“Darius,” Knox said. “It’s not just us who know. Sax and I are part of an investigative agency working with the U.S. State Department and the Bahamian authorities. We disappear, there’s going to be a lot of digging. You might as well set the gun down before you do any more damage.”
Panic flared in Darius’s eyes. “They can’t prove anything.” He swung the gun toward his brother. “Unless you tell them.”
She felt an arm go around her waist and then her feet left the ground. Knox had jumped off the cliff—with her in tow!
“Sax!” he yelled as they plunged toward the dark abyss. Because Sax might be swimming in. They could land on him.
She was screaming, too, but that was involuntary. Knox had his arm tight around her. They hit the water, and the air whooshed out of her lungs, stealing her scream.
The moment she came to the surface, gasping, she heard bullets hitting the water around them and pinging off the rocks nearby. Darius stood at the edge of the cliff and swept a beam of light over the water, searching for them.
Knox pulled her behind a rock. Above, Oscar was trying to get Darius to stop. And then…there. Something was moving up the rocks near the top of the cliff. Right below Darius.
Sax! He reached up and grabbed Darius’s calf, wrenching him off balance. The gun fired as he pitched forward. He didn’t scream, but his arms whirled as he fell straight down. Not out and toward the water, but to the rocks below. He hit with a sickening thud.
Sax was climbing down now, and she swam toward the spit of land where they’d made love—it seemed like ages ago. Sax paused by Darius’s body, checking for a pulse. Then he made his way toward her. Knox helped her up and over the rocks, toward Sax, and released her. Sax pulled her so hard against his chest that her teeth clattered together. She wrapped her arms around his wet back and held him tight.
“You all right?” he asked.
She could only nod.
A beam of light traveled over the rocks and nearly blinded her. “Do you need help?” Oscar called down.
“We could use some light on the cliffs to help us climb up,” Sax said. He looked at her. “Can you manage that?”
“Yes. I want out of here.”
Oscar held the light, though it trembled with his obviously shaking hands. He’d found out his brother was a murderer. And watched him die.
Sax went first, showing her where to put her hands and feet as he’d done before. Knox came up from below. Though Oscar held out his hand to help Sax over the edge, he hauled himself up. She couldn’t blame him for distrusting anyone here. He turned and pulled her up, then gave Knox a hand.
Oscar looked shaken as he aimed his light down at his brother’s broken body. “He shot Willie. To protect his reputation.”
“Apparently that scandal traumatized him,” Sax said. “He went crazy murderous to avoid another one.”
Knox took the flashlight and searched the ground until he found Sax’s phone. He picked it up and handed it to him. “Better call Chase and let him know what’s going on.”
Sax swiped up the gun Willie had dropped and tucked it in his waistband. No, he wasn’t taking any chances. He updated Chase, who was going to alert the authorities and bring his yacht to shore.
“We get to stick around a little while longer, after all,” Sax said, pulling her close again. He kissed her on the forehead. “Unfortunately, we won’t be doing any body painting.”
Knox raised one eyebrow as he grabbed his backpack. “Body painting?”
“Yeah,” Sax said, a sigh in his voice. “The things I gotta do for my job…”
Knox shook his head. “You’re such a Sooch.”
“Sooch?” she asked. “Oh, yeah, your SEAL nickname for Mr. Southern Charm.” Because he was a charmer with the ladies. “My bag,” she said, looking for Darius’s golf cart. “I left it behind when I made a run for it.”
They found the cart a short distance away, and Sax carried her bag. Oscar drove them back to the resort entrance on his golf cart. He sat staring at nothing even as the three of them got out.
Sax patted his shoulder. “Get yourself a drink. It’s going to be a long night.”
The sight of people partying as usual just seemed so…wrong. Then again three waterlogged, fully clothed people trudging past the pool area probably seemed wrong to them.
“Hey, Knox, you can use Jennessy’s room to grab a shower.”
Knox glanced at his watch. “That might save time. Chase will be here shortly.”
