Her First Vacation

by Leigh, Jennie

  Half an hour later, they’d finished and everything was silent for a short while. Garret was the first one to speak.

  “Where are you going?”

  “As much as I’d like to remain in your arms, I’m afraid that I can’t. Carlos has become particularly suspicious of late. It would go badly for both of us if he were to decide to check on me.”

  Colin could hear the irritation in Garret’s voice. “The old bastard is nothing to worry about.”

  “Ah, but you know that isn’t true. Carlos may be old, but he’s still very much in control. For the moment, at least. Soon, I will rid myself of him once and for all. It must be done carefully, though. You know no one can ever suspect that it is anything other than natural.”

  “How can you bear to let him touch you?”

  “Why, I just pretend it is you and my blood heats like wildfire.”

  Colin could hear enough to know that they were kissing again. Finally, she must have pushed him away.

  “No, we cannot risk taking more time. Carlos will look for me, and he won’t be pleased if he learns I’m not where he left me.”

  “How long, Malena, until you finish him?”

  “A few weeks at the most. He’s already weakening. He hides it well, from everyone but me. Eventually, he will no longer be able to conceal it. Then, when he dies in my bed, no one will doubt that his heart failed him. After enough time, I will announce that my grief is too much for me to bear. I will leave, claiming that I cannot withstand the torment of being surrounded by so many memories of my lost beloved. No one would dare to question me. I have been such a faithful wife to him.”

  The woman’s laugh was anything but pleasant. Colin heard his handler speak in his ear. “I’ll be damned.”

  Colin didn’t ask the question the statement sparked in his mind. After a few seconds, his handler spoke again. “Carlos Azerado. And she’s his wife, Malena. Azerado is in bed with half the drug czars in Latin America. He’s got his hands into drugs and arms dealing. He must be the key we’ve been looking for.”

  Inside the house, Colin heard Malena speaking again. “I overheard him mention your name just yesterday.”

  “In what context?”

  “The one you like. He was reporting how faithful you have been, discussing how quickly you took care of the problem on your last visit.”

  “Good. As long as he keeps on thinking of me as a friend, we don’t have anything to worry about.”

  “What about the package you’re to deliver tonight?”

  “I’ll hand it off right after I leave here.”

  There was silence inside, though Colin could hear a rustle that suggested they were finishing the readjustment of their clothes. Finally, Malena spoke again. “I’m going to miss you terribly.”

  Garret’s laugh was full of wry amusement. “No you won’t. You’ll find someone new to warm your bed, and you’ll forget all about me.”

  “I might replace you, but I will never forget you.”

  Colin listened as they locked lips once more.

  “Do me a favor, okay? When it finally happens, and he’s sucking in his last breath, tell him about us.”

  “I had already intended to do so. Just to see the look on his face when he realizes that I only allowed the touch of his cold hands on my body because I wanted his money. He’ll die knowing how deeply we shamed him. I swear it.”

  Colin moved away from the house. He’d heard enough and knew that within minutes, Garret would be leaving. Once he was well hidden in the shadows across the street, he spoke to his handler.

  “Are there enough people on the ground to track both Malena and the package?”

  “Yeah. I’ve already taken care of it. You stick with Palmer, just to make sure he doesn’t pull anything funny. Once we’re sure he’s back on the ship safe and sound, we’ll handle all the rest.”

  Less than five minutes later, Garret left the house. Colin didn’t bother looking for whoever it was out there that was going to trail Malena. He had enough sense to guess what would happen, though. Someone would get on her tail and stay there until everyone was certain Garret Palmer was safely secured. Then, agents would move in and snatch both Malena and the package Garret was dropping off. His handler would have been recording every word of what Garret and Malena had said inside the house. They’d use that as leverage against Malena. If Azerado had the connections his handler suggested, she’d have no choice but to roll over on him. That or they’d feed her to him on a silver platter along with a copy of the tape that detailed her plans for her husband. Or they’d threaten to, at least. She’d cave in, and what she gave them would give them Azerado. He, in turn would give them everyone one he knew, and like a house of cards, the whole operation would come crashing down. All thanks to Garret Palmer, who’d be at the very bottom of the heap.

