by Ruff, K. S.
I tucked my head back under Michael’s chin. I couldn’t bear to look at his face. There was too much heartbreak etched in those eyes; and I was feeling too conflicted and confused to make sense of it all. Michael had thought he was doing the honorable thing when he proposed. I didn’t trust him enough to reveal my past. I’d been too scared to give him a chance. So I did the one thing I thought would keep me safe. I pushed him away.
Michael refused to let me hide. He stopped dancing and gently lifted my chin. “That’s why I brought you here, Kristine. I need a second chance.” His eyes captured and held mine as he lowered his lips to mine. He paused uncertainly. Then he poured his plea into a kiss.
His longing spiraled through me and tugged mercilessly at my heart. I clung to his shirt as I melted into his chest. Michael wrapped me in his arms as he deepened the kiss. Desire swept through me as his body hardened against mine. I whimpered softly as my body pleaded for more.
My head spun with a confusing array of emotions when Michael finally broke the kiss. His eyes filled with relief as he read my face. He smiled as he stepped back and slowly twirled me around. He wrapped his arms around my stomach and nuzzled my neck, his embrace reminiscent of the statue in his garden. “Cest beau, non?”
I relaxed into Michael’s embrace. The Eiffel Tower was looming in front of us again, but this time it was glowing brightly against a pitch black sky. “Oui,” I responded breathlessly. “It’s beautiful.”
Michael led me back to the table when the waiter arrived with coffee and dessert. He tucked me into my chair while the waiter torched the crème brûlée. Both men murmured “bonsoir” as the waiter walked away. Michael sampled the creamy dessert.
“Michael?” I asked hesitantly.
“Mon amour…” he murmured silkily. He leaned back in his chair and gave me his full attention.
I took a deep breath. “I… I know you want a second chance… and you have gone to great lengths to get one. But I’m worried about my family and friends. Isn’t there some way we can let them know I’m okay? I can’t just let them go on thinking I could be hurt… or dead. They’re going to assume the worst, especially after everything I went through with Justin. If I promise not to attempt an escape, can you promise me they won’t be hurt and help me figure out a way to let them know I’m okay?”
Michael took a sip of coffee as he considered my request. My nerves scattered as I waited for his response. Finally, he spoke. “I promise your friends and family will remain unharmed as long as you don’t attempt an escape. I’ll purchase a burn phone that cannot be traced, but you only get one call, Kristine. Choose one person, besides the soldier, who can let the rest of your family and friends know you are okay. You have to make the call in front of me. You cannot reveal where you are, and you will have to keep the call short.”
I was so relieved, tears pricked at my eyes. “Thank you, Michael.”
He quietly examined me. “Ma chérie, I will not force you to stay forever. Please just give me a few months to prove how much I love you. Let me show you the kind of life we can have together. If you still want to leave after six months…” Michael looked away as his voice broke. He sighed as his eyes met mine. “If you still want to leave after six months, then I will let you go.” He held up a finger as I began to interrupt. “The only thing I ask is that you try, I mean honestly try, to give me this second chance.”
I searched his eyes questioningly. He looked vulnerable… and scared. A lump formed in my throat. Michael loved me enough to let me go? I was relieved to know he would eventually release me, but his willingness to do so completely shattered my perception of him.
I rose shakily from the chair, then eased onto his lap. As I brushed the hair back from his handsome face, I found myself mesmerized by the single tear that slid down his cheek. I couldn’t deny that I was attracted to Michael, but I was already in love with Kadyn. What good could come of allowing Michael to prove I could love him too?
I contemplated his request, still cognizant of the power and the threat he held over me. If the truth be told, did I really have any other choice but to spend the next six months with Michael? What if I refused? He still maintained the ability to hurt Kadyn if I didn’t cooperate. Could I really commit myself to the path of least resistance? Six months was such a long time. My heart pounded as I gazed into his eyes. In a broken whisper, I promised, “I will try.” His tears beckoned mine as we poured our remaining words into a kiss.
