Secret Bodyguard

by Lori Crawford

  Winnie turned on a winsome smile. “Ready when you are.” She stepped closer and tried to link her arm with his, shutting Erica out.

  Trevor stepped out of reach. “I think I might’ve given you the wrong impression.”

  Winnie frowned up at him. Erica melted back into the shadows in an attempt to be less intrusive. Still, she stayed near enough in case things turned unpleasant. She was his bodyguard. The job didn’t end with just people who wanted him dead previous to her assignment.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “I’m really sorry Marcy got you thinking the two of us could become a couple. It’s not gonna happen.”

  Winnie reared up in anger and embarrassment. Erica eased from her position in case she needed to take the woman down. From her spot behind Trevor, Erica narrowed her eyes to dangerous slits and stared hard at Winnie. Daring her to make a move.

  Winnie’s eyes widened telling Erica she’d gotten her point across. Instead, the woman tossed her hair over her shoulder with what looked to Erica to be a very haughty look.

  “Your loss.” Winnie spun on her heel and stalked her way off the yacht. Erica dropped her aggressive posture when Trevor turned to face her.

  “I think we should give her a minute.” He leaned against a wall and watched Winnie stomp her way up the dock. Erica kept her vigil also.

  “You did the right thing.”

  “I hate when that happens.” Trevor ran a hand over his face. “Women get it in their heads I’m theirs because I show them a little respect and next thing you know, they have us married with eight kids on a farm.”

  A smile quirked on Erica’s lips. He looked at her.

  “I’m just telling you this as a warning. If you’re going with us on tour, you’ll see a lot more of this. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable or think I’m a jerk.”

  “Because there’s no way you could actually be a jerk, you mean,” Erica teased.

  He turned a surprised look on her. Smiled. “I have my moments.”

  Erica turned her attention to Winnie’s retreating back. “So why don’t you have your bodyguard handle these little confrontations?” She’d been dying to probe his reasons for refusing protection all day. At last, she was able to half seize, half create the opportunity.

  “A man doesn’t hand these things off to someone else.” So much for her probing investigation. “Besides, I’m kinda in between bodyguards at the moment.”

  Erica wanted to smile at that. As far as he knew anyway. The smile was forgotten when she noticed that the yacht appeared to be drifting away from the dock. “Are we moving?”

  “What?” Trevor rushed to the rail. The gangplank pulled loose and dropped into the water with a splash. Erica joined him. “I think the anchor came loose.”

  He turned and sprinted up to the wheelhouse deck. Erica was hot on his heels. The controls were still off, but there was no question that they were moving. Faster than a mere drift. Erica reached to turn on the controls, but a sudden surge of speed caught them both by surprise. Trevor and Erica tumbled backward and landed in a heap just outside the wheelhouse.

  “Are you okay,” Trevor asked. Erica bolted to her feet and headed back inside. Clueless about what to do, Erica searched for a way to stop the yacht.

  “Do you know how to control this thing?” She looked at Trevor when he joined her in the search.

  “I have a captain who takes us out on occasion. He showed me the basics. They went over my head.”

  Erica nodded while she picked up the phone on the console. She listened a moment, hit the switch hook then shook her head. “Dead.”

  “Something has to work.” Trevor gestured out the window when the scenery began to fly by faster and faster. Other vessels scrambled to get out of their way. Some of their captains honked. Others just made rude gestures.

  “C’mon.” Erica grabbed his hand and led him back to the main deck. She strapped them both in life jackets then headed for the rail. Trevor grabbed her arm.

  “What are you doing? We’re not jumping in that.”

  “We have to get off the yacht.”

  “Now’s not the time to panic,” Trevor said, his tone reassuring. Erica almost laughed. Her instincts were screaming that they were in for a worse fate if they didn’t jump, but she was far from panicked. At the speed they were traveling, they would be too far from shore and out of options in a very short amount of time.

  “Maybe we can shut her down at the engine.” Trevor stared at the water. She could almost see the trepidation rolling off him in waves. Erica knew she was going to have to do some coaching to get him in there.