  Colin felt no small measure of satisfaction knowing that everyone involved would point the finger of blame at Palmer. His life wouldn’t be worth spit. He’d get the death penalty for what he’d done to Charlie, but Colin doubted he’d live long enough to be executed by the federal government. More than one of the people who would go down on this thing would want to take some revenge on him. He’d die all right, and it wouldn’t be by any nice, humane lethal injection.

  Colin followed Garret and witnessed him making the drop of the small package he carried. The handoff was done one on one, which made tagging the guy doing the pickup a little more difficult. Colin had to wait until Garret had moved away to make his move. Fortunately, they were back in the middle of the still raucous festival. Most of the revelers appeared to be three sheets to the wind. Colin slipped his arm around a spinning woman and laughed with her as he guided her in a direct line toward the guy who’d just made the pickup. The collision was plenty hard enough to knock the guy on his ass. The package he carried hadn’t been tucked away yet, and it hit the ground at his side. Colin gave the man an apologetic smile and slurred his speech as he bent to grab the package in his left hand while he grabbed the man’s arm in the right.

  “Sorry, buddy. Didn’t see you.”

  He hauled the man to his feet, holding out the package as he did so. The guy snatched it, gave him a black glare, and muttered a curse before turning to continue on his way. Just like that, the package had been tagged. Wherever it went, they’d know, even if whoever was following it somehow lost it. Colin wrapped his arms around the woman and danced her back into the crowd. A few minutes later he managed to “accidentally” bump into Garret. He’d sucked down a drink right before making the contact, so Garret would have no trouble believing he’d spent the past hour and a half partying along with all the rest of the people dancing in the streets. He gave Garret a sly smile as he asked how his meeting had gone, and Garret returned the smile in answer. Colin laughed and watched as Garret found his own woman to dance with. It went as smooth as glass, and Colin’s smile was entirely genuine as he and Garret stumbled onto the launch that would take them back to the ship.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  The final day. Claire couldn’t seem to help feeling a little sad about that. This cruise had been painful and beautiful and certainly enlightening. She’d accomplished some incredible things over the past three weeks. She’d learned to live with herself, to see herself clearly for the first time in her life. She knew she’d carry that ability with her forever, now that she’d learned how to do it. She actually felt a bit nervous about going home tomorrow. She’d leave the ship and go straight to the airport where she’d catch her flight home. Her car would be waiting for her at the small commuter airport in her small town. And when she got home, she knew her mother and sister would be waiting for her. They’d be there, ready to say “I told you so” when she came dragging in the door. Only she had no intention of giving them what they expected. In fact, she’d decided that it was long past time that she put both of them in their place a bit.

  She could almost imagine their shock when they got their first look at her. She’d decided to we
ar the scarf Garret had bought for her. After the things he’d said yesterday, she’d almost considered throwing it away. But it was too beautiful to be tossed just because the man who’d insisted on buying it for her was a jerk. She’d have bought it herself if he’d let her. So she’d wear the scarf and the blue top that matched it, along with the impractical, heeled sandals that made her legs look like they went on forever. By the time she got home her feet would probably be killing her, but at least she’d feel attractive when she walked in the door of her mother’s house. They’d both be struck speechless for the first few seconds, which would give Claire the chance to speak her mind right off the bat. Before she was finished with them, they’d both know that she was finished being their object of derision. Finally, she was taking charge of her own life, and either they could adjust, or they could stay out of her way.