Chapter 10 - Without you
Kadyn refused to open his eyes. If he kept them closed, he could still feel her in this room, lying next to him on the bed. He reached his arm across the bed, willing her to be there. There was nothing but empty space. His hand clenched around the empty space. He could feel Kri slipping away. Kadyn whispered in the dark. “Please, Kri. Please, find a way back to me.”
Kadyn reached for his cell phone as he slowly opened his eyes. He glanced at the clock on the screen. Three o’clock in the morning? He groaned. He couldn’t sleep, he couldn’t eat, and he could barely maintain a conversation that didn’t involve Kri. Kadyn slowly eased out of Kri’s bed. He could hardly stand to sleep at his own place anymore. Sleeping in Kri’s bed was the closest thing he had to being with her.
Kadyn raked his hand over his head. He suddenly realized that he hadn’t shaved in days... not a good thing when you’re in the military. He walked to Kri’s kitchen and grabbed a Mountain Dew from the refrigerator. He cracked the seal and took a swig from the bottle as he eyed the laptop he’d left sitting on the counter. He took another drink of Mountain Dew. Then he tapped the spacebar on his computer to wake it up. He stared at the screen and thought about what he’d learned the night before.
Cenia and Mason had searched the Internet alongside Kadyn until shortly after midnight. They eventually tracked down a couple of news stories in the Jornal de Negócios out of Lisbon. Interestingly enough, the news stories indicated that Garcia was being investigated for insider trading, money laundering, and tax evasion, approximately three years ago. They couldn’t find any subsequent news stories indicating that he’d actually been charged with those crimes.
Mason found an op ed piece in which the author speculated a connection between Garcia and some Eastern European terrorist group, but the news magazine didn’t look terribly credible. According to Cenia, it read more like a gossip magazine. A number of wealthy people from Portugal were being slandered throughout the magazine.
Then Cenia discovered a small notice buried in a back page of the Jornal de Negócios indicating the police had closed the investigation. Kadyn was left debating two possibilities… either the guy was guilty and he paid someone off to end the investigation, or he was innocent and simply being black balled by someone hell bent on destroying him.
Kadyn sighed. Either possibility would make it harder to find Kri. If Garcia had a clean record and no terrorist connections, he wasn’t likely to appear on any government watch lists or in any criminal databanks. If he was guilty and had enough money to end an investigation, the same problem could hold true, especially in a place like Portugal.
Cenia was planning to go into work late so she could try to contact the reporters and the author of the op ed piece in Portugal. She didn’t speak Portuguese, but she thought it was likely a reporter in Portugal would speak Spanish, so she was confident in her ability to speak with them. Kadyn insisted there was to be no mention of the kidnapping. He wanted Kri’s disappearance kept out of the news. So Cenia had to gather as much information as she could without explaining the reason why she needed it. He knew he was asking the impossible.
Kadyn signed into his online bank. He paid a few bills, then transferred money from savings to checking so he could pay Kri’s rent. He was going to pay it for as long as he could, so her apartment would be here when she got home. He didn’t think he’d be doing her any favors if he packed her things and put them in storage. Although, he didn’t doubt it was going to be some time before she came home… if she came ho
me.
Kadyn closed the laptop, polished off the Mountain Dew, and gathered his things. He locked Kri’s apartment and walked over to his place to shower and shave for work.
An hour and a half later, Kadyn was standing in the doorway to Captain Graves’ office. He had dropped by unannounced in the hopes that the officer would share some information with him.
Captain Graves looked up from his paperwork. He didn’t look the least bit surprised to see Kadyn. He leaned back in his chair as he gestured toward the door. “Close the door, please.”
Kadyn shut the door. He stood there stiffly as he waited for Captain Graves to speak.
Captain Graves nodded toward an empty chair. “Please, take a seat, Captain Rand.”
