She put the gun down on the desk. “What are you angry about?”
“This isn’t just about some maniac trying to blackmail your father. It doesn’t make sense.” It had been eating at him. He’d been mulling it over ever since they’d hit the island. Things just didn’t add up. And seeing her with the gun had jettisoned him over the top. “There’s more to it, isn’t there? Hell, they didn’t even bother to take a picture to show your dad they have you. You’d think that would be the first thing they did.”
He glared at her. Many had wilted under his fixed stare in the court room, and he damned well wanted Lacy to feel his wrath. In the past twenty-four hours, he’d survived a car accident, several beatings, a kidnapping, and a mile-long swim. And she was just sitting here cleaning a gun like it was something she did every weekend. He’d had it.
She took a deep breath. Placing her hands in the middle of the desk, she pushed herself up to her full height, such as it was, and glared back at him. “I know as much as you do. We haven’t been separated for more than a couple minutes this entire time. If they’re not trying to force my father’s hand, I have no idea what they want.”
“Bullshit. You have a much better idea of what’s going on than you’re letting on. If they just wanted to blackmail your father, they would have called him as soon as they had you on that boat. I think it’s time you started talking.” He knew he should stop, but he couldn’t help himself. “What’s going on? What else are you involved in?” he demanded.
She ground her teeth. “I’ve told you, I don’t know any more than you do. If they don’t plan on blackmailing him, the only thing I can think of is…is…” She paused and drew a breath. “That they want to kill him.” She was blinking rapidly, probably fighting tears. And just like that, all the anger left his body.
Logan leaned against the door jam. “What makes you think that?”
“Well, they kidnapped me but, like you said, they didn’t take any pictures or have me talk to him, so ransom seems to be out. Why take me then? The only answer I can think of is to get to him. His security is tight. Really tight. If they wanted to force his hand on something, they would have sent him proof they had me. But”—she swallowed—“if they wanted to lure him out to kill him, then having me is their best bet.”
“But wouldn’t they have to send him proof that they had you?”
“My father has great resources on the island. He already knows they took me, I’m sure of it. You’ve heard the rumors about my father. He won’t stand for someone hurting me. He’ll go after them.”
“But if your father knows they have you, then we’re back to maybe it’s a ransom thing and they just didn’t have a chance to take your picture for proof of life before we escaped.” They were going in circles. Logan had privately come to the conclusion there was just a lot more going on than they knew. Too many missing puzzle pieces for them to solve the problem. His anger had gotten the better of him earlier.
Lacy threw her arms in the air. “I don’t know then. What do you want me to say? I don’t have a clue what’s going on!”
Lacy didn’t know any more than he did and she was working herself up. There were tears in her eye. Logan couldn’t help himself. He walked around the desk and opened his arms.
She didn’t hesitate. She walked right into them.
Chapter Seven
His arms closed around her and crushed her in his embrace. She shuddered and took a deep breath. Cursing silently, he rested his butt on the desk and drew her away so he could see her expression. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed.”
Seeing her tear-stained face, he ran a hand through his hair. “Fuck. I…just lost it a bit, I guess. This whole thing has been a bit unexpected.” He was talking about her. The kidnapping and everything that had followed had certainly been unexpected, but not nearly as much as his reaction to her. He knew he was attracted to her physically, but he had never realized how much he liked her as a person. She was as smart as she was sexy.
She wiped her face. “Not your fault. I know you got involved in this accidentally, and like I said, I owe you big time for sticking with me this far.” She stared him squarely in the eye. “As soon as we get back to Nassau, you should head home. I can deal with the rest on my own.”
He froze. The thought of leaving her to deal with her own problems hadn’t even occurred to him. “No,” he ground out. “I am not leaving you by yourself until this whole thing has been sorted.” Not to mention he hadn’t figured out if she was involved with the Drake thing or not.
He still had her in the circle of his arms and legs. He fought the urge to tighten his hold. This visceral need to protect her surprised him, but it was undeniable.
“I appreciate you feel obligated to help me, but”—she squared her shoulders—“despite what it may look like, I can take care of myself.”
He was still stuck on her previous pronouncement. “Obligated? I don’t feel obligated.” He ran his hands through his hair again and took a breath. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling, but it certainly wasn’t obligation. “I’m not leaving you alone with those guys on the loose.”
“You don’t think I can take care of myself?” She arched an eyebrow at him.
“No. Ah, I mean yes, but not by yourself.”
She gave him a look like he was crazy. “That doesn’t even make sense. Need I remind you I was the one who had the sharp plastic piece we used to cut off the zip ties? I knew which door to open on the ship, and I would have managed to break into this house if you weren’t here. So, all in all, I think I can do perfectly well on my own.” She was obviously angry now. Her glare warned him to tread easy.
How had this gone so wrong? Normally he excelled at getting people to do what he wanted, but with Lacy, he was at a loss.
“I am not disputing those facts,” he said, “although I could. I am just telling you I would feel uncomfortable leaving you on your own until this mess is sorted out.”
“Well, get comfortable. I’m going my own way as soon as we hit Nassau. I don’t need to worry about looking after you. Go home or stay, I don’t care, but you can’t stay with me.” She turned to move away, but he snapped his legs and arms shut, effectively trapping her.
