by Eve Langlais
“A little? I do have a hole in me.”
“A tiny one,” she snapped back, dabbing at it with a clean wad of cotton.
“You know, Stefanov did offer to fly you to the mainland to see a doctor,” Darren interjected.
“Ha, as if meathead would do something smart like go to a hospital.”
Being a man, Marcus sneered at the offer. “I don’t need a doctor. The bullet went straight through and missed the important parts. A long as I keep it clean, it will be fine. This isn’t my first gunshot wound.”
No, it wasn’t. She’d seen the scars marring his fine skin. Still, the reminder of his toughness didn’t excuse the fact that he’d fucked up. “You wouldn’t have been shot if you’d done your job and protected the client.”
“How about saying thank you for saving your life, seeing as how the shooter was aiming at you.”
“You couldn’t be sure of that at the time,” she retorted as she threaded a needle.
“Actually, little pint, I could because, for one, the angle was totally wrong for the sniper to aim at Darren. That gazebo thing they were under meant he couldn’t see Darren at all. You, on the other hand, were in his sights. I had a split second to decide. Apparently, I chose right.”
“What I’m more concerned about is, why this sudden desire to take out Kacy?” Darren rubbed his chin. “First the snake, then the shooting. Why have they started coming after you?”
“Maybe your ex got jealous,” Marcus remarked. He watched as Kacy sewed up his wound, the tools in the first aid kit familiar to her.
Everyone who went through the academy knew how to do field dressings and stitches. She’d just never done it on someone she liked before.
And he liked her, too. Enough to protect her.
Ugh.
She hated how it made her feel all warm and mushy inside.
“Even assuming Francesca is jealous, I highly doubt she’s capable of hurting anyone. She’s into the arts and classic works, not using my date as target practice.”
“Marcus does have a point, though. She wasn’t there when it happened. Not too many people were unaccounted for out on that terrace. And the shots were fired from the top of that turret on the rooftop deck.”
“It doesn’t mean it was Fran.”
“Why are you so determined to defend her? The woman is a bitch who dropped you cold and is now dating some other dude.”
“I’m not defending her,” Darren huffed. “Just pointing out that it doesn’t make sense. And she wasn’t the only one missing. We’re also assuming the shooter is one of the invited guests. For all we know, it was a stranger. Like one of the guys who attacked Kacy last night when she was reconnoitering.”
Kacy didn’t meet Marcus’s gaze. He’d been less than impressed when she’d quickly filled them in on her adventure the night before on their way back to their cabana. When he’d heard the story of her excursion and attack, he’d clamped his lips tight, but she could read his expression—You shouldn’t have gone alone.
The fact that she protected herself didn’t matter. He thought he should have been there with her.
It was cute and, at the same time, annoying.
Kacy didn’t usually work with a partner. I can protect myself just fine. I don’t need help.
“Stefanov has assured me that they’re combing the island and double-checking all the staff.”
“Assuming the guy can be trusted,” Marcus remarked.
She approved of his suspicion and added, “Our host and his minions probably won’t find anything. The weapon is most likely long gone.” Tossed off a cliff into the salty ocean waters.
“Even if it is, I’m going to go on the record as saying I don’t think Stefanov was behind the attack. I’ve spent time with him. He doesn’t seem like the type to sneak around. If he’s got a problem, I think he’d say it to our faces.” Darren shrugged. “I know his type.”
“It’s not hard to fake a persona. I’m doing it. For all you know, he and his girlfriend are, too. Don’t forget, they were both missing at the time of the attack, and it came from their private tower deck.”
“He claims both he and Francesca were in the kitchens talking to the chef about the menu for tomorrow.”
That conversation must have happened while Kacy was busy ripping a tablecloth into strips to tie around Marcus’s bleeding arm.
“He can claim whatever he likes. His staff will probably confirm it.” Kacy pursed her lips as she peered at the wound to ensure it looked clean before applying a bandage. “Speaking of our host, what did you two talk about while you were closeted?”
“I can’t say.”
At that, she shot the client a dirty look. “Can’t, or won’t? Because I have ways of making you talk.”
“I am sworn to secrecy, and my word means something.”
“I fucking hate secrets,” Marcus grumbled. “And this place has too many. If you ask me, the smartest thing we could do right now is get off this island.”
“I agree,” Kacy said. “We should go somewhere where we have access to the things we need and can protect ourselves.”
“We should, but…” Darren shrugged. “I won’t back down from threats or bullies. However, given the level of danger, I’m giving you both the choice of leaving. Stefanov has offered the use of his helicopter to anyone who wants to depart.”
Marcus snorted. “You know I’m not going anywhere without you.”
“Neither am I. The academy doesn’t train cowards.” Kacy half expected Marcus to protest her decision. To go all chauvinistic and tell her to get her womanly ass to safety.
Instead, he nodded at her. “Kacy and I will continue guarding your ass and guarding each other. Whoever is attacking will pay the price.” Said so darkly and ominously that she couldn’t help a shiver—of arousal.
He is so sexy when he talks badass.
