Tropical Tryst: 25 All New and Exclusive Sexy Reads

by Nicole Morgan

  I follow Theo out of his suite. We stand in front of the door to the room now being occupied by the Vances. Even though I still have my key to the room it feels awkward just to let myself back in. So I knock.

  Mrs. Vance opens the door. She seems surprised to see us. “Brooklyn…Theo…come in.” She opens the door wider so that we can step inside.

  “I should probably give you my room key.” I pull it from my pocket and hand it to her.

  She snatches it from my hand more quickly than I expect her to. Then slips it into the pocket of her slacks.

  I gasp when I notice Mr. Vance talking with two people dressed in business attire. I wasn’t expecting anyone else to be in the room.

  The man and woman march over to me and Theo as soon as they notice us. They both look like they’re in their early 30s. The woman is significantly shorter than the man, but no less intimidating. Neither one of them smile when they approach us.

  “Who are you?” The woman glares at me.

  I resist the urge to say, “Who are you?” right back to her. “I’m Brooklyn Winters,” I say instead.

  She nods. “Addie’s roommate.”

  “And you?” She points to Theo.

  He clears his throat. “I’m Theo Hunter.”

  The woman frowns. “And what’s your relationship to the family.”

  “No relationship…I’m a friend of Brooklyn’s.”

  “This is the crises response team,” Mr. Vance says as he joins us. “They were sent by the insurance company.”

  Theo and I exchange a glance. “Insurance company?” I ask.

  “The company I work for has kidnap ransom insurance for all employees and their family members. Engineers are asked to go into some dangerous areas in the Middle East, Africa and South America. It’s a precaution.”

  “Who would have thought we’d need to use it for a Spring Break trip in Florida?” Mrs. Vance laughs nervously.

  “I’m Emma Garcia, the lead negotiator.” Her tone is clipped. She’s all business. “And this is my associate, Ben Walker.”

  I’m not sure what to say or do. Emma removes a notepad and pen from her suit jacket pocket. “Why don’t you tell me what happened when Addie was taken?”

  My face heats. “I…um…don’t remember a lot. I believe I was drugged. We met some guys on the beach. They were playing volleyball. They invited us to have drinks with them. We met them at the pool bar. Addie said she wasn’t feeling well. One of the guys offered to take her back to the room. The next thing I know I passed out.”

  “Would you describe the men for me?” Emma says.

  “Matteo has dark hair and bright blue eyes. He’s well-built and attractive. He’s the one who bought us drinks. Isa has dark hair and eyes. Very muscular. Riker is the one who offered to take Addie back to the room. He’s the shortest of the three, but stocky. Brown hair and eyes.”

  I leave out the part about Addie having a photo of the men on her phone. When I glance over at Mr. and Mrs. Vance they’re listening to my statements much less intently than I expect them to be. If it was my child who had been kidnapped I think I’d be much more interested in every detail.

  Unless I was the one who set the whole thing up and already knew the details.

  “Is there anything else you can tell me?” Emma looks deep into my eyes as if she’s trying to decide if I’m telling her the truth or lying.

  “I don’t think Addie ever came back to the room. Her bed didn’t look slept in.”

  Emma eyebrows raise. “Were you in your room that night?”

  I cough nervously. “Theo took my back to his room.” Then I quickly add. “I slept on the couch.”

  “I was worried about Brooklyn,” Theo pipes in. “I didn’t want her to be alone.”

  “We found Addie’s phone dumped in a mangrove swamp,” I add.

  Emma closes her notebook and extends her hand. “I’ll need that.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t have it. I gave it to Mrs. Vance.”

  “I don’t have it,” Mrs. Vance says quickly. “You’re mistaken, Brooklyn. You didn’t give me her phone.”

  “Yes, I did. I handed it to you earlier.”

  Mrs. Vance turns her attention to Emma. “The entire situation has obviously been stressful on Brooklyn. She’s confused. She never gave me the phone.”

  I’m so stunned by her outright lies that when I open my mouth no words come out.

