Cover Copy
Alone at sea. On the run from a killer . . .
It’s been a year since Saria Sands entered The Program, her last chance to stay one step ahead of a relentless killer. When bodyguard and weapons expert Ben Hammers sends her to a private yacht in the South Pacific, Saria agrees. But confined in close quarters together on the yacht, Saria can’t help desiring more with her mysterious protector.
Ben Hammers will do anything to protect Saria. She’s more than just a job. Protecting the innocent is Ben’s only way to right a wrong he’s kept hidden his whole life, a secret that has kept him from forming a connection with any woman, let alone the one he wants more than anything.
Ben knows he can’t let his guard down. But the more time he spends with Saria, the further he finds himself slipping...
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Books by Joanne Wadsworth
Bodyguards Series
Witness Pursuit
Bodyguard Pursuit
Magio-Earth Series
Protector
Warrior
Enchanter
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation
Bodyguard Pursuit
Bodyguards Series
Joanne Wadsworth
LYRICAL PRESS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
Copyright
Lyrical Press books are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2015 Joanne Wadsworth
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First Electronic Edition: August 2015
eISBN-13: 978-1-61650-746-6
eISBN-10: 1-61650-746-2
Printed in the United States of America
Dedication
I grew up surrounded by books. This one’s for all those authors who opened up a world of adventure and inspired me to write the same.
Acknowledgements
Huge thanks go to my hubby, Jason, and kiddies, Marisa, Caleb, Cruise and Rocco, an incredibly supportive family who allow me so much time to write. My love for you is endless.
I also have the most amazing editor, Penny Barber. The absolute best.
For my readers, I can’t thank you enough for joining me, and taking this journey to where imagination and magic soar.
Chapter 1
“How can you laze about and not want to get up and move?” Saria Sands paced the glorious top poolside deck of Tyler Whitehall’s luxury super-yacht as it cruised the warm waters of the South Pacific toward Fiji. Her identical twin lay sprawled on a lounger before her, so cool and calm, while her anxiety level kept rising.
“This is called a holiday. The whole point of one is to embrace the peace and solitude.” Lydia propped her aviator sunglasses up with one finger and eyed her from underneath the dark rims. “The baddies got locked away and there’s no longer a killer chasing us. You need to sit, kick back, and relax.”
“I keep looking over my shoulder, expecting Ben to be right there. Don’t you miss him?” She and Lydia had spent the past year in a safe house with a full time bodyguard, and Ben Hammers had guarded them with his life. Comfort and security only came when he stood at her back.
“No, Saria, but then you depended on him far more than I ever did. I’ve also had Tyler guarding me these past two months while you and I’ve been apart, and yes, I’d miss him like crazy if he weren’t here. Or in my bed.” Smiling, she cast a glance at Tyler and his brother as they swam lengths.
“I can’t believe you’re getting married, or that you’re pregnant.” That had been the last thing Saria had expected to hear when she’d finally reconnected with her sister two days ago.
“Neither can I, but both events are nice surprises.” Lydia frowned as she eyed her. “Look at you. You need to chill, and the only way that’s going to happen is if you give Ben a call. He’d understand if you did, and the sat phone’s just across the way in the captain’s control room.”
“I’m tempted.” Beyond tempted. She itched to run across the deck, grab that phone and jab in his number.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he felt as lost as you.” Lydia tucked her white cotton swimsuit cover-up under her bare legs and wriggled her toes.
“Ha. That’s doubtful. He’s always been a complete professional. Feeling lost isn’t even an emotion on his radar.”
“I’m not sure. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.” Lydia tapped her chin.
“He looks at me because watching one’s client comes with the job.” Still, temptation ground at her. She nudged her sister’s stretched legs and Lydia wriggled over. She sat next to her and arched a brow. “Okay, exactly how does he look at me? And be specific.” A loaded question, but she needed an answer.
“As if he’s both fascinated and frustrated.” Grinning, Lydia sat straighter. “At times I’d see him standing behind you, his hands lifted and his fingers a whisper away. He’d inch closer as if he wanted to touch you, then when he realized what he was doing, he’d grimace and back away.”
“Are you certain? I never saw any such thing. He touched me only if necessary.”
“I’m positive. And let’s not forget he started sleeping with you while I was away, which goes way beyond touching in my book.”
“He slept with me for a very good reason, to allay my fears when you went through re-identification. And still, he didn’t touch me, unless you count the odd pat on the back when I was sobbing my heart out.” Which couldn’t have been more vexing. How she’d wanted him to hold her, to embrace his strength and siphon some for herself. Yes, he was her bodyguard, but also her friend. Friends hugged from time to time. Even now fear gripped her in its icy hands, no matter she was safe and amongst family she trusted.
“Take a deep breath and see if that helps you relax. Nice and slow.” Lydia squeezed her hand, concern radiating in her gaze.
“What will help is seeing the bodyguard I don’t need any more now our case is almost closed up.” She fidgeted with an unraveled string dangling from her shirt’s cotton hem, wound it around her finger then tugged it off. It snapped in the right spot but then loosened another inch. Stupid cotton. Huh, even it matched her unraveled thoughts. During her time in the safe house, Ben had erected a professional wall between them and she hadn’t had a hope of tearing it down, not when doing so would have meant him being pulled from her job. Something she’d never allow when she’d needed him just as much as she’d needed Lydia.
As she relaxed her cheek against Lydia’s shoulder, her sister’s sweet vanilla scent surrounded and comforted her. “At twenty-one, I should’ve been able to handle a little separation from you, but it wasn’t possible. Your life was on the line, and the danger you were in was all I could think about.”
“Those were the hardest weeks for me too.” Lydi
a wrapped an arm around her shoulders and sniffed. “There were nights where I’d lie outside in the dark and stare at the sky wondering if you were looking at the same stars as me. Re-identification was incredibly painful, and I hated you’d soon have to suffer the same loneliness as me.”
“I felt lonely anyway, re-identification or not. The pain went both ways.” Their twin bond was strong and always had been, no matter any distance separating them. She pulled a lock of Lydia’s glossy brown hair, now dyed back from the bright red her handler, Agent Gilchrist, had disguised her with. “I missed you, badly. Losing you was like losing a part of me.”
“I missed you too, and I’m glad you’re here with me now rather than still at the safe house. I wish our family were as well.” A tear slid down Lydia’s cheek and Saria wiped it away with her thumb.
“Don’t cry, or you’ll make me start. Ben said its best they remain at home until all the loose ends in our case are tidied away. We’ll all be back together again soon.” It wasn’t fair her sister had to get married without their parents and brothers here, but their continued safety had to be maintained.
“What do you think of Tyler’s family? At least they get to be here.”
“I love how they watch out for you. They’re so attentive.” Tyler and his three brothers owned Whitehall Shipping, and this super-yacht formed part of that fleet. Unfortunately, they were here though, because they’d gotten caught up in hers and Lydia’s case only a few short weeks—
“Excuse me, ladies.” Henry, one of the wait staff, stood over her in his crisp crew whites holding a silver tray with drinks.
She patted her thumping heartbeat. “You shouldn’t sneak up on a girl like that.”
“My apologies, Miss Saria. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“No, it’s not you. My nerves are shot.” As they had been for months now.
“Perhaps I might whistle then the next time I approach. Master Tyler did warn me to take extra care.” Henry had worked for the Whitehalls for years, and when Ben had handed her over into Tyler’s care, he’d made sure all on board were aware of her fears.
How she hated those fears. She should have been able to break the excessive worrying now she and Lydia were back together again, but it appeared it would take more than two days to override the year of complete agitation running from a killer had caused her. “Whistling would be perfect. Thank you, Henry.”
“Then that’s what I’ll do. I have your drink.” Henry passed her a lemon and lime bitters, and her sister a glass of iced tea before stepping across to the wooden slatted side table and setting the men’s drinks down on black leather placemats for when they finished swimming in the pool. He arranged a bowl of nuts and snacks on the table center then whistled a jaunty tune as he strolled to the stairwell.
“I think you should ring Ben.” Lydia playfully dunked her ice with the bright red straw then sipped her drink. “It’d give you some peace of mind, and it’s clear you need to hear his voice.”
“It’d be more relaxed if I had him here. Surely bodyguards need to unwind too. He should have come.”
“See, you do like him.”
“He’s also thousands of miles away in Auckland.”
“Then I’ll call him for you.” Lydia yawned and patted her mouth. Her eyelids fluttered and she shoved them back open.
“Are you getting enough sleep? It is your first trimester and you need to rest.”
“It’s not so much the baby but Tyler who enjoys keeping me awake at night. Which I quite like by the way.” She set her drink down and smiling, curled onto her side and slid her hand under her cheek. “I might just have a nap though while he’s busy burning off some energy.”
“Then I’ll leave you to your rest.” If only Saria could sleep herself. Her worry over the killer, even though he’d been caught, still kept her awake no matter the hour of the day or night. She rose, straightened her yellow tank top over her blue cutoffs and wandered to the top deck’s waist-high glass railing. Four floors below, the waves sloshed against the side of the ship.
Ben would love the solitude here, along with the miles upon miles of endless ocean. Not one possible killer gunning for her in sight. She lifted her face to the heavens and let out a heartfelt sigh. The sun shone high, the sky a soft blue with only a wisp of cloud on the horizon. The ocean breezed played over her skin and lifted her brown hair with a gentle flutter at her back.
“Are you okay, Saria? You looked anxious before when Henry arrived.” Dripping water, Luke, Tyler’s youngest brother, eased in beside her in his blue swim trunks. He shook his dark head and sent drops flying. “The lovebirds are finally chilling. You should too.”
“I would if I weren’t so worried about Ben. It’s not easy being separated from someone when you’ve come to rely on them so solidly.”
“The best thing to do is focus on someone or something else for a change.” Luke draped a wet arm around her shoulders. “How about a game of cards? You can focus on trying to beat me.”
“The only card game I know is snap. Not much focus needed there.”
“Then I’ll teach you how to play poker. Mum and Gabriella loved the game. We often play it in memory of them.” Two years ago, his mother and sister-in-law had passed away in a terrible car accident. That had left Tyler’s eldest brother raising his young son alone. The Whitehall family had experienced so much loss of late.
“I’d like that. Although, I have to warn you, Ben tried to teach me how to play. He failed miserably, or I did in learning, however you want to look at it.” It hadn’t helped Ben had always sat so close when he’d been teaching her. Her focus had veered toward him and not the game. Her bodyguard had deep blue eyes she wanted to drown in and a presence of strength that engrossed her.
“We’ll find Dylan, and he can join us. He’s a great teacher.” Luke smiled with big dimples. “He also thinks he’s the best at poker, and I love taking him down.”
“I’m all for some sibling rivalry.” She rolled her shoulders and tried to relax. Lydia was lucky to have such a wonderful new family.
Although they were now hers too.
What her twin gained, so did she.
“Show me the way, Luke. It’s time to unwind.”
* * * *
Ben shoved his black shirtsleeves to his elbows as he strode into the safe house bedroom he’d shared with Saria for the past two months. The cleaners had stripped the queen-sized bed and the last of her belongings, now boxed, sat on the plush gray-carpeted floor next to his gear.
Saria’s little touches around the room, from the vase of white lilies that graced the nightstand to her favorite vanilla and strawberry scented candles, had infused this space with such sweet elegance. Now, all gone, tossed out with the rubbish or packed away. Her nursing journals no longer lay scattered across the corner desk she’d called her own for the past year.
After shutting the security-latched window the cleaner had left open, he drew the lacy net curtains across, then slid her box on top of his and carried it down the hallway. At the front door with its crooked brass number ten, the ghostlike scent of home baking tickled his nose. If Saria hadn’t been studying for her nursing finals, she’d had her nose buried in a recipe book. Every day she’d cooked, from cakes and cookies to the meals they’d eaten. Caring for others relaxed her, had taken her mind off her fears. None of his foster parents ever cared for him the way she had. Hell, he missed her—a totally unacceptable emotion in his job.
Down the stone path he trudged, then popped the trunk of his Jaguar and arranged their boxes inside. He lugged his cell phone from his pocket and skimmed the buttons. The ship’s sat phone number, emblazoned in his mind as well as programmed into his speed dial, taunted him. Saria had left two days ago, and his fingers twitched to call her. Hearing her sweet voice would ease some of his concerns. Had her fears subsided now she had Lydia back? He hoped so. He longed to see her stand strong and take back the courage and strength she’d
lost during the time Lydia had gone through re-identification.
Unable to hold off any longer, he pressed the speed dial number then rapped one foot on the concrete driveway within the quiet Auckland city suburb.
“Tyler Whitehall.”
“It’s Ben.” He stopped rapping as one of his best mate’s voices flowed down the line.
“Hey, I just hung up from Brigs and was about to call you. Sorry about the short notice, but Lydia and I are getting hitched in Fiji, and I need you and Brigs there. Do you feel up to a trip to Resort Island?”
He’d never seen a man more dedicated to the woman he loved. Tyler had even taken bullets for Lydia and nearly died. He’d always have his respect and admiration. “Absolutely. How long do I have to get there?”
The girls’ case, almost tidied away, made his answer an easy one.
“It only takes three days to organize a license with the Fijian authorities, so the ceremony will be at the end of the week. Brigs has already booked his seat and is holding one for you on the same flight. He sorted it all out online while we chatted. The plane leaves at midnight and arrives at Nadi at three tomorrow morning.”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll call and confirm the seat.” Now he’d have the chance to see Saria in person, to make certain she was well. A touch of the tight pressure in his chest eased. He missed her, and as a bodyguard shouldn’t miss his client. He’d have to get his wayward emotions under control before he arrived.
“Great. I went ahead and ordered the chopper for you both. The pilot is leaving Nadi’s airbase at five AM, which means you won’t get any sleep, but at least you’ll be here by dawn, around the same time we’re due to sail in. I’ll have a cabin made ready for you both. Hey, how’s the girls’ case going?”
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