With his rifle trained in front of him, he moved toward the sliding door. Yusuf was facing away from Roarke and distracted, shouting orders at his men, who wrestled with Laine.
Yusuf exited the door and went straight for the railing, where his boat was secured to the yacht.
“Mommy!” Emmy’s piercing scream carried over the ocean.
Roarke hesitated, his finger on the trigger. Fury blinded him. He caught sight of Emmy’s rounded eyes, her open mouth—and her empty arms, reaching for her mother.
He preferred bullets, but there was no way he’d chance blowing off the bastard’s head with Emmy right there.
Before he could leap onto the enemy boat to go after Emmy, Laine was carried outside. One man had his arms wrapped around her middle. The man next to him grabbed Laine’s kicking legs and helped heft her over the railing.
Roarke picked the easiest target—the man who’d just dropped Laine’s feet into the boat and then stood back.
He pulled the trigger. The man’s head snapped back, and blood erupted on his skin before he folded overboard.
Chaos exploded.
The men with Emmy and Laine fired at the yacht. Laine was thrown to the bottom of the boat as the brute who’d been holding her rushed to the steering wheel. Panic shot through Roarke. Without a second thought, he made a run for the edge and leapt over, dropping into the enemy’s watercraft so close to Yusuf that he staggered backward.
Roarke drove the butt of his weapon into Yusuf’s head. The man instantly sagged, and his eyes rolled back. Roarke caught Emmy before she was pulled to the deck with Yusuf.
“No!”
At the sound of Laine’s cry, Roarke spun around while hugging Emmy to his chest, shielding her. The last enemy standing had Laine’s hair in his grip and his gun pointed at Roarke—and Emmy.
Laine slammed her arm against the shooter’s elbow. The gun went off, but the bullet hit the bottom of the boat.
“Get down!” Roarke barked.
Laine threw herself out of her attacker’s grip and Roarke fired, shooting him in the chest. The gun fell out of his hand, and he dropped onto the seats. Blood oozed over the smooth material.
Emmy’s squeaky gasp shook Roarke to the core.
A deep ache spread from his heart. “It’s okay, sweet pea. I’ve got you. Hang tight. Your momma’s right here.”
He raced to Laine and dropped down next to her. She threw her arms around both of them, and her hand ran over Emmy’s hair, but the little girl didn’t let go of his neck.
Striker jumped on board, yanking Roarke by the elbow. “We need to move!”
Roarke wrapped his free arm around Laine. The urge to search her for injuries and look into her eyes was almost too fucking great to bear. But he needed them safely back on theyacht first. His heart pounded in his ears. Adrenaline pumped through him again.
He moved them toward the edge of the boat. Striker lifted Laine to Viper, then reached to take Emmy. Her little arms tightened around Roarke.
“I’ve got her,” he said gruffly, not wanting to part from her any more than she wanted to part from him.
He managed to haul them both onto the yacht with Viper’s help, and in seconds they were speeding away from the scene.
Hassan paced the living room, curses flying from his lips. “Look at my boat!”
Roarke sent him a furious glare from where he stood. Hassan shrunk back, and he covered his face with his hands. Striker motioned for him to sit.
Viper wrapped Laine in a blanket. Her eyes were large and hollow in her pale face. She looked as though she’d had the life sucked from her body.
Protectiveness surged through him. He placed his palm on Emmy’s shaking back and rubbed. “Viper, another blanket.”
In a flash, his friend threw one over Emmy’s shoulders. Roarke held her tightly, then pulled Laine into his side. She melted against him, her body trembling.
“See to the captain. Make sure he’s not injured. I want an ETA and this thing flying to shore as fast as goddamn possible.”