  Emma looks me up and down. Then she says, “I’ll need that phone.”

  “Get it from her.” I point to Mrs. Vance.

  Mrs. Vance gives a nervous laugh. “I don’t have it.”

  As Emma looks back and forth between the two of us, Theo steps up to Emma. “I saw Brooklyn give the phone to Mrs. Vance.”

  Mr. Vance steps up next to Theo. “No, she didn’t. He’s lying.”

  It’s a standoff. Two against two. Emma’s face scrunches and her mouth turns into an angry line. “I need that phone.”

  Mrs. Vance crosses her arms in front of her. “I don’t have it.”

  I place my hands on my hips and glare at Mrs. Vance. “Neither do I.”

  There’s no doubt in my mind now that the Vances are someone involved with the kidnapping. There’s no other reason to lie about the phone.

  Emma takes in a deep breath. “One way or another I’m going to get that phone.”

  The room is so filled with heated tension it feels like a sauna. A buzz from Mr. Vance’s pants finally relieves some of the pressure.

  He removes his phone from pocket and glances at the message. “It’s an email from the kidnappers. They want us to bring the money to the beach right next to the lighthouse at dawn tomorrow.”

  Emma and Ben exchange a glance. Then Emma says, “Are there any other instructions?”

  Mr. Vance clears his throat. “Don’t call the police or Addie is dead.”

  “Email them back,” Emma says. “Ask for some kind of proof that she’s still alive.”

  Mr. Vance types on his phone for a few moments. “Done.”

  Almost immediately there’s a buzz on his phone. He frowns. “My email bounced back as undeliverable.”

  “We normally don’t pay the ransom without some kind of proof of life,” Emma says.

  Mrs. Vance sniffles. “We need to get our baby back.”

  Two days ago I would have thought she was genuinely upset. Now I wonder if she’s just a good actor.

  “We’ll go to the exchange tomorrow with the money,” Emma says. “But no payment will be made unless Addie is there and she’s alive and healthy.”

  Mrs. Vance snuffles again then wipes at an imaginary tear on her cheek.

  She’s a really good actor.

  Emma removes two business cards from her jacket pocket. She hands one to me. “If you think of anything else, don’t hesitate to call.” Then she hands a card to Mrs. Vance. “Please let me know right away if you hear anything else from the kidnappers. My associate and I need to make arrangements to secure the funds. We’ll be back first thing tomorrow morning. Sunrise is at seven, so we’ll be here at six to pick you up.”

  After Emma and Ben leave I turn to Mrs. Vance. “Why did you tell her that I didn’t give you Addie’s phone?”

  She has a completely blank expression on her face. “I don’t remember you giving it to me.”

  “I handed it to you right after we told you we retrieved it from the mangrove swamp.”

  She shakes her head. “I don’t recall that.”

  She’s either lying or she’s crazy. Maybe both. Either way I feel the desire to escape.

  As if Theo is reading my mind, he says, “Maybe we’d better go back to my room.”

  “Great idea.”

  CHAPTER 10

  “What now?” I ask Theo as I pace the living area of his suite.

  “Maybe we should tell Emma Garcia what we know,” he suggests.

  I stop and face him. “I don’t want Addie to get in trouble.”

  “If she’s involv
ed in a fake kidnapping she’s already in trouble. I don’t want you to get in trouble for withholding evidence.”

  “Withholding evidence?” My stomach knots. “Emma and Ben aren’t cops. They work for the insurance company.”

  “If the Vances are engaging in insurance fraud we should tell the insurance company everything we know.”

  “Maybe you’re right.” I rub my brow. My head is still killing me. “But I can’t help feeling like I’m betraying Addie.”

  Theo places his hands on my shoulders and looks into my eyes. “Addie’s the one who dragged you into this. Did you even stop to wonder why she paid for your trip to the island?”

  I frown. “How did you know she paid for my trip?”

  His eyes fill with panic. “You told me.”

  I don’t remember telling him that. “Are you sure?”

