by Stella Kelly
“Morning, everyone,” the agent addressed the boys and Jacque. He then walked into the living room to apologize to the entourage and discuss what had happened the night before.
Chapter Thirteen
“Agent Kensing wants to take the first shift today. That means I’m free until four o’clock. I think it might be his way of making amends for leaving me to take care of everything on my own last night,” Cole said.
“So you’re all mine for the next four hours then?” Katrina was hopeful.
“Yep. What do you propose?” Cole asked with curiosity. He knew Katrina was still fragile and didn’t want to tax her in any way.
“Something fun. Would you like to go snorkeling with me and get lost in an underwater world for a while?”
“When?”
“After lunch.”
“Sure, sounds fun,” Cole said.
“Good,” Katrina kissed him quickly before they entered the side door. “Because fun is all I have in mind from now on.”
The numb reality of last night’s aftermath began to burn away as everyone at the mansion golfed, relaxed on the beach, and swam in the ocean. They lost themselves in the activities usually enjoyed on a luxury holiday. Having put the drama behind them, everyone easily slipped into a renewed sense of relaxation.
Katrina suggested that she and Cole take the SUV and explore the island. It would be nice to get away from the mansion for a while. Agent Kensing had looked at Cole sideways, his eyebrow arched in a questionable expression when Cole had informed him that he would be accompanying Katrina on a site-seeing adventure. Cole hadn’t given a damn. And when Helene had asked if Katrina could give her a Pilates lesson, Katrina informed her that it would have to wait until after 4pm. When Katrina gave the reason, Helene smiled and winked at her knowingly. “In that case, Pilates can wait! Enjoy every minute together.”
Feeling liberated for the first time in many years, Katrina smiled easily, reaching over and touching Cole’s arm often and putting a hand on his knee as they drove around the island. She felt completely comfortable with him now and the feeling was mutual and reciprocated. Cole couldn’t keep his eyes or hands off her either. With only two days left together, time was fleeting and they shared an awareness of this charged urgency.
Back at the mansion a while later, Cole and Katrina had joined the staff and entourage for a tropical drink on the patio before heading down to the beach to snorkel. They’d asked if anyone wanted to join them, but everyone had had their fill of sun for the day and chose to lounge around the shaded, air-conditioned house.
Wearing a jade-green bikini, Cole couldn’t take his eyes off Katrina’s taught belly, trim thighs, and endless curves that were not overt, but discrete and mesmerizing. Her dark hair was pulled back into a hapless ponytail and her youthful, natural beauty defied her thirty years. She looked at least ten years younger. Since her father was of British descent, Katrina had a few freckles dotting her bronzed cheeks. Her ease at acquiring a golden bronze tan was the result of her mother’s Portuguese heritage, along with her long dark hair.
Katrina noticed Cole’s attire too. He had stripped off his white linen short-sleeved button-down and she couldn’t help but stare in admiration of his physique. Once again, she couldn’t get enough. His long swim shorts hung low on his muscular waist, a v-shaped muscle leading to regions Katrina would love to explore. His rippled abdominals clearly indicating a man with discipline, a man who cared for his health and his overall appearance. She’d caught a glimpse of his tight abs when she’d given him a massage earlier in the week and she’d laid a hand on them during her Pilates session, but that had been through a sweaty tee shirt.
“I didn’t know if I’d have my chance to see you in your new Bermuda shorts.”
“Well, get a good look.” Cole raised his hands and laughed.
“Oh, I’m looking alright. There’s no avoiding the view.”
“Trust me, the feeling’s mutual.” Cole devoured her with his eyes some more. She stared right back without a care or interruption in the world, and she was burning with unbridled desire. Katrina couldn’t help but feel uplifted, free just being in close proximity to him. Although she felt pangs of guilt and sorrow for how things had turned out for Cameron, she was also aware that he had made his own destiny. It really had nothing to do with her. It could very easily have been reversed, with her resting on a cold slab in the Bermuda morgue. Things could have been much different.
As Cole turned toward the water, his hands resting on his hips, Katrina admired his muscular back. He was all man. Standing at six-foot four, she’d never met anyone so tall in all her life. Her family’s height gene was on the shorter side. Katrina stood at five-foot-four, still considerably taller than most of the women in her family, especially on her mother’s side. Katrina walked forward and joined him at the water’s edge, reaching out to hold his hand. He squeezed it and smiled down at her knowingly before pulling the mask that rested around his neck up onto his eyes. He suddenly resembled a strange sea-creature.
“Well, how do I look?” he asked, his voice muffled by the pinching rubber around his upper lip.
“Smashing darling, just smashing!” Katrina laughed out loud. It felt so good to joke and be silly again. It had been years since she felt like she had permission to be herself. Cole reached down and slipped on his fins and Katrina did the same before pulling up her own mask and placing the air nozzle into her mouth. Like two Charlie Chaplin’s, they turned and waddled backward holding hands into the water, laughing hysterically while trying not to choke on the rubber nozzles. There was nothing sexy about it, just unmistakably hilarious.
The ocean was calm today, inviting. They waded out deeper and deeper until the water was at thigh level. Turning to face forward, Cole dove under in one fluid motion. Katrina followed, the cool water engulfing them invitingly as they entered a different world. The marine life instantly surrounded them, the colorful fish approaching curiously and swimming in circles around the couple as they flutter-kicked to and fro. Parrotfish, angelfish, butterfly fish, and sergeant majors darted here and there in their underwater home. Skimming the top of the water, Cole reached out and grabbed Katrina’s hand again, comforted in the act. It seemed like second nature now. He didn’t even care if Agent Kensing saw them. Agent Prickly was no longer Cole’s concern.
<><><>
“And I’m telling you, there’s only one Secret Service guy here. I’ve been watching for the past hour and there’s only one, and he’s an old guy.” A husky man dressed in black hunkered down low on the top of the stone wall. With binoculars perched in his hands, he gazed into the open living room window and observed the scene before him from a safe distance.
“Just be on the lookout for others. They usually assign two for a casual trip like this. One is unusual. Just be on guard.”
“Yeah, sure, whatever.”
“Don’t take that tone with me, David. This is serious. This is our retirement here. Don’t blow it. Everything’s been arranged for you, so no excuses. I just need you for the dirty part and the payoff’s worth it.”
“Okay, we’ll get it done.”
“When are you making your move?”
“In fifteen minutes. The guys are already geared up and ready. I’ve been going over this plan for days now. It’s time we made our move.”
“Just keep me posted. And remember, never use my name.”
“Sure, yeah, okay.”
<><><>
“That was breathtaking. Just incredible!” Cole couldn’t contain his joy at the experience once they were back on the sand. With towels spread out side by side, they basked in the hot sunshine drying off. Cole leaned on his side facing her, propped on his elbow. Reaching out, he traced her curved eyebrow with a finger and winked. “It’s been ages since I’ve gone scuba diving or snorkeling. I forgot how otherworldly it could be.”
“Otherworldly? You really are a preppy private school boy, aren’t you. Did you study Shakespeare sonnets in ki
ndergarten by any chance?” Katrina asked lightheartedly.
“No, more like Keats.” Cole rolled onto his back and closed his eyes, his arms above his head. Katrina stayed on her side, watching him. Studying him. She liked what she saw.
“So can we count ourselves lucky that we didn’t run into a shark out there?” Cole asked, feeling her eyes on him.
“No, there aren’t many sharks in this bay. The Portuguese man-of-war pose the only danger to swimmers in Bermuda.” Katrina informed as she sat up and ran a handful of sunscreen down her tanned arms.
“You know those Portuguese, they can be very, very deadly,” Cole said seductively.
Katrina looked over in surprise at his generalization and then realized he was toying with her. He opened his eyes, looking over for a response. “Don’t’ you remember telling me your Mom was Portuguese, Spitfire?”
“Right. I’d forgotten.” Katrina grinned. She kept rubbing the lotion up and down her arms and legs and Cole watched her rhythmic movements with growing interest. The action reminded him of another rhythmic exercise he wanted to take part in with Katrina.
“Can I rub some on your back?” she asked, catching him stare.
“That’d be nice, thanks.” Cole rolled over and laid his head on his folded arms while she rubbed the lotion in circles making sure not to miss a spot. Cole was instantly reminded of the massage he’d enjoyed before. “So when am I going to have the chance to repay your massage? I bet it’s not often that someone gives you one, am I right?”
“I’d love that. Anytime.”
“How about later tonight? I’ll have another three hours of freedom then.”
<><><>
Katrina sensed the intimacy between them kick up a notch. Although she’d resisted it, she now felt fully committed to the idea. “Okay, sure.” She tried to sound casual, but internally her adrenaline was spiking. She was sure Cole could feel the heat transfer from her hands to his irresistibly scorching skin. There was no denying her desires and Cole was opening that door for her. She would walk through willingly. Her anticipation was almost too much to bear.
As they talked, she felt herself begin to finally relax even more. There was something solid about Cole and the life he led. He reminded her of all the hopes she’d once possessed before she’d met Cameron. He represented renewal. Looking back now, Katrina recognized that there had always been a little part of her that knew deep down Cameron wasn’t the one. But she’d been desperate to be loved by him, as if he were a project, an accomplishment. Now, she realized that she had been his project too…and his livelihood – his violent obsession.
“Thanks for the protection,” Cole said as Katrina fell back on her own towel and sprawled.
“See? At least I can protect you from the sun. We share a mutual need. You save my life, I save your skin.”
“Yes, a mutual need. I love that we share that,” Cole smirked playfully and Katrina laughed.
She rolled up on her side and slipped her sunglasses on, staring him down. “Tell me more about your life in New York,” she asked.
“About my family or my neighborhood?”
“Both.”
“Well, I had a pretty amazing childhood in the city. My parents brought my brother and I to the country every summer, or Europe, China, Australia. You name it, we went.”
Amazed, Katrina thought back to her humble yet immensely loved childhood with her parents. “Wow, that sounds terrific. To be given those kinds of opportunities at such a formative age. The impact must have been tremendous.”
