She walked into the kitchen, found some pancake mix and eggs, and started cooking. The cheesecake in the fridge looked fabulous. She let herself have a small bite of the swirled orange-and-white cake. Mango. Yum. Zack was going to have to share that recipe.
Grabbing a pan and metal ladle, she banged them together several times, giggling to herself. Zack sat upright, then swayed back down into the cushions. Brooks grabbed his head. “What’s with all the racket, woman?”
“Breakfast,” she said sweetly.
“I don’t know if I can ever eat again. Never gorge on cheesecake and then sleep on a stinking couch,” Brooks growled.
“I’m blaming you,” Zack said. “I told you it needed at least twelve hours to set up properly.”
Maddie laughed at the two of them stretching and looking beat up from the bad night’s sleep. “Go shower quick so we can eat and find my packet.”
“Wow.” Brooks’ eyebrows shot up. “Kiss her nonstop and she becomes a demanding, noisy diva. I think you should cease and desist, my man.”
“Not a chance.” Zack grinned at her.
Maddie laughed and turned back to flip the pancakes. “Shower. Now.”
Zack chuckled and Brooks grumbled all the way out of the room. A few minutes later they were both back to scarf down the simple breakfast she’d made and some of the exotic fruit she’d cut up. “Do you go into Belize for supplies?” Maddie asked Zack.
He nodded. “But I grow a lot of produce right here.”
“Impressive.”
Zack pumped his eyebrows. “That’s not the only impressive thing about me.”
“I know that.”
“Enough of this garbage.” Brooks shoved back from the counter and took his plate to the sink. “Do we need scuba gear to find this package or just masks and snorkels?”
“I think we’ll be okay with masks and snorkels.” Zack squeezed her hand but focused on his friend.
Maddie had only eaten a few bites of eggs and pancakes, but she didn’t have much of an appetite. The worry over finding the packet, what might be in the packet, and Bello coming after them again was wearing on her. Standing, she started cleaning up the kitchen. It only took a few minutes with all of them working together, and then the men changed into swimming suits and T-shirts and met her by the patio door. Maddie wished she had a swimming suit and could join them, but Zack had reassured her last night that they were both accomplished divers and could take care of it.
“Not sure why I listened to the queen bee and showered just to go jump in the salt water for her.” Brooks rolled his eyes.
Zack laughed. “The shower helped me feel human again.”
“You’d agree with her if she told you to become a monk.”
Zack’s eyebrows lifted. “What religion do you belong to, Maddie? I can convert.”
She shook her head, laughing. They walked past the pool and garden area, grabbing masks and snorkels from a storage container by the pool. Maddie tripped on the smooth concrete, and Zack was right there to steady her. She smiled her appreciation.
As they walked down the stairs, through the sand, and to the end of the dock, Maddie savored this beautiful spot of earth. It was like something out of a travel brochure. Palm trees waved in the breeze, a sandy beach stretched around the island, and the water was bright blue and so clear under the dock she could see tropical fish swimming around.
Zack sat on the edge of the dock and peeled off his T-shirt. She forgot all about the view around her, taking in nicely built pecs and shoulders and his hollowed-out, sculpted abdomen. A low whistle came out of her mouth before she clamped her hand over it. Zack glanced up at her with a grin. My, oh my, no one could argue with the Rising Star for claiming he was the Most Beautiful Man in America, and she had a hard time finding fault with any woman who chased him—though she wanted to have the right to tell all those other women to back off so she could have him all to herself.
Brooks moved in front of her view of Zack and peeled off his shirt, leaning forward and flexing his chest and arms. He was bulkier than Zack, and each muscle was defined like a competitive bodybuilder. Still no match to Zack in her eyes. Maddie pushed at him. “You’re blocking the view.”
Zack chuckled, and Brooks’ jaw dropped. “You have to be the densest female I have ever encountered.” He dropped his shirt and sat next to Zack.
They rubbed some drops of anti-fog onto their goggle lenses and then rinsed them in the salt water. Placing the masks over their eyes, they fell to the side of the dock and swam away from her toward the wreck. All levity evaporated as Maddie watched them go. She scanned the ocean, relieved not to see a white yacht cruising toward them.
Brooks and Zack had already reached the listing boat when she focused in on them again. Brooks inspected the boat while Zack swam around. Zack surfaced and said something to Brooks, then dove deeper. Maddie’s hands clenched together. The seconds slowed down as she waited, praying. If they didn’t find that package, what would she do? Run from Bello the rest of her life?
Zack resurfaced and shook his head. Disappointment swirled through her. Maddie squinted against the bright sunlight glinting off the gently rolling waves. Zack and Brooks swam around for a few more minutes while she paced the dock and gnawed on her thumbnail. She prayed for help. At home, she’d been active in her church her entire life, but she’d never needed help from above like this. Zack and Brooks continued diving and surfacing, but came up empty each time.
Zack was moving in a semicircle out from the wreck, toward the beach. The water was shallower where he was. Maddie held her breath every time he lifted something out of the water, but the packet seemed to be gone. Had Bello found it? Was it buried in the sand?
Zack straightened up in water about to his chest and held up the packet.