  He nods. “Let’s phone Emma and tell her what we know.” He seems eager to change the subject.

  “Fine.” I pull her card from my pocket and dial her number.

  She answers on the first ring. “Garcia.”

  That seems like an odd way for someone from an insurance company to answer her phone. “This is Brooklyn Winters…”

  “What can I do for you?” she says quickly.

  “I…um…I wanted to let you know what I saw on Addie’s phone. Before I gave it to Mrs. Vance.”

  “I’m listening.”

  The woman really is all business. She doesn’t waste any words. Everything she says is sharp and to the point. “There was a photo of the kidnappers in her text messages. She received it before we met them on the beach. And in her deleted items folder we found an email from the university. They were threatening to kick her out of school because she hadn’t paid her tuition.”

  “How were you able to read her messages?” Emma asks.

  “I guessed her passcode. It was her cat’s birthday.”

  “How did you retrieve her phone from a mangrove swamp?”

  “Very carefully,” I quip.

  There’s silence at the other end of the line.

  “Because of the snakes and alligators.” Jokes are much less funny when you have to explain them.

  “How did you know that the phone was in the swamp?” she clarifies.

  I clear my throat. I don’t want Theo to get into trouble. “We tracked her phone.”

  “Is that everything?” Emma’s tone is brisk.

  “I guess so…” Her reaction is much less enthusiastic than I anticipated.

  “If you think of anything else, you have my number.” She ends the call without even thanking me.

  “That was rude,” I say under my breath.

  “What did she say?” Theo asks.

  “Not much.”

  When he tries to pull me into his arms I push him away. “I’m sure I never told you that Addie paid for my trip. How did you know?”

  My head is spinning I’m so confused. If Theo was somehow involved in the kidnapping, why would he insist that I call Emma Garcia to give her information? Something just doesn’t add up.

  Theo heaves a long slow sigh. “I didn’t want you to find out this way.”

  “Find out what?”

  “Please don’t be mad…”

  My eyes narrow. “When someone prefaces what they’re going to say with don’t be mad, it’s usually a surefire sign that the other person is going to be furious.”

  “I work for your dad and your uncles. They recently hired me to update the computer system at the security services office. Your dad said he’d pay me extra to fly to Florida for a week to keep my eye on you.”

  My body slowly fills with anger. I become so enraged my arms start to shake. “You lied to me.”

  He shakes his head. “I never lied to you about anything. Everything I’ve said about myself is true. I just didn’t tell you the whole truth. Please don’t be mad.”

  “Too late,” I spit.

  He tries to take my hand but I pull it away too quickly. “I can’t believe my dad paid you to babysit me behind my back.”

  “It sounds a lot worse when you say it that way. He was just worried about you.”

  “Was he going to pay you extra to sleep with me?” I shoot daggers at him.

  He swallows hard before he speaks. “I think your dad would kill me if he knew that I touched you. I just couldn’t help it. I really like you. A lot.”

  I place my hands over my face in an effort to stop myself from screaming in frustration. I take in a few deep breaths to calm down before I say something I’ll regret.

  “This vacation sucks,” I say finally. What was supposed to be a week in paradise has turned into a trip from hell.

  Theo laughs. Hard. When I remove my hands from my face and glance over at him he’s cracking up.

  “You think it’s funny that my Spring Break is a disaster?” I spit.

  “At least we’ll have a funny story to tell our kids when they ask how we met.”

  My eyes go wide. “What are you talking about?”

  He’s already got us married with kids and we haven’t even had a proper date yet. And right now I’m so angry at Theo I could spit bullets at him. Doesn’t he see that?

  “You can’t tell me that you don’t like me. A lot. You practically begged me to sleep with you.”

  I scowl at him. “I didn’t beg.” Did I? “Anyway, that was before I knew you were a traitor working for my father.”

  “If I’m so bad why haven’t you packed up your stuff and left already?” When he looks into my eyes I get shivery again. Ugh, why do I have to find him so attractive? I’m supposed to be furious at him.

