by Annie Seaton
Behind her, she was faintly aware of Jake’s voice.
“She’s hurt.”
Regan pushed her away gently and her face was damp with tears. “Oh, Gracie…look at your face.”
Gracie lifted her hand and gingerly touched the swelling on her cheek. “I’m all right.”
She stepped away from her sister and confusion ran through her as a tall man crossed the room toward her and put a blanket around her shoulders.
“I’ll radio the helicopter, and we’ll get her across to the hospital.”
She looked from one to the other in confusion, before turning back to Regan, and her voice shook. “I am so disappointed in you. Gran always taught us the right way to do things, and I’ve watched while you pushed the boundaries before.” She shook her head as bitterness filled her. “But this, Regan? I can’t understand how you got yourself involved in something this bad.”
Cabal stepped forward and put his arms around her sister. “Gracie, sit down. Let us explain what happened.”
Jake’s hands touched gently on her shoulders. “It’s okay. It’s not what you think.”
She let Jake lead her to a chair, and she leaned her head back as the tall man returned and handed her an ice pack. The cold stung her cheek and she closed her eyes but the throbbing gradually eased. Her legs were lifted from the floor, and she opened her eyes. Jake was gently cradling her injured foot.
“Rod, tell her what’s going on. I can’t stand it.” Regan’s voice broke and Cabal held her close to him.
The tall man sat next to her.
“I’m Jim Stirling. I’m in charge of the Local Area Command here at Airlie Beach.”
For the first few moments, she was unable to believe what he was saying.
“No, I saw it. I saw it all.” Coldness filled her and she shook her head. “He”— and she raised a shaking finger and pointed to Cabal— “he told them to take me off the boat. He told them they shouldn’t have let me go. He told me Regan had been bitten by a snake and then he locked me in the cabin.”
Regan sobbed and turned her face into Cabal’s neck and he rubbed her back in a soothing motion.
Gracie watched until she couldn’t hold back her own tears, and she swallowed a sob. She looked up and caught Jake’s gaze but couldn’t read the expression on his face as he wiped the blood from her ankle with a warm cloth.
Cabal let go of Regan and sat her down on the sofa, before crossing the room and sitting beside Gracie. As he spoke, she realized he no longer had a Hispanic accent, but a slow Australian drawl. She shook her head and held his gaze.
“Gracie, just listen. It’s all okay. I promise you. We had to bring Regan over here last night because I didn’t want her anywhere around when the drop was taking place. I had to think quickly this morning when you turned up and demanded to see her. Clive and I came up with the snakebite story when it was clear you weren’t going to leave.”
Jake interjected. “How’s Clive involved? I know he’s been inside.”
Stirling turned to Jake. “He was our main informant from the beginning. He heard about the scheme when he was in jail. Apparently when Gracie showed up, he recognized her from a photo he’d seen on Regan’s laptop but he didn’t tell Rod who she was. He didn’t want to interrupt the operation and stuff up his chance of going straight.”
Cabal stepped forward. “It nearly brought the whole sting down. Clive decided to take matters into his own hands and tried to frighten you off. He looked across at Gracie, apologetically. “When you turned up again, he made sure you got the job on the boat. He had some crazy idea of convincing you Regan wasn’t there, but then you saw the cocaine and he panicked.”
Jake glared at Stirling and Cabal. “Sounds like a huge stuff up to me. Putting innocent people in the middle of a huge drug bust.”
“Listen, we knew the ring was based at Airlie Beach and I was seconded from the drug squad over in Western Australia a few months ago and set up on the Midas. It didn’t take long for the criminal element in the marina to offer me a piece of the action. A South American millionaire with the best party boat in the marina.” He looked up at Jake, with a rueful expression. “Honestly, those parties were hard work, I—”
Regan interrupted him and looked at Gracie. “I met Rod when I was in Western Australia a few years ago and we split up because—”
“Stop it, just stop it. “ Gracie knew her voice was shrill. She’d heard enough and her head was spinning. “I don’t want to hear any more.”
Regan turned to the commander. “Can I have some time with my sister, please? Alone?”
“Gracie, are you okay? The helicopter will be here soon to take you to the hospital,” the commander said.
