If You Take My Hand (Beachside Sweet Romantic Suspense Book 1)

by Rimmy London

  “An hour or two,” she said confidently, like that was good news. I shook my head.

  “You won’t get anywhere if you can’t think straight. Get some sleep. These plans can wait a few hours. I’m going to catch up on some things, and I’ll wake you up when I’m done. Deal?” I asked. Her head nodded a couple times through my speech, but not in agreement. She was almost dead on her feet.

  “You’re right,” she sighed, standing and taking the bag with her as she headed for the spare bedroom. I heard the blankets ruffle once, and then all was quiet. Immediately, my mind began working double time. I could only count on a few hours to get things organized. How in the world would I convince Enrica that she sounded completely insane? Who’s to say Shellbrook wouldn’t be blamed for the explosions?

  I walked to my bedroom, closed the door quietly behind me and pulled out the paper file.

  One of them had to be willing to talk.

  * * *

  After nearly four hours of making phone calls, I heard Enrica in the front room. I walked in and took a deep breath. “Okay,” I said, my eyes closed. “Let me see if I understand,” I looked down to see her waiting, if not impatiently. “So, you plan on walking up to those three men.”

  “Callisto, Aleandro, and Dimitrio. The ones responsible for this whole mess, yes I do.” She sounded irritated, but I continued.

  “Okay, yes. Those three. And you need me for some reason?” I still hadn’t figured out just why I was so important in her equation. She flicked one hand out in exasperation.

  “Yes, Loriel. I need you, okay? They know me - they’re looking for me. You could fool them more easily than…”

  “They know me too.” I shrugged my shoulders, sure this would end her plans, but she shook her head, disagreeing.

  “Not like you think they do.” She left her cryptic comment in the air, not offering any explanation. I moved on.

  “So, if I’ve got all this right, you’ve already rigged up explosives to storage bins you found offshore?” I asked. She stared back with the same annoyed expression. “Right, so, you walk up to them and use this as a threat to get them to release their grip on you… I mean on Shellbrook?” She nodded, the movement looking more like an involuntary tick. I rushed on. “Yes, I see. So if I could just ask a question… what if they don’t value those storage bins the way you think they do? What if it’s not enough?” She rolled her eyes, still looking angry, although I was pretty sure the anger wasn’t directed at me.

  “Oh, they will,” she answered. “I know it. After all, everything is about money… it’s always about money. They will bow down, believe me.” She turned her attention back to the black bag, pulling out two airline tickets headed for Italy. Clearly seeing my name on one I sighed.

  “So when do we leave?” I asked, feeling light-headed.

  “Four hours.”

  * * *

  “Here we are,” Enrica said loudly, trying to sound normal. I smiled, hoping my nerves looked like excitement. Her voice hissed in my ear. “C’mon Loriel, quit staring down everyone that passes. We’re fine. I’ll let you know if there’s something you need to worry about.”

  “Yeah,” I said sarcastically. I pulled out my ticket and handed it to the woman at our terminal. The pretty brunette looked at her computer screen.

  “You know, a seat has opened up next to you, ma’am,” she said, speaking to me. “Would you two prefer to sit together?” My eyes darted at Enrica and I saw her stiffen.

  “Um…” Not sure what to say, I waited for Enrica to face me, but she didn’t. I stared back at her for a moment before the woman turned her attention to Enrica as well, hoping to get some type of response from one of us.

  “Yes, that would be very convenient,” Enrica finally answered, her voice dripping with politeness. “Thank you so much.” Nodding, the brunette kept her attention on Enrica for the remainder of the conversation, finding her the obviously decisive one. Enrica caught a few eyes as she made her way through the plane, which she made no notice of. I supposed she was used to that type of attention. Stowing her small bag under the seat in front of her, she stepped back and gave me the window seat. She could do more damage from the aisle if there was an emergency - at least that was what I assumed. I stared out the window, feeling nervous and wishing the flight could be over and done with. It felt so confining to be shut up in a small plane with a couple dozen strangers and lifted up into the clouds only to travel over mile after mile of wide-open ocean. I swallowed and reached for the air nozzle, twisting it as far as it would go. We’d barely taken off when I heard Enrica adjust in her seat.

  “I’m going to the girl’s room,” she whispered. “Don’t go anywhere.” I smiled at the thought of going anywhere in this small plane. There was quite literally nowhere to go. I reached for an airline magazine and flipped through random pictures, hoping to distract my mind. The man in front of me shook his newspaper loudly. It was obnoxious in the quiet plane. I let my eyes flicker up, and noticed the shaggy blonde hair and green knit beanie. My lip twitched upward. He was very California. Probably spent his days on the beach and went to work when it was convenient. He rustled his paper again, turning the page and shaking the crinkly material feverishly. I glanced at the seat beside him, finding it open. Lucky for him. I doubted anyone would put up with that. I cleared my throat quietly, turning a page of my magazine and directing my attention to the lakeside house displayed there.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Am I bothering you?” Although he spoke quietly, the man was more than audible as he was turned around and leaning clear over the back of his seat. I glanced up, seeing my own reflection in his shiny black shades. “Was I bothering you, babe?” he asked again, this time with a grin on his face. I wondered for a moment if I should give him the satisfaction of an answer. He removed the glasses and I gasped. The tan skin had looked like it could have come from the sun, or maybe a tanning bed, but once his eyes were uncovered it was more than clear that he was born with it. “Pretty good, huh?” There it was… the smooth, natural voice that went with the eyes. Givanni. Shaking my head, I felt a couple thousand times better than I had only moments earlier.

  “How in the world?” I asked, keeping my voice low. He put the shades back on, smiling wider. I wondered how I hadn’t noticed his authentically shaped smile.

  “Thought you two might want to sit together, although I must admit, your friend isn’t one for conversation, is she?”

  I laughed in a whisper. “You know, I think that little maneuver of switching our seats put her on high alert. She’s probably loading a few weapons in there.”

  He laughed before shaking his head. “No way, if she’s the Enrica I know, they were already loaded.” Leaning forward a little, he spoke quieter. “Even though you refuse to tell me what’s going on, I refuse to let you two take this flight alone, along with whatever else you’ve got planned.” He slid back in his seat and shook his newspaper again. His smile would undoubtedly fade once he heard of Enrica’s plans. How could she think it would possibly work? The IM was the very essence of power, and they knew it. If I went missing tomorrow, I was sure a story would be created without a single loophole and that would be the end of it.

  Enrica stepped in from the aisle, lowering into her seat and looking a little more relaxed as she leaned her chair back and fell asleep. I doubted she would be able to sleep the entire trip. And now that I knew who was sitting in front of us, I was a little more alert than I wanted.

  But the ride was quick and uneventful, our plane coming to rest on a typical grey airstrip surrounded by city. Givanni was nowhere to be seen, having successfully disappeared sometime during arrival. Enrica stepped to the curb and signaled for a cab. Immediately, a small white car screeched to a stop - barely missing a few pedestrians. Shaking my head, I was sure things had gone the same in California. She was very hard to ignore.

  * * *

  Once at our hotel room, we had hardly spoken before Enrica insisted we get some sleep. I was feeling the mil
es we’d traveled coming to haunt me, and didn’t argue. But after only a couple hours, a light knock sounded at the door and my eyes shot open. “Enrica?” Scanning the room, I found myself alone. I lowered my feet to the plush carpet and stayed on my toes, padding to the door. There was a soft click and I looked down as the doorknob began to twist. With my heart hammering, I ran to the far room and fit myself into the coat closet just as the door brushed against carpet. Listening to the footsteps crossing the floor I strained to hear more, wishing I could see, and wishing I had some form of defense.

  “Loriel…” Givanni whispered. The relief I felt had my head spinning nauseatingly. “It’s me.” His voice was turned in my direction. Looking down, I remembered my jeans that were lying two rooms away at the other end of our suite. I opened the door a crack before Givanni had the chance and leaned my head out, stepping my feet away from the opening.

  “What are you doing?” I hissed.

  “I have to know what’s going on,” he answered, coming closer. “If you are planning to go back, then I need to stop you. I can’t leave you to address I Capi alone.” I leaned my head against the doorframe, closing my eyes.

  “I capi?” I huffed.

  “The bosses.”

  “Oh,” I breathed, my body protesting anything but sleep. I really didn’t travel well.

  “Are you alright?” Givanni leaned to the side, clearly wondering why I was hiding behind the closet door.

  “Sure - but since you insist on sneaking around, I didn’t have a chance to bring my pants with me.” I nodded my head toward the bedroom, watching as his eyebrows raised at the sight of my jeans sprawled out on the floor.

  “Oh, sorry,” he mumbled, embarrassed. Retrieving my jeans, he handed them to me at arm’s length and turned around. I pushed the door open and stepped my feet in.

  “So, Givanni,” I started, my head still foggy. As he turned around, I took a minute to study his face. “What exactly is going on with you? Because there are some things you need to explain unless of course, you have a split personality. That would clear it up.” The pleasant curve of his mouth fell.

  “I don’t expect you to forgive me, Loriel. But I hope you realize that I - I think I made a mistake.” His voice fell to a whisper. “There was just no other option that I could see at the time. I had to keep my distance and I… It’s difficult to explain. I’m sorry. ” I could see the tension return to his face, and the conversation turned just as quickly. “It’s just that right now I need to know what’s going on.” I debated in my head as I watched the way a small muscle in his jaw tightened when his lips pressed together. He sighed. “If Enrica is in danger, then we don’t have much time.” I retreated, sinking into one of the fireplace chairs and leaning my head back.

  “You’re too late,” I yawned. “Enrica already left. I’m not sure when. Or where.”

  “So what’s your part in her masterful plan?” he asked.

  “Well, she wanted me as an unknown to them. But she’s gone.”

  “So she’s planning on sabotaging the company.” He glanced at me for a moment, reading my face easily to confirm his theory. “It won’t work, you know,” he said dryly. “They are too powerful for that.” I wondered if they had ever had a threat that compared to what Enrica was planning. I doubted it.

  “Maybe,” I conceded. Givanni’s face made me nervous. I sat up. “What will they do to her?”

  “Just what any unaccountable massively powerful organization would do. They’ll kill her.” I jumped up from my seat and ran to get my shoes.

  “Well let’s go then. She couldn’t have left very long ago. Maybe we can stop her.” Givanni was walking toward me and shaking his head.

  “Hold on. I don’t want you to get involved Loriel.” I blew my breath out, but when I looked back at him my frustration melted. He looked crushed, a sentiment I’d never seen on him before. I waited, hoping the expression would change into something less heartbreaking.

  “Givanni, back when you told me you didn’t want me to get tangled up in all this... do you remember that?” I asked. He nodded. “Well, it’s too late to keep me out. I’m already involved. I promise I won’t do anything stupid like dive down a hole into an underground tunnel.” His lips lifted into a smile. “You don’t have to worry about being responsible for me. From here on out I am responsible for myself. This is my decision.” I could tell he wanted to argue, that he wanted to stop me. But instead, he took a step back and gestured to the door.

  “After you.”

  Chapter 21

  Fifteen minutes late. Fifteen minutes. It might as well have been fifteen days with the way Givanni kept to schedules. The ten-foot beach I had settled on was feeling claustrophobic, and my fears were growing larger with each shift in the wind. But one thing was certain, he’d been gone almost twice as long as planned. I jumped down from the little speedboat. Hoping I wasn’t miles away I began at a run, following a sandy trail up from the beach. I pulled the pistol from the back of my pants and held it toward the ground.

  When a larger trail crossed in front of me I stopped, crouching down and searching for anything. Anyone. Through the trees, I caught glimpses of a stone building - grey and aged. It was nearly invisible, tangled in vines and foliage. Carefully stepping through the brush, I approached the side and edged around the corner to find myself at the back of the building.

  A twig snapped above me and I looked up to see Givanni and Enrica, both clinging to the vines as they attempted to climb down. Enrica’s clothes were filthy, and I could make out a bruise on one side of her face. With a short, shrill whistle I got their attention, but that wasn’t all. A man leaned over the ledge at the top of the wall and smiled with a wicked curve of his lips. Built like an ox, he lifted a gun from his coat and pointed it at Givanni.

  Without thinking I brought my hands up and shot with both eyes wide open. In slow motion, the man’s gaze focused on me. He struggled to move his arms and then sagged over the wall - motionless. The gun fell from his hands and I jumped back as it struck the moss in front of me. In shock, I watched blood stream from his forehead and down the wall, ever closer. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t turn away. “Loriel!” Givanni’s face was inches from mine, but he sounded like he was lifetimes away. “Loriel, we have to run!” He grabbed my hand and propelled me with him. Shouts were reaching my ears, breaking through the haze. First a few, then a dozen, multiplying until it sounded like an entire army coming from behind.

  We met with the beach in what seemed like a second, and I came to life. Givanni pushed the bow even as Enrica jumped in. She threw a life jacket at me, already zipping her own. I jumped over the side as Givanni’s feet landed on the deck with a thud. He looped his arm through a larger jacket and turned the ignition, barreling us backward and sinking the engine into the water. Stumbling into a seat, all I could see in my mind was the end of a man’s life. It overtook my thoughts and left me paralyzed. The sun glinted in my eyes and suddenly I woke with a start, immediately noticing dark shapes coming from the island.

  “They’re following!” I yelled into the wind. Givanni nodded in one short movement, still pushing the controls to their limit. Hearing a clunk on deck, I turned to see Enrica organizing what looked like a dozen attack rifles and stacking boxes of ammunition alongside them. I shook my head, hoping to clear the haze. The choppy ocean struck at our boat with each hop from crest to crest. It wasn’t until I looked behind us again and counted eight to ten men in each of the nine boats that I threw myself on the floor next to Enrica. She shoved a large black rifle in my hands and turned back to her work. A box of ammunition hit my leg and she yelled over the wind.

  “He will try to evade them. If he pulls up on the throttle, you take aim.” She looked at my face for the first time. “You do know how to load that, don’t you?”

  “Yeah,” I lied, sure she had no intention of stopping what she was doing to show me.

  “There’s a cave up ahead,” she yelled, looking increasingly irrita
ted with our conversation. “I don’t think their boats will fit.” I stared back, waiting for her to finish. “So hold on!” she barked. Givanni turned around simultaneously.

  “Hold on!” he yelled, his voice pulled away with the wind. I felt the boat shift and slid back to brace my foot against the seat, wedging myself in. Suddenly we were engulfed in shadow, above us, an enormous cliff wall held patches of green that crusted the top and trailed down in strands. We sped through the opening, the sides of our boat knocking clumps of dirt from the archway. It was a deep cold darkness, the cave a long straight shot beneath the island. My finger traced the top of the ammunition box as we flew back into blinding sun. With watery vision I gripped the side of the boat, scanning the endless blue. The water was empty and I managed a breath, but Enrica propped another rifle next to her and wrapped the strap around a tie-down securely. I jumped when she spoke, but her words were lost in the wind. She cupped her hands around her mouth, her wrist heavy with half a dozen shoulder straps.

  “Six o’clock!” she yelled again. This time the sound reached our driver and he twisted around. He nodded briefly before resuming his intense hover over the throttle. I looked back to catch a glimpse of the boats before the curve of the island stepped between us again. Twisting front again I caught sight of the coastline ahead of us, and we leaned toward it. The engine strained as Givanni gunned us toward the safety of land - and with land came options. Turning from the shore to the boats, and back again I bit my lip - we weren’t going to make it. They were gaining too quickly. Enrica seemed to sense as much, and the sharp snap of her gun spoke volumes.

  I popped open the ammunition box and looked behind us desperately. The sight of all nine boats pulling into a V was alarming. We could clearly see the first boat aim their weapons. I covered my head when they fired. Water splashed agitatedly to our left, and Givanni cranked the wheel to the side, sending our boat in a wide turn and back again, adopting a continuously changing direction. But with every turn, our pursuers inched closer.