“What the hell, Logan?”
He reached up and cupped the back of her head, turning her so they were eye to eye. “I’m not leaving you on your own, so you can just forget it right now.”
Her gaze snapped fire at him. She started to protest, but he didn’t give her a chance. He swiftly claimed her mouth with his own. When she winced and went still in his arms, he instantly pulled back. “Your lip. I’m sorry,” he groaned. “I forgot.”
But before he could release her, she brought her lips up to meet his again. He tasted her sweet mouth, and their tongues danced. He slid his hands down over her back until he cupped her ass and brought her closer. Her fingers wove through his hair as she deepened the kiss and leaned into him. He groaned in response and ground his hips against hers. The zipper was painful against his rock-hard dick, but he didn’t want to stop. He wanted to taste all of her.
Moving from her lips to her neck, he kissed the hollow where it met her shoulder. She moaned and shivered in response, running her hands down his back and tugging at his shirt. And when he kissed the hollow behind her ear, she moaned again and plunged her fingers back into his hair.
She pulled his mouth back to hers, and their tongues met in a frantic battle. The heat between them was unbearable now. He tugged down her sweats, desperate to touch her skin. Her sweats hit the floor, and he held her slightly away from him so he could help her remove her shirt.
He stopped suddenly and blinked at what he saw. Did her underwear have writing on it?
She snapped back into consciousness and glanced at Logan before looking down to see what he was staring at. A flush crept up her cheeks as she followed his gaze. The fucking underwear.
“Did you think I needed directions?” Logan’s laughter echoed deep in his ch
est.
Her eyes narrowed. “I didn’t have much of a choice in clothing,” she ground out between clenched teeth. He glanced at her, and the laughter in his eyes died at the look on her face.
“Hey, I was only teasing.” He tried to bring her in for a kiss, but she backed up and almost fell over. When he reached out to steady her, she twisted out of his reach and pulled up her sweats. Humiliation made her cheeks flush. Asshole.
The crash shook the house. Both of them froze for an instant, and then he grabbed the gun off the desk and made for the door. She followed close behind. They worked their way down the hallway toward the great room. Once there, she tried to move to the opposite wall, but he held her in place. As much as she hated it, she couldn’t lead. She had to follow the guy with the gun. She should have grabbed it off the desk first. God only knew if Logan could actually shoot.
She watched him do a quick check around the corner. Apparently, the room was empty because he shook his head. They moved quickly through the great room and then into the kitchen, making sure it was empty. They returned to the great room and headed up the stairwell.
As they neared the top, she could hear something. It took her a moment to place what it was. Dripping water. They exchanged a puzzled look and then went down the hallway toward the sound. Logan peered around the corner into one of the spare bedrooms and then stopped short.
Lacy peeked around his shoulder. A felled tree had punctured the outside wall, right where it used to meet the roofline. The storm must have knocked it over. “Well, that’s a problem.” She started forward into the room, but he grabbed her hand and hauled her back.
“Yes, but it’s not our problem. Just leave everything the way it is. We have no idea if the roof will continue to hold or what other damage might have happened.” Still holding her arm, he pulled her out of the room.
“We need to get out of here and back to the mainland ASAP.” He tucked the gun into his waistband. “I’m gonna go take a quick look outside, case the rest of the island. Stay downstairs but keep away from this side of the house.” He leveled one final glance at her before hurrying down the stairs, a man on a mission.
She bit her lip as she watched him go. She wanted to argue with him but, honestly, she wasn’t in the mood to get soaking wet. She just hated being told what to do. She went back downstairs and threw herself on the sofa in the great room.
Her cheeks turned hot as she thought about what they had almost done. What had she been thinking? Well, she hadn’t been thinking; she’d been feeling. And his touch had felt damn good too, but what would have happened if she hadn’t had a…wardrobe issue? They would have, what? Had sex on a stranger’s desk? Their couch?
“Oh, God,” she groaned as she pulled a throw pillow over her face. Humiliation aside, it was probably a good thing they hadn’t had sex. It was much better this way.
Except that not fulfilling her deepest desire didn’t feel better this way. She could still feel his lips on her skin and taste him in her mouth. Her lady parts were all tingly. She literally ached for him.
No. She had to get her shit together and stay away from Logan. Having sex with him would be a big mistake. He definitely had to go as soon as they got out of here. If they got out of here.
She stared out the window. The rain hadn’t let up yet. It was only very the beginning of hurricane season, but if this storm was any indication, it was going to be a harsh one. She’d been looking forward to coming down to the sunshine when she was in New York. Spring had been unseasonable cool and had the temps only warmed up in the last couple weeks. She and her father were going to spend some quality father/daughter time. She immediately swallowed the lump building in her throat.
Ignoring what Logan said—who was he to give her orders, anyway?—she walked back into the master bedroom and lay down on the bed. She pulled the blankets over her and watched the fire. Good thing they’d left it on last night. She yawned. Yesterday had taken a toll. She rubbed the slight ache in her shoulder. It had been ages since she’d swam so much and she was feeling it. She needed to relax and figure out what to do next.