She nodded as Regan came over and took Rod’s place on the sofa next to her while the men left the room for the veranda. When Gracie lifted her head, warmth spread through her chest as Jake turned and held her gaze for a long moment before he followed the others outside and closed the door behind him.
Regan grasped her hands and rubbed them soothingly.
“Oh, sweetie, I can’t believe how much you did because you thought I was in danger. I’m so sorry you’re hurt.”
Gracie looked at her sister, scarcely able to believe she was sitting next to her on the sofa after all she’d been through today. “I’m okay. It’s just a few scratches.”
“What were you doing here? How did you end up in the islands?” Regan asked.
“I was worried when I couldn’t get in touch with you.” She squeezed Regan’s hands. “You didn’t answer my calls or my e-mails.”
“But I sent you an e-mail. Didn’t you get it? I explained I was going to be out of contact for a while and not to worry.”
Gracie shook her head. “I’ve had nothing from you since you told me you were going to come and sort David out. You’d be proud of me, Regan. I did that all by myself. I broke it off, and I’m not going back to Ashby Downs.” She laughed ruefully. “I think I’m going to hang around the islands for a while. But I can tell you about that later. I don’t understand what you were doing? Tell me why you were part of the…police stuff. Why didn’t you just call me and tell me you were okay and I could have just had a holiday?”
Regan leaned back into the chair and took a deep breath.
“Because I didn’t know you were here until about an hour ago.”
“What?” Gracie stared at her sister.
“I didn’t. Honestly. Do you really think I would have let you go through all that shit?” She held Gracie’s stare. “Look, Rod and I had a thing a couple of years back in Western Australia and we split up when he went overseas on a job. His name isn’t Cabal.” She gave a short laugh. “It’s Smith, Rod Smith. Would you believe I met him in a drug raid? I was in the house when—” She held up her hands as Gracie opened her mouth. “Don’t look at me like that. I was in the clear. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Anyway, we went out for a while and it was pretty hot and heavy but I left and came back east when he went away.”
“So how did you hook back up?”
“I was working on the Midas in Cairns, and you can imagine my reaction when Rod appeared on the boat as the new owner—with a new name and a Spanish accent. To cut a long story short, it was easier for him to tell me what was going on rather than blow his cover and I had to pretend to be his partner when the boat arrived in Airlie Beach. It didn’t take long before it turned into the real thing again.” Regan stared at her, her dark eyes wide. “The only way Rod would let me stay with him was if I had no contact with anyone. He was worried I’d be in danger. He made me change my name and even took my cell phone off me.”
Gracie nodded. “I’m beginning to put it together. But why did you have to come out here to the island? I don’t understand why you disappeared?”
“Rod told me when you showed up looking for me that Clive panicked. Paulie and the other guy—the sleazy one—”
“Mick,” said Gracie pulling a face.
> “Yeah, Mick.” Regan shook her head slowly. “They were loose cannons. When Clive found out you were my sister, he kept it to himself. Apparently he got them to break into your hotel room to scare you off. And then when you saw the coke he finally told Rod who you were. Rod wanted me out of the way in case Paulie and Mick found out you were my sister, and started to get suspicious about him.” Regan smoothed her hand up and down Gracie’s arm. “They’d worked too hard for this bust to have it fall in a heap. So yesterday we pretended to go up to the rainforest but we actually flew out here in the police helicopter and Rod went back by himself last night.” Regan’s voice broke. “But I didn’t know anything about you being here until Jake appeared tonight. Rod said me he wanted to keep me out of the way during the bust. ”
“But I heard him tell Paul and Mick they were to take me where you had been dumped.” A sob hitched in Gracie’s throat. “That’s when I thought you were dead.”
Regan leaned across and hugged her. “Yeah, he told them that they’d dumped me out here because I’d found out about the coke. It made him seem cold and calculating. There was no way he was going to jeopardize the operation.” Regan held Gracie’s hands and looked at her. “But you, my dear little brave sister were so persistent, Rod said you kept coming and coming onto the boat until he had to find a way to make sure you were safe, too And all on the day of the final drug drop.” Regan looked out toward the veranda. “So now I’ve filled you in, Gracie, tell me about your Jake?”
