by Wilde, Raina
“What?”
“I have the evidence that you need. All of it.” Emily repeated.
“What do you mean? How could you have…?” Ben cocked his head and looked at her as if he was seeing her with new eyes. “What is your name?”
Emily chewed on her lip, knowing that if Ben thought that she had anything to do with Casper’s criminal activities she would be in deep trouble.
“Emily Parker.” She watched as his gray eyes narrowed and then widened in disbelief.
“Lorenz’s girlfriend?”
“Ex-girlfriend. I didn’t know he was a criminal.” Emily clarified and Ben swore dramatically.
He ran his hand over his face and started pacing the room again. He never seemed to stand still, she thought. Suddenly, he started going through her duffel, pulling her toiletries and undergarments into a haphazard pile on the bed.
“It isn’t in there. That’s why I can’t leave the ship. I’ve hidden everything for safekeeping. I thought if Casper came for me and couldn’t find the disks that he might keep me alive, but now I realize that it just made everything more complicated.”
Ben shook his head again in disbelief. Despite the dangerous turn of events he was smiling, which made Emily a bit nervous.
“What do you mean by disks? I need you to be very clear about the type of evidence you have before I decide if it is worth staying on this ship.”
“It’s everything.” She began, but hurried on after seeing that he wouldn’t accept that answer. “A few months ago one of Casper’s employees started joking, in front of me, about all the terrible things they’ve done and all the money that they made selling drugs. He thought, with me being Casper’s girlfriend, that I must have known. I hadn’t. Casper was furious that I had found out that way. Suddenly, the man who’d told me was gone. I used to see him every day and then one day he just disappeared.” Emily found herself pacing the small room now. The motion seemed to calm her nerves as she told her story.
“I knew at that point,” she continued, “when all of the other employees gave me a wide berth, that Casper had the man executed. Casper told me that I was never to leave his home without permission, ever again. That was when I realized that there was no chance of me getting out of there alive unless I had evidence to bargain with.
“I waited a month for my chance. You say his home is a fortress, and that’s true, but I had access to everything from the inside. Now that everyone was avoiding me, I had plenty of opportunity to collect anything that I needed.”
Ben perched on the edge of the bed as he listened to her story. Emily knew that if he believed her she might be able to get him to help her achieve her goal.
“What do you have?” he asked.
“Everything.” She repeated. “Video surveillance of everyone inside the complex and also from two of his remote delivery sites. He kept tapes of everyone involved so that no one could turn against him. I took all sorts of secret photographs that show the layout and security of the complex, guard counts and rotation times.”
Emily could see that Ben was practically salivating at her information. It was everything his team needed to complete a successful mission. She knew, however, that the last bit of information was the most important.
She took a steadying breath before she continued.
“On the day that I finally decided to make a run for it, Casper and his men were away on business. I booked a cabin on this ship under the name of an old friend, Bethany Stark. I thought that I would be safe if I stayed away from regular transportation. I never thought that Casper would be able to find me.
“I knew that I needed something really important in case I wasn’t able to reach the American authorities. If I couldn’t get home there was potential that I would have to bargain for my life. I decided to keep the evidence separate from my cabin so that any chance of Casper recovering it depended solely on my being alive.” She paused. “The morning that I left I stole three primary hard drives from the computers inside of Casper’s main office. Two of them contain all of the coded information about their dealings, including names and quantities. The third hard drive contains the program that deciphers the code.”
When she stopped talking she and the military operative stared at each other in silence for what felt like an eternity.
Finally, Ben swore under his breath.
“Where is the evidence hidden?” he asked.
She knew that he was trying to formulate a plan but with her life on the line she wasn’t certain that she wanted someone else calling the shots. Especially not a Navy SEAL determined to complete the mission of a lifetime. She had made it this far alone and she would not risk the chance that he might take the evidence and leave her at the mercy of Casper Lorenz.
Emily shook her head.
“I’ll retrieve it on my own.” She explained. “If you want to stick around, that’s fine, but I’m calling the shots.”
“You have no tactical experience.” He argued, standing up from his seated position. “I’m the professional and if you want to get off this ship alive you are going to have to trust me.”
“Not going to happen.” Emily moved to stand toe-to-toe with the SEAL. “I recently found out that my boyfriend of two years is a world-renowned drug lord and you think I’m going to trust my entire future to some macho beef stick that I just met ten minutes ago?”
“Did you just call me a ‘beef stick’?” Ben cocked a half grin that revealed his amusement at her terminology. He looked down at her upturned face. Emily watched his pupils contract as he raised a hand to her cheek. “I think you are confusing your types of hunger, sweetheart.”
Emily knew she was blushing. The intimate tone made her pulse jump in a way she couldn’t explain, and refused to examine. She suddenly realized how close they were standing; their bodies aligned in such a way that his enormous body overshadowed her slender form.
His gaze moved to her lips causing Emily’s breathing to become shallow.
Slowly his head descended and hovered mere centimeters from her own. She knew that his hesitation was meant to give her a chance to withdraw but she also recognized the challenge in dominance for what it was.
Leaning forward she pressed her lips against those of this practical stranger and was swept into an absolute tidal wave of sensation.
Emily wrapped her hands behind Ben’s neck and pulled his body closer to her own. His hands came to rest on her hips as she tantalized this stranger with a confidence that she had never exerted with any other partner.
She uncharacteristically took control of the encounter, rubbing her body against the hard length of his and governing his opened mouth with her plying tongue. She couldn’t explain what had taken her over, only that it was exhilarating and she wanted to explore the limits of her prowess.
