Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1277

Steve fought off the nearest attacker, but a knife caught his side. The pain twisted his face, leaving his muscles twitching and tight. He knew these guys weren’t amateurs. They moved with the unmistakable confidence of trained mercenaries. Stronger, faster, way more experienced than him. The fact that he was still upright felt like a miracle.

He stole a glance at Sylvia. If she didn’t make it out right now, they were both dead. That simple, that brutal. This beach would become their grave, and no one would even know.

One of the men tried to slip past Steve, aiming for the jet ski where Sylvia sat frozen. With a guttural roar, Steve ignored the blows raining down on his back and lunged forward, locking both arms tight around the man’s waist. He held on with everything he had, refusing to let go.

“Go!” His shout ripped from his lungs, desperate and raw. “Get out of here, now!”

The words hit Sylvia like a shockwave, snaking right into her bones. She stared at the blood running down Steve’s arms, watched him take a fist to the face and still refuse to loosen his grip. Panic closed in, stifling, but she wouldn’t lose it. Not now.

She grabbed the nearest thing—Steve’s blood-soaked floral shirt—jammed it into her mouth, and bit down hard, willing herself not to scream. Her hands shook as she wrapped them around the handlebars. With a sharp twist, she hit the throttle.

The jet ski’s engine roared beneath her. In the next second, she shot off the sand and crashed into the crashing waves. Sylvia never looked back. The wind slapped her cheeks, cutting them raw, and her eyes blurred with tears, but she forced them open and kept pushing, throttle jammed all the way. Last time she drove one of these, it was at a team-building event. Back then, thirty miles an hour had felt wild. Now, with her heart pounding, the speedometer’s needle shot past ninety. Her mind went blank except for a single frantic thought.

Faster. Please, go faster.

The jet ski bucked and thudded across the churning waves. After what felt like forever, she finally spotted a crowd of umbrellas, the bustling resort beach, and then the massive shadow of the GlowOcean looming ahead.

She was going way too fast. Her thoughts scattered and half-drowned, she didn’t even try to slow down as she hit the shallow water. The jet ski flipped, tossing her headlong into the sea. Cold water slammed into her face, filling her mouth and nose, burning her throat.

Tourists nearby gasped and shouted, shocked by the noise and chaos. Sylvia fought her way through the waves, coughing and sputtering, and finally burst up to the surface. Soaked and shaking all over, she clawed the waterproof pouch from around her neck. Her fingers trembled so much that it took three tries to unlock her phone.

She called Emmy.

The endless rings drilled right into her heart, each one tightening the panic in her chest.

He guided Emmy away, arm wrapped protectively around her waist. The moment they found a quiet spot along the panoramic deck, Penny quickly filled them in.

Emmy’s face drained of color. James acted at once, raising his left hand and tapping rapidly at the dial of his watch. The elegant face slid away, revealing a tiny holographic screen.

He didn’t hesitate. His voice came out clipped and razor-sharp.

“All units, level one alert. Teams Three and Four, get the armed choppers in the air now. Head to the remote beach, fan out, and rescue Steve. Do whatever it takes.”

He switched channels, pitching his voice low.

“All other teams, seal off every non-guest corridor on the ship. Search the GlowOcean for explosives and anything suspicious, but do it quietly. Under no circumstances are you to cause a scene or frighten the guests.”