“I commend your loyalty,” Darren replied. “Given the day’s excitement, I am going to spend the evening inside. Tomorrow night, Stefanov is holding a soiree that should prove entertaining.”
“A party when we just had someone shooting at us?” she asked.
“Why shouldn’t we celebrate being alive?” Darren asked with a smile.
“Because you weren’t the one being shot at,” she muttered. She tied off the bandage she’d wound around Marcus’s wide arm. It would be sore for a while, but he didn’t show any sign of the pain. Nor did he accept the medications she had offered.
“Since you won’t tell us what you chatted with Stefanov about, how about dishing what you and the other dudes were talking about?” Marcus asked. “Things looked pretty intense, and yet I thought you didn’t know them.”
“I don’t, not directly at any rate, but it turns out we have similar interests. And, no, I can’t talk about that either. Not yet. Suffice it to say, I now understand why I was brought here.”
“Secrets.” Kacy made a face. “And people wonder why I snoop. I hate secrets.”
“And yet, mysteries are what make the world interesting. Speaking of which, I’ve had enough interesting things for the day. If you two don’t mind, I’m going to spend a quiet moment before going to bed. No need to join me. I’ll yell only if I need you. Try not to be too loud.” Darren winked.
Kacy almost threw a knife at her client as he walked away and went into the bedroom. “He knows, doesn’t he?”
“About us hooking up? Probably. We had a talk about you this morning.”
“You did? What did you say?”
“Nothing bad.” At her glare, he shrugged. “No, really, we were just kind of shooting the shit about this and that. I was thinking maybe after this is over, you could stay on for a while.”
“Stay? Because of what happened between us?” Was he asking her in his obtuse way to be his girlfriend?
“I thought you could, um, teach me, you know…to be a better bodyguard.”
Not the answer she’d expected. He wanted her to stay on as a tutor of sorts, and not as his
girlfriend. For some reason, that irritated her. “I’ve got better things to do than train a meathead.”
“Why do you have to be like that?” he asked.
“Like what? Myself?”
“No, acting as if you hate me when we both know that’s not true.”
“The fact that you’re good at getting me off doesn’t mean anything.”
The frown on his face deepened. “Bullshit.”
“What’s wrong, meathead, did I hurt your feelings? Did you think that what we shared meant something more? That I would just swoon at your feet and turn into some doe-eyed geisha you could use at your whim for pleasure?”
“I don’t expect you to change. I like you how you are.”
“Then, if you have such respect for me, why didn’t you do your job? Why did you stand in front of me?” She jabbed him in the chest with each query, her voice rising in pitch.
He glowered at her, grabbed her before she could move away, and slammed her onto his lap. “I did it because I didn’t want to see you killed. Is it so difficult for you to comprehend that I like you? That despite your bitchy attitude, I’ve fallen for you?”
“You, what?” The words took her by surprise, and yet were exactly what she wanted to hear.
Also exactly what she didn’t want to hear because if he cared for her, then she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from caring for him. It would make her vulnerable.
Am I ready for that? Letting someone get close meant making compromises and catering to their feelings. Maybe even letting him handle stuff once in a while.
The very thought of not always being in control and at the mercy of someone else when it came to her heart brought a chill. But was she seriously going to back down from a challenge out of fear?
Hell no.
She grabbed him by the cheeks. “What is it about you that I can’t seem to resist?”
“It’s my charm.”
“You have none.”
“Exactly.” He smiled, and she couldn’t help but lean in for a kiss.
A kiss that went on longer than it should have.
An embrace that might have conveyed some of her relief that his wound hadn’t been fatal.
A thank you that he cared enough to want to protect her, something she’d not often had in her life.
She kissed him and wished she knew how to say what she really felt.
And perhaps she might have found the words, or at least the right stroke of her tongue if her phone hadn’t rung.
“Why now?” she grumbled.
“Ignore it.”
“I can’t,” she said, sliding off his lap. “It’s my mother.”
Chapter Twenty-One
She said it with such foreboding that Marcus couldn’t help it. He dove for the phone and snagged it from Kacy’s hands before she could answer.
He held it to his ear and said, “Hello.”
For a moment, all he heard was dead silence. Then a heavily accented voice said, “Is this Kacy’s male friend, the one who took her away?”
“It is, and you must be her lovely mother.”
“Give it back,” Kacy hissed, reaching for the phone.
He pivoted away.
“Are you treating my daughter with respect?”
At the blunt query, he chuckled. “As if Kacy would let me do anything but. You’ve raised a fine, strong daughter. I’ll bet she’s just like her mother.” The flattery came more smoothly than expected, and the more Kacy turned red and tried to punch him in the kidney, the more he found it fun.
“Such a flirt. No wonder my daughter is so taken with you. When do I get to meet you?”
Not if. When.
Marcus grinned as Kacy mouthed, “Never.”
“Soon. We’ve just about finished with our business here.”
“I thought she went away on pleasure?” was the sharp retort.
“A mixture of both, but it’s almost done. I would be delighted to then come meet you in person.”
The girlish giggle that came loudly through the phone made Kacy roll her eyes. She leaped one last time and ripped the phone from his hand.