  “That’s just what I was getting ready to do.” As I march into the bedroom he follows right on my heels.

  “Where are you going to go?” He crosses his arms in front of him and gives me a self-satisfied grin.

  He’s right. I have the hundred dollars my father gave me. That’s barely enough money for food. I don’t have the funds to spring for a three-hundred-dollar-a-night hotel room. Sanibel Island isn’t cheap.

  I plop down on the bed and weep. All the tension must have finally come to a head. And now I’m releasing it in a major sobfest.

  Theo kneels down on the floor in front of me. “I’m truly sorry. I had no idea I was going to fall for you.”

  “What do you mean?” I sniffle. “Fall for me?”

  “I wouldn’t have agreed to take the babysitting job, as you call it, if I had any idea that I was going to have these feelings for you.”

  “What feelings?” I press.

  “You know what feelings.” He gently moves his thumb across my cheeks and wipes away the tears that have dampened them. “I can tell you feel them too.”

  He’s right. As angry as I want to be at Theo I’m still hopelessly attracted to him. There’s no way I can stay mad at him for very long.

  “I’m going to give the money back to your dad.”

  “I think you should keep it.”

  He shakes his head. “It doesn’t feel right anymore.”

  “I’m actually really surprised that you kissed me now that I know that you’ve met my dad. And you know how protective he is of me. And you know how big and tough he is.”

  “He is quite intimidating. There’s no doubt about that. And I know how much he cares about you. But I care about you too. And I want to be with you. I’m not going to let anything stop me. Not even your overprotective father.”

  I rub my temples. “I’m so confused right now. I need some time to think.”

  “Okay…”

  “Alone.” I rise from the bed and slip my flip-flops on. “I’m going to get some fresh air.”

  Theo rises. “Maybe I should come with you.”

  “I know you’re a smart guy. I’m sure you know the definition of alone.”

  “I want to make sure you’re safe.”

  I roll my eyes. “Now you’re starting to sound like my father.”

  “Is that really such a bad thing?”
Theo ask.

  I heave a frustrated sigh. “I’ll be on the beach.”

  CHAPTER 11

  Theo is following me as I roam down the white sand shore. He is giving me my space, staying a few hundred yards behind me, but it’s not quite the same thing as actually being alone. If I’m being honest, I’m glad to know he’s there. That he’s concerned about me. That he wants to make sure I’m safe.

  Maybe it’s not so bad that he’s a little like my father after all.

  As much as I complain about my dad being overprotective I know it’s his way of showing me that he loves and cares about me. Maybe there’s merit to the psychologists’ claims that we’re attracted to people who resemble our parents. Theo doesn’t look like my dad, but he definitely has his overprotective qualities.

  “Are you still mad at me?” I hear Theo call from behind me.

  “It’s only been five minutes,” I shout back.

  He lets out a loud sigh. He’s just as dramatic as my father is.

  “Fine,” I concede. “You can walk with me.”

  Theo is by my side within seconds. He hands me a sand dollar. “For you.”

  It’s a flawless specimen. “Thank you.”

  “It’s a flower from the sea.” He points to the lily-shaped design on the curved side of the sea creature. “As unique and lovely as you are.”

  I laugh. “You really do come up with some cheesy lines.”

  “I didn’t think it was bad for an IT guy. I’m a computer geek, not a poet.”

  “I told myself that I wasn’t going to fall for another nerd.”

  He raises an eyebrow. “Does that mean you’re falling for me?”

  “I never said that…”

  He grins. “It was implied.”

  “Don’t get too cocky. I’m still mad at you.”

  “What did you mean by another nerd?” he asks.

  I let out a sigh. “The guy I dated in high school was President of the Math Club. He scored with every girl in the club behind my back.”

  “I would never do that.”

  Theo sounds sincere and I want to believe him. “You did lie to me already.”

  “I also told you the truth.” He stops in front of me and looks into my eyes. “I would never cheat on you. I would never do anything to hurt you. That I can promise.”