by Spear, Terry
A groan from his henchman lying on the deck, clutching his bloodied chest, elicited a snort from Thurman. He jerked his sword at Caruso. “Where are they taking Jenny now?”
Thurman turned to watch his henchman. The dying man shuddered. His face turned pale and his eyes rolled into the back of his head as the waves crashed against the beach down below.
Caruso’s face remained emotionless. “Don’t know, boss.” He pulled a cigarette out, then guarded it against the steady ocean breeze as he attempted to light it. “They haven’t told Angel where they’re taking her yet. Hush, hush, for the moment.”
Thurman sheathed his sword. “Hope that’s not a sign they suspect there’s a leak in their organization.”
“Never can tell. He said he doesn’t think they suspect anything. They just had to move her quickly after these fools bungled it.”
Glancing down at the henchman, Thurman took a ragged breath. The man’s eyes no longer blinked, and his mouth gaped wide open. “Do they know about her money yet?”
“Yeah, boss.”
“Damn. They’ll go by the book. They’ll have one of the agents marry her, then move her money to where I can’t get at it. Damn.” Thurman kicked the dead man in the stomach with the toe of his boot. “What about that girlfriend of hers, Roxie Adams?”
“Vanished. As soon as they got hold of Miss Brant, the girlfriend disappeared.”
“Damned A.T.A.”
Caruso flicked his ashes over the weathered gray cedar deck railing. “They’ve moved the parents, too.”
Thurman nodded. “Anything further about her memory loss?”
“According to Angel, she still doesn’t remember anything.”
“What about the barhop?”
“Meeting me later tonight. You still want me to take her to that seedy dive on 1st Street?”
“Yeah. Teach her to meet guys on the Internet.” Thurman smiled. “I’ll meet up with you at midnight. Keep her warmed up until I get there.”
Caruso tossed his cigarette to the beach. “All right. Come on, Marco.” He rolled the dead man off the deck. Marco fell with a thud to the beach ten feet below. “I’ll dispose of him first, then pick up the girl. See you in a bit, boss.”
Thurman could almost taste Jenny’s sweet mouth and feel her soft curves against his body. His body instantly awakened with desire for her. He had to have her money…just had to, but no matter what, she wasn’t getting away from him. Damned A.T.A. No way were they keeping her from him.
No doubt they’d told her what a villain he was. But did they tell her he’d been one of the good guys, too? He smiled. Doubtful. No one wanted to admit that they’d made a mistake with him. And no one would believe Angel was still working for them, and him, too.
He walked into his bedroom and deposited the sword next to the bed. He wouldn’t need it again tonight. Not for the hot time he’d have with his new babe. Depending on how good she was he might keep her around for a little while. Just until Jenny returned to him. Or not.
The other had been too scrawny. The scanned picture over the Internet of this one looked pretty fine. He would just have to see if she felt as fine naked squirming beneath him. If so, she would be one of the lucky ones and live longer than just one night.
***
When Allan and his agents arrived at the condo in South Padre Island, it was already three in the morning. Everyone was tired. Jenny still slept from the sedative Dale had given her, and four new agents were already in place to allow the others a good night sleep.
Allan carried Jenny to the bedroom of the third floor while Dale hurried to pull the covers aside for her. Allan pulled Jenny’s sandals off, then covered her with the blue and white floral bedspread. She still wore the evocative black dress, sexy as any piece of lingerie she could have worn.
Allan kicked off his shoes. He sat on the cot on the other side of the room. “Have a good night’s sleep. See you in the morning.”
“The two of you will work things out.”
“There’s nothing to work out, Dale.” Allan hadn’t meant for his voice to be so harsh.
Dale smiled. “Yeah. I mean about the marriage thing.”
“Tomorrow, Dale.”
“See you then.”
Dale left the door to the bedroom open, and another man poked his head inside. He had dishwater blond hair and penetrating blue eyes with a football quarterback’s build. “Name’s Lantham. You need anything, just holler.”
