“Mom’s just speaking from experience.” Gina poked him in the ribs and jerked her thumb toward the driver in the front.
Josh doubted the guy could hear one word they said, but he sealed his lips and spent most of the ride to the airport making sure they didn’t have company on their way.
He wouldn’t admit it to Gina, but the scariest part of that condo encounter was meeting RJ. Josh didn’t have any children in his life and didn’t have the first clue how to act with them, but RJ had gone easy on him.
The chaos in RJ’s life had produced a seemingly well-adjusted, social kid. How had RJ escaped unscathed? Josh and his brother sure hadn’t.
The taxi driver confirmed their airline with them and then navigated through the traffic of airport departures before pulling up to the curb.
They had their boarding passes and carry-on luggage only, so they sailed up to security. Josh held his breath as he presented his fake passport and ID in the name of Josh Edwards. The navy didn’t want him traveling under his own name for this assignment, and that order extended to any side trips.
Whoever had provided the fake documents excelled at his or her job, and Josh eased out a breath as he passed through security.
Thirty minutes later, juggling their coffee cups and carry-ons, they found seats in the small boarding area for Carib Air. It would take about ninety minutes to get to Isla Perdida.
Josh took a sip of coffee and scanned the other passengers over the lid. He pegged the couple in the corner of the waiting area, who couldn’t keep their hands off each other, as newlyweds. The couple across from them must have a few more years of married life under their belts, as they paid more attention to their phones than each other.
Did marriage have to play out that way? He slid a glance at Gina, on her own phone, texting her mother, no doubt. Had the flame died out between her and Ricky? Or had they been as passionate at the end as those two newlyweds? Maybe she never discussed him because she couldn’t bear the pain of his loss.
She leaned toward him and whispered to him, her words tickling his ear. “I’ll bet you anything those two over by the window are newlyweds.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” He rolled his eyes toward the preoccupied couple. “Probably married awhile longer.”
A giggle bubbled from her lips and she covered her mouth. “Lots of single men, most likely businessmen checking on their assets.”
Josh’s gaze darted among the six men, all solo, all on laptops or some sort of device, all well dressed. His nerves jangled, and he took another sip of coffee. He’d been leery about a tail ever since he planned this trip. Any one of those guys could qualify.
He’d kept an eye out the back window of the taxi on the way to the airport but he hadn’t noticed any cars following them—that didn’t mean anything. Drug dealers, terrorists, spies all had ways of tracking people.
Another couple wandered into the boarding area, and Josh’s muscles relaxed an inch more. He didn’t want to have to keep tabs on more than the six guys.
Gina chattered in his ear about the island. She told him again of her time there with her father, and once again his suspicions about her flared in his gut.
“It’s beautiful but small.” She swept her arm to encompass their fellow passengers. “As you can see, not a lot of young people go because there’s very little nightlife, and not a whole lot of families go either since the attractions are mostly scenic—no zip lines, no swimming with dolphins, no catamaran cruises.”
“A quiet getaway...or a place to fondle your money.”
“You could say that.”
Josh’s gaze jumped back to one of the men. Had the man been watching them? He was accustomed to watching the nuances of a person’s actions through a scope. It was harder to pick up on someone’s movements from across a crowded room.
He asked Gina, “Are you done with your coffee?”
“I’m going to hang on to it and bring it with me on the plane.”
“I’m going to visit that trash can next to the man in the red tie.”
As he eased out of the seat, Gina exclaimed behind him. “Wait, what?”
Josh stretched and ambled toward the trash can, and the man sitting two seats from it. When he reached his destination, he lowered his eyelids and shifted his gaze to the man’s body, below his neck. He didn’t want to make eye contact.
Neat slacks and a tucked-in, striped button-down with one leather loafer resting on his knee made him fit right in with the other businessmen on the flight.
When Josh had approached the trash can, the man had stopped talking on his phone, and the device, encased in a leather holder with embossed gold letters in the corner, rested in his lap. Josh flipped the coffee cup into the can, brushed his hands together and turned away.
A quick glance at the man near the restrooms confirmed that he, too, had stopped talking on his phone.
Josh ducked next to Gina’s chair. “I’m going to the men’s room. Why don’t you engage that nice couple in conversation while I’m gone?”
She nodded, her eyes wide but alight with comprehension.
As Josh walked toward the men’s room and the man stationed in front of it, he heard Gina say, “Is this your first trip to Isla Perdida?”
Josh passed the man near the restroom, his nose twitching at the guy’s spicy cologne. Josh’s gaze trailed to the cell phone the man clutched in one hand, and the blood thundered in his ears.
The man had the identical phone case as the man with the red tie. The embossed gold letters curled out from beneath the guy’s fingers where they were wrapped around the case.
Josh stepped into the bathroom, but had no intention of sticking around in case the man outside decided to pay him a visit at the urinal. He joined another man at the sink and splashed cold water on his face.