Kadyn folded himself into the chair. “Thank you for seeing me, sir.”
Captain Graves steepled his fingers in front of his mouth as he silently studied Kadyn. Finally, he spoke. “We’re having a press release in three hours, so I might as well tell you what we know. The car bombs have been linked to four men, all U.S. citizens. One of the men was overheard blaming another for the devices not going off. They were in a bar up in Baltimore. All four men have been linked to an extremist group that has been threatening to overthrow the government. They’ve historically targeted gun control advocates, but they apparently have a beef against the Pentagon over our recent use of drones. We already have two of the men in custody. We’re hoping the press release will help us locate the other two men.”
Kadyn leaned forward in the chair. He braced his elbows on his knees as he raked his hand over his head. He took a deep breath and blew it out as he tamped down the fears that were festering inside of him.
“I’m sorry, Captain Rand. There doesn’t appear to be any connection between these car bombs and the kidnapping of Ms. Stone. While there are a number of men named Michael Garcia on our watch list, I have confirmed through Customs and Border Protection that none of the men on that watch list were documented as being in country on the day of the attempted bombing,” Captain Graves noted sympathetically.
Kadyn nodded.
Captain Graves continued. “I had my investigators do some digging on terrorist networks known to be operating in Eastern Europe. We couldn’t link anyone named Michael Garcia to any of those terrorist groups. I’m sorry, but I don’t know what more we can do to help you. We don’t have enough information to pinpoint which Michael Garcia we’re dealing with. There are over two hundred thousand men with this name in our databanks. Without some evidence that Ms. Stone was taken out of the country or across state lines, we had to turn the kidnapping investigation over to the local authorities. Here is the business card for the officer who is now heading up the investigation.” Captain Graves pushed a plain white business card across the desk.
Kadyn stood. Although it took some effort, he held his back perfectly straight. He nodded once as he reached for the captain’s hand. “Thank you, Captain Graves. I appreciate your time.” Kadyn shoved the business card in his pocket and left the office without looking back. Over the course of a ten minute conversation, every last hope he had of the feds finding Kri had completely disintegrated.
Chapter 11 – Kiss me slowly
My arms were stiff. I stretched my limbs, then froze when my hand brushed over a well-muscled chest. My eyes fluttered open, then widened with surprise. I had already grown accustomed to waking up alone. I hadn’t expected to wake all tangled up in Michael’s arms.
Michael ran his hand soothingly across my back, and my tension eased. He smoothed the hair out of my face. He smiled when our eyes met. “Bonjour, mon coeur. It looks beautiful outside. Shall we explore Paris?”
I smiled. The glimpses of Paris I’d seen from the yacht had left me wanting more. “Oui,” I responded. If I was going out in public, I needed to start practicing my French.
Michael raised a single eyebrow. He nudged me back against the pillows and pinned me beneath him. His eyes flooded with desire the second he fit his body to mine. His lips captured mine in a passionate kiss. He broke the kiss abruptly, then gently scolded, “You make me want you even more when you speak French, mon amour. I have already warned you about playing with fire.”
I didn’t even register the words. My entire body ached for the kiss he’d broken off so abruptly. I tangled my hands in his hair as I pulled him down for more.
A low growl vibrated through his chest. He pinned my hands above my head as he took control of the kiss. His tongue seduced mine in deep, demanding strokes. He shifted his weight and nudged my legs apart as he ground his hips into mine.
My eyes nearly rolled back in my head when I felt him harden against me. I whimpered softly as I arched against him, then froze when I realized what I was doing.
Michael groaned as he broke the kiss. “If you don’t want this going any further, you’d best go. Get ready, and I will ask the cook to deliver breakfast.”
I smiled shakily as I scooted toward the edge of the bed. I was still reeling from the kiss, shocked by my response, and grateful for the reprieve. I glanced back at Michael as I walked toward the bathroom. “Thanks, Michael.”