Waking with a start, she found she had tangled herself in the blankets. She had been having a nightmare about being chased off her father’s yacht. She sat up and tried to clear her head. After taking a few deep breaths, she noticed it was finally quiet outside. The storm must have passed. Sure enough, the sky outside the window was blue. Great. Now, to get off this island. She bounced off the bed, squaring her shoulders once again, and went off in search of Logan.
She met him at the top of the stairs.
“I was just coming to get you.” His face gave nothing away, and it hit her that she was not the only lawyer in the house.
She turned away, trying to hide the flush that was creeping up her neck. “I see the rain has stopped. We should try to find a way off the island.”
“I was thinking the same thing, but I think we should eat first. We can’t leave until dark anyway.”
“Works for me. I am a bit hungry. What time is it?” Which was a total understatement. Her stomach hadn’t stopped growling since she’d woken up.
“It’s probably around sixish. I found some pasta and sauce earlier.”
“I think we should open a bottle of wine. I don’t know about you, but I could use a glass.” If not three, she added silently.
Logan frowned. “I’m not sure wine is a great idea.”
“Maybe not for you, but I think it’s the best idea I’ve had all day.” Lacy went around him and down the stairs.
“Fine. I’ll start dinner,” he said and followed her down the stairs.
She nodded and headed toward the den where she’d noticed a wine rack during her exploration of the house. As she bent down to choose a wine, she noticed something tucked behind the rack. She couldn’t tell what it was because there were too many bottles of wine blocking her view. She reached back and pulled it out. “Yes! Finally something we can use.” She grabbed a bottle of wine with her find and headed to the kitchen.
When Logan emerged from the pantry, she was standing at the island, playing with a battery-operated shortwave radio. She continued to fiddle with the radio.
“Not here. Go check the next one.” The voice came through loud and clear. “Yay!” She clapped and smiled up at him. “Now we can find out what’s up with the weather.” She noticed he had gone still and was puzzled. “Wha—”
“Shh.” He listened intently again. There were some other voices, but it was hard to make out what they were saying. He walked over to the window and scanned the back yard..
“We have to go,” he announced and then turned to look at her.
“Why? I thought we were going to have food and drink.” She smiled and held up a wine glass. “And then leave when it’s dark.”
“No. We have to find a way off now. That voice was Scar’s. I would know it anywhere. They’re searching for us, island by island. We need to go now.”
Her heart started pounding. She stared at the bottle wine and then put the glass down with a thunk. “Shit. Do you think there’s another way off the island besides swimming?”
“There’s a boathouse. I skipped it when I was scouting earlier. Figured I would check it out after the storm ended.” He grimaced, then started walking toward the door.
“Well, there’s no time like the present. Grab the gun and anything else that might be useful and come back here. Once you’re done, stay in the kitchen. I’ll check things out and come back for you. Keep a look out. It’s still daylight. It won’t be dark for another couple of hours.” He frowned. “If I find a boat, we might have to risk it and leave immediately.” He fiddled with the alarm panel and then headed out the door.
She went through every room, but in the end, the only thing worth taking was the gun and a supply of drinking water. She went to the cupboard. She studied the dry goods, trying to decide if she should pack some. What would she pack it in? Canned goods would be heavy and hard to carry. Still, it would be bet
ter than starving.
She found a couple of plastic bags and two to-go coffee mugs. She threw some cans of food into the bags and filled the to-go cups with water. Then she searched the entire kitchen for a can opener. She couldn’t find anything but an electric one. She grabbed a sharp knife from the drawer and decided that would have to do. She wrapped it in paper towel and put it in the bag with the cans.
She started pacing the length of the room. The waiting was endless. The sky had gotten marginally darker but it was still easy to see. The radio crackled to life every once in a while, but the words were unclear. Hysteria was bubbling right underneath the surface, so she kept taking deep breaths, trying to keep it down. Then it hit her—their clothes! They could hide them, but the best way of ensuring they weren’t found was to wear them.
She ran back up to the closet and changed back into her old dress and underwear. The gown had shrunk dramatically because of the salt water. Now the bottom of it barely skimmed the tops of her thighs. Great. Still, it was better to leave them guessing. She put the clothes she’d been wearing in a pile on a shelf, hoping the owners would realize they needed to be washed. Then she gathered Logan’s clothes and dashed back into the kitchen.
Her brain kept flicking between what Scar and his cohorts were doing and where the hell Logan had gone. Movement off to the left caught her eye. She watched, letting her eyes adjust to the growing shadows. A few seconds passed before she saw it again. Suddenly, Logan appeared on the end of the porch. All the air left her lungs. He had scared the hell out of her, but there was no need to admit that to him.
He opened the door carefully and walked in. The kitchen wasn’t facing the setting sun, so it was hard to see his features clearly, but she had the distinct feeling he did not have good news.
“I cased the whole island this time. It’s smaller then I had hoped. Just the house, the caretaker’s cottage, and the boat house. No other buildings. There aren’t any boats, but there are paddle boards and a tandem sea kayak.”
Smash and Grab: Action-Packed Thrilling Romantic Suspense (Callahan Security Series Book 2) Page 8