Page 61 of Controlled Drift
A question.
Ethan gave the smallest nod.His mind spinning.He had a good idea who Rangi and Alexios were targeting, but he had to get Black Tide to do their part.
Ethan breathed once, steadying himself.
“You always liked it when the odds were stacked in your favor.”
His eyes flicked briefly to the guns in the room.
“Five to three.You still think that’s fair, Niko?That’s high tide—nothing stays where it is.”
He let the silence stretch, then added evenly, “Looks like the tide’s shifting.Time to correct the drift.”
Beside him, Niko went utterly still.
Not frozen.
Focused.
Gregory scoffed.“I like my chances.”
Niko spoke softly then, in Hawaiian—low, lethal, unmistakable.
He had an idea what was said, but didn’t know the words.They settled into the air like a death sentence.
Ethan drew a breath, then shouted, “Now!”
The room erupted.
Alexios and Rangi moved in perfect sync.
No signal.No hesitation.Just timing.
Alexios snapped both arms forward at once, left and right hands releasing together.Two knives flashed silver and buried themselves deep into the throats of the shooters to Marcus’s left.Both men dropped instantly, bodies folding as their spinal columns were severed, weapons clattering uselessly to the floor.
At the same moment, Rangi threw.
One knife flew from his left hand, crossing the space in a straight, brutal line before driving cleanly into the throat of the last shooter trained on Marcus.The man went down without a sound.
Rangi’s right hand followed through in the same motion.
The second blade slammed into Gregory’s shoulder—into the exact place on his shoulder where he had shot Ethan.
Gregory screamed as blood bloomed across his pristine suit, the force of the impact spinning him sideways.
The remaining men didn’t last seconds.
Black Tide surged forward, violence precise and absolute.Shots cracked.Bodies fell.The Pathfinders eliminated the last threats with brutal efficiency, gunfire echoing once, twice, then cutting off entirely.
It was all over in seconds, and silence slammed down.
Marcus sagged forward, breathing hard but alive.
Ethan staggered, and Niko was there instantly, a solid presence at his side, hand firm at his back.“I’ve got you,” Niko said fiercely.
Ethan nodded once, then straightened and walked toward his father.
Gregory lay on the floor now, clutching his shoulder, blood soaking into the carpet.His face was twisted with rage and disbelief.