She felt his body harden against her stomach and the low groan that slipped from the man’s mouth signified that this naturally controlled man was hovering on the edge of mayhem.
With a slow smile Emily drew away from Ben and watched with pleasure as he took a series of slow, calming breaths. She knew that her confident exterior masked the turmoil that was boiling inside. It was essential that she not reveal her reaction to this man. She would give him no tool with which to manipulate her trust, as Casper had.
“Like I said,” she managed to expertly control her voice into a cold, but sexy tone, “I’ll take your help, and suggestions, but I’ll be calling the shots.”
Five minutes later Ben had returned from gathering his belongings from the cabin down the hall. They had determined that her room was the safest due to the fact that she had used an alias that, Emily assured, Casper would not recognize. If Lorenz had criminals working on the ship it would not take him long to search the passenger list for Ben’s photo I.D. in an attempt to question him about sending them on a wild goose chase. Ben’s name was falsified, though his photo was not. Emily had used both a false I.D. as well as her friend’s image. Casper would have no reason to visi
t Bethany Stark in room 204.
An hour after Ben’s return, the pair listened intently to a gathering of men on the deck signifying that they had, in fact, attempted to gain entry to the Navy SEAL’s room. Ben had left enough belongings in the room to ensure that Lorenz’s men thought that he simply had not returned for the night.
“Hide your weapons and take that boat back to the mainland.” Casper commanded. “Tomorrow you will spread out on the ship until you find her, but you must blend in. Those damn Americans are watching us and I won’t have them suspecting that we have access to the cruise lines.
“When you find her you must hold her until it is dark enough to remove her from the ship without disturbing the passengers. That is the most important thing. No one must suspect our presence. When you get her back to the complex, do whatever it takes to recover the hard drives. I don’t care if you have to break every bone in her body. If the Americans get their hands on that information every major player in the trade is going to call for our heads on a platter. You find her and you find her fast.”
Finally, the voices receded. Moments later Emily heard the rumble of the speedboat racing off toward the mainland.
For the first time in what felt like hours she released her breath.
She looked up to see Ben, lounging on the bed, with a massive grin on his face. He was looking at her as if she were Mrs. Claus bringing Christmas early.
“How does such a small person cause so much trouble?” he asked with a voice full of wonder.
Emily shrugged. She did not think the situation was as amusing as he appeared to have found it. She leaned back into the plush armchair that she had been perched anxiously on for the last hour.
“What do you do for a living and how did you get involved with Lorenz?” He spoke again. Emily was already annoyed with the man that she would be trapped in the same room with for the foreseeable future. Weren’t military men supposed to be quiet? Why did he have to ask so many questions?
“I really don’t think this is any of your business.” Emily snapped a gruff reply.
Ben held his hands up in a gesture that implied that he meant no offense. He apologized for the question in such a sincere way that Emily felt terrible for her rude response. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, knowing the stress and sleep deprivation were wearing on her attitude.
“I met him while touring Europe.” She explained with quiet resignation. “We crossed paths in multiple cities which led Casper to introduce himself. He was traveling alone, without his usual entourage. He was really charming.”
Emily tried to remember how magical that trip had seemed. Her meeting with Casper had seemed almost too good to be true. Now she realized that it definitely was. She had been having the romantic encounter of her dreams, while he was likely traveling with a low profile in order to make covert contact with his widespread drug peddlers.
“What do you do when you are not touring Europe and dating world class criminals?”
Emily released a sardonic laugh. She could not believe that her life had truly come to this. She continued to laugh at her predicament with a slightly hysterical chortle that had Ben repeating his question about her employment.
“I’m a writer.” She giggled. “That’s how I have the free time to travel Europe and date shady villains. You’ll never believe what I write. That’s what is so darn funny.”
Ben waited for her to continue. She would bet that he thought that she was certifiably crazy at this very moment.
“Adventure novels.” She took a few moments to calm herself down before continuing. “I write silly adventure novels about all sorts of exciting events and you know what?,” she piled her hair on top of her head and secured it with a band from her wrist. “This is not nearly as fun as it is for my characters. In fact, this is downright scary and I really just want it to be over with.”
“I’m sorry that you aren’t enjoying your adventure.” Ben teased. Emily found that his joke actually made her feel better. The fact that he could make light of the situation had a calming effect on her.
“For the most part, I just feel as if I’m about to have a heart attack at any moment. Does that go away?” She figured that a Navy SEAL must have had enough adventures to fill a thousand novels.
He smiled again, revealing perfectly straight teeth and a single indent in one cheek that might barely pass for a dimple.
“Not really,” he shook his head, “but you do learn to use the adrenaline to keep you focused.”
“I don’t feel focused.” She admitted. “I’m exhausted.”
Ben moved from his position on the bed and pulled back the covers.
“Get some rest.” He instructed. “I have a feeling, with those men keeping an eye out for you among the passengers, that we are going to be trapped in this cabin for awhile.”
Emily slipped into the bed, not bothering to change from the jeans and t-shirt that she had been wearing. Ben pulled the covers up and tucked them gently around her shoulders.
“Are you going to sleep?” Emily asked quietly. Not, she thought, that there was any place for him to rest comfortably without joining her in the bed. She tried not to think about that scenario.
“Not yet.” He settled into the armchair that she had just abandoned. “I’ll keep the first watch.”
Emily slept deeply for the first time in months. Something about the powerful man seated by the window allowed her to feel safe, if only for the moment. As she drifted through a dreamless state she was grateful that she was no longer in the situation alone.
The next morning, Emily woke in a tangle of bed sheets. She stretched her arms toward the ceiling feeling blissfully rejuvenated.
With a shock, she realