Chapter 10: Shadows of Duty and Desire
1218 Words
Ethan moved like a shadow through the labyrinthine corridors of the cruise ship, his steps silent against the plush carpeting. The festive energy of the Christmas market above deck was a sharp contrast to the quiet unease below. Here, beneath the veneer of holiday cheer, the ship harboured something far darker.
Ethan’s instincts told him this was no ordinary mission anymore.
He slipped into a storage room, closing the door softly behind him. In the dim light filtering through the porthole, he pulled out his phone and reviewed the photos he’d taken earlier that day—images of crew manifests, security rosters, and guest lists. All of it pointed to one conclusion: the ship wasn’t just a holiday retreat.
It was a powder keg of dangerous individuals gathered under the guise of celebration.
Ethan checked the gun strapped to his thigh, his mind racing. He hadn’t expected this level of threat when he accepted the assignment. And now, Scarlett was here, unknowingly caught in the middle of it all. It was a complication he hadn’t anticipated, tearing at him every moment he saw her.
He eased the door open and stepped back into the corridor, his ears tuned to the slightest sound. Just as he turned the corner, a flicker of movement caught his eye. A man stood at the far end of the hall, his figure shrouded in a dark coat. Ethan’s breath hitched. He recognised the calculated stillness in the man’s stance. This wasn’t just another passenger.
The man turned his head slightly, and Ethan glimpsed the faint glint of a weapon concealed beneath the cloak. Ethan ducked into another side passage without hesitation, his mind calculating his options. Whoever this man was, he wasn’t here for the gingerbread and mulled wine.
Ethan doubled back toward the central stairwell, moving quickly but deliberately. He needed to get to the lower decks, where he suspected a shipment of weapons had been smuggled aboard. If he could confirm it, he might figure out who was behind this and why. But before he could descend the stairs, a figure lunged at him from the shadows.
Ethan reacted instantly, twisting to avoid the blade aimed at his ribs. He caught the attacker’s wrist, wrenching the knife free and slamming the man against the wall. The attacker—a burly man with a scar running down his cheek—grunted in pain but fought back with surprising strength. Ethan dodged a punch, countering with a sharp jab at the man’s solar plexus.
The fight was quick and brutal, ending with Ethan pinning the attacker to the ground, his gun pressed against the man’s temple.
“Who sent you?” Ethan demanded, his voice low and dangerous.
The man sneered but said nothing. Ethan pressed the gun harder, but before he could get an answer, a muffled gunshot rang out. The attacker went limp beneath him, blood pooling beneath his head.
Ethan spun around, his gun raised, but the hallway was empty. Whoever had killed the man was gone, leaving Ethan with more questions than answers.
He wiped his hands on his trousers and moved quickly, his heart pounding. If someone else was cleaning up loose ends, it meant they were ahead of him—and that Scarlett was in even more danger than he’d thought.
As he reached the lower decks, Ethan slipped into the shadows, his gaze scanning every corner. The cargo hold loomed ahead, its heavy metal doors slightly ajar. He crept closer, his hand resting on his holstered gun.
Inside, rows of crates were stacked high, their labels marked with innocuous symbols. But Ethan knew better. He pried open one of the crates, revealing a cache of high-powered rifles.
“So, you’ve figured it out,” a voice drawled behind him.
Ethan spun, his gun aimed at the source of the voice. The man in the dark coat stepped into the dim light, his face partially obscured by the brim of his hat.
“Who the hell are you?” Ethan demanded, his finger hovering over the trigger.
The man raised his hands in a mock gesture of surrender. “Easy there, Agent Pierce. We’re on the same side. Sort of.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened. “That’s funny. I don’t recall working with anyone who leaves a trail of bodies behind them.”
The man smirked. “Sometimes, collateral damage is necessary. You’d know that if you weren’t so... attached.”
“What are you talking about?” Ethan asked, though he already had a sinking feeling he knew.
The man stepped closer, his voice dropping. “Scarlett Hawthorne. You’re compromised, Ethan. The higher-ups sent me to make sure this mission doesn’t go sideways because of your... distractions.”
Ethan’s grip on his gun tightened. “Leave her out of this.”
“I can’t,” the man said, his tone hardening. “She’s the key to all of this. Her father left behind something very valuable—something locked away that only Scarlett can access. That’s why you were sent here, isn't it? To protect her? Or maybe to manipulate her into cooperating?”
Ethan’s chest tightened. “I’m here to make sure she’s safe.”
The man chuckled darkly. “Safe? From who? Her ex-husband? The killers on this ship? Or from you?”
Ethan’s gun wavered for a split second, and the man seized the moment to step closer.
“You don’t get it, do you?” the man continued. “If she doesn’t open that vault, there are people—very powerful people—who will do
whatever it takes to get what they want. And if you stand in their way, they’ll take you out too.”
Ethan’s mind raced. He’d suspected there was more to Scarlett’s family than met the eye, but this... this was bigger than anything he’d imagined.
“I’m not letting them use her,” Ethan said, his voice steady despite the storm raging inside him.
The man’s expression darkened. “Then you’d better make a choice, Agent Pierce. Love or duty. Because you can’t have both.”
Before Ethan could respond, the man turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving Ethan alone with the rifles and the weight of his choices.
He leaned against the crate, his hands trembling slightly. Scarlett had no idea what she was walking into, and Ethan wasn’t sure if he could protect her from the forces aligning against her—or from himself.
For a moment, he allowed himself to picture a different life, one where he and Scarlett could be together without the shadows of duty and danger looming over them. But the image dissolved as quickly as it had formed.
He was an agent. She was the target. And no matter how much he cared for her, his mission had to come first.
But as he made his way back toward the upper decks, Ethan couldn’t shake the memory of her smile, the sound of her laughter, and the way her presence made him feel like he wasn’t completely lost in the darkness.
He clenched his jaw. Maybe he couldn’t have both, but he’d be damned if he let anyone hurt her.
The game had changed, and Ethan was determined to rewrite the rules—even if it cost him everything.
- Writer
