by Oliver, Tess
“I’ll be right with you,” I called without looking up.
“Take all the time you need,” an unfamiliar, deep voice drawled from behind. There was a suggestive lilt in his tone.
A corner of the paper tore off but the majority of it was still clenched tightly in the jaws of the fax machine. I straightened and turned around. A massive guy with a closely shaved head, goatee, and a string of neck tattoos filled the tiny office space. He was one of the sketchy-looking guys from the airport.
He glanced down at the corner of paper in my fingers. “Allow me.” He lumbered over to the fax, reached down, and yanked the paper free. With a smile he handed me what remained of the offer.
“Thank you so much.”
“My pleasure. You must be Jayden.”
“Boone?”
“In the flesh.” He held out his tree trunk arms. “And plenty of it too.” The front window vibrated with his booming laugh. He grinned down at me and made no effort to hide the fact that he was checking me out. “Ahh, that Nick has always had a keen eye for fine females.”
I ignored the comment and walked back to my desk. “Nick should be here soon. I’ll call and let him know you’ve arrived.” The front door opened as I reached for the phone.
“Boone,” Nick said with surprise. Pierre and Taylor followed behind. “I told you Pierre could pick you up at the airport. Why didn’t you call?”
“I texted Pierre two hours ago,” Boone answered.
All eyes fell on Pierre. The man made a good show of creasing his brow and pulling out his phone to look at it. “Ah, yes, I see your text.” He shrugged and shoved the phone back into his pocket. “Must have missed it somehow,” he said dryly. “Well, I’m meeting a lady friend for some cocktails, so I’ll be seeing you all later.” Pierre dashed back out without another word, leaving a moment of tense silence in his wake.
“I see he’s still not a fan of mine,” Boone said.
Nick waved it off. “You know how he gets.” He led Boone to the back but stopped first at my desk. He looked down at me for a moment before speaking. Even in the short span of time, it felt like he’d reached down and brushed the side of my face with that damn gaze of his. “Jayden, I’m expecting an offer on the fax machine. Could you watch for it and let me know when it arrives.”
I held up the offer and the missing corner. “It’s here. Must have been a good one because the fax machine didn’t want to give it up.”
The side of his mouth turned up as he took the paper from my hands. He glanced back at his friend. “I take it you’ve met Boone already.”
Boone stepped forward. “She did.” He clapped Nick hard on the shoulder. “And let me just say— I approve.”
“Yeah, like I need your approval. Come on. Let’s talk in the back. You too, Taylor.”
I watched them disappear into their secret men’s room and wondered briefly just what the heck the last part of the conversation meant.
Chapter 15
The early evening sky was that perfect combination of rosy pink and periwinkle blue that only seemed possible here in Tahiti. I’d taken my glass of wine out to the back porch to soothe my mind in the comforting breeze. My moments of quiet reflection were occasionally interrupted by loud, thunderous laughter that only men who’d downed a twelve pack could produce. Pierre had never returned, and I wondered what it was about Boone that had him so irritated. He seemed like a genuinely great guy, the kind of friend any man would want as a buddy.
My wine had warmed too much, and I placed the glass on the table behind me. The screen door scraped open and two giant figures stepped out onto the porch. Nick and Boone flanked me on each side of the bench. A cloud of beer fragrance surrounded me. Nick’s arm pressed casually against mine and I scooted closer to Boone.
“Now that is a picturesque sunset,” Boone said with a slightly drunken slowness to his words.
“It is beautiful here,” Nick said, “but I think I’d go stir crazy if I had to stay here too long. Being surrounded by water almost makes me claustrophobic.” While equally inebriated, Nick’s words were sharp and crystal clear. He was always in complete control, and I found it totally annoying. Just once I would have liked to have seen him thrown off balance.
Boone looked over at Nick. “So your mom has you locked here in paradise? Poor little rich boy.” The words were meant to tease, but there was something oddly serious about them.
“Fuck you, Boone. It wasn’t all roses growing up with my mom. Besides, you chose to run away from home as a teen. We all live with our decisions.”
“Yeah, and you saw how quickly my stepfather dashed out to find me once I left.”
I had walked out onto the porch to clear my mind of grim thoughts and found myself sandwiched between two giant men lamenting about their rotten childhoods.
“All right,” Nick said, “you win for worst hand dealt. And I’m not locked here. Once the office is thriving, I’ll be hiring some local realtors to take over. Then we’re heading back to Los Angeles. Pierre was out all day purchasing furniture.” His face turned to me but I kept my gaze on the sunset. “You’ll be getting that fancy chair you’ve been dreaming about. Even if it is just for sitting,” he added quietly.
“So how did you end up with this guy as your boss?” Boone asked.
“The classified section of the paper,” I said.
Boone stood and leaned against the porch post. He looked rather menacing with his ridiculous shoulder span and booze glazed eyes twinkling in the moonlight. He smiled down at me and then looked at Nick. “Shit, Dragon, only you could put an ad in a newspaper and end up with a jewel like this.”
It was the first time I’d heard anyone call Nick by his nickname. “So you two were in the service together?” I asked.
