by Avery Gale
When Allen finally admitted he was done for the night and retired to his cabin, Aspen got busy searching the yacht. She’d been concerned when the crew had lingered after serving dinner, but they’d scattered as soon as dessert had been served. When he’d heard the outboard motor on the small transport fire up, Allen had waved it off saying he’d given the crew the night off so they would have some privacy. Ewww, just kill me now. The idea of needing privacy with him was enough to make her toss back up the dinner she’d just barely touched. It hadn’t seemed wise to risk having him drug her as she’d done him.
After watching to be sure he’d made it to his stateroom, Aspen had checked the satellite phone the team had given her. Not finding any messages indicated the team had miraculously solved the case since their last communication, she set to work after switching on the small device Jax had assured her would scramble any security cameras on board. No need to record my snooping for posterity. Even though she was an expert swimmer, the idea Allen could take her several miles further off shore and then toss her overboard didn’t set well. Sure, she had the tracking device the team had given her, but it would still take time for them to scramble a rescue unit and becoming shark bait was actually pretty low on her bucket list—it was above being a guest for any of the major terrorist fractions, but just barely.
By the time she heard the whine of the outboard returning, the sun was starting to peak over the horizon and Aspen was dead on her feet. She’d searched the entire boat and hadn’t found anything relating to Cameron Barnes. The one thing she’d found that seemed completely out of place was an old high school yearbook from a boys’ school in update New York. She hadn’t taken time to look through it, but she had snapped a picture of it and sent it in because something about it had seemed so out of place in the otherwise immaculate office. She’d barely had time to return to her smaller stateroom and turn off the scrambler before taking the world’s fastest shower and falling into bed. Hopefully he’ll sleep for a couple more hours and I can catch a few myself before he decides to check out the beach.
*****
CeCe followed Cam into the small clinic that was only about a mile from their home and smiled at the patients waiting to be seen by a member of the medical office’s small staff. The place was remarkably clean and smelled like fresh paint. She wasn’t a fool, she’d known from the moment Cam had suggested they check it out that something was amiss. The elderly doctor who greeted them had obviously been expecting them because he’d been standing beside the receptionist’s small desk.
After the “oh-so-polite” introductions, CeCe looked around the small waiting room while Cameron and Carl talked to the head of the clinic. She was listening with half-hearted interest—lost in taking in the number of children with crudely made crutches laying alongside their chairs or sitting in wheelchairs. Their small faces focused on her, hope dancing in their bright eyes. Turning to the doctor, she didn’t even wait for the men to stop speaking, “Tell me.”
Dr. Guzman didn’t pretend he didn’t understand her question, he simply led her around the small waiting room quietly introducing her to each child and briefly explaining his or her condition. CeCe was amazed at how candidly he spoke and he’d evidently noticed her response, “We do not have HIPPA here in St. Maarten, Dr. Barnes. You will find there are very few secrets on this small island and whether you consider that a blessing or a curse usually depends on whether or not you are behaving yourself, isn’t that right, children?” CeCe couldn’t hold back her laughter as all their heads nodded.
There were several children who could be walking within hours with the proper surgical intervention, and the rest could be mobile within a few months. “Don’t you have a surgeon on staff at the hospital? Maybe someone to fly over from another island to work a day or two a week?”
“No. Patients have to fly to the doctor and as you can imagine the costs are prohibitive for most of our population.”
While Dr. Guzman’s words had saddened her, the tears of one mother had broken her heart. Her dark eyes were silently beseeching CeCe to help while she cradled a small boy in her lap. The young mother was quietly rubbing his twisted leg and CeCe wondered if it was to comfort her or her young son. “I wish my license allowed me to help them. In a few hours I could do a lot.” She hadn’t really been speaking to anyone in particular. CeCe often processed problems verbally to herself, it had always seemed to help her work through something that was particularly troubling.
