Her job used to be the only thing that mattered to her. Now it was starting to seem more like a necessary evil. It paid the bills, but it didn’t satisfy her soul. Not like it used to less than a week ago. Her job had allowed her to meet Spencer, and it was also keeping them apart.
“Am I right, or am I wrong?” Spencer asked.
“You’re right.”
“Do you care to elaborate?”
Amy didn’t want to respond to the question because she wasn’t ready to deal with where the conversation might lead. But Spencer was waiting for an answer, and she felt obliged to give her one. An honest one. “I enjoy spending time with you because being with you doesn’t feel like work.”
“What does it feel like?”
Amy’s heart skipped a beat when Spencer took her eyes off the road long enough to turn and face her. She couldn’t see Spencer’s eyes through the dark lenses of her sunglasses, but she could feel them on her. Examining her face. Staring into her soul. “It feels…” Like coming home. Like where she was supposed to be. “It’s better than chocolate.”
Spencer frowned. “You don’t like chocolate.”
“It’s starting to grow on me.”
And so was Spencer.
* * *
Spencer ordered a virgin strawberry daiquiri from the bar and held her half-frozen drink over her head as she lowered herself into the crowded but expansive pool. The clear water felt cool against her skin, providing a sharp contrast to the warm air that had caused her to work up a serious sweat while she and Amy hiked a few of the numerous trails dotting the vast property.
Amy followed closely behind her as they waded across the elaborately decorated pool to get to the outcropping of rocks on the other side. The trees and lush foliage surrounding the area made it seem like they had immersed themselves in a lake in the middle of a jungle instead of a manmade creation. Their damp clothes were drying on the back of a lounge chair on the pool deck. Amy’s oversized beach bag rested in the chair’s seat, her cell phone and walkie-talkie stashed inside. Spencer hoped neither device sparked to life any time soon. She was enjoying herself way too much to stop now.
When she reached her destination, she pressed her back against the rocks and turned to survey the steadily growing crowd. The shallow end of the pool, the part closest to the DJ, was filled with so many people the resulting waves looked like whitewater rapids.
Spencer watched a scantily clad couple in color-coordinated swimsuits float by on a giant inflatable swan. The guy was wearing a neon green Speedo. Dental floss would have covered more territory than his companion’s string bikini managed to. Spencer looked down at her black sports bra and matching boy shorts, which seemed demure in comparison. “I feel like I’m in the Playboy mansion without the bunnies and D-list celebrities.”
“It feels more like we wandered through the Looking Glass.”
“Wherever we are, I don’t ever want to leave.”
“Neither do I.”
Spencer tried not to stare when Amy adjusted the fit of her yellow bikini bottoms, but she couldn’t help admiring the view. “What dance is that they’re doing?” she asked when she finally managed to drag her eyes away from Amy’s gorgeous body.
Amy sipped from her bottle of mineral water as she watched the people in the shallow end perform a line dance with so many steps Spencer couldn’t keep up with all of them. “Something that will probably make its way to the States in six months or so. My parents were on vacation in Acapulco the first time they saw someone do the Macarena. They had never heard of the dance or the song, even though everyone else in the restaurant they were in seemed to. A few weeks after they got home, they couldn’t escape it.”
“What do your parents do for a living?”
“My mom’s a registered nurse, and my dad is a used car salesman.”
“The kind that airs all the crazy ads on local TV?”
“You guessed it. His name’s Lawrence, so he calls himself Loopy Larry and dresses up like a demented circus clown. When I was in high school, my friends teased me relentlessly each time he released a new commercial. It was so mortifying at the time. I wanted to bury my head in the sand like an ostrich. When I got my learner’s permit and was in the market for my first car, I was happy to have the inside track. I didn’t need to waste my time visiting every car dealership in town. All I had to do was stop by my dad’s lot. We bickered over the price for a while,” Amy said with a wink, “but he ended up giving me a good deal.”