  Erica watched the shore disappear while they lurched farther out to sea. Against her better judgment, she nodded her agreement. Maybe his idea would work. She and Trevor raced below the deck to the engine room.

  “What the …” Trevor said when he stopped short. Erica wanted to finish the sentiment when she heard that the engines were silent. “They’re not even on. How is this happening?”

  Erica took his hand in hers and gave it a pat. “I don’t know. But something is propelling us …” Erica headed back to the main deck where she did a slow walk around the yacht’s perimeter. Trevor followed and watched her work. She noted the suspicious look in his eye, but she’d have to deal with that later.

  Erica almost walked by it. She backed up and stared at the expanse of water before them. She could just make out a larger vessel cutting through the water directly ahead. She frowned and looked at the otherwise empty sea. Erica leaned on the rail to stare at the water below.

  “What’s wrong?” Trevor joined her at the rail. She sucked in a breath of surprise.

  “Crap.” She pointed out some kind of line that was attached to the yacht. The vessel was towing them. The line splashed when the vessel made a sharp turn.

  “I don’t know. Something attached to the hull.” She leaned out for another look. “I think I might be able to reach it. Cut us loose.”

  Trevor shook his head. “I don’t think we have time.”

  “This isn’t the moment to be Mr. Negative.”

  “How about Mr. Realistic?” Trevor placed his hands on either side of Erica’s head and turned it. She gasped when she saw they were speeding toward a jagged rock cliff.

  Chapter Four

  Erica grabbed Trevor by his life jacket and demanded, “How much fuel is onboard?”

  “I dunno. Full tank usually.”

  Erica blew out a breath of frustration. And of course they weren’t using any of it being pulled the way they were. “Get to the back rail.”

  Trevor shook his head. “I know you aren’t thinking of jumping now. The water has to be freezing. And the marine life. I’m sure some are poisonous.”

  “So you’d rather burn to death than take your chances in a little cold water.” Erica dragged him toward the back.

  “It’s a whole lot more than a little.” Trevor pushed her away. “You go. Make sure the authorities know what happened out here.”

  “We both go or we both stay. Your call.”

  Trevor shook his head. “I’m so sorry you were dragged into this.”

  Erica checked the rapidly approaching rock face. They were going to smash into it starboard. The other vessel sped up and disappeared into the night. “You mean you know who’s behind this?”

  “No. I just …”

  “We don’t have time for this.” Erica unfastened his life jacket and crisscrossed the straps with hers. She stared in his frightened eyes. The set of his jaw told her he’d never admit his fear. “We’re gonna be fine.”

  “No!” He tried to unfasten the straps. “I can’t swim.”

  Erica smacked his hands away. “I know.”

  “I’ll just take you down with me.”

  Erica smiled and held his hands. “Jump!”

  She did the jumping, while he flopped over the side. Hooked together, they splashed in the yacht’s wake and were sucked under.

&nb
sp; Erica felt, more than saw Trevor’s chest begin to heave. His hands worked at unfastening the jacket again. Erica pressed close to him, so his fingers would have no room to work. She caught his face in her hands to steady him. Made him focus on her. His frantic movements calmed, and they reached neutral buoyancy.

  Lungs beginning to burn, Erica blew out the air in a steady stream. She righted them and followed the bubbles to the surface. Trevor followed her lead and flutter kicked for all he was worth. Erica caught his attention again and shook her head. She guided his legs into rhythm with hers as they rose.

  The moment their heads broke the surface, Trevor and Erica both sucked in some much needed oxygen. They huddled there, just breathing for a long moment. With a loud crunch, the yacht slammed into the rock face. The explosion lit the night sky and sent bits, pieces and chunks into the air. Erica tried to estimate where the debris would land so she could guide Trevor out of harm’s way. The task proved futile when pieces of the yacht seemed to pelt them from all sides. They only had one option left.

  “We gotta go under!”

  Trevor shook his head. “No.”

