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Chapter 1: Griffin

I ith Ian at its best That was the last thing I clearly re else filters back hazy, like it’s been covered in a layer of gauze I had a few drinks, a few pills, danced my ass off, and then woke up here, in some cramped little room on the lower level of a boat I can tell it’s a boat even though there are no s and the door is locked The rocking motion The sea salt air Footsteps aboveon the door There’s only the thin shaft of pale light that trickles in from under the door There’s no one in this room but myself, and I don’t need a mirror to know my face has been battered My left eye is swollen shut and h my lip is split, but that could just be because I’m dehydrated

I stand up, sway on my feet The room lurches and I nearly fall, but I don’t Even in this condition, I’ve got good sea legs Dad always said so That’s the only time Dad and I ever seemed able to stand each other—ere out on his yacht Still, he’d have toonto the boat or he’d be puking over the side and wailing that he wanted to get back to the harbor

I ht have somehow unlocked itself I pound on it “Let me out of here, assholes!” I shout

There’s a pause above nize the voices

I sit down My head feels funny It feels funny in such a way that I know soiven en in on this, too? No She was just soirl on vacation from Dublin or Wicklow or one of those dumpy Irish cities

I don’t know exactly how long I sit for, ainst the wall The fuzziness in h there’s still a bitter taste inHeavy footsteps approach, pause outside The door inches open

“Stay right where you are,” a low voice growls

Twopirates, these two aren’t far off the rizzled and looks like he hits the bottle a little too often His face is riddled with pocker, shorter one actually has a red bandana wrapped around his head

“Where’s the eyepatch?” I ask him

He shoots me a look “Did we say you could talk?”

He throws so down at my feet It’s a plastic bottle, half-filled ater While I’rateful for the drink, I’ or so a little more authentic “Is this bottle BPA free?” I ask after I take a sip

Bandana continues to glare at me but the older one chuckles “A pretty boy and a wise ass,” he says “Aren’t you a catch”

I take another sip The water stings the cut on my lower lip, but I welcome the pain because it’s sharp and it helps clear the cloudiness fro You should’ve told ear Where are we, anyway?”

“That’s not really any of your concern”

“So what exactly is going on?”

“We knoho you are”

“Excellent And who ht you be?”

“You don’t need to concern yourself with that,” Snaggletooth says “For the tio, pretty boy, when your daddy-o pays up”

I laugh “Is this a joke?”

“No”

We stare at each other “How much?” I finally say

He smirks “72 million”

“That’s kind of a random number, isn’t it?”

“Don’t see how that’s any of your damn business”

“And if he doesn’t?”

Snaggletooth rubs the lower part of his face “Well then I suppose we’ll have to follow through e said we’d do to you And honestly, I’d be just as happy watching the sharks rip you to pieces as I would gutting youlazy, self-entitled pieces of shit like you meet their ends So your daddy-o either pays or doesn’t Don’t matter much to me—either way, I’ll be a happy man”

His eyes shine in such a way that tells od truth He winks, then the two leave the roo the door behind them There’s no way my father would pay that much money Not for n of hiet in a situation where abduction would be possible He’s just not that kind of guy I, on the other hand, apparently am

“Shit,” I say, to no one in particular

I’et myself out of this one

Chapter 2: Jill