“It was. But even still, as a child if you see one famous monument or museum, you’ve seen them all. The interest level just isn’t there yet. That came later. As I began to realize how many opportunities I’d been given, a huge respect for my parents intensified. I’m so grateful for everything I’ve experienced, and for them. I’m blessed.”
“Will you see them again soon?”
“Hopefully. I have quite a bit of time off coming to me, so I’ll probably fly home after this assignment and see them. Time with my father is precious now.”
“Of course it is,” Katrina said as she thought about his word ‘assignment’. She couldn’t fool herself. This was, after all, Cole’s job and she was ultimately part of his ‘assignment’, nothing more. Though she wished she was.
“How about you? What was your childhood like in Maine?”
Katrina thought for a moment. “Lovely yet simple. My parents had me in their late thirties.”
“Only you?”
“Only me. So I was pretty much the center of their universe. That being said, they had lived full lives together before I came along, so they had a special bond before I entered the picture. They’ve always had each other and I can still see that. It’s something to emulate.”
Cole nodded. “They must have been so worried about you when you told them about Cameron’s behavior. And then having to leave.”
“I could tell it was extremely painful for them. They never really took a liking to Cameron. I guess parents have an internal meter for what’s right for their children. My parents saw right threw him.”
“I’d love to meet your parents. I wonder what they’d think of me?” Cole asked innocently enough.
Taken aback by the honesty of his statement, Katrina swallowed hard. A man wanting to meet her parents meant something significant. It meant he didn’t view her as simply an extension of his assignment after all. As she was about to answer, they heard three gunshots firing from the mansion. Although the beach was quite a fair distance away, there was no mistaking the sound. Cole sat up immediately, perking his ears in the mansion’s direction.
Chapter Fourteen
“What the hell?” Cole jumped up and ran over to his small backpack. Shoving his arms through his button-down yet keeping it open, he slipped on his sandals.
“That couldn’t have been…” Katrina said as they heard another shot fired.
Cole put a hand out. “Wait.” He listened more but heard nothing until the silence was broken by a random scream.
“That’s Mrs. Greenbaum,” Katrina said breathlessly.
“Stay here, Katrina. I have to go and see what’s happening.”
“No, Cole. I’m coming with you,” Katrina said in desperation.
Cole looked back at her. “Okay, but we have to stay down and approach the mansion from the most sheltered angle. That means the far side near the cliff where Noah almost fell, not the staircase.”
“Lets go then.” Katrina could sense his urgency.
Hugging close to the alcove, they wound their way along the jagged base until a gradual slope began. The slope led to the golf course and as they began their ascent, Cole stopped and held Katrina’s arm.
“Do you hear that?”
“What?” Katrina stood still, listening. The unmistakable whir of a golf cart drew closer. Cole put an arm across Katrina’s back and gently pressed her into the jagged earthen wall of the alcove as he too leaned in. This way, they were hidden from view from above. They could tell the golf cart had stopped at the top and whoever was driving was scanning the beach below in much the same way Cole and Agent Kensing had that first day at the mansion.
“Maybe it’s Agent Kensing?” Katrina practically mouthed the words.
Cole shook his head. “We don’t know for sure. Stay here. I’m going to climb the slope and see if I can get a better look.”
Letting go of her back, Cole moved away from her slowly, making sure to stay as close to the alcove wall as possible. Katrina instantly felt the void between them and an isolated sinking feeling took hold. She tried her best to shake it off. Her concern was more for Cole now. Without his gun, he was as vulnerable as anyone else.
“Be careful, Cole.”
<><><>
Cole turned and smiled at her tenderly. Climbing stealthily up toward the golf course, he stopped just short of being exposed. He peered up above the crest quickly, taking in the surroundings before ducking back down. In th
at split second, he spotted the golf cart parked at the brink a short distance away. Agent Kensing was definitely not the driver. Two men donning black outfits and wielding machine guns stood in front of the golf cart staring down at the beach. Cole looked back toward Katrina and signed for her to keep still and stay quiet. Looking up again, Cole assessed the men’s size and description. Coming back down, he suddenly heard them speak.
“Nothing down there. I don’t know what he’s talking about. There’s only one Secret Service guy here and that’s taken care of. What the hell are we supposed to be looking for, the invisible man?”
“Listen, lets just do our rounds when we’re asked and make it look like we’re doin’ somthin’, kay?”
“I can’t believe we’re in already. It just seemed too easy. There has to be something missing, somethin’ Wilco forgot.”
“As long as we don’t get caught and as long as we get the money, it’s all the same to me.”
“That kid’s pretty small. I thought eleven-year-olds were bigger.”
“Means he’s easier to push around. This is going to be damn easy.”
“Let’s go back.”
“Give me a minute. I want a quick smoke.”
Waiting for the bigger of the two men to finish his cigarette took eternity. When they finally hopped back into the golf cart and sped away, Cole sprinted down the slope to Katrina.
“Did you hear?” he asked.
“Every word. What should we do?”
Cole already had a game plan. “I have to get back to the mansion and get my gun. I also have to find out how many there are and what happened to the entourage and staff. It sounds as if they’ve incapacitated Agent Kensing, and that could mean the worst. They’re after money.”