Chapter 579

Hannah and Alfredo abruptly looked up, only to see Scorpio standing on the stairs, his face a mix of shock and dark suspicion as he watched them.

Scorpio had originally planned to go with Brixton for the negotiation, but Brixton had ordered him to stay behind-said someone needed to keep tormenting Aanya and her crew for scheming against Hannah.

With clear reluctance, Scorpio had obeyed. Moments earlier, he'd been in the bathroom, torturing Aanya on Brixton's orders, when the burst of gunfire rattled the walls. Curiosity and unease had dragged him out,and now he stood staring at the impossible: Hannah -who should have been swallowed by the sea-standing there alive, Alfredo at her side, and Kayce sprawled in a bloody heap.

They were currently standing at the topo of the stairs on the second deck. Hannah's pulse jolted, a curse flashing through her mind. Scorpio hadn't left with Brixton? Forcing her breathing steady, she slipped the key into her sleeve without letting her fingers tremble.

Then, Hannah stepped in front of Alfredo, subtly angling her body to shield her, her posture braced and ready. Locking eyes with Scorpio's piercing stare, she fought to hold her words steady."Someone rescued me."

Scorpio's eyes thinned as he descended the stairs,each step deliberate. "You really are lucky," he commented with unnerving calm. "So why come back?"

His gaze dropped to Kayce sprawled on the floor,blood pooling beneath him. "And Kayce-what happened to him?"

"I... I don't know." Hannah forced a tremor into her tone, layering calculated fear over every word."Everything erupted downstairs-gunfire, shouting.I panicked and tried to run to the third deck to hide.When I got to the second deck, I... I found Kayce

lying here. I didn't see who did it."

The suspicion in Scorpio's face didn't ease.His eyes flicked past Hannah to Alfredo. "Tell me the truth,Alfredo. What exactly happened here?"

Alfredo's shoulders quivered. She ducked her head,retreating into the blank, childlike persona she'd perfected. She muttered, voice airy and unfocused,"Do you have any goodies?I wanna eat."

"Fucking useless!" Scorpio snarled, spitting the word like venom before turning away from Alfredo.

Dropping into a crouch, Scorpio studied Kayce's wound, his frown digging deeper with every glance."One strike. Straight through the heart," he muttered,his voice sharp with disbelief. "For someone as quick and capable as Kayce, letting anyone close was unthinkable-being killed so neatly was nearly impossible. For someone to hit at this range..."

His head lifted, cold eyes darting between Hannah and Alfredo. A spark of doubt lit up his eyes."It had to be someone he trusted. That's why he never

fought back."

The malice in his expression deepened. Rising to his full height, he reached for the gun at his waist, intent clear-he meant to take them alive and drag the truth out of them.

Before he could draw, a gunshot cracked through the air.

The bullet tore past Scorpio, grazing his side and smashing into the wall behind with a sharp,splintering thud.

Scorpio hit the floor in one smooth motion, rolling until he was shielded by the nearest crate. A sheen of cold sweat broke out across his temples.

Nate was the one who'd pulledthe trigger. He and his men had advanced to the second deck exactly as planned-and they'd just caught Scorpio in the act of threatening Hannah. Without hesitation, Nate had fired a single warning shot.

"Son of a bitch!" Scorpio snarled, flattening himself behind cover, the chance to seize Hannah and Alfredo slipping through his fingers.

Hannah's pulse spiked, but she seized the moment.Forcing her voice into a false calm, she called out toward Scorpio, loud enough for Nate's team to hear,"Scorpio! What do we do now? Looks like they're about to break through!"

Pinned down by relentless fire, Scorpio hit the deck and scrambled for cover, sweat running down his temple. He jammed the radio to his mouth,barking through gritted teeth, "All of you,move! Follow my command and kill every single bastard!"

His first thought was survival, the second-holding the line. Snatching up his rifle, he charged down the stairs, signaling for his men to follow. If the first deck fell, their entire operation-and profit-would go with it.

With Scorpio distracted, Hannah spun around,fingers tight on the key hidden in her sleeve.Heart hammering, she dashed to the nearest cages and began unlocking them one by one. "Quick, come on!" she hissed, leaning close to the bars. "If you want to live,follow me!"

But instead of rushing to freedom, the women inside recoiled as if she'd struck them. They clung to each other desperately, their faces drained of all color,eyes stretched wide with unfiltered terror.

A gaunt woman's voice cracked as she shook her head violently. "Nó! I'm not going out there. They'll cut us open and sell our organs! You're lying! I won't fall for it!"

"Indeed-it's worse out there! In here, at least we're breathing for now."

"You're just trying to lure us out so you can sell us somewhere even worse. I know how people like you work."

"We won't go! We'd rather die here than take our chances outside!"

Years of living under fear and cruelty had warped their thinking. The cages had twisted into a grim kind

of refuge in their minds, a place where danger felt distant if only for a moment. The world beyond those bars loomed as an unknown,hostile place-one they believed would devour them the instant they stepped out.

Hannah gauged their terrified faces and softened her tone."Listen to me-I'm not here to hurt you. I came to get you out. My name's Hannah. Brixton caught me too, but I found a way to escape.I can get you off this ship and back to freedom."

Her plea met only silence.

The cage doors hung wide open, yet not a single woman dared to move.

Alfredo crossed her arms with a bitter little laugh."See? What's the point of all that effort? No one appreciates it."

The moment was shattered by a sudden lull in the firefight. Scorpio seized the opening, charging up to the second deck with several armed men at his back.

His gaze landed on the open cages, and his expression went dark as thunder. "Hannah!" he roared, his voice cutting through the chaos. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"