Noticing the man’s Miami Heat cap in the mirror, Josh nodded to him. “The Heat had a great season, huh?”
“Should’ve been longer.”
Josh followed closely on the heels of the Heat fan out of the bathroom, brushing by the man with the leather cell phone case and giving half-hearted responses to the fan’s enthusiastic analysis of the Heat’s last playoff game. What did Josh know? He was a Knicks fan.
He parted ways with his newfound friend and took his seat next to Gina, who was still talking with the couple. He texted her.
The man with the red tie is talking to someone standing near the bathrooms with the exact same cell phone case. Don’t look now.
When Gina’s cell phone buzzed, she pulled it from her pocket and excused herself from the conversation with the couple.
She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder as she pretended to show him something on her phone. She said in hushed tones, with a smile on her face, “What does that mean?”
He pointed a finger at her display and laughed. “It means we’re being followed. I’ll wait to see who gets on the plane with us.”
She tilted her face toward him, her smile wiped away. “How did that happen?”
“Not sure.”
The loudspeaker interrupted their conversation with an announcement about boarding.
Josh grabbed his bag and pulled up Gina with him, and then positioned himself where he could keep an eye on both men. With the second boarding announcement, the two cell phone buddies got on their phones at the same time.
Oh, yeah. They were in cahoots.
The man with the red tie joined the end of the line. So, he was on his way to Isla Perdida. The man near the restrooms stayed at his post, making no move toward the boarding gate. Maybe he had been stationed there to try to take Josh out in the bathroom and give red tie unimpeded access to Gina.
Like he’d ever let that happen.
They shuffled toward the gate, and Gina pressed her shoulder a
gainst his arm. “Are we doing this?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of him.”
“I don’t think the flight attendants are going to let you throw him off the plane.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” As he handed his boarding pass to the attendant, he took one last look over his shoulder at the man by the bathrooms. At least he wouldn’t be joining them on the island.
They shuffled onto the small plane with no seat assignments and Josh pinned his gaze on the empty seat behind the man, willing every other passenger away from it. Someone grabbed the seat before Josh could get to it, so he settled for a seat two rows behind the guy with the tie, allowing Gina to scoot in first and grab the window seat.
She raised her dark brows at him, but he just smiled.
The man with the red tie turned his head just once to see where they were sitting, and then settled into his seat, probably figuring his job was done until the plane landed.
Josh’s job was just beginning.
Once everyone boarded and the flight attendant recited the safety instructions, the plane taxied and lifted off the runway. It cruised above Miami and out and over the deep blue sea.
Josh pulled his laptop case from beneath the seat in front of him and felt for the pen in the side pocket. He slid it out of the compartment and tucked it into the seat back in front of him.
When they reached cruising altitude, the flight attendants broke out the drink cart. As much as he could use a Bloody Mary right now, Josh ordered some orange juice.
Gina, still nursing her coffee from the terminal, passed on the drinks and ducked her head. “What are you going to do?”
“He may have gotten on the plane with us, but I’m going to make sure he doesn’t get off the plane with us.”
The plane bounced and Gina dug her fingers into her seat’s armrest. “I guess since we’re here and they’re here, I can’t claim ignorance anymore.”
“They wouldn’t have believed you anyway.” He drained his juice and placed the empty plastic cup on Gina’s tray table. Then he plucked the pen from the seat back and released his seat belt. “I’ll be right back.”
The bathroom was in the back of the airplane, but he’d have to improvise.
He staggered into the aisle and made his way toward the front of the plane...and the man in the red tie. The plane dipped again, and Josh grabbed someone’s seat back.
Just as he drew level with the man’s row, a flight attendant came up behind him. “Sir, are you looking for the lavatories?”
“Yes.”
As soon as he answered, the man with the red tie whipped his head around, but Josh had anticipated his response.
In one fluid movement, Josh gripped the side of the man’s seat, pressed the release for the needle embedded in his pen and jabbed it into the back of the man’s neck.
The man bolted forward but before he could utter an exclamation, he slumped back into his seat and his head lolled to the side.
No point in sedating someone if the drug wasn’t fast acting.
“The lavatory is in the back of the plane, sir.”
“Thanks.” Josh cupped the needle in his hand and backed up to let the flight attendant squeeze past him.
She didn’t give a second look to the man sleeping in his seat like so many others.
Josh maneuvered to the back, weaving with the turbulence common on these smaller planes. As he passed their row, Gina glanced up at him and he winked.
He locked himself in the bathroom and rolled back his shoulders. That was easier than he thought it would be...and badass.
He flushed the needle down the toilet, washed his hands and exited the lavatory, nodding at the woman waiting to use it. Then he slid into his seat and snapped on his seat belt.
“What happened? I didn’t hear any commotion.”
“I put our friend to sleep. He’s not going to be getting off this plane for a long time.”
Chapter Nine
As they exited the plane, Gina inched past the man in the suit and red tie as his seatmate nudged him.