“Yep. We always had each other’s back, right Nick?”
“That we did.”
“But there were some definite drawbacks having this guy as my friend. Every time I thought I had something good going with a girl, Nick would show up and that would be the end of it for me.”
Nick heaved his empty beer can at Boone, and it bounced off his stomach as if it had hit a steel wall. “You’re so full of shit.”
“It’s true. You were just too damn oblivious to notice. You were so used to walking into a room and sweeping up everyone’s attention, you didn’t notice us poor dudes left in your starry wake.”
It was obvious that these were two men had been through a lot together. It seemed they shared a deep bond, but I sensed some anger from Boone that Nick didn’t seem to notice. Maybe the alcohol had thrown him off balance more than I’d realized.
“You’ve had too much to drink,” Nick said. “Your head is filled with all kinds of baloney tonight.”
Boone pushed off the post. “You’re right. I’m heading to the couch. Looks like you two want to be alone anyhow.” He walked inside.
“Is he always like that?” I asked.
“Like what?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. I mean I only just met the guy, but he seems a little on edge.”
“We’re all just tense because of the problems we’re having. Drinking makes him grumpy too. He never wants to admit it, but he’s sort of a Jekyll and Hyde when it comes to too much beer.”
I covered a yawn. Sitting alone with Nick was making my chest ache again. There just wasn’t anything to say between us. “I guess I’ll head in too. Good night.”
I stood to leave but Nick grabbed hold of my wrist. He didn’t look up at me but he held me tightly.
“Are you leaving me, Flash? Are you going back home?”
Hearing the nickname, coupled with the true sound of sadness in his tone, made my throat tighten.
“I don’t know, Nick . . . maybe.”
He held me a moment longer the
n his grip loosened. I dragged my hand from his fingers and headed to the screen door.
“Don’t go, Jayden,” he said quietly.
I walked inside and headed to my room. So much for my peaceful time on the porch.
Chapter 16
I swirled the shrimp around my plate, and it dawned on me that I wasn’t really all that crazy about seafood. Of course, my appetite still had not returned and there were no cheese puffs or orange sodas to provide sustenance. Several times throughout the last few days I’d wished that I’d been back on my couch wearing my pajamas and completely ignorant to the existence of Nick Regent.
“What’s going through that pretty head of yours, J.J.? I’m worried about you,” Pierre said across the table.
I forced a smile. “There’s nothing to worry about, Pierre. Just feeling a bit forlorn. I think I’m homesick.”
“And heartsick,” he added. He waved a waitress over and ordered a bottle of wine. “This lunch needs a boost.” He put down his fork and reached across the bamboo placemats and took hold of my hand. The thin lines around his eyes, that added warmth to his smile, creased deeply. “Jayden, I don’t know everything that’s happened between you and Nick these last few days but I do know my friend, and he’s hurting. He truly cares for you, J. J.”
“Not enough to trust me though.”
He let go of my hand and poured the wine the waitress brought to the table. “Nonsense. He was just upset that day. He wasn’t thinking clearly.”
I sipped some wine. “He embarrassed me in front of you and Taylor. He accused me even though Taylor had already tried to convince him it was Francesca. How do I forgive that?” I pushed my plate away. Food held little appeal. “I really like Nick but I can’t forgive him.”
Pierre refilled my glass. “I’m sorry things didn’t go well for you here, Jayden. You have so much potential.”
“Thank you, Pierre.” I was anxious to drag the conversation away from Nick and me. “Pierre, do you mind if I ask why you dislike Boone so much?”
He grinned as he chewed a bite of food and swallowed. “It’s that obvious, eh?”
“Well, it’s not quite as obvious as your wrath for Francesca, but it’s pretty clear you don’t like the guy. Is there a specific reason for it or is it general dislike?”
He seemed to be considering his words.
“If it’s too personal, you don’t need to tell me. I was just curious.”
He peered up at me over his wine glass. “I’ll tell you but promise me you won’t say a word to Nick.”
“Considering our conversations are limited to business talk, that should not be a problem.”
The din of the crowd grew as both locals and tourists poured in to the small restaurant for the lunch hour. Pierre put down his glass and leaned closer. “Boone had a secret fling with Francesca while she was still engaged to Nick. I showed up at Nick’s one day to return a book I’d borrowed. Francesca opened the door dressed only in a bed sheet. She told me Nick wasn’t home and that she had been taking a nap, but I caught a glimpse of Boone’s jacket draped over the couch. I had planned to tell Nick but he broke it off the next week. So I never told him.”
“Can’t say I’m surprised. That Francesca has slut written all over that surgically enhanced face of hers.”
Pierre laughed. “I wasn’t surprised about Francesca, but I never thought Boone would do something like that to Nick. They were best friends. But I’ve hated him ever since.” He took out his wallet to pay the bill and waved away my offer of money.
“If Francesca and Boone have a history then maybe he’s her contact in South America,” I suggested.
