by Alice Ward
My spine stiffened, but I forced a bright smile on my face. “Wonderful. What time?”
Charles pulled out a cigarette and lit it. The acrid smell made my nose itch. “Anytime after you guys wake up. I’m heading out early to get to the airport.”
Zane’s smile was easy, relaxed. “Sounds perfect. Are you thinking seven or eight?”
Charles waved him off. “Nah. Ten or so. No reason to be up with the birds.”
The waiter came and took our orders, and I spent a miserable hour chitchatting with Grace about places to shop, clothing trends and colors. Things I knew nothing about.
“This will be fun,” I told her, hoping I sounded sincere.
“It sure will. You can think of me as your personal shopper.” She winked at Zane. “Hope your credit card can take the hit.”
My head was beginning to ache by the time the meal was over and the men paid the bill.
“What’s your room number?” Charles asked, lighting another cigarette.
My heart skipped. A lie would be too easily discoverable, but I hated like hell to tell the truth. There was no help for it. “Five-twelve. You?”
He ignored the question. “Grace can call you. Hotel phones should be working by then.”
My smile didn’t falter. “Perfect. Do you still expect to be away a couple days?”
His eyes narrowed, and I realized I’d asked one too many questions. But, dammit, these were things normal people would need to know under the same circumstances. I waited patiently for him to answer, sipping my tea.
“Yes. Two days.”
I reached across the table and squeezed Grace’s hand. “We’re going to have so much fun. I haven’t had girl time in ages. Maybe we’ll be back in the bungalows before Charles returns.”
When I turned my gaze on Charles again, he was looking at me different. Searching. Considering. Was I passing some test? Was he reconsidering his earlier opinion, thinking he might have called the dogs on me too soon?
And, more importantly, would he call them off?
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Zane
Although I was quite hungry, the food wasn’t settling well in my stomach as the man who’d called a hit on the woman I loved wasn’t showing one ounce of remorse. He ate his thick, juicy steak with all the trimmings like he hadn’t done one thing wrong.
I did manage to keep a smile on my face and be the jovial man he’d come to know. But inside, I was the angriest I’d ever been. The only thing that kept me from jumping across that table and ripping the man’s heart out was Sloane’s calming hand. It stayed on me at all times. Her touch soothed me somewhat, and for that, I was thankful.
Once the meal was over, it felt like a rock was sitting in my gut. “Well, I think it’s back to the room for us.” I ran my arm around Sloane. “We didn’t get much sleep during the storm.”
“I slept like a baby.” Charles burped as he rubbed his round belly.
I bet you did, you son of a bitch.
Why would a mere tropical storm disturb Satan?
“I’ll be right back.” Charles excused himself, and it took everything inside me not to follow him. When I came close to doing just that, Sloane’s hand squeezed my thigh, reminding me to stand down.
The minutes ticked by as I attempted to focus on the conversation between the two women, but all I could think about was how quickly I could get a flight out of this place. I felt like there was a target on my forehead. Worse, I could almost see the one on Sloane.
And I hated it.
As much as I’d talked about wanting to join the FBI, this was pure shit. I was going to have a freaking heart attack worrying about Sloane. And it was becoming clear that I wasn’t okay with her job, and that I simply had to convince her to let it go.
It might make me suck as a person, but I didn’t care what anyone thought. I just needed the woman sitting next to me to be safe.
When Charles reappeared, my nerves were practically crawling out of my skin.
“Bad news, ladies.” We all looked at him expectantly. “Some of the surrounding islands got hit worse than us, so it’ll be better if you shop local.”
Grace looked devastated. “That’s terrible. I was so looking forward to exploring.”
I could practically feel Sloane start to ask him a question, but I squeezed her hand. She exhaled. “That is disappointing, but I’m sure we’ll have fun around here.”
Grace didn’t look convinced, but she nodded, then took Charles’ hand, rising from the table.
Sloane and I got up too. “I guess we’ll be hearing from you around ten or so?” She turned to Charles. “We promise to take good care of her.”
The older man nodded. “I’ve no doubt about that. Since the island hopping is nixed, maybe a nice boat ride in the morning then lunch right back here around noon. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”
He had it all figured out. Or so he thought.
God, I hated that man.
“Sounds good to me.”
We wished each other a good day, and I took Sloane as walked away, my stomach clenching and unclenching like a fist.
Once we’d gotten out of the open-air restaurant, I looked around. Why would he pick this place?
As I paid closer attention, I saw the patch of trees that would serve as cover for someone who might be hiding. But would the assassin attack Sloane in public? Make her death so obvious? It didn’t seem right, but I didn’t have a mafia mindset, so I didn’t know the rules that they played by.
“What’s wrong, Zane?”
I didn’t want to start her gears going. “Nothing. Just having some regret for not knocking the hell out of your rabbit.”
Her eyes drooped a bit as she gave me a sympathetic gaze. “It will be fine, I promise. No need to worry so much.”
I squeezed her hand. “I know it will be fine, and the reason I know that is because I’m getting your sweet little ass on the first plane out of here.”