She gave Sax a grateful look. He could have suggested she go to her room alone so the two guys could confer. “Let me find the key.”
“Oh, wait. Did you check out?”
“I didn’t have time.”
He stopped so she could dig around in the luggage and retrieve the card key. She handed it to Knox. Now that she could see him, yes, he was shadow where Sax was light. All brooding and serious, and a little bigger than Sax.
“What’s your room number?” he asked after Sax had given him directions.
“One twelve. Oh, and her room’s on the Wild side, dude. That means you have to take off your clothes when you see the sign about it being a ‘wildlife area.’ ”
“Yeah, no way.”
She almost had to laugh at the horror on his face. Yes, he was definitely different from Sax.
“You don’t have to take off your clothes unless you’re at the Wild side bars or beach,” she said, taking him out of his misery. “But you’ll see a lot of naked people.”
He glanced at two women who were walking past in barely bikinis. Yes, she saw a flare of interest, then it was as though he shut it right down.
“Soak in an eyeful,” Sax said, leading her away. “Do you some good.”
Knox just shook his head and walked off.
A few minutes later, she and Sax closed the door behind them in his room. She glanced around. “I spent more time in here than in my own room.”
“Yeah, funny how that worked out.” He hadn’t let go of her hand. “You’re shaking.”
She hadn’t noticed the tremor going through her body, culminating in the hand he squeezed. “Everything’s flashing in my mind now. Like I locked it away while it was happening, and now it’s hitting me.”
He pulled her against his cool, damp body. “Why don’t we grab a shower together? That way I’ll be there in case you fall.”
She clutched him. “You’re always there to catch me if I fall.”
“I wasn’t there when you and Knox took a dive off the cliff.”
She heard the self-recrimination in his voice. “Uh, you were a little busy saving us from the psycho footballer.”
“I know. It just kills me that I wasn’t there when you hit the water. That you had to go through all that to begin with.”
He was a protector. It pulsed in his cells, beat in his heart. Which, dammit, was why he wouldn’t let this go any farther.
“Let’s get a shower,” she whispered, her teeth chattering now.
He led her into the bathroom and turned on the water. As it warmed, he gently peeled off her wet clothes, then skimmed his hand over her cold skin. “You have goose bumps.” He quickly stripped, then stuck his hand in the stream of water. “It’s warmer than you are, anyway.” He stepped into the large tub, helped her in, and positioned her beneath the spray.
The warm water cascaded over her, and she tipped her head back and fully immersed herself in it. Even when it reached a hot temperature, she was still shivering. She leaned forward, realizing that Sax was standing outside the warm water. She pulled him in, intending to step back. Instead, her arms slid past his waist, up his back, and hooked over his shoulders.
He wrapped her in his embrace, kissing the top of her head. “Go ahead, darlin’, let it out. My sister got into a car accident once, and she held it together through the whole investigation. The moment she sat in my passenger seat, she fell apart.” He stroked from the top of her head all the way down to her bottom. “Let it all out.”<
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Safe in his arms, with his honey-coated voice, she did. With everything she’d seen and felt, she cried it all out with her cheek against his chest. Thinking he was dead, or at the least, injured. The moment she realized Darius was another enemy and making that decision to run. Facing him again at the cliffs. And Willie, aiming his gun at them. Even though both men were going to kill them, watching them die was traumatic. And now, the thought of never seeing Sax again.
He soothed with soft words, one arm holding her close, the other stroking her. She gripped him as though she might flow down the drain with all of her tears. And finally she reached the last of them. Her body wasn’t shaking anymore.
She looked up at him, his blond hair plastered to his head, his green eyes so kind. “You’re a nice guy.”
He smiled, his hands coming up to brace her face. “You’re a nice gal.”
Her smile faltered. “I’m not ready to never see you again, Sax. We’ve only had a few days together. And yes, they’ve been intense days. I want more. More time to know you in a normal setting. To…” fall completely in love.