She felt Cameron’s hand on the small of her back, the small gesture so typical of a Dom, yet this touch seemed more like comfort than possession. “Love, you’re good to go if you’d like to help. I have taken care of that part. You don’t have to do anything. You are, after all, on holiday. But I’d heard about the local needs and well, quite frankly, I didn’t think you’d be able to walk away from people who need you so desperately.” He'd spoken so quietly, their conversation felt intimate and it was the first time she’d seen this level of compassion in his eyes. Having Carl back in his life had changed him. She suddenly realized there had always been a piece of his heart missing and Carl had returned it to him.
CeCe turned into Cam’s embrace and hugged him fiercely. She hadn’t realized until this moment how much she’d missed being a physician. Her life had been overtaken by administrative duties to the point she rarely connected with patients for more than a few moments. Without walking away and starting over, she would never be able to form the kind of community connections that really made a difference in people’s lives. Oh sure, the surgical techniques she’d developed and taught to others would change lives for the better, but to impact an individual’s life over a span of years as you shepherded them through trials and triumphs, that is what she’d always longed for. She wasn’t sure where this newfound self-awareness would lead her, but she’d always believed that once your eyes were opened to something, it was foolish to close them again.
Turning to Carl, she hugged him and whispered against his ear, “Thank you for bringing the missing piece of his heart back to him.” She felt him stiffen against her for just an instant before he hugged her back so hard she squeaked. When she turned back to Dr. Guzman, his wrinkled face bore a broad smile, “Well then, let’s get to work.”
*****
“You are a manipulative bastard, you now that, right? You played that perfectly.” Carl wasn’t being critical and he was sure the humor in his voice made that clear to Cam. They’d said their goodbyes and were walking back to the overgrown golf cart Cam had called a car.
“I prefer to think of myself as an outcome engineer. It sounds so much better than manipulative bastard, even though in this case they are essentially one and the same.”
“And I can’t believe you call this fucking golf cart a car. Seriously, this thing is a joke. What if we need to out run the bad guys? Jesus, Fred, I don’t think our bare feet will be able to keep up.” Carl was only partially kidding about their mode of transportation. Hell, the thing looked like it belonged at some PGA tour stop. I’m not usually a car snob, but Jesus Christ on a crutch this thing is just embarrassing.
“Stop whining and get in. I’ll show you exactly what this baby can do. Might want to fasten your safety harness, Barney.” They spent the next several hours exploring the small island’s roads, making note of various hiding places, and discussing the information Micah Drake had given them late last night. They spent time talking to several locals, asking them to make note of any strangers they saw and providing information on men Cam employed that they could trust. They’d also shown people Craig Allen’s picture. It hadn’t taken long to learn Cameron Barnes’ name didn’t carry much weight, until he pointed out Dr. Barnes was his wife.
“Do you even remember Allen? Hell, I’ve looked at those pictures a dozen times and I don’t remember the man from St. Andrew’s at all.” Carl was baffled that someone from their old school was the one causing problems. And knowing he’d been working inside Dark Desires for so long was just fuckin
g creepy. “And how the hell did he slip through your security screening?”
“Well, in answer to your last question, he was hired through an agency.” And that was a mistake he wouldn’t make again. “They would have screened for criminal history and the like. His education history wouldn’t have flagged them because they wouldn’t have had any way to know I’d gone to the same school. As for me remembering him, I didn’t remember his name, but one of the pictures sparked a memory. He was a year or two behind us, but was in one of our computer classes. Easy to understand why he was in an advanced class after reading his file. Christ, and he’d been working as a fucking janitor? Presumably just to get close to me? What kind of sick shit is that? And if he’ll go to that extent, what else is he capable of? My gut tells me this isn’t going to end well, and that scares me. The only thing keeping me from putting the three of us on another plane is my trust in the team we’ve assembled.”