  Erica didn’t bother with a rebuttal. She jumped and sunk under the water pulling him with her just when a chair splashed down overhead. Trevor looked up and shuddered. Erica tugged him away. Gasping for air, the two surfaced just out of range of the still landing objects. Trevor looked between the burning yacht and Erica. She gave him a reassuring smile.

  “I’m going to swim us to shore. Ready?”

  Trevor looked at the cliff where the yacht crashed and shook his head. “That’s too far. Can’t we just float here?”

  Erica smiled. “So now you want to take your chances with the poisonous sea creatures?”

  “No, I just can’t …”

  “You wanted to know if I could swim, right?” Trevor gave her a brief nod and hung onto her. Erica maneuvered them into position and side kicked toward the shore. She had just enough light from the fire to navigate.

  It took a moment to get her rhythm. She was used to the synchro side kick where the top leg went forward. In the rescue side kick it went backward. Hauling Trevor like she was, it didn’t take her long to figure out why. She couldn’t grab enough water the synchro way to propel them effectively.

  “Up, out, together,” Erica chanted while she tried to get in the groove. She hated that her boots more or less slid through the water instead of giving her the catch she needed, but she wasn’t about to ditch them. Not if they were headed to the tiny island she’d guessed they were near.

  “What are you saying?” Trevor asked.

  “I’m talking my legs through the kick. Up. Out. Together.” She demonstrated the kick move by move. “It’s opposite of what I’m used to. But I think I’ve got it now.” She looked him over the best she could in the close proximity and the fading light. “How’re you doing?”

  “Feeling a little silly letting you do all the work.”

  “We’ll be in the surf in a bit. Then we’ll let the water do all the work.” She felt him tense.

  “In the surf?”

  “Yeah. You know how the waves break at the shore?” They rose up on a large wave. “Here we go.”

  Trevor clung to her while they body surfed the wave. She could feel his whole body trembling. Erica frowned when his fingers dug into her back even through her thick coat. After what seemed to be forever, but was just a few seconds, they were back on the surface. Trevor sputtered and coughed.

  “You okay?”

  He gave her a jerky nod. Then changed his mind. “I guess now’s not the time to tell you about the time my brother and I almost drowned.”

  Erica frowned. She hadn’t come across that little tidbit in her research. “We’re almost to the shore. Think you can make it a little longer?”

  “The waves are so big.” Trevor squeezed his eyes closed and held his breath while they rode a second wave.

  “Not yet. You have to breathe right now.” Erica rubbed his head and kept an eye on the water. “Blow it out.”

  Trevor obeyed.

  “Good. Now, wait. Wait … Big breath and hold.” They sucked in air when they crashed over the wave and went under.

  Erica put her face close to Trevor’s and blew out a bubble. It took him a minute to understand, but he followed her lead and exhaled bubble by bubble like she was doing. The tightness in his lungs eased with each puff. Before he knew it, they were on the surface again. She was smiling at him like he was the greatest thing since sliced bread. She must have some imagination as cowardly as he was behaving. His grip on her was so tight that he’d ceased to have sensation in his fingers several minutes ago. He was too embarrassed to consider what she must think of him so he tried to make his mind go blank instead. Bad plan. All he could see then were the waves crashing over him and Jordan when he was three and Jordan five.

  “Trevor? Stay with me. You’re doing great.”

  Erica’s voice cut through the painful memories. He clung to her words like he did her body—both, his lifeline. He could see another wave forming over her shoulder and stared at that instead. She caressed his cheeks and shook her head.

  “No. Look at me. Focus on me.” Trevor tore his eyes away from the wave that seemed to tower over them. Erica glanced over her shoulder.

  “We’re going under.”

  “That thing’ll crush us.”

  “That’s why we’re going under. Ready?”

  Trevor found enough strength to nod. She’d gotten them this far.

  “Deep breath.”

