmured. “You’re safe here.”

“He’s been vicious with you.” Jonas glanced at him hesitantly. “I was in the central den the night he bought you. I saw what he did.”

Gray swallowed hard. “What he had to do,” he corrected, gingerly feeling the scarred digits along the back of his neck. “He didn’t have a choice. He has to make sure our cover isn’t blown.” The markings were healing slowly, though without infection. The same couldn’t be said for the tattooed barcode, which reminded Gray to take his antibiotics.

“I hope that’s true.” Jonas stared at his lap and opened the bag of potato chips. “He’s been watching me a lot, and I don’t wanna be the next one who gets tortured to death.”

Gray flinched, even as he registered the hint of dark humor, and managed a forced smile. “If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that he’s always planning the next strategy if one fails.” He paused and opened a bottle of water. “Look, I have doubts too. I’m scared shitless to believe this might work. But if there’s anyone who can get us out of here, it’s him. That, I believe with all my heart.”

Jonas nodded once and chewed slowly on a handful of chips. “Okay. Ask your questions.”

Releasing a breath, Gray gathered his thoughts and went through the things Darius had told him. Mainly, he was interested in the organization’s operations, how big it was, and what kind of trouble they could expect.

Hopefully, Jonas would have some intel.

“Do you know exactly how many are on board?” Gray asked first. “In terms of security, other staff, buyers…”

Jonas squinted at nothing and scratched his thigh. “I know there should be five buyers left, and one of them has a girlfriend or wife on board too.” That had to be Charlie’s owner. Which meant Linus’s buyer had left with a woman too. “Security and staff… Those lines are blurrier. There are ten of us who—well…eight now. Who do the stuff I do. Bartend, serve dinner…” He trailed off and looked away for a moment, and Gray could fill in the rest of that sentence on his own. Jonas and the others on the waitstaff were disposable. “I’m not sure exactly how many guards there are—maybe nine or ten. Two of them are here against their will too.”

Whoa. “Really?” That surprised Gray. “But they’re armed. They can defend themselves.”

Jonas lifted a shoulder. “Sometimes there’s a gun pointed at someone they love, but for the most part, they owe the wrong people money. One way or another, there’s a debt to pay off. It keeps them loyal.”

Gray bit on a cuticle, wondering if this was gonna change things for Darius, who was always looking for weak links to expose. But trusting a guard…? Fuck, Gray couldn’t imagine it. And they sure as hell didn’t have the time to convince one of those dudes that everything would be fine if he helped them escape. Nor did Gray want to. He didn’t fucking care if a guard was here because he was forced. No one forced the guards to rape and murder for kicks.

“This is a big crime organization, Gray. In the year I’ve been stuck here, I haven’t seen a single slave make it out alive.”

It put a rock in Gray’s stomach, and for the first time, he wondered if they could ever be free. Even if they managed to escape, couldn’t someone find them again? Holy shit, what if they went after parents and siblings?

“How did you get involved?” He pushed the words out before he went into a panic. He had a job to do, and Darius was counting on him. “You mentioned something about a job.”

“I was already on the streets.” Jonas seemed more casual now than before, the opposite of what Gray felt. “A buddy told me about some gig in Miami—this was back in Philly. But I had to go to them directly. I had to talk to someone in Texas. So that’s where I went.”

“Texas?”

Jonas nodded, reaching for a chocolate bar. “Human trafficking capital of the US. Dallas and Houston are fucking nuts. Tens of thousands of people come through there every year. It’s a billion-dollar industry, and no one misses those girls. Who cares about a foreign girl? Nobody. Domestic ones get picked up when they’re already trash. Runaways, prostitutes, users, you name it. Some dudes too, but…” He shrugged. “Anyway. I went down there and asked around until I found the right place. They were smart about it too,” he told Gray. “They don’t set off any warning bells by promising a bunch of shit. It was supposed to be quick cash for a temporary gig, and they needed a lot of guys. I knew before I got there that I’d probably be sharing a room with like, four other dudes. But it was work, and at the end of the summer, I was supposed to have enough to start a life for my brother and me.”

Gray couldn’t imagine. To walk into the trap like that, to realize you’d been set up, and then discovering there was no getting out. And Jonas had a kid brother somewhere who was on his own…? Jesus Christ.

“It was all right until we arrived in Miami,” Jonas went on. “We’d had work training and knew our job was to look good in front of rich fuckers. And since then…I mean, since the first event took place out at sea, everything’s been different.”

“Have you tried to escape?” Gray asked quietly.

Jonas nodded jerkily, looking like he was struggling to stay calm. “Once. They managed to keep me in my place for a few months. I’ve thought about escaping every time we go back to Miami, but they said they were gonna kill my brother. So I didn’t put up a fight for a while, and I was too scared. They—they did stuff to us, and I don’t have to explain that to you. You already know.”

Yeah, Gray knew.

“They keep us in an old motel outside the city,” Jonas said. “The staff, I mean. They own the property, and we’re never alone. Plus, we got these.” He brushed his fingers over the back of his neck, and Gray instantly understood Jonas had been chipped like Charlie. “Anyway, I did try to run once, ’cause they made a mistake. I punched a guard, and I received the regular threats. They were gonna kill my brother and slit my throat and all that, but they also said they were watching my family. My whole family. And I don’t have one. My folks are dead. So I thought I’d try to run the next time we docked, because it’s closer to civilization, and I just needed to find a place to lay low long enough to remove the tracking device.”