“Ignore Marcus, Mama, he’s a tease.”
Not usually, but he kept making exceptions for Kacy. When she switched the conversation to Spanish and kept tossing him dark looks, he winked and walked into the bedroom, knowing he’d done his job. A job that involved driving Kacy nuts any way he could.
He found Darren staring out the window, a pensive expression on his face.
“Hey, boss, I know what you told Kacy and me, but are you sure we should stay on this island?”
“Yes. We have to, at least for a while longer.” Darren’s expression turned hard. “I have unfinished business.”
“Why do I get the impression we’re not talking about the assassination attempts?”
“They’re only part of the puzzle.”
“We’d better not be staying because of Francesca.”
“I don’t give a fuck about her.”
“Good, because the moment you look like you’re getting sucked back into her web, I’m clobbering you over the head and dragging you home.”
A faint ghost of a smile tugged Darren’s lips. “Speaking of home, I used Stefanov’s satellite phone earlier today to make a few calls. The repairs on the house are going to take longer than expected. There was some structural damage to the floors and ceiling. We might need to find another place to stay for a while.”
“And you’re telling me this because?” Marcus arched a brow because he got the feeling there was more to this than just a temporary homeless situation.
“I’m telling you because this might be a good time for you to grab a vacation. I might have to go away for a bit. Alone.”
“Like fuck you are,” Marcus exclaimed. “Where you go, I go. It’s a bodyguard thing.”
“Listen, bro, I know we’ve been a tight duo for a while now, but I’ve got to do something, and I have to do it alone.”
“You do know there are people still trying to kill you?”
“I do, and I am hoping to have that resolved before I have to leave.”
“Take me with you.” Marcus didn’t like the thought of leaving Darren alone. They’d been through so much. It didn’t feel right.
“I can’t. You’re going to have to trust me.”
“I do, except when you’re being a moron.”
“Who’s a moron?” Kacy asked, wandering into the bedroom.
“The boss is talking about going off on some secret thing after we’re done on this island. Without me.” Marcus glared.
“I agree, that sounds moronic. Why would you go alone?” she asked.
“Academy business.”
With those two words, Kacy nodded her head and took Darren’s side. “Good luck.”
“That’s it? Good luck? What happened to protecting the client at all costs?” He glared at her.
“That applies only if there is a client to protect.” She shrugged. “If he decides to go off on his own and becomes an academy agent, there really isn’t a damned thing we can do about it.”
“You’re not helping,” Marcus snapped.
“Would you like me to play you a sad song on my little violin?” She arched a brow and rubbed two fingers together.
It was almost enough to make him smile. Almost, until he looked at Darren. “What am I supposed to do if I’m not taking care of your dumb ass?”
“Take the time when I’m gone as a chance to maybe relax a bit. Travel. On me, of course. Think of it as a long overdue vacation.”
“I don’t want a fucking vacation.”
“I can see that. You are a bit of a workaholic. If you’re worried about being bored, I could probably give my old pal Harry a shout and see if he’s got something for you to do.”
“We are not talking about this.” Marcus stomped out of the room and onto the deck. Anger burned inside him, along with a sense of abandonment. Why, after all this time, was Darren cutting him loose?
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Retaliation because he’d protected Kacy this afternoon instead of diving for Darren?
Surely Darren didn’t hold a grudge because Marcus had made a split-second decision, the right one as it turned out.
Why is he trying to send me away?
The gaping hole of loneliness that he’d once fought free from inched closer, but he shut his mind against it. I am not alone.
Darren had said to trust him. Marcus could do that. He took a deep breath and watched the remnants of a spectacular sunset, the sky streaked in pinks and oranges, the vivid colors illuminating the clouds rolling in. The briny smell of the ocean filled his lungs and helped calm him.
Staring at the rolling waves, Marcus didn’t react when Kacy came to stand beside him.
“Please don’t tell me you’re going to cry because your boss is dumping you for a bit after this gig.”
He glared down at her. “He’s not dumping me, and I’m not crying. This is me looking pissed because I think he’s making a mistake.”
“Darren can take care of himself.”
“Really? Then why are you here?”
“You know what I mean. I’m assuming if he’s planning to go off and do his own thing it’s because he figures we’re close to resolving the hitman-for-hire business.”
“You’d like this to be over, wouldn’t you? Then you can run back to your place and forget we ever met.” Bitter words, but at the same time, he suddenly felt betrayed. Betrayed by Darren, who talked of leaving him behind. And soon, abandoned by Kacy before he had a chance to show her how he truly felt.
“What if I don’t want to forget you?”
The soft words caught him by surprise. A sharp look aimed her way meant he caught Kacy looking down at her feet as if uncertain.
He could understand that because he wasn’t sure he’d heard her right.
“Exactly what are you saying?”
Her toe scuffed at the weathered wood of the deck. “Well, if Darren’s planning to go off for a bit, and with the house still a mess, then, uh…maybe you could, um…” In all the time Marcus had known Kacy, he’d never heard her hesitate, which was why he could only listen in disbelief as she stammered her way into saying, “…you could stay with me. For a while. You know, if you’d like to.”