“Having an ace in the hole always comes in handy, even when you’re not playing cards.”
“What about your parents? What do they do?”
“My mom was a history teacher and my dad was a plumber. They saved every dime they could when they were younger so they could afford to retire early and spend their golden years traveling as much as possible. Now they’re on the road more often than they’re home.”
“You don’t ever go with them?”
“I’m too busy working so I’ll be able to afford to follow their example one day.”
“Have you ever had a real family vacation?”
“We tried a couple of times. They usually ended up like a plot from a Chevy Chase movie. One summer, we packed up the car to drive to an amusement park in Atlanta. When we finally arrived, we discovered it was closed for repairs.”
Amy grimaced. “What did you do instead?”
“My dad was so mad he wanted to turn around and drive home, but my mom talked him out of it. Her brother owns a cabin in Blue Ridge, a small town close to the Tennessee border. He wasn’t using it that week so Mom asked if we could borrow it. We canceled our hotel reservations and spent the weekend in Uncle Darrell’s cabin. My parents and I had more fun fishing, grilling, and hanging out in the local restaurants than we would have in the amusement park. Until this week, that was the best vacation I’ve ever had.”
“I’m happy to hear SOS made the list. What do I have to do to push us to the top?”
Amy scooped a handful of water from the pool and let it dribble across Spencer’s shoulders and chest, which were starting to turn bright pink from the reflected rays of the sun. Spencer shivered at the sensation. An incredibly sexy song by a former boy band member was playing. Spencer wished she and Amy could act out the lyrics, their hands moving nice and slow as sweat dripped off their bodies.
“Just keep doing what you’re doing and I’m sure you’ll get there.”
Spencer took a sip of her drink to cool off. When she looked up, she noticed that the couple in the inflatable swan had floated their way again.
“Are you two exclusive, or do you like to have fun?” the guy in the Speedo asked.
Spencer wasn’t interested in taking him up on his offer. Amy didn’t seem too keen on the idea, either, so Spencer slipped a possessive arm around Amy’s waist. “I don’t like to share.”
The woman in the string bikini slowly ran her tongue over her lips. “I don’t blame you.”
Amy draped her arm across Spencer’s shoulder and nuzzled her cheek. “I should probably kiss you to make the illusion complete, don’t you think?” she asked in a whisper.
“Probably,” Spencer responded in kind.
Spencer’s knees nearly buckled when Amy pressed her body against hers. She rested her hands on Amy’s lower back. Not too low, but low enough to feel the rise of her hips. When Amy leaned toward her, Spencer had to force herself to remember to draw air into her lungs. Then Amy’s lips were on hers, breathing life back into her. For a second, Spencer forgot they were only pretending.
“I think that’s our cue,” the guy in the Speedo said as he and his companion began to float away.
Amy broke the kiss but remained in the circle of Spencer’s arms. “It was nice meeting you,” she said to the couple. Then she turned back to Spencer. “Thanks for playing along.”
“No problem.”
“Are they still watching?”
“I have no idea.” The only person Spencer could see was
Amy.
Amy finally pulled away. “We’ve got a boat to catch. We’d better start heading back.”
“Good idea.” Spencer followed Amy out of the pool. After they got dressed, she downed the rest of her drink in a futile attempt to quell the growing heat between her legs.
Amy removed the Rays cap and held it out to Spencer. “Thanks for letting me borrow this.”
“Keep it. It looks better on you than it ever did on me.”
“I doubt that, but thanks.”
Amy turned to make her way to the car, but Spencer grabbed her arm before she could leave. “I know there are all kinds of rules you have to follow about what you can and can’t do with me, but I need you to do me a favor.”
“What?”
“The next time you kiss me, do it because you want to, not because someone might be watching.”
“Understood.”
Except Spencer didn’t think she did. How could she unless she was starting to feel the same way? Spencer knew that was impossible. Amy was married to her job, and no one could ever come between them.
