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The years of rage and uncertainty kicked in and with a hard push, I switched the angle. The gun went off, the explosive sound leaving a roar of echoes in my ears.

We continued the fight until he managed to get out from under me. Instead of trying to finish his task, he rushed toward the boat, grabbing the mooring line and jumping over the edge.

“Maxsim!” she called.

Jagger immediately shoved the speed boat into gear, the powerful engine kicking to life.

“Stay here, baby. I’ll be right back.” He thought he was going to get away. Not a fucking chance in hell.

“That’s what you always say.” The wind carried her lilting voice as I took off running onto the dock, ignoring every warning sign in my head and throwing my body into the air. I dropped on the edge, my feet dangling in the water as he pushed down the throttle.

I struggled to climb on board, able to do so the second he looked back, realizing he wasn’t alone.

Goddamn it. I was getting too old for this shit.

He lunged for me again, enjoying the hell out of himself. That was the moment I was truly finished with playing games.

“I never meant to kill your mother, Jagger.”

“Yeah, you did.” He pointed the weapon in my face. The damn boat was on autopilot, but he hadn’t taken the time to steer the boat out into the open waters. In about two minutes, we would run into a dock full of boats.

It would be a shame to destroy such things of beauty.

“That’s where you’re wrong. If I’d have known, I would have done anything to save her.”

He laughed, looking at the ocean. “She loved me.”

The man was cracking at the seams. I could feel it.

“As my wife loved me. Did you know my little girl has cancer like your half-sister did? The same exact cancer. Your father wasn’t there for her. I plan on being there for my baby.”

I didn’t know the man, nor did I want to know him, but I could tell he hadn’t heard the news.

“Callista.” He said her name with some sense of reverence.

“Yes, and Isabel cared for her like she did when you kidnapped my child. She’s sick now because of it. The cancer might have returned. She doesn’t deserve to suffer for the sins of our fathers or the sins of hers. Neither does Isabel.”

I’d need to jump or steer the boat. We were both hardheaded, our respective weapons pointed at the other. Not budging.

“I wasn’t going to hurt Mina. I might be just like my father, but I would never hurt a child.” He glanced into the water once again. “Tell Isabel I’m sorry. Our father was a bastard.”

Pop!

His suicide shocked me, but as his body crumpled, I swung into action, jumping over him and getting to the wheel mere seconds before the boat crashed directly in the center of a nice yacht.

Jesus Christ.

As I veered off, the roar of the engine was a comforting sound. The lightning not hidden behind the clouds lit up the sky in brilliant malevolence.

I swung the boat around, heading back toward my own private dock. There was still a lot of work to be done, but for now, I could finally tell my guardian angel the nightmare was over.

The moment I slowed the boat, pulling it alongside the dock, I was greeted by several of my soldiers including Sergei.

They knew better than to say a word to me, although I nodded to them, indicating a body was on the boat. As they jogged past me, my lovely soon to be fiancée sashayed toward me. With the security light over the dock now on, I could see her expression as she shook her head.

“You could have gotten yourself killed,” she told me.

“What? That? That was nothing.” I pulled her into my arms. “Besides, you were playing assassin with knives again.”