As though he’d heard that final thought, he brushed his fingers back into her hair. “Exactly why we shouldn’t spend more time together. Give yourself a couple weeks, get all this, and me, out of your system.”
“A couple of weeks. You think that will do it?”
He brought his thumb to her lower lip. “I hope so.”
“Sounds like you’re hoping for yourself. But you usually get over an infatuation in a couple of days, right?”
“Yeah. Exactly.”
“Does this feel like those infatuations?”
“No.” Those gorgeous eyes swept her face. “This feels nothing like them. But—”
“No buts,” she said, using it the way he had earlier. “You helped me to see how much I’ve been living in my comfort zone. With Lane. With my upcoming job. I’ve had this sinking feeling whenever I think about that job. As much as I like and respect the men there, most of them have known me my whole life. They’re going to talk about my dad all the time, and it’s going to make me sad. And I’m not sure if George is ever going to retire. I went to the college where my parents met, and with friends I’d known since high school. I need to break away. I want to live a little more dangerously. If that means taking a chance with you, I’m willing to do that.”
He gave her a mock admonishing look. “How come you get a but, and I don’t?”
“Ha, funny.”
“I’m not willing to take a chance of hurting you. I saw that pain on my momma’s face my whole life. I won’t put that expression on anyone’s face. Especially yours.” He traced his finger across her jawline. “Promise me that you won’t make any big decisions in the next couple weeks. You just went through a traumatic experience, which can make everything feel more…intense. Life-changing. It might be affecting your judgment.”
“Maybe you’re right.” Maybe.
The look of pride and affection he gave her tightened her chest. “So you’ll wait two weeks? Chill?” She nodded. “Let me know what you decide to do.”
He’d left the door open. Sort of. But there was more than just Sax’s genetics and his compulsion to protect her from it. They had lives on opposite sides of the country. And…maybe he would forget about her.
He brushed his thumb across her lip. “You’re an amazing woman. And stronger than you think. You’re going to have a great life.” He leaned down to kiss her.
The moment their lips touched, his phone rang. He cursed, still managed to kiss her quick, then stepped out of the shower. Water rained down his magnificent back as he grabbed for the phone. “Yeah?…okay, we’ll be ready.” He disconnected and snatched a towel from the rack. “That was Knox. Chase is bringing his dinghy to shore now. The authorities will fly in about forty minutes from now. You going to be okay rehashing everything?”
His words about her being strong reverberated through her. She nodded. “I’ll be fine.” But a part of her didn’t feel as though she’d be totally fine. Not without ever being able to explore this thing between them.
—
Sax had been through this full-scale aftermath before. While most of the jobs he’d done since joining The Justiss Alliance had been fairly simple, a couple had exploded like this. He’d been peripherally involved when Risk and Addie had been hunted down, literally. When Julian’s girl was nabbed by some nasty outlaw bikers. During this part, with all the questioning and taking investigators through events, Sax saw both men constantly check on the women involved in the case. Saw their desperation to be with their ladies, bodies tensed as they fought the urge to stalk over and comfort them during their recounting of harrowing events.
Sax felt that now as he watched Jennessy wipe a tear from her eye as she told the investigator about the fall from the cliff. They’d taken over the offices at the resort, with Sax on one side of the reception area and Jennessy on the other. She glanced over at him, as though sensing his attention on her, and gave him a tremulous smile before turning back to the official.
Holding her in the shower, God, he could have stayed there for hours. She’d felt vulnerable in his arms, and he wanted to make her happy and safe forever. Dammit, he wasn’t ready to never see her again either. Which was why saying goodbye now was even more necessary.
He’d made painful decisions before. Joining the SEALs rather than taking a position at the family business. Leaving again to join TJA. The right decisions for the right reasons. So was this one.
She probably wouldn’t forget him in two weeks, but time would soften these intense feelings. He hoped they would do the same for him. Well, of course they would. He wasn’t wired that way, after all.
Yeah, you keep saying that, but…
There was that damned but again.
“Mr. Cole?”