  They both sucked in air and went beneath the surface just when the wave crashed above them. Trevor was surprised when his shoulder scraped the bottom. A little of his breath escaped, but he held onto the rest. He’d never been so glad to see land—feel really—in his life. But Erica was tugging him upward. He shook his head. Now that he’d found land, he was sticking to it.

  Erica shifted so she had her feet on the ground. Still attached to him, she shoved off and shot them both back to the surface. Trevor sputtered and coughed while he fought for air.

  “What’d you do that for? Land is a good thing.”

  “The currents on the bottom will take us back out to sea. We have to stay on top of them.”

  Trevor’s hopeful expression melted away. She squeezed the base of his neck.

  “Hey. We’re almost there. The bottom that close is a good sign.”

  Trevor nodded.

  She looked behind them, gauging the waves. “Deep breath.”

  They rode the wave closer to the shore. All of a sudden, Trevor’s feet hit the ground and his head above water. He looked at Erica in amazement. Before he could praise her, she grabbed his hand and headed for dry land. He was surprised to see that she’d unfastened their lifejackets so they were no longer attached. Trevor picked up his knees and splashed his way to safety.

  Once beyond the surf, Erica sprawled on the rocky beach with a sigh. She gave him a smile. “You did it.”

  “You did it. Thank you.” Trevor sank down beside her. “That was … I never want to do that again.”

  “C’mon. Admit it. You had fun.” Erica tried to hold onto her smile, but her chattering teeth got the better of her. She looked at Trevor and noticed him shivering, too.

  “I’m sure fun was had. Just not by us.” Trevor rubbed his arms for warmth. Erica pushed herself up.

  “We’ve gotta find some shelter and get a fire going.”

  “Let’s stay near the yacht. Surely someone’s gotta see that fire. We’ll be rescued in no time.”

  “We’ll freeze long before that happens.” Erica pushed to her feet. Tried to pull Trevor up, too. He wouldn’t budge.

  “So we build a fire here.”

  “It’s too open. It’ll be hard to keep a fire going. Besides, if we’re where I think we are, there are some caves nearby.”

  Trevor sprang to his feet. “You know where we are? Is this place populated?”

  “First order of business is
shelter. Then fire. Come on.” Erica trekked off along the rocky beach leaving Trevor no choice but to follow.

  The longer they walked, the more Erica doubted her memory. She’d come to this island during her first assignment with the Trecam Group. The mistress of a prominent CEO had been mistaken for his wife and kidnapped. The guy responsible delighted in puzzles and led them on a treasure hunt. He’d hidden one clue in a cave on this tiny island. If indeed this was the same island. They’d been clustered together in the ocean.

  Erica turned to check Trevor’s progress. He was pretty fit for one she assumed was a pampered rock star. He didn’t have any gym memberships, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have a gym at home or work out in hotel fitness centers while on the road. She smiled when she noticed that he stayed right beside her. Always walking on the outside to be positioned between her and danger. In this case, the outside was the ocean. He couldn’t realize the thick vegetation on the other side was far more treacherous. His attempt at chivalry made her smile. She’d noticed several little things along those lines that he did without even seeming to think about them.

  Trevor was dying. He couldn’t believe the fast pace Erica was keeping. Still, he was determined to keep up with her. He couldn’t let her sole opinion of him be based on that cowardly meltdown he’d had in the water. He shook off those memories. Turning his thoughts instead to their predicament.

  He’d never imagined that he’d ever be shipwrecked on a deserted island. Was it in fact deserted, though? What if some forgotten tribe had taken up residence? He was positive that they wouldn’t like strangers popping in unannounced. And what if there were a volcano? The tribesmen wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice a tender morsel like Erica to their volcano deity no matter what he did to protect her.

  Trevor skidded to a halt. Both mind and body. What in the world was he thinking? He must be delusional if he figured that was how this thing was going to play out. There weren’t any rogue tribes waiting for their chance to capture their hapless visitors. See, he scolded himself, this is what happens when you give fear an inch. One minute you’re hiring a bodyguard, the next you’re seeing homicidal pygmies where there are none. No thanks!