He was sprawled out in bed with his arm thrown across his face. “You’d best lock the door behind you. I’m already thinking of joining you in the shower.”
I nearly tripped over my feet. I darted inside the bathroom and locked the door. I fell back against the door. “What were you thinking?” I asked myself irritably.
“I wasn’t,” was the response. I pushed away from the door and walked to the sink so I could brush my teeth. I turned my back to the mirror so I wouldn’t have to look at kiss-swollen lips and lust-filled eyes. I padded over to the shower and turned both shower heads and all twelve jets to cold. I forced myself to stand in the frigid water until I couldn’t take it anymore. I nudged the temperature a little higher so I wouldn’t have to shave over goose bumps.
I was still shivering when I toweled off. I tugged the bathrobe on, applied makeup, dried and curled my hair. There was no way I was going out looking like a wet dog in Paris. By the time I left the bathroom, a breakfast tray had already been delivered to our room. I went straight for the coffee, hoping to clear my head.
Michael showered while I dressed. I tugged on a pretty coral dress and matching shoes with gold embellishments before settling in to eat breakfast.
Michael’s hair was still wet when he joined me. For some reason, this really screwed with my head. I suddenly found myself wondering what he looked like naked and soaking wet. My hands trembled as I poured him a cup of coffee. I did an internal eye roll, then forced the image from my head.
Michael reached for a croissant. He inhaled it on the way to the closet. When he returned, he was wearing dark gray slacks and a white dress shirt. He’d left the top few buttons of the shirt undone. He looked as frazzled as I felt. He quickly downed his coffee before pulling me laughing out the door.
He sent a quick text while we walked down the hall. By the time we reached the front door, the car and driver were waiting for us. Michael helped me into the car. He spoke to the driver in French, then tucked me under his arm. “What would you like to see first, ma chérie?”
“Le Louvre,” I responded decidedly.
Michael sent another quick text, then prompted the driver to go.
By the time we reached the museum, Rafael and another man were waiting at the curb for us. Michael offered me his hand as I stepped out of the car. He motioned toward the man next to Rafael. “This is my bodyguard, Jean.”
Jean nodded his head once. “Bonjour, Madame Stone. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
I smiled politely. “Bonjour, Jean.” My head tilted as I studied his face. “You were on the yacht last night. I remember seeing you when we first boarded the boat.”
He grinned. “You are very observant, Madame Stone.”
I turned and smiled at Rafael, who was standing a bit too stiffly. “Bonjour, Rafael. I’m glad you could join us.” I knew he was being paid to
be there, but I didn’t want him feeling like that was the only reason he was there. If he was going to be my bodyguard, then I wanted our relationship to be on more friendly terms. I didn’t want either of us feeling uncomfortable, especially if we were going to be spending a lot of time together.
He smiled as his eyes met mine. Suddenly, he looked a lot more like the man I’d walked alongside in the garden. “Bonjour, Madame Stone.” He nodded at Michael. “Monsieur Garcia.”
Michael wrapped his arm around me. “Shall we?” he asked as he took a step forward.
Jean turned and walked a few feet in front of us. Rafael fell in behind me. It was a bit unnerving being sandwiched between three men, but I quickly forgot about the bodyguards when we stepped inside the Louvre.
I had heard stories about the Louvre, but I never realized just how large the museum was. The place extended across multiple city blocks. Michael and I wandered through the museum, admiring the paintings and statues for over three hours. I was certain we could spend a week in that building and still never see all that it had to offer. While most of the sightseers jockeyed for a glimpse of the Mona Lisa, it was Monet’s paintings that captivated me most.
I glanced questioningly at Michael as we walked out of the building. “I don’t understand why everyone was so enthralled with the Mona Lisa. There are so many more impressive works of art displayed in this museum.”
Michael chuckled. “The Mona Lisa always draws a crowd. You really seemed to enjoy Monet’s work. Would you like to see the gardens that inspired his paintings?”