“Thanks. Just shut the door, would you?”
“Sure thing.”
Allan placed his gun under his pillow, then stripped down to his boxers. Like he said, he wasn’t sleeping with the lady. On the other hand, he’d expected to be sleeping on the couch, not on a cot at an entirely different island.
His head barely hit the pillow before he fell asleep, but it wasn’t long after that he heard noise in the room. He listened intently for the unfamiliar sound he’d heard. Whipping out his gun, he waited.
Was it the air conditioner turning on that disturbed him? Sounds like that usually didn’t. It had to be something else. The outdoor lights to the condo cast a dim light into the room, the same level as that of a nightlight. No one was in the room but Jenny and him.
Then Jenny moaned. She was having a nightmare. Suddenly, she sat up in bed and reached for the table beside the bed.
She yanked at the drawer and ran her hand inside it.
Shoving his gun underneath his pillow, he hurried to the bed. “Jenny?”
She stared at him, her eyes glazed, no sense of recognition in them whatsoever. Taking her hand from the drawer, he encouraged her to lie back down.
The door to the bedroom opened. Fully dressed, Lantham stood in the doorway. “Anything wrong?”
“No. She’s just having a nightmare. We’re fine.”
Lantham nodded, then closed the door.
Allan returned to his cot when she seemed to sleep. The woman had caused him to lose a lot of sleep the last few days. Crawling back under the covers, he closed his eyes.
An hour later he heard the drawer open again. The air conditioner was running again, and Jenny sat up in bed and fumbled in the drawer.
He crossed the floor to the bed, pulled her hands from the bedside table, encouraged her to lie down, and shut the drawer. Staring at her for a few seconds, he finally shook his head.
Skirting the bed, he made his way to the other side. He lifted the covers back, trying not to disturb her, then moved in close to her. When she was within reach, he pulled her against his chest.
Whatever her reoccurring nightmare was, maybe his holding her tight would make it go away. In any event, the bed was a hell of a lot more comfortable than the cot, and maybe she wouldn’t keep disturbing his sleep if he held her close.
Wrong. Just her sweet scent and soft curves stirred up his adrenaline. Snuggling against him, she turned up the heat. He had to wake before she did and make sure he was in the cot before she caught him with her the next morning.
At least that was the plan.
***
Jenny snuggled next to his warm body, enjoying his well-toned muscles against her breast. He smelled so good, all spicy male, and warmed her right up. But in the dim morning light, she suddenly jerked awake and sat up in bed, realizing she had no idea who she snuggled against.
She stared at Allan for a moment, his mouth slightly curved upward as he reached for her in bed. But his eyes remained shut.
Jumping out of the bed, she grabbed her pillow and hit him on the head with it.
He yelled and bolted upright. The door to the bedroom slammed open and a blond-haired man, unshaven, wearing denims and a T-shirt, bolted into the room with gun readied.
Crying out, she held her hand to her breast, her adrenaline pumping at time and a half. “Jeez, who are you?”
“Lantham, ma’am.”
She frowned at him and folded her arms. “We’re fine.”
As fine as two people could be who were in the kind of situa
tion they were in. To think Allan had lied to her, wouldn’t tell her the truth, then was sleeping with her in bed. She groaned in total exasperation.
Allan rubbed his bare chest and yawned. “Yeah, Lantham. I’ll take over from you in a little bit.”
“Smith said he would. That you had to spend some time with the lady alone.”
She hmpfed. “That’ll be the day.”
Allan motioned with his hand for him to leave.
Lantham smiled, then closed the door.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing in my bed?” she asked, her voice on edge and raised a bit.
Lying back down, Allan clasped his arms behind his head. “I like less dramatic morning wakeups, honey, really. And all of the guys will hear you if you don’t pipe down a bit.”
She stormed to the dresser and jerked a drawer open. When she found it empty, she turned to Allan. “Where are my clothes?”
“The guys probably didn’t bring your bag up yet. We got in kind of late last night.” He yawned again. “And you kept me up most of the night.”