Night Five
Jessica checked the schedule posted near the entrance to the fitness room as she debated whether she should close early. The gym’s official hours were six a.m. to ten p.m. She and three other instructors led a series of classes from nine to six every day except Saturday, when passengers were either just settling in or preparing to return home.
The late morning and early afternoon classes were traditionally the most popular. Crowd participation usually took a severe nosedive once the first dinner service began. When the twice-nightly shows started, the chances of someone walking in for an impromptu workout went from slim to none. A few stragglers occasionally wandered in for some self-paced exercise, but not often.
Today was par for the course. The gym had been practically deserted since Kendra’s Zumba class ended three hours before.
“I can think of much better ways to spend the next hour than watching over an empty room.”
Namely, making love to Breanna. God, Breanna. Just thinking about her made Jessica smile. Being with her was always memorable, but last night was truly an experience she would never forget.
She had never opened her heart to someone the way she had with Breanna yesterday. Admitting she had feelings for her had been scary but liberating, too. Jessica couldn’t wait to share even more of herself with her. But how could she when she couldn’t truly let Breanna in?
She wanted to keep Breanna safe. Keeping her safe meant keeping her as far from the situation as she could.
Breanna had said she would love her no matter what. That there was nothing she could do to make Breanna turn her back on her. Breanna had sounded like she meant every word, but Jessica was hesitant to put Breanna’s loyalty to the test.
She felt a pang of guilt for not telling Breanna how she had earned most of the money currently earning interest in her savings account. For not telling her she had been working as a drug mule for the past three years. Yes, she had resolved to remove herself from the situation and do things the hard way—the right way—from now on, but was it too little, too late?
She told herself she was being brave by placing the weight of her problems solely on her own shoulders, but she felt like a coward for inviting Breanna into her life under false pretenses. Breanna hadn’t asked for any of this. She hadn’t asked to have a target placed on her back. She had asked Jessica to make a commitment to building a future with her. A simple request, and one that Jessica had eagerly fulfilled. Now she needed to find a way to honor her commitment. She needed to find a way to keep Breanna safe while the danger around her continued to mount.
“This is my problem, not hers. She’s an innocent bystander. I’m the guilty one.”
But like it or not, Breanna was as deeply enmeshed in all this drama as she was. She couldn’t be charged with anything, but as long as Jessica was involved with her, Breanna would be a tool Pilar and her people could use to force Jessica to do their bidding. In a way, that was even worse.
Jessica wasn’t naïve enough to think she could wave a magic wand and make all her problems disappear. If that were possible, she’d be swinging that wand until her arm fell off.
“You’ve got less than three days to make your move. You’d better make sure it’s one you can live with.”
She grabbed her keys and headed for the door. Raq pushed the door open before she could set the locks.
“You’re not closing up shop, are you?” Raq pointed to the woman with her. A gorgeous Latina with long black hair and piercing brown eyes. “We wanted to work off some of the carbs from dinner. Our other halves made reservations at the Italian restaurant tonight, and we kind of overdid it on the breadsticks.”
“Yeah, those things can be addictive.”
“There’s going to be a cooking demo tomorrow,” Raq’s companion said. “We need to make room for the free handouts. Do you mind?”
“Of course not.” Jessica backed away from the door. “Come on in.”
“Thanks, dog.” Raq gave Jessica a pat on the back that nearly knocked her off her feet. “I almost forgot to provide introductions,” she said as she headed for the treadmill. “Jessica, this is my new homie, Luisa Moreno. Luisa, Jessica.”
Luisa smiled and extended her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You, too.”
Jessica had never come face-to-face with someone she was supposed to kill. She hoped Luisa didn’t notice how much her palm was sweating when they shook hands.