“That occurred to me but Boone’s history with Nick is much greater. I can’t imagine he would have any part in it. Francesca knows a lot of the same people Nick knows. It’s hard to pinpoint who’s on the other side of this, but I’m sure Frankie’s in it for money. She’s a golddigger, that one.”
I slid out of the booth and he put out his arm for me to take. “Thank you for this, Pierre. I needed it.”
He patted my hand that was wrapped around his arm. “Me too, J.J., me too.”
We were not three steps out of the restaurant when his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket. “I’m still on lunch break, Nick,” he said sharply.
I could hear Nick’s deep voice through the phone. Pierre stopped suddenly. His expression turned grim. “What do you mean disappeared?”
His mouth dropped open as he listened to Nick for a moment. “I’ll be right there.” He hung up.
“What’s the matter? Did another shipment disappear?”
Pierre grabbed my hand and dragged me through the crush of people streaming along the sidewalk. “It is much worse than that. Nick’s brother, David, had fallen ill with a mysterious fever. They put him on a boat to take him to the hospital in the capital city but he never arrived. He has disappeared. And now Nick is going to fly to South America to find him.”
Nick was at my desk talking on the phone when Pierre and I got back to the office. He kept combing his long hair back with his fingers, highlighting the stiff, strained expression on his face. Taylor stood over the desk waiting for word from Nick.
Nick lowered the phone and scrubbed his face with his hands. “I’ve tried every medical facility in Brazil. No one has heard of Dr. David Regent. Where the fuck could he be?” He slumped in the chair. “What the hell am I going to tell my mom?”
I walked over and put my hand on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Nick. If there’s anything I can do . . .” I knew the suggestion bordered on silly, but there was nothing I hated more than feeling useless in a bad situation. As I pulled my hand from his shoulder, he reached up, took hold of my fingers, and pressed them against his mouth. He closed his eyes and held my hand a long time. There was so much anguish radiating from every inch of him, it took all my will not to cry.
Boone burst out of the back office and Nick released my hand. “I got us two tickets to Brazil. We’ll have to go completely out of our way with a stopover in Los Angeles first and then we’ll catch a connector to South America. We need to hurry though. The flight to L.A. leaves in three hours.
“Great,” Nick jumped to his feet. “Boone and I can take the bike up to the house so I can pack. Pierre, you come by and pick us up in an hour so. You can drive us to the airport. Taylor, you stay on that computer and phone. Let me know if you hear anything.”
“Of course, Nick.” Taylor walked over and put a hand on Nick’s arm. “And watch yourself over there.”
Nick nodded and followed Boone out the door. I stood stock still in the middle of the room feeling as if I’d just received a hard slap in the face. Taylor and Pierre obviously sensed my hurt.
“He’s just upset,” they said in unison. They had perfected the art of making excuses for their friend.
I bit my lip to keep from crying and bravely soldiered back to my desk. The blinds on the front door vibrated as it swung open, and I spun around with a gasp. Nick strode toward me, grabbed me none-too gently by the arm, and pulled me toward his office. He slammed the door shut behind us and pushed me against the wall. I had no time to utter a protest or even a gasp before his mouth came down roughly over mine. I held tightly to his shirt as he kissed me. It felt as if all the blood had left my head, as he lifted his face and gazed down at me.
“Whatever you decide, Jayden, I just wanted you to know how I felt before I left.”
I’d barely recovered from the kiss when he released me and stormed back out of the office.
***
I sat at my desk in a semi-hypnotic state trying to make sense of my feelings. I was determined not to fall into a stupor over Nick again. But the intensity of his kiss was hard to ignore. I scooted toward my keyboard, deciding to occupy my mind by answering some of the business’s email, when my
foot kicked something beneath my desk. The object scooted across the floor. I stood from my chair and peered over the desk. It was Nick’s cell phone.
I walked around to the front of the desk and picked it up. “Pierre,” I called, “Nick dropped his phone.”
Pierre walked out of Nick’s office. Taylor followed. “Jeez, he’ll definitely need that. I’ll take it to him right now,” Pierre said.
“Wait, Pierre, let me take it to him.” The man was flying off to a remote place to face possible danger, and I’d never even told him good bye. It occurred to me that I desperately wanted to see him once more before he left.
Pierre smiled. “Of course, but are you sure you can drive on these crazy roads?”
I put my palm out for the keys. “Are you kidding? I’m from Los Angeles.”
Taylor laughed. “She’s got a point.”
Pierre handed me the keys. “Hurry though. They’ll be leaving soon and by now Nick will be going crazy looking for his phone.”
I flew out of the office and pulled out onto the busy road. I snaked through the annoyingly slow traffic and found the warped palm tree. The tires chirped as I rounded the corner and sped down the long road.
A van was parked in front of the house. I had not expected to see anything but the motorcycle. I could only assume that Boone had decided to call a shuttle to take them to the airport. I was relieved they hadn’t left yet.
I threw the car in park and jumped out. A large man who resembled a thug more than an airport driver was just lowering something into the van. Another man jumped out of the van. He slammed the door shut and twisted around abruptly as he sensed me approaching. My heart jumped into my throat and an instinctual rush of adrenaline coursed through my body.