She glared at him. “Doing what?”
“I have no idea what you were doing. Only whatever it was, I couldn’t sleep. What did you have in your bedside drawer at home?”
“How do I remember?”
“You kept trying to get to it. And you were moaning in your sleep. So I joined you in bed to chase your nightmares away.”
She thought for a moment, but couldn’t recall any nightmare she’d had. “Right.” Any excuse to get close to her. She headed for the closet. Not finding anything in there, she yanked the door to the bedroom open and let it slam against the wall.
Lantham blocked her at the front door to the condo. “What can I help you with, ma’am?”
“I want my clothes. Have whoever has them bring them to me at once.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Folding her arms, she glared at him and wouldn’t budge.
Allan walked toward her, dressed only in his trousers.
“Got some coffee, Lantham?”
“Yeah, in the kitchen.” Lantham punched some numbers into a cell phone. “Smith? Have you got the lady’s clothes?” He nodded. “Okay, she’s expecting them. Uhm…” He glanced in the direction of the kitchen. “I don’t think either had a very good sleep last night. Yeah, see you in a few.”
“Want some coffee, honey?” Allan called out from the kitchen.
“You’d better be calling your partner, honey, Allan, because if you’re calling me by that term of endearment—”
“What? Are you going to give me another black eye?” He stepped into the living area with a cup of coffee in his hand. “Cream or sugar?”
“I don’t drink coffee, I don’t think. And I didn’t give you that black eye.” She stared at the discoloration. “Did I?”
“You sure did. Lucky punch. If I’d been more on the ball, I’d have blocked it.”
“What did you do to me that I would have taken such violent measures?”
He smiled. “Dale gave you a sedative. Only you hit me for it, instead of him.”
Jenny stared at the floor for a moment, trying to recollect. Then she looked at Allan. “You told him to give it to me.” She glanced at Lantham who watched the two of them with interest, a smirk on his lips. “Don’t you have something better to do? Like sleep or something?”
“Not until Smith replaces me.”
“By the book.” Allan sat down on the lime green couch.
The color of the fabric hurt her eyes. “What were you going to tell me last night, that you said I couldn’t know until I had a good sleep?”
Dale opened the door. “Here are your things, Jenny. Sorry to hear you both had a rough night.” He set Jenny’s bag and one for Allan on the floor.
She grabbed the handle to her bag and rolled it back into the bedroom and slammed the door.
Dale smiled at Allan. “So, I take it you asked her to marry you, and she’s not pleased about it.”
Allan glanced at Lantham.
“I’ll mosey along and get some shut-eye.”
When he closed the door behind him, Allan took a ragged breath. “No, we haven’t gotten that far.”
“So what was the racket all about up here? You know, most of us were just waking up.”
“She was having nightmares. Kept waking me up.”
Dale raised his brows. “And?”
“Did the only thing I could think of doing, only I had fully intended leaving the bed before she woke.”
Dale shook his head. “Sounds like a winner of an excuse if ever I heard one.”
“She kept looking for something in the bedside drawer. She’s starting to remember, but even at that, she didn’t know what it was she was looking for.”
Dale wrinkled his forehead. “I noticed the drawers to her bedside table had both been pulled out at her home, besides the lamp being on the floor. You know she had a concealed weapon’s license. Don’t you imagine if she had a gun, that’s where she’d keep it? Close by where she could get to it if a prowler attacked?”
“But if she’d had one, where was it? Surely she would have used it on her attacker. I saw no sign of it.”
Dale walked toward the kitchen. “Yeah, and probably Wilson knew about it, too.”
Allan looked back at the bedroom. “Good thing she didn’t find what she was looking for last night. She might have shot me.”
Dale returned to the living room with a cup of coffee. “So, you haven’t broken the news to her yet?”
“No. You heard her. She’s not in the most agreeable mood this morning.”
“I guess it’s too late to fix breakfast for her in bed.”