  Colin watched Claire as she leaned against the railing. She’d braided her hair this morning, but the wind had already worked several tendrils free. They snaked around her face, and she absently pushed them behind her ears every few minutes. She was so beautiful it made his chest ache. He expected to see her face marred with worry or sadness, but it wasn’t. If anything, her features seemed to reveal a measure of peace that he couldn’t begin to understand. After all she’d been through, all he’d done to her, she ought to be feeling sorry for herself. Yet, there she stood, her gaze roaming over the endless horizon, a small half smile on her lips that suggested she was perfectly content. And it finally hit him why he was so drawn to her. It wasn’t just that she was beautiful and intelligent and strong. It was her ability to find peace even in the midst of turmoil. She was like a safe harbor in the middle of a raging storm, and every fiber of his being wanted to go to her to seek that peace.

  He shook his head. He was an utter fool. He’d gotten too close to her, too fast. He’d started off curious, then become something close to obsessed. And now he was in love with her. With the woman he’d taken to bed then walked out on. And she was going to survive it all just fine. She should have been destroyed by such callousness, but she wasn’t. Not Claire. She would go on. She’d put what he’d done behind her and keep going. Not automatically or resolutely, but eagerly. She might hate him for using her, but she wasn’t going to let it rob her of her future. She’d changed from a staid caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly, and like that metamorphosis, there was no going back. Day before yesterday, he’d sat there when Garret tried to hurt her, and he’d thought she would curl up and lock herself deep into the same shell she’d been hiding inside when he’d first met her. She wasn’t going to hide, though. Not anymore. She was going to spread her wings and fly, and he would be left behind because he was long past the point where he could make the kinds of changes she had made. He wasn’t a butterfly in waiting, he was just a caterpillar, a worm. And never, to coin a phrase, the twain shall meet.

  He watched as she finally turned away from the rail and headed back into the interior of the ship. She’d go have breakfast now, then she’d find something to occupy her time for the rest of the day. He wondered if he’d see her for dinner, then found himself half hoping he wouldn’t. He wasn’t sure he could take sitting at that table with her, knowing he couldn’t touch her, couldn’t even talk to her without risking letting his feelings seep into his eyes and voice. She was far too observant, too wise. She’d see it and she’d know, then she’d demand that he let her love him. She’d force him to explain who and what he really was, and that would be the final straw that pushed her over the edge into hating him. She’d never forgive him for the lies and the manipulations, and he couldn’t blame her. He didn’t deserve her forgiveness. He sure as hell didn’t deserve her love. As she disappeared from view he felt something inside him silently pray that he wouldn’t see her again. It would be easier on them both, that way.

  Claire dressed carefully for dinner that night. It was the final night on the ship, the final dinner. Garret would be there, as would Colin and all the others. Some small, weak part of her kept whispering that she ought to just stay in her room. She could order room service. The ship would dock tomorrow morning, and she could leave without ever having to face either Garret or Colin again. But that would be the coward’s way out, and she’d had more than enough practice at taking that route in the past. She wasn’t going to run from either one of them. She was stronger than that, and ultimately, she knew she wasn’t the one who had anything to be ashamed about. So she was going to dinner, and she was dressing to the nines for this final night on the ship.

  She’d gone to the salon and had Tom put her hair up into an elaborate style similar to the one he’d given her the day she had the makeover. Then she went back to her room and pulled out the little black dress she’d let them talk her into buying even though she’d sworn to herself that she’d never wear it. Everything she’d bought in that little salon had been outside the realm of her personal experience. This dress was the furthest from her comfort zone. It was cut low and high, revealing far too much of her breasts and virtually the entire length of her legs. She had black sling back sandals to go with it and a black choker that only emphasized how much skin was showing on her chest. It was an outfit made for seduction, designed to make a man’s mouth water. Tonight, she would wear it for herself. Because it was the most risqué thing she owned, and she wanted to prove to herself, as well as to Colin and Garret, that she wasn’t intimidated by anything any longer.