Sax snapped out of his thoughts and turned back to the investigator, who’d been busy taking notes. “Yes?”
“I t’ink we’re done here. We will probably have more questions, but we have what we need for now.”
“Did you find the clipboard I told you about?”
“Yes, but it’s all in code. Without Reed or Willie to decipher it, I don’t know how helpful it will be. But we have our best man working on it.”
Sax stood. “What about the dealer’s boat?”
“Did you find them yet?” Jennessy came up beside him, accompanied by her investigator. “Were any women there?”
“We have raided their compound. Detained six men, taken three women into protective custody. Lots still to do, to find.” He focused on Sax. “You did a fine job putting that tracker on their boat.”
Sax nodded, but the praise seemed like nothing compared to busting a trafficking ring. “Are the women all right?”
“They’re doing fine. It’s the ones they’ve sold we’re most concerned about. Finding them. The traffickers dumped two computers into the ocean as we barged in.”
Sax’s chest tightened as he turned to Chase. “We could help find the women, couldn’t we?”
Chase stood from where he’d been monitoring the questioning. “We’re always available to lend our services. I have a data-recovery expert in Annapolis on retainer. Amy’s the best in the business. And, as you can see, we’re more than capable of cracking cases.”
The man smiled wide. “Yes, you certainly are. I would like you to come with me to Nassau, where their compound is, have a look.”
“We can do that,” Chase said. “I have to return the yacht there anyway. Boys, you up for a boat ride?”
“Hell, yeah,” Knox said. “When do we leave?”
Chase looked at his watch. “Now. Sax?”
He tried hard not to look at Jennessy. He wanted to fly to Nassau with her, nab a few more minutes together. Make sure she was all right. “You bet,” he said, though he wasn’t quite as enthusiastic as Knox. Would it be completely obvious to ask if they could take Jennessy with them, so she could fly home from there? Yeah, no doubt.
Besides, the three of them would be debriefing, planning their next course.
“I need to make a reservation to fly home,” she said.
Oscar emerged from his office, looking drained and still in shock. The man who’d been questioning him headed over to confer with his fellow officer, and Oscar came over. He looked at Sax, then Jennessy. “I’m so sorry for what my brother did. Almost did. And for what Reed and Willie did to you. And mostly, for not being as sympathetic as I should have been.” He rubbed his temple. “I’m so stupid.”
Jennessy put her hand on his arm. “Sometimes we don’t see what’s right in front of us.”
He smiled in gratitude at her understanding. “If you would like to stay, I would be happy to have you as our guest, for as long as you’d like.”
“No, but thank you. I’m so ready to go.”
“I’ll arrange for your flight out. Yours, too,” he said, including Sax.
“I’m good, thanks. Take care of her.” Dayum, had his voice gone wonky on those last words? He cleared his throat, then thought, screw it, and pulled her in for a hard hug. “Take care of yourself.”
“I will,” she whispered.
He forced himself to step back and look casual.
Oscar gestured for her to follow him to the lobby where they could make her flight arrangements. She glanced back at Sax once, then walked through the door.
“You so fell for her,” Knox said, and he started singing Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust.”
Sax wiped his hand down his face, hoping to erase anything that might give him away. “I like her, that’s all. She’s a nice gal. Last thing she needs is a guy like me in her life. Come on, let’s roll.”
That’s what he would do. Keep rolling. Stay the course. And try like hell to forget about the curly-haired beauty who’d snagged his heart.
Chapter 21
TWO AND A HALF WEEKS LATER…
Sax sat at his small kitchen table and listened to the voice message for the umpteenth time.
“Hi, Sax, it’s me. Jennessy. Well, it’s been two weeks. And guess what? I still miss you. You may be in acceptance of your genetic burden, but I’m not. I’m mad enough for both of us.” She took a quick breath. “I really hadn’t meant to say all that. I hope there’s one of those options to delete the message and rerecord it. Okay, so I wanted to let you know that I waited the two weeks and thought a lot about what I want to do with my life. I’m going to look for a position somewhere new.”
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