The bedroom door opened. Jenny stormed out of it wearing a pair of short denim shorts and a halter-top. Allan’s whole system reverted to testosterone overdrive as Dale’s mouth dropped open. “Where are we?” she asked.
“South Padre Island,” both Allan and Dale said in unison.
She ran her finger over her lower lip, then nodded. “Good. I want to go for a walk along the beach.” She headed for the door.
Allan nearly spilled his hot coffee on his lap as he bolted from the couch. “We have to talk.”
“We can talk on the beach.”
“We have to get the okay from headquarters.”
She crossed her arms beneath her breasts. “Then get it.”
Dale pulled his phone off his belt and punched some buttons. “Boss, Smith. Yeah, the lady wants to walk along the beach.” He looked at her and smiled. “Usual precautions. Gotcha. No, it hasn’t been resolved yet. That’s what we’re hoping for on the beach walk. Later.” He punched in more buttons. “Cameron, you and Samuel ready for a walk? Yeah, well, Allan needs to get dressed. All right, ten minutes, meet you downstairs.”
“What about Roxie Adams?” Allan asked Dale as he kept the door blocked with his body. He didn’t trust Jenny not to leave the building without him, with as much animosity as she exhibited.
“Miss Adams has been moved to a new location. The boss wants her brought in tonight as a precaution, just for an hour or so to speak to Jenny, then moved again.”
Dale walked over to Jenny, took her arm, and led her back to the couch. “If you don’t get away from the door, Allan can’t get dressed.”
Allan watched her for a moment, her mouth pursed and her eyes, emerald daggers, daring him to say a word.
Amused at her cantankerousness, he smiled. Their walk on the beach was going to be something else. Why couldn’t they have this conversation in private as he thought they ought to?
Grabbing his bag, he strode across the room to the bedroom.
Jenny sat on the couch with Dale, then she reached over and patted his thigh. His brows rose as a smile curved his lips. “Okay, you can tell me what this is all about, Dale.”
“I believe Allan should be the one to talk to you about this.”
“That bad, eh?” Leaning back into the cushions, she folded her arms. “Why
are you afraid to tell me? Afraid I might give you a black eye, too? I’m really not normally that violent.”
“Truthfully?”
“I’m waiting.” Though she didn’t figure Dale was going to give her the news. Allan seemed to be in charge.
Dale took a deep breath. “The news isn’t that bad.”
“Right. And that’s why Allan wanted me to be in a better frame of mind first.”
“You’ve got to admit, you’d had a pretty rough time of it yesterday.”
Allan walked back into the room, wearing denim shorts and a blue T-shirt. “Ready?”
Jenny headed for the door. Allan intercepted her and pulled the door open. Already her heartbeat picked up its pace. Not because any time Allan drew near, she wanted him to hold her close so she could breathe in his heavenly scent, or feel his hard as rock muscles against her breasts, or his warm skin at her fingertips, but because she hated being lied to. And she knew whatever he had to tell her was going to be bad or he wouldn’t have waited for a better time.
They walked down the wrought iron steps outside the condo and soon reached the warm, white sand. It slid between their toes while white crabs slipped down small holes in the beach.
Jenny folded her arms as she walked through the sand. “Okay, what’s going on?”
“The boss wants me to marry you.”
She stopped dead in her tracks. He had to back up to rejoin her. Tilting her head to the side, she tried to judge the expression on his face. Allan remained calm, no emotion whatsoever. His dark eyes studied her, waiting for her response.
The hot breeze carried the odor of the fishy surf and blew her hair in her eyes. She swept it back, then looped it into a ponytail. Glancing back at the condo, she saw Cameron, Dale, and Samuel keeping an eye on them and the surrounding area from a couple of hundred yards away, spread out like a fan. She was certain they preferred watching the antics Allan and she performed, particularly since they’d all know what he was going to hit her with on their walk. And they were definitely interested in her reaction.
She’d show the A.T.A. agents. She wasn’t sure how she would have behaved under normal circumstances. But this wasn’t a normal situation, so she would have to improvise.