Carl agreed with Cam’s assessment, but he was still uncomfortable leaving CeCe at the clinic. Sure, they had people in place watching Allen, and the truth was they didn’t have any hard evidence against the man, but the hair stood up on the back of Carl’s neck every time the man’s name was mentioned and he’d learned a long time ago to never discount his instincts. He didn’t know Captain Andrews, but she hadn’t hesitated to step up and put herself in danger when Jax had called her, so she’d earned a good deal of his respect from the start. And taking a picture of that yearbook had proven what good instincts she had, so he didn’t think she was in over her head—at least not yet.
Shortly after five in the afternoon, Cameron drove them back to the small medical clinic. When they walked in the empty waiting room, the receptionist was wiping her eyes. Carl felt a fission of fear move through him and rushed to the desk. “Where is Dr. Barnes? Is she alright? What’s happened? Why are you crying?”
He’d practically steamrolled the older woman, but she’d simply smiled. “She is fine. She’s amazing in fact. She worked through more patients in an afternoon than we’d have been able to treat in a week, yet each one received her personal attention. She has scheduled procedures through the next ten days—and I mean each day for ten consecutive days. The woman is a medical machine and an answer to many of these family’s prayers.”
Carl sagged in relief as Cam chuckled, “Oddly enough, I’m not at all surprised,” glancing at the woman’s nameplate he smiled because obviously the receptionist was Dr. Guzman’s wife, “In fact, I’ve seen Mrs. Guzman’s reaction before. Our Cecelia is quite remarkable, so this won’t be the last time you see this I assure you.”
He knew Cam had intentionally referred to Cecelia as ours, they’d already discussed the fact there didn’t seem to be any reason to hide who they were. The island was far too small for secrets and from what he’d seen; the people were very open-minded. Of course there was always the fact they’d discovered during their conversations with people in the small hamlets around the island that the doctor and his brother, who it turned out was the local constable, shared the woman sitting in front of them singing Cecelia’s praises.
They’d no sooner arrived back at the beach house when both Carl’s and Cam’s phones rang at the same time as if they’d been synchronized by fate to keep them from caring for the bone tired woman who’d barely managed to walk through the door on her own. As they answered, CeCe gestured upstairs with a half-hearted wave of her hand, and they both smiled and nodded. Cam had decided they wouldn’t tell her about Craig Allen until after dinner. It had been easy to see she was exhausted and Carl hoped she was going upstairs to rest. He and Cam spoke on the phone with various members of the team making plans and setting up the details of the investigation. Carl wasn’t sure how long they’d been working when he heard raised voices from the open door he’d been standing beside. Before he could take in the scene on the beach below the house, he heard a woman’s blood-chilling scream followed quickly by two gunshots. He was already running for the door with Cameron right on his heels.
Chapter Twenty-One
CeCe didn’t remember the last time she’d been this physically exhausted but emotionally fulfilled. Even during those fog-filled first days of motherhood, she hadn’t felt like this. For the first time in several years, she knew in her heart she’d actually made a difference in someone’s life. Sure she had a wildly successful medical practice, she’d won countless awards for her groundbreaking techniques, and she’d reached a level of professional recognition she’d only dreamt of in the beginning, but she’d lost focus on why she’d wanted to became a doctor in the first place. After trudging up the stairs, she’d been too restless to nap so she’d taken a quick shower before pulling on shorts and a tank top and stepping out onto the balcony overlooking the white sand beach. Watching a man and woman who were standing down on the beach, CeCe realized they were the same people she’d seen getting in the taxi at the airport the first night they’d arrived in St. Maarten.
Now that she had a chance to study the man, CeCe was fairly certain he was one of the janitors at Dark Desires. She’d talked to him a couple of times about trivial things like the blasted heat and annoying traffic delays due to road construction, but she certainly didn’t think they knew one another well enough for him to casually drop by to visit while on vacation. And really, what were the odds he’d just happened to end up on the beach outside their new home? Perhaps she’d been more tired than she realized because before she had the chance to consider the consequences, she was stomping down the stairs leading to the beach.