  Colin was sitting at the table watching Garret flirt with Cathy when Claire walked into the room. He felt the breath rush out of his lungs on a harsh sigh. His eyes swept from the top of her head down her body and then back up again. By the time they reached her face he realized she’d spotted him, and their eyes met. Colin felt the impact all the way to his toes. The defiance in her gaze would have set him back on his heels if he hadn’t been sitting down. And the amount of skin she was showing tonight would have sent him to his knees. He felt his pulse rate kick into overdrive as she began to walk toward him. She finally shifted her gaze off him, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Nothing in the world could have made him turn away. Not even Garret’s muffled curse broke the spell she’d cast on him.

  She reached the table and gave everyone a smile that was only slightly strained. Peripherally, Colin saw Tate and Paul shoot to their feet like they’d been jerked upright by an invisible string. Tate did an admirable job of keeping his eyes off the creamy expanse of skin revealed by the low V of the dress. Paul couldn’t quite manage to keep his eyes from dropping there. Tate reached her chair first, and she thanked him as he seated her. The waiter damn near ran over him in his effort to take her drink order. Everyone else at the table was utterly silent as they stared at her. What was there to say, anyway? She was stunning. The most incredibly beautiful woman he’d ever seen. And she was dressed for seduction. There was no other reason for her to wear a dress like that. Which left Colin wondering who she’d come there to seduce.

  Garret finally broke the silence as the waiter walked away.

  “You’re looking particularly inviting tonight, Claire.”

  She turned her blue-gray eyes on him. “Enjoy the view while you can. It’s all you’ll ever get from me.”

  Colin sensed the fury that ripped through Garret. Every eye at the table was locked onto him, which was probably the only thing that stopped him from saying or doing something truly vulgar. He might not be playing any role for Claire, but he still wasn’t ready to let his true nature out for the entire world to see. The waiter returned with their drinks, and some of the tension faded a bit. Or maybe everyone just made an effort to pretend it was gone. Claire smiled and laughed as she talked with everyone at the table. Everyone except Garret and Colin. She didn’t look at either of them again through the entire meal. Which left Colin to watch Garret watching her.

  There was going to be trouble. She’d put Garret in his place in no uncertain terms, but she’d done it in front of witnesses. He wouldn’t forget that. Nor would he be likely to j
ust let it go. So Colin watched him closely, ready to intervene if Garret got out of hand.

  By the time they were finishing their dessert, Colin was starting to wonder if Garret was going to prove him wrong. He hadn’t said a word to Claire. Hadn’t so much as hinted that he intended to say anything. And when Claire got to her feet, Garret just watched her silently. She told everyone how much she’d enjoyed meeting them. Excluding Colin and Garret once more. Tate offered to walk her to her room, but she declined. She told everyone good night and good bye, then walked out of the room without once looking back. Colin watched her go, knowing it was the last time he’d ever see her. She’d made sure he wouldn’t forget his last sight of her, too. That dress would play a starring role in his fantasies for a long time to come. And maybe that had been her intention. Maybe she wanted him to get a good look at what he was throwing away. If so, she’d certainly succeeded.

  He turned around and realized Garret was watching him, and the look in his eyes wasn’t particularly pleasant. Colin gave him a smile. “She’s a piece of work, huh?”

  Garret nodded slowly. “Yeah. I think I’ll go find me someone a little less sharp around the edges, though.”

  Colin watched him go, then followed him just to make sure he kept true to his word. Sure enough he made swift work of locating a woman that didn’t mind sharing his bed, and the two of them disappeared into Garret’s room a short while later, already tugging at each other’s clothes. Colin went to his own room and monitored the surveillance equipment for a few minutes, then turned it down before they got too deeply into it. He’d let Garret have his fun tonight. It would be the last time he’d enjoy the company of a woman for the rest of his miserable life. Bright and early the next morning, Colin would be reading him his rights while he locked his arms behind his back. Colin would go just before dawn, when Garret was dead to the world. Garret wouldn’t even know what had hit him.