Karma Doesn’t Sleep The Revenge Queen Rises novel Chapter 704

Kit’s eyes were locked on the three boats ahead, his stare cold and unblinking. He raised the walkie-talkie to his mouth and spoke, voice steady and sharp. “Ms. Sadinton is here, just like you asked. Tatum, where are the hostages you promised?”

Tatum’s voice crackled back, laced with a weird, almost mocking laugh. “Kit, after all the business we’ve done, you still don’t trust me? I always keep my word.”

The moment he finished, a wave of hostages appeared on the decks of the two boats on either side. Their hands were tied behind their backs—women, kids, everyone. Amelia’s heart skipped when she spotted Greg Robert in the crowd.

He looked thinner, almost hollow, his eyes sunken from exhaustion.

“Greg!” Amelia shouted before she could stop herself.

Greg’s head snapped up, disbelief written all over his face as he searched for the voice. When he finally saw Amelia standing on the shore, his eyes went wide.

“Amelia? What are you doing here?”

Amelia didn’t get a chance to answer. Tatum’s voice came through again, sharp and impatient. “You see the hostages. Now send Amelia over, and I’ll let them go.”

Greg froze, the truth hitting him hard—Amelia was here to trade herself for them.

He shouted, panic in his voice, “Amelia, don’t come! They’re—”

But he didn’t get to finish. A terrorist behind him smashed him in the head with a rifle butt. Greg crumpled, then was shoved straight into the water. A child nearby started wailing, clinging to their mother in terror.

“Greg!” Amelia screamed, lunging forward, but Kit grabbed her arm, holding her back. A soldier in camouflage didn’t hesitate—he dove straight into the sea after Greg.

Amelia was shaking all over. She snatched the walkie-talkie from Kit, her voice trembling with anger. “What do you people want? I’m here! You have to make sure every hostage gets off that boat safely!”

Tatum’s reply was smooth, almost bored. “No need to get so fired up, Ms. Sadinton. My guys can be a little rough. Disobedient hostages sometimes need a lesson. Relax, your friend will live. But if you drag this out any longer, I can’t guarantee my men won’t pull the trigger.”

Rage boiled in Amelia’s chest. These people weren’t human. To them, the three hundred hostages on board were nothing—just bodies, not people. What would happen to her if she ended up in their hands?

She forced herself to focus, squeezing her fists tight as the sobbing of the children echoed in her ears. Swallowing her fear, she tried, “Let everyone off the boat safely, then I’ll—”

She didn’t get to finish. Gunshots rang out from the boat—two deafening cracks in the air.

Tatum cut her off, his tone cold. “Ms. Sadinton, you don’t get to bargain. You get on the boat first, then I’ll let the hostages go. Five seconds to decide. For every second you hesitate, one dies.”

Amelia caught Kit’s eye and yelled, “Forget about me! Save them!”

Kit tried to rush forward, but terrorists on the deck opened fire. Bullets hit the dock behind Amelia, forming an invisible barrier. There was no way through. One of the terrorists seized the chance, grabbing Amelia and dragging her up onto the boat.

With her free hand, she felt for the gun hidden under her clothes as she was yanked along the metal corridor. Her captor was strong, dragging her so fast she barely kept her footing. She slipped on something and went down hard, her knee slamming into the cold steel floor. The pain shot straight up her leg, brutal and sharp.

The terrorist barked something at her, angry words in a language she didn’t understand.

He grabbed her by the collar and hauled her to her feet, dragging her down below deck to what looked like the command room.

There, sitting behind the main control panel, was a bald man with a tattoo running down his face, a cigar clamped between his teeth. His features were harsh, his skin deeply tanned from years under a tropical sun. It was impossible to tell how old he was—he could have been thirty or fifty.

The man who’d dragged Amelia in stood at attention, almost afraid.

Amelia didn’t need to ask. She looked the man in the eye. “You’re Tatum, aren’t you?”