Luisa climbed on the treadmill next to Raq’s and set a brisk pace. Jessica watched her while she ran. This was the woman who had almost single-handedly taken down one of the most feared drug cartels in Mexico? Based on the stories she had heard, Jessica had expected Luisa to look like an Amazon with the bulging muscles to match. Luisa was in good shape, but she seemed normal, not superhuman. She had an air of nobility about her, fitting for a person who spent most of her day in uniform. Jessica didn’t see her as a threat, but others obviously thought otherwise.
Catching Jessica staring, Luisa used the mirror lining the wall to lock eyes with her. “Slow night?”
Jessica shuffled the stack of comment cards in front of her in an effort to look busy. “It usually is at this time of day.” She told herself to remain unobtrusive so Luisa could concentrate on her workout, but curiosity got the best of her. “Aren’t you the cop who saved the day during that incident in Cancún a few months ago?” she asked, setting the cards aside.
“I wasn’t the cop. I was one of many.”
“Don’t let the modesty act fool you,” Raq said between exhalations. “Wonder Woman here swooped in like she was a character in Call of Duty and started taking suckers out left and right. Pop, pop! Then she stole a speedboat, chased the head dude down, and took him out, too. She caught a bullet in the process, but she still managed to save the day and get the girl. Or did your girl save you? I always get that part mixed up.”
“You were shot?” Jessica asked.
“It’s not as dramatic as Raq makes it sound.” Luisa tapped her chest with the tips of two fingers as she continued to run. “My Kevlar vest stopped the round, but the impact knocked me into the lagoon we were in. Finn, my girlfriend, dove into the water and pulled me out.”
“After she practically chewed off her own hand to free herself from the railing she was tied to,” Raq said. “I didn’t think she had it in her.”
“Neither did she.”
“Anybody can do anything when they’re about to lose something they really want.”
“Is that what you did, Raq?” Jessica asked. “I mean, you said you used to do things that weren’t exactly on the up and up. Now you’re dating a cop and helping her catch bad guys instead of hanging out on street corners keeping the bad guys safe.”
“All I knew was I wanted to be with Sheba. From the second I met her, I knew she was the one. When I found out she was an undercover cop on assignment, I wanted to wring
her neck for fooling me into thinking she was down for the cause. When I came to my senses, I realized I was the one in the wrong, not her. So I walked away from the so-called life I was living and took a chance on something real. She could have had any woman she wanted, but she chose to be with me. I wanted to be more than a thug from the ’hood. I wanted to be someone Sheba could be proud of, not someone she was ashamed to introduce to her friends.”
Drawn in by the passion she heard in Raq’s voice, Jessica moved closer. “How did you get out of that life? Did you seek immunity or what?”
“I didn’t make any deals. I didn’t have to. I didn’t shoot anybody or move any product, so after I helped Bathsheba and her crew bring Ice down, the po-pos offered to hire me instead of trying to lock me up.” Raq reached for the towel draped across her shoulder and wiped sweat off her face. “Why are you asking? Do you know someone who’s jammed up?”
Jessica resisted the instinct to say no. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
“Yeah? Who?”
Jessica hesitated. Even though Raq probably could have related to her dilemma, she didn’t want to admit to her or Luisa that she had been stupid enough to get herself into so much trouble. “A friend of mine got caught up in something and she can’t seem to find her way out. It started out small, granting a few favors here and there, now she’s in over her head.”
“Is she involved in a gang?” Luisa asked.
“I’m not sure. She didn’t give me all the details.”
“She’s either mixed up with a gang or a cartel. What you described sounds like their usual MO. They draw people in, test them out, then sink their hooks into them once their victims get a taste of the good life. After that, the recruits are like puppets on a string, desperate to walk away but powerless to do so.”
Raq nodded in agreement. “I know what you mean. When I was working for Ice, I did whatever I could to keep him happy because I knew how ruthless he could be when someone pissed him off.” She dried her face again, then turned to Jessica. “I gave you my card, right? When your friend’s ready to talk, tell her to give me a call. I’ll talk it over with Bathsheba. We’ll reach out to some people and do whatever we can to help.”
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