"Did you really think I would let you leave the harbor with my property?"
Rafael's voice cut through the mechanical roar of the boat's engine like a razor blade over silk.
Lieutenant Miller scrambled backward across the slick deck, his boots slipping against the wet fiberglass as he stared in absolute horror.
Rafael stood tall near the stern of the vessel, his dark coat heavy with seawater, looking down at the officer with silver eyes that glowed beneath the harbor lights.
"How in God's name did you get aboard this vessel?" Miller gasped, his hand clawing frantically at his empty holster.
"You spent too much time admiring your distance, Lieutenant, and far too little watching the harbor cranes," Rafael replied smoothly.
He took a slow, deliberate step forward, the boat pitchin