Gray caught himself right before he could ask if it worked. He was on pins and needles, his body tense, and he felt dumb as shit when he checked himself. Fucking obviously, it hadn’t worked. Christ. The dude was here now, after all. But dammit, he needed some good news.

“I didn’t get fifty feet before they were all over me.” Jonas let out a shaky laugh, the pain growing tenfold in his expressive eyes. “I’d never felt as alone as I did that night. Not a single fucking person heard me scream.” There was another chuckle, but Gray saw everything fall apart before it actually did. Jonas’s shoulders shook, and then he covered his face with his hands and tried to hold back his sob. “I shouldn’t have tried to escape.”

Gray cursed under his breath and pushed away the food between them. Then he moved closer and cautiously put a hand on Jonas’s shoulder. He went still for a second, an automatic response Gray had come to understand painfully well.

“Ask me the next question,” Jonas croaked into his hands. “I don’t wanna think about this anymore.”

“All right. Um.” Gray’s hands fell to his lap, and he fidgeted with his fingers while he scrambled for the questions Darius wanted answered. “How many auctions have you been to?”

“Just auctions, or parties too?”

Gray didn’t understand the question.

Jonas sniffled and wiped his face. “Parties are more common. Disgusting men bring their whores and slaves. Basically, it’s a four-day-long play party, but instead of buying a slave, you bring one.”

“Oh.” Just when Gray thought the world couldn’t get any uglier… “Both, I guess.”

“There’s something happening every month.” Jonas cleared his throat and stared at his lap. “Parties usually have themes, and it’s for…I don’t know, I mean, they’re still rich as fuck, but not as loaded as the men who attend auctions. Parties come with drugs, loud music, and business. They trade prostitutes, gamble, and network. There’s a big drug trade, and a lot of guests come up from South America.”

“Jesus.” Gray rubbed his mouth absently, thinking how this whole clusterfuck just kept growing like a goddamn cancer.

“The auctions are more rare, especially one like this.” Jonas gave the cabin a glance. “Last one was a couple months ago. Fourteen girls from Guatemala were sold to some creeps from Europe.”

Gray didn’t wanna hear another word. This organization operated all over the world, and the mere knowledge of it was throwing a dark shadow across everything he’d once found beautiful or appealing. What kid didn’t dream about backpacking through Europe? If he went now, he’d wonder what restaurants, what hotels, and what checkpoints were used in trafficking networks.

Hell, he’d spent months in and out of trucks, riding on the same highways as anyone who was on their way to work. The entire goddamn world was nothing but a system of smuggling routes.

“What, uh…” Gray scrubbed at his mouth and jaw, disgusted. But he had to move on. “What about this fleet of luxury boats? Are there a lot of them? Do you happen to know if we’re in a heavily trafficked area?”

“I think…hmm. I think there are four yachts in total. They’re not registered in Florida. They come here from Texas. At least, that’s what I’ve overheard.” Jonas paused. “There’s another auction taking place somewhere around here now too. With the same theme, I mean. Gay guys. But otherwise, I haven’t heard of two boats being out here at the same time.”

That could be a good thing. Right? They weren’t gonna want a bunch of boats nearby when they attempted to take control of this one tomorrow. Well, not boats that belonged to this vile organization.

He opened his mouth to ask the next question but promptly shut it again when he heard someone unlocking the door. Darius appeared, visibly tired, and closed the door behind him.

“Boys.” He nodded with a dip of his chin.

“Hey.” Gray took a deep breath, relieved to see him. “How did it go?” He noticed Jonas had become a lot more guarded.

Darius was noticing it too, and maybe that was why he made an effort to be as casual as possible. Although, Gray could see everything wasn’t awesome. The pinch between Darius’s brows was telling.

“Good news and bad,” he admitted. He avoided that side of the bed, perhaps to give Jonas some space, and chose to sit down at the desk instead. “Bad news first. Three guards who’re supposed to work tomorrow are already ill. I thought it was gonna be another few hours.” He opened a window and dug out his cigarettes. “Unless my calculations are wrong again, the drugs will wear off too early, around noon instead of three or four.” He rubbed his forefinger and middle finger along his eyebrows and grimaced. “Maybe if we start earlier too…”

“Do I even wanna know what was in that powder?” Jonas mumbled to Gray.

Gray’s stomach was a mess of nerves, but for this, there was an ounce of humor to be spared. “I only know he crushed laxatives into the mix.”

“You never know when an illness can come in handy,” Darius had explained when he’d made the concoction. “There’s a reason we use it as our most common excuse to get out of things.”

Darius had brought it with him for the purpose of having an excuse in case Gray was too traumatized to play a part in their cover. The man really did try to think of everything.

“Okay, so what does this mean for the escape?” Jonas asked hesitantly. “Will it be harder to get away?”

Oh boy. He didn’t know yet that they weren’t running anywhere. Gray wet his lips and flicked his gaze to Darius.

He took a deep drag from his cigarette and exhaled the smoke toward the window. “No time to beat around the bush. We’re not going anywhere, Jonas. We’re going to take control of the yacht.”

Ugh, it sounded fucking impossible when he said it out loud.

Jonas gaped at them both. “Are you two out of your fucking minds?”

“The good news better be really good,” Gray told Darius.

His mouth twitched. “It is. I got the code to the pilothouse where the surveillance can be shut off.”

Okay, that was…something, at least.