The SUV screeched to a halt at the edge of the southern coast. The moon hung low over the private docks, reflecting off the dark, churning water where the Stuar family's massive private ship waited, its engines humming like a sleeping beast.
King Stuar and Nova hurried up the gangplank, flanked by a phalanx of armed bodyguards. But in the back of the car, Levis remained motionless.
Robert opened the passenger door, the salt air whipping his hair. "Levis. Get out. We're leaving."
Levis didn't even look at him. His silence was like a wall of ice.
"Robert, don't be too hard on him," Nova whispered, pausing at the top of the ramp. "He's drowning in his own heart right now." She turned and followed her husband into the ship's cabin.
"Levis, I'm telling you for the last time. Get out of the car!" Robert's patience was fraying under the weight of the day's trauma.