Her jaw tightened but she didn’t argue which was a relief. We headed back up to the room, finding it had been cleaned and everything refreshed. I picked up the phone to call the airport. I wanted to get that jet scheduled as soon as possible.
Sloane kicked off her flats. “What are you doing?”
“Chartering a plane. If there isn’t one available, I’m calling my family’s pilot and having him fly in.”
Again, she didn’t argue. Instead, she pulled out her laptop to check her messages. I watched her as she worked, the glow from the screen lighting up her face. When I was finished with the plane, she smiled and closed the lid of the laptop.
“Everything okay?” I asked her.
“Yes. Matthews confirmed that the airport was opening, and that the team would be arriving in the morning.”
I pushed her hair back from her face, and she leaned into the touch. “See? I told you everything would be okay. They’ll arrive and take down Smith and whatever goon they hired. We’ll be safe. It’s a win-win.”
She laughed and went to stand in front of the window. “You’re such an optimist, and you’re right, everything will be okay.” Her fingers touched the glass as she stared out at the overwater bungalows. I knew she loved them. Too bad we could be back within their rustic walls, but that was no longer possible.
The earliest I could book a jet was at eight the next morning, but that still beat Charles’ goons by a couple of hours. I was happy with it. It did make me feel better that we had a plan and none of it included putting Sloane in danger.
Could I ever be okay with her being an agent?
“We should pack up everything except what we’ll wear tomorrow.” I ran my hands over her shoulders as I came up behind her. “The boat ride to the airport is forty minutes. We’ll have to get up and be out of here by seven. I know it’s kind of early.”
She leaned back into my chest. “It’s not too early. We’ll set the alarm for six, okay?”
“Sure.” Pushing her hair to the side, I kissed her neck.
She turn
ed, wrapping her arms around me. I could feel something inside her. Something looming. Was it fear, melancholy, or something else entirely?
Her hands moved over my chest, opening one button at a time, exposing the tattoo underneath. She ran her hand over it. “I’m sure your grandparents are very proud of you. You’re a good man, Zane, and I’m so very blessed that you were brought into my life.”
Why did this sound like goodbye?
“They won’t get you, Sloane. We’ll be gone before they have a chance.”
She sighed and took my face in her hands. “Do you really think that’s how this kind of thing works? Do you think you can get me away from here and we can just head back to Washington, and they won’t come looking for me there?”
She had a point. I hadn’t thought it all through. It wouldn’t be over, but it would take them longer to find her. “By that time, your people will have them taken care of, I bet.” I had hope it would all work out. I had to have hope. I couldn’t bear it any other way.
She pressed her face against my chest. “Maybe you’re right, Zane. It could happen like that, I suppose.”
“Sloane, I’ll make it work. I’ll take you anywhere in the world if the FBI can’t help us. I’ll keep you safe until the mafia is no longer a threat to you.”
The sigh that came out of her told me she knew far more about what we were up against than I did. I knew she knew more than I did. That was a given. But I had the resources to keep her out of reach.
“That’s sweet of you, Zane.” She rested her head on my shoulder and swayed as if we were dancing.
I sensed there was a but coming, but I was wrong. She just kept swaying as she held on to me, her hands moving over me as if trying to memorize every part of my body.
Dancing with her, I moved us away from the window and over to the bed, giving her a sweet kiss that I hoped like hell would reassure her. “I’m never letting anything happen to you. I’m never letting you go. Not ever, Sloane Anderson. Do you believe me?”
The blue in her eyes was bright, but sadness lay behind them in the darker depths. “I do.”
If she did then why was she acting so differently?
“Let’s pack then get into bed and make love for the rest of the day and night. Then we can fall asleep and get up when the alarm goes off and leave this all behind. For now, anyway. That’s the best we can do, right?”
Her smile was still sad. “Right.”
We set about packing our things, leaving one change of clothes in the closet for us both. Then we made love with an urgency that shattered me.
I understood why she was sad. She wasn’t the type of person to turn her back on a job. The time on the island paradise would soon be behind us. The real world awaited. The world that would still hold a threat to the woman I couldn’t live without.
How had it all happened?
In the blink of an eye, I’d gone from an eligible bachelor with an itch he couldn’t figure out how to scratch. Then this little lady showed up and knew just how to fix me up. And she wasn’t even trying.
“God, I love you, Sloane.” I kissed all the way up her neck as I moved slowly, wanting to feel every inch of her.
She ran her hands through my hair. “I love you too.”
On and on we moved with each other as if we were floating in a tranquil ocean. One night that would be etched into my brain just as our first time was. It didn’t seem possible to have the depth of feelings I had for her. Not so quickly. But I did.
Maybe it was the severity of the situation that made us form a connection that seemed to be unbreakable. Maybe it was the storm that imprisoned us for hours on end and the love we made through it all that had us falling so deep it seemed impossible.
I didn’t know or care. I just knew we were as close as two people could get. I might not know every little detail about the woman yet. Like what her favorite color was or how she liked her eggs, but I knew her inside and out. All the details could come later.
As we climaxed together, I had no doubt that what we were doing was right. We weren’t running from a problem. We were running to a solution.