“Sir? Sir, we’ve landed.”
What would the flight attendants do when they couldn’t wake him? Probably call an ambulance. Served him right.
She stared down into his face, but she didn’t recognize him. Who were these strange people who had taken over Los Santos?
“Miss? Miss? This man is sleeping and won’t move.”
Gina exited the plane with Josh right behind her, propelling her forward with a hand at her back.
He said, “I doubt anyone saw me deliver the sleeping aid, but let’s get out of here. He may be meeting someone else on this end.”
Dragging her suitcase behind her, Gina quickened her pace to keep up with Josh’s long legs. The humidity of the island had seeped into the terminal, and the light blouse she wore stuck to her back.
Josh’s employers—whoever they were—had paid for the trip, or at least they would once they got the bill from Josh Edwards’s credit card. Josh had assured her that money was no object, so he’d booked them into the most exclusive resort on the island—the same one she’d stayed at with her father on that fateful trip—the one that had changed her life.
Since they had no checked luggage, they sailed through Customs and snagged a taxi at the curb.
The driver placed their bags in his trunk and slid into the driver’s seat.
Josh leaned forward and said, “Perdida Resort and Spa, por favor.”
The cabbie adjusted his rearview mirror. “First visit to the island?”
Josh answered for both of them, squeezing her knee while he did so. “Yes, first time.”
“I have a cousin who can show you around the island. Good price just for you.”
“Thanks, man, but we’re doing more business than pleasure.”
“Money, money, money.” The driver grinned, displaying his gold front tooth. “Isla Perdida has so much to offer but everyone sees the money.”
Josh laughed. “We’ll take some time to enjoy the resort if that makes you feel better.”
“It does, senor. I’ll give you my cousin’s card just in case.”
Thirty minutes later, the taxi pulled in front of the lush Perdida Resort and Spa. After he delivered their bags to the curb, the driver fished a card from his front pocket and extended it to Josh. “Just in case—for anything. They call him Fito, and he knows the island inside and out. Tell him his primo Robbie sent you.”
“Gracias, Robbie.” Josh pocketed the card and waved off the bellhops hovering to take their two small bags.
Gina’s gaze swept the lobby. “Did you notice anyone suspicious?”
“Everyone looks suspicious to me now.”
“Me, too.” She pinched the ends of her blouse and fanned it up and down. “I could use a dip in the ocean.”
Josh tapped a framed menu of spa services on the counter. “I could use a massage. My muscles are tied in knots right now.”
“I guess navy SEALs aren’t accustomed to the cloak-and-dagger stuff, huh?”
She drew her brows over her nose. What were SEALs accustomed to? She still didn’t have a clue what Josh was doing at her father’s compound. Protecting the CIA? Didn’t seem like those CIA agents with the sniper rifles needed much protection. Maybe the SEALs had gotten the CIA in and out of the region.
She’d often wondered how the CIA had gotten into position around her father’s compound. Must’ve had something to do with the SEALs. So, indirectly, Josh was responsible for her father’s death—and Ricky’s. And her father was indirectly responsible for his mother’s death.
“Checking in?” The hotel clerk tapped the keyboard of her computer.
Josh slid their phony passports across the counter. “Josh and Gina Edwards.”
Gina couldn’t stop the butterflies that took off in her belly when she heard their names linked. They’d be sharing a room, pretending to be husband and wife.
Pretending was the key word. Behind closed doors they’d revert to...whatever it was they were. Partners? Coworkers? A couple linked by fate?
She watched his strong fingers grip the hotel’s pen as he signed the registration form. Not that she’d mind continuing the pretense in their hotel room. Josh exuded strength and confidence—must be his military bearing. Josh didn’t have a weak bone—or muscle—in his body.
After witnessing her father’s machismo, Gina had convinced herself she wanted a softer man, but in Ricky’s case softer didn’t equal better.
“Take the elevator past the lobby restaurant to the sixth floor and let us know if there’s anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable.”
Gina had a fleeting thought. Can you keep drug dealers off our tail while we’re here?
Josh swept the key cards from the counter and took Gina’s arm. “Will do, thanks.”
When they got to their room, Gina glanced at the king-size bed on her way to the sliding doors to the balcony. She stepped outside, and the moist island air caressed her cheek. She called back inside. “We have an amazing view—the pool below and the ocean beyond.”
Josh followed her outside and braced his hands against the railing. “Wow. This sure beats any other place I’d be right now on deployment.”
She pointed to the right. “Do you see that cluster of buildings over there? That’s where the bank is.”
“They know you as Gina De Santos, right?”
“Yes. My electronic thumbprint is on file. It’s the only way we’re getting into my father’s safe-deposit box.”
“I’d say that’s secure.”
“And that’s why I’m confident anything my father wanted to keep from his associates would be in that box.”
“If the deal was going through, why would he keep it from his associates?”
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