It was obvious the couple wasn’t getting along, even though she wasn’t close enough to make out what they were saying, the tone was easy enough to interpret, and their body language was telling as well. As soon as they saw her, the beautiful blond woman put her back to CeCe. Shit, what was his name? Allen? Craig? Damn, I can’t remember. The closer she got to them the more certain she was, hell, she’d recognize his whiney-assed voice anywhere. CeCe heard the woman call him Craig as she approached, but his raised voice had drowned anything else the young woman had said. And what the hello was he doing cursing at the woman he was trying to get around. “Hey, you. Aren’t you an employee of Dark Desires? The club’s management has very strict guidelines for their employees, and even though you aren’t at work I can’t imagine them looking favorably on the way you are talking to your girlfriend.”
The woman’s head practically rotated on her slender neck and under different circumstances, CeCe might have found the next few seconds amusing. “Girlfriend? Oh fuck, no.” The woman’s eyes were wide and her horrified expression was unmistakable, obviously they weren’t a couple, so why were they arguing outside the beach house?
“Fuck you, bitch. You don’t have the right equipment to be interesting to me.” Then the man’s attention shifted to CeCe, and his sneer was enough to stop her in her tracks. “But you. Oh yes, you, Dr. Barnes, I am quite interested in you. I’ve tried to be subtle, but you just don’t take a fucking hint, do you?” What the hell is he talking about? The second that thought went through her mind, CeCe knew. He must have seen the realization in her eyes because he chuckled. His laugh reminded her of Snidely Whiplash and, even lost in a daze of exhaustion and fear, CeCe wanted to shake her head at the absurdity of her thoughts. Jesus Pete, Cecelia, you are facing a man who obviously hates you, he’s just pointed a gun at your face and you’re thinking about a cartoon. Yes, indeed, the men in white jackets will be here shortly to drop a net over your crazy ass—or maybe they’ll have to put the net back and use a bag to scoop up the pieces if Mr. Whiplash over there shoots you. What had she been thinking coming out here without Cam or Carl? Oh God, of all things in heaven and hell, if I live through this they are going to kill me.
Cecelia had read about things like this, heard people talk about how time seemed to slow and every one of their senses seemed to amplify. She’d never fully understood what they’d meant until now. Everything around her came into crystal clear focus, colors were so vivid they almo
st shimmered. Her hearing had become so acute she heard the gulls off shore searching for their last meal of the day, the sloshing of the waves as they lapped against the shore, the forlorn sound of a boat’s horn as it passed by in the distance. Her heart’s frantic beating sounded like a bass drum pounding out a rapidly accelerating beat as it threatened to drown out everything else around her. “What do you want from me?” She hated that her voice had sounded so weak, but truthfully, it was nothing short of a miracle that she’d been able to speak at all.
“Are you kidding? Are you really that fucking stupid?” Evidently, because I don’t speak “crazy”. He was looking at her like he expected her to answer that ridiculous question. Nope, not happening. The longer I can stall the better my chances of getting out of this alive.
The woman Snidely had been arguing with was moving between them again and CeCe had the impression she was trying to protect her. She’d been introduced to the men providing security for the house, but she was certain she’d never met this woman before. It’s not like anyone is ever going to forget her—Holy Hopscotch she’s gorgeous. Jesus, Cecelia, focus already. It’s not like you aren’t in enough trouble already. Christ, I’m even talking to myself. I really should have taken a nap.
“Are you even fucking listening to me? Christ, how can Master Cameron stand to live with you? Hello? Earth to dip-shit doctor.” Something snapped in CeCe and her spine straightened with a snap as she narrowed her eyes on him. “Oh, yeah. Cop an attitude with me and see where that gets you. Fuck me, Master Cameron deserves so much better. I’ll love him far better than you ever could. He’s just forgotten about his promise, that’s all. When I remind him that he promised to show me how it was done, he’ll forget all about grieving for you.”