When Sloane poured us both a glass of wine, I greedily took it.
She smiled and lifted hers up. “To fate.”
I clinked my glass to hers. “To fate.”
We drank, and to me, all was right in the world.
She ran her hand through my hair when I grew tired and laid down on the bed. Her lips pressed against mine as my eyes grew too heavy to stay open. Warm water fell on my face, and I wondered if the storm had returned. When she whispered, “I love you, Zane. Never doubt it,” her voice was very far away.
When I woke, the space beside me was empty. So was the closet. Everything she owned had disappeared.
The ache in my head was proof of what I already knew.
She drugged me.
She lied to me.
She left me.
Sloane was gone.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Sloane
My heart ached so badly, I feared it might actually break. Leaving Zane proved to be harder than I expected. One last look at his handsome face as he slept only served to fill me with more pain than I knew a person could live through.
I had orders.
And I had to protect him.
If I’d stayed, I would have failed at both.
While he made the private plane reservation, I’d checked my laptop and read a message from Agent Matthews: Contact ASAP.
Knowing Zane would follow if I tried to leave to make a phone call, I pulled up the secure messaging site and pinged Matthews there.
Me: Sir, I made it through one storm. What storm is coming next?
Even with the time difference, Matthews responded right away.
Matthews: A shit storm. Rabbit’s friend confirmed on morning flight.
Me: Yes. 10:00 local time.
Matthews: Negative. Friend arrival at 07:00 local. Agents Tanner, Stevens, and Moore one hour ahead. Secure transport and rendezvous with them at 06:00. Alone.
I’d stared at the message. I couldn’t bring Zane?
Me: Sir, what about Zane Boyd?
Matthews: Dump him. We have no ability to protect a civilian. Can you do this?
Could I?
Through the blood roaring in my ears, I’d been able to hear Zane finishing his phone call with the airport. The moment he disconnected the call, I knew he’d be asking questions. I had moments to decide.
Agent Matthews was right of course. Zane had no training, and our agents had to focus on the targets, not a civilian. I typed quickly.
Me: Yes, sir. Over.
I had hated to drug Zane, but I knew he would leave me with no choice. I couldn’t take the chance that he’d wake as I slipped from the room.
He would be hurt. He might even hate me, I knew. Hate me for lying to him, deceiving him, leaving him.
Once this was over, I’d find him, beg him to understand.
Then what?
I pressed the heel of my hand into my eye. Then I’d have to make a choice — my career or Zane.
It should have been an easy decision. Women everywhere would think I was a fool for even hesitating… but I knew in vivid detail all that the mafia could do. I hadn’t told Zane everything when I told him my reasons for becoming an agent. Yes, law enforcement was in my blood, but there was more.
I lost my best friend in high school to a turf war battle. Sloane, two more of our friends, and I had been walking home from the mall when it all started. Bullets rang out, and when it was over, two of my friends were dead.
Why they were struck while my other friend and I were saved, I would never be able to understand. But as I held Sloane’s head on my lap as the breath left her body, I swore I’d make whoever had done this to her pay.
So, it wasn’t just a job. It was a promise to the friend I’d known since the first day of kindergarten. The friend whose hair I braided, shoulder I’d cried on, boys we crushed on together.
I’d even taken her name as my cover. Another lie. Another reminder of why I did this job. Another reason I couldn’t fail.
Not that this assignment would take down the mob. I knew that what we did today would be like spitting on a fire. But by taking out one of their moneymen, I broke off a spoke in their massive wheel. If I broke enough, the wheel would eventually collapse, and maybe I’d be able to sleep again.
I shivered.
Although the night air was warm, I was cold as the speedboat docked on the island. I looked at my watch. I was ahead of schedule.
After leaving Zane, I called Agent Matthews and discovered the plan was underway. My fellow agents would be at the airport about the same time the speedboat got me to it. We’d only have a small amount of time to let the officials know what we were doing and get our guys.
With my bag draped over my shoulder, I stepped off the boat onto the dock. I turned to look out at the pink hue that was just beginning to stain the early morning sky.
I really left him behind.
Shoving my hands into my pockets, I turned and walked away. Zane could never let me be who I was anyway. He was too protective of me. We’d never work out in the real world, outside the bubble of the island.
The lights from the black jet caught my eye as it came in for a landing. The others had arrived. Time to go to work.
Inside the jet’s cabin, Agent Miranda Moore looked island-ready in her boho chic clothing. “Well, look at you, Moore. You look ready to walk down the runway.”
She ran her hands over her curvaceous hips covered in long, flowing, light tan bell-bottomed slacks. “Do I? I was a little afraid I’d overdone it.” She gave one of her long dark curls a twist with her slender finger. Her other hand ran over her low-cut, flowery top. “It’s kind of early to be looking this sexy, though.”
I cocked my head to one side, looking her up and down. “I don’t know. You seem to be pulling it off.” I was wearing a little yellow sundress with nude flats. My gun was strapped securely to my thigh, giving me easy access.
“You look cute, Anderson. Did you have a nice vacation?” I turned to find Agent Stevens grinning at me.