The loud throbbing of a chopper flying over the house interrupted them before Gracie could answer. She looked up as Jake pushed open the door and walked across the room to her. Her head swam and she looked down. He entwined his fingers through hers and rubbed his thumb gently on the inside of her palm. She touched her fingertips to his and looked up at him. Warmth filled her and tears pricked the backs of her eyes. Gracie closed them as a slow smile spread across his face.
It was going to be all right.
Epilogue
Two weeks later
Even though it was only eight o’clock, the tropical sun beat down on her skin and Gracie rolled over on to her side. Her legs were pink and quickly deepening to their usual red, which always happened when she spent too much time in the sun. She reached for the sunscreen and held it out to Regan, who was stretched out on the sun lounger beside her. The smell of coconut oil wafted over to her and she glared at Regan as her sister put the sunscreen down and rubbed oil into her tanned, brown legs.
“Breakfast’s ready.” Jake called from the outdoor kitchen beside the pool. She’d enjoyed teaching him to cook over the past couple of weeks and now he could throw together a decent meal of bacon and eggs on the outdoor grill as well as create his own pizzas in the wood-fired pizza oven.
The memory of the Midas, her escapade on the island, and coming face-to-face with Mick and Paulie at the hospital had faded along with her bruises. The operation had been a success and many arrests had been made in the United States and Australia.
Once Rod had filed his reports, he and Regan had come back to spend a few days with them before leaving for Perth to commence his next assignment.
“I still can’t get used to Rod’s Aussie drawl.” Gracie laughed as she and Regan wandered over to the outdoor kitchen.
“Apparently, he was the perfect choice for the operation with his Hispanic looks. His mother is from Peru.” Regan explained before walking over and dropping a kiss on the top of Rod’s head. He lifted his head from his iPad and put his arm around Regan, pulling her onto his lap.
“Still working?” Gracie asked Rod.
“No.” Jake slid a plate of perfectly cooked eggs onto the table. “He’s looking at the weather report for me. We’re going out on the boat this afternoon.”
Gracie followed Jake inside to the kitchen and slid into his arms. She stood on her toes, laid her lips on his and lingered.
“The Midas?” she asked hopefully.
He laughed against her mouth, and his warm breath mingled with hers.
“No, my Pretty Lady. The Midas is back in Cairns where it belongs to a pillar of the community who was happy to lend it to the police for the operation.
“Although, if you’re going to hang around and teach that kindergarten class at Airlie Beach School, maybe I’d better trade in the Pretty Lady and get a bigger boat?” he suggested.
Gracie fluttered her lashes at him and looked through the window to the grotto beneath the waterfall at the other end of the pool. “That’s not necessary. I’ll always be grateful I chose that boat for my vantage point and besides…I’m more than happy to spend my time in the swimming pool with you.”
She closed her eyes as Jake’s mouth covered hers and his hands slipped around her back, playfully pulling at the ties on her bikini.
“How about a swim after breakfast?”
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my fabulous editor Erin Molta, who polished my book until it shone!
About the Author
Annie lives with her husband, and Bob the dog and two white cats in a house next to the beach on the east coast of Australia. She sits in her writing chair, gazing at the ocean and writing stories. Her two children are grown and married and she loves spending time gardening, walking on the beach, and spoiling her two grandchildren. She has always been fascinated by all things romantic and has found her niche in life writing romance novels, ranging from contemporary to paranormal with a foray into steampunk!
Her debut full-length novel, Holiday Affair, a contemporary romance set in the South Pacific, was released as part of Entangled Publishing’s Indulgence line in March 2012 and has been a best seller on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The sequel Italian Affair followed in June 2013, and will be followed shortly after by Outback Affair. Annie also has more books being released in 2013 with Entangled Publishing in the Bliss and Covet imprints.
Annie loves to hear from readers at: [email protected] and her website is: http://www.annieseatonromance.com/
Her blog is at http://annieseaton.blogspot.com.au/ and you can find her on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/AnnieSeatonAuthor and https://www.facebook.com/annieseaton26 and Twitter
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