Maddie whooped with joy. “Yes! You found it!” She barely restrained herself from jumping in the water and swimming to him.
Brooks glanced up and then swam over to the dock. Zack headed for the beach. Maddie ran to meet him. It took him a few more seconds to get out of the water as she waited impatiently. Zack handed the package to her, his goggles resting on his forehead. Maddie clutched the package and flung herself into Zack’s arms, kissing him thoroughly and knocking off his goggles. He tasted of salt water, and she loved the feel of his bare back under her fingertips.
“Do you think we should see what’s in the sealed documents or just smooch all day?” Brooks asked behind them.
Maddie pulled back. Her eyes flickered over Zack’s chest, then back up to his handsome face. “I’d say smooch.”
Zack chuckled, then kissed her again.
Brooks stole the package from her hands and stomped through the sand. “I’ll just deal with the hard issues by myself, then.”
Maddie didn’t like having the package out of her hands. She rushed after Brooks. “Give that back.”
Brooks held it over his head and grinned wickedly. “For a kiss.”
Maddie slugged him in the stomach. His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t even flinch.
“Nope, try again.” He smirked at her. “My lips are a bit higher.”
Maddie tossed her hair and pinned him with a vicious look, though she thought his antics were kind of funny. “I’ll smack you in the mouth if you want.”
Zack barreled into Brooks and tackled him into the sand. Brooks howled in surprise, and Maddie stole the packet from his hand. The men rolled around in the sand like monkeys, laughing and grunting. Maddie jumped out of their way and headed for the stairs, calling back over her shoulder, “I think you two need another shower.”
Zack released Brooks and popped up to his feet. He offered Brooks a hand up. “Stop trying to kiss my woman.”
“And here I share everything with you,” Brooks grumbled.
Zack slapped him on the back. “You’ve always been a better friend than I have.”
“Don’t you forget it.”
Maddie smiled slightly at their banter, but she wanted to know w
hat was in this packet too much to contribute. As soon as she got to the pool deck, she sat down at a patio table and tried to rip the packet open. The plastic was thick. She dug a fingernail into it. Zack and Brooks arrived, set their snorkeling gear in the bucket, and peered over her shoulder.
“Here.” Brooks pulled a pocketknife from his swimsuit pocket and handed it to her.
“You just happen to have a knife on you?” Maddie blinked up at him.
“He always has a knife on him,” Zack corrected.
“He can’t always.” Zack’s friend was the most interesting man she had ever met. She enjoyed being around him, but everything about him was so extreme.
“Honestly, he does.”
“What about when you go to America?” Maddie swung her gaze to Brooks. “Don’t they take it at customs?”
“Who would ever want to go to there?” Brooks asked, arching one eyebrow, wet sand smeared across his cheek from wrestling with Zack.
Zack chuckled.
“I like America,” Maddie muttered. She ignored Brooks, carefully sliced the plastic, and pulled the contents out of the package. There was a bundle of cash—mostly hundred-dollar bills, but also some thousand-peso notes and some hundreds with a queen-looking lady and “Central Bank of Belize” stamped on them. A few passports also dropped out, along with social security cards and birth certificates, all with her and her mother’s pictures and different names. A fat envelope with her name on it was the last item.
Brooks whistled low. “Wow. Someone thought you needed to disappear.”
“Yeah.” Maddie wondered if it was wise to have Brooks know everything, but she felt like she could trust both of these men. She glanced up at Zack.
He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. “Do you want me to open it?” He indicated the letter.
The thought hadn’t even crossed her mind. Somehow this man not only protected her when she asked for it, he also anticipated what she needed and put her first. He didn’t even have to think about it; protecting her seemed instinctive.
It would be hard to read anything from her father, especially with the danger he’d put her in over the last thirty-six hours. The disappointment was familiar, but there was something new—she detested him for failing so miserably. Zack had done more to stand up for her in a day and a half than her father had done in two and a half decades combined. While she felt deeply blessed and grateful for her current situation, realizing what she had missed out on from the one who should have been watching out for her made her shoulders round over and her stomach squirm. If her father were here in front of her, she didn’t know whether she’d yell at him or just haul off and punch him.
“Maddie?” said Zack gently.
Maddie cleared her throat and shook her head. With trembling fingers, she peeled the sealed envelope open. She shuffled through the papers quickly. One sheet was addressed to her, while the rest of them were stapled together and said “Homeland Security.”
She read the letter aloud, her voice somewhat unsteady.
Dear Madeline,
I’ve entrusted these documents to you because I know you can clear mine and Bello’s names and help us bring down the largest ring of pirates the Caribbean has seen in centuries. I apologize for using you to get the information into the right hands, but I needed someone I could trust and I knew this would be my last opportunity to spend time with you before I died. I’ll die happy knowing that you, your mother, and Bello are taken care of.
I haven’t been much of a father to you, and I’m sorry about that. At the bottom of this letter, I will include bank institutions and account numbers for your inheritance. My letter to Homeland Security gives them access to the accounts I accumulated illegally. The money I’m leaving you is clean, and even someone as righteous as you should have no qualms using it.
I know money doesn’t make up for my lack of time in your life, but I also know you will spend the millions making the world a better place. Your mother and I are both very proud of you, my love. Every time we were together, she would brag about you. You care for others, and I know with your talent you will help many children. I always tried to protect and help the children, and I hope I am somewhat responsible for your love for them.
Be happy, be safe, and know that you are loved,
Your father
It ended with the name and number of the guy she was supposed to contact, the promised bank names, account numbers, and figures. She was a millionaire, a multi-millionaire, and she hated her father for it. She’d wanted him in her life, and he gave her money she didn’t care about and used her to clear his and Bello’s names. He’d lied to her throughout her life; he was, a manipulator and user. Of course this bland, bullcrap letter could just be more lies trying to make her feel like they’d had a relationship. It didn’t change anything. Deathbed repentance wasn’t something she had much sympathy for.
Zack rubbed her shoulder gently. She glanced up at him. Here was a real man. Someone who would cheer on his child, whatever they chose to do. Someone who would be patient enough to sit through dental appointments and lines at Disneyland, even if he hated every minute of it.
The air whooshed out of her. She had no right to be thinking about having children with Zack. She blinked and grasped for something else to focus on. “He really did trust Bello. Apparently they were working together to bring down other pirates?”
Zack studied her for a few seconds. She shook her head slightly; she couldn’t deal with her dad issues right now. His lips pursed. He looked from her to Brooks. “Up until Bello turned on him.”
Maddie nodded. “Bello must’ve been playing him pretty well.” Bello was the son her father had always wanted, and look how that turned out. Karma.
She pushed her personal letter to the side—better to deal with those feelings later—and glanced over the papers for Homeland Security. The cover letter explained who her father was and what they had done to steal from many different boats throughout the past year. It said nothing of the crimes he’d committed before then. He asked them to help protect his wife and daughter until the rest of the pirate ring was captured. It included pages of maps that showed where the pirates liked to dock, hide out, and attack; there were specifications for the yachts they owned, but also a warning that they would infiltrate and take over any yacht they liked, so to watch closely for yachts that might be missing. It went on with where the pirates banked and went to regroup and which governments and individuals were giving them aid.
Maddie perused it all with Zack and Brooks watching over her shoulder, blinking back tears and praying they wouldn’t notice. Anger welled in her chest. Her father thought giving her money would clear his name in her eyes. What a scuzz bucket. She didn’t know what she’d hoped the letter would contain—something, anything to make her feel like he loved her and he wasn’t a complete deadbeat father. Why couldn’t he have been an undercover agent for the good guys?
Occasionally, one of the men would take a paper she’d finished with and read it more carefully. They all read their fill, and then Brooks and Zack sat in chairs on each side of her.
Brooks exhaled. “It appears your father was trying to right his wrongs by turning in all his former associates.”
“Whatever helps him sleep in hell,” Maddie choked out.
Zack took her hand. His warm fingers were a lifeline. She felt cold and lifeless. Her father had put her in danger so he could give her a bundle of money and make her responsible to bring other pirates to justice. The first trip he hadn’t taken her mother on, and now she knew the reason. Why couldn’t he have been man enough to turn himself in and give the authorities the information himself? He’d told her he was dying, but maybe he still had enough life in him that he didn’t want to exchange it for prison. Yet, he’d thought this information would clear his and Bello’s names.
She sighed, knowing her father too well. He’d rather be stabbed to death than spend even one night in jail. He hated to be cooped up worse tha
n a skittish foal. It was like Bello had his knife in her gut as she realized that her father had, even in his last act, not done what would’ve been in her best interest. Weren’t parents supposed to protect their children at all cost? She felt a sudden longing for her mom, but even she had a lot of explaining to do. Did her mom know why Maddie’s father had brought her to his ship? That thought made her sick. No. Her mom would never allow Maddie to be in danger like this.
“Well.” Brooks shoved his chair back and stood. “We can discuss and study all of this on the boat. I’d feel better if we started moving north.”
Zack nodded. “Let me get a quick shower and grab some clothes.” He squeezed her hand and then stood.
Maddie watched the men go. She carefully repacked everything into the packet, then stared out at the peaceful ocean. Her stomach was sour. The disappointment and ache for a father who cared made her wrap her arms around herself.
Was Bello even now headed their way? Bello must have changed his mind about turning in the other pirates and wanted the money and lifestyle instead. He must’ve known what the flash drive and packet contained to be so focused on getting them … or did he want Maddie for his own sadistic reasons or some sort of twisted revenge against her father? She shivered despite the hot sun and warm breeze.
Brooks returned first, and his eyes were actually serious as he offered her a hand up. “We’re going to take care of you, Maddie.”
“Thank you.” She didn’t feel the attraction and connection to Brooks that she felt with Zack, but here was another man who was a natural protector and just an all-around good guy. Apparently they did exist, just not in her family tree.
“Sure. And when you get tired of runner man, you can always turn to me.” His grin reappeared.
Maddie shook her head and laughed. “Glad to know the offer is always on the table.”
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Caribbean Rescue (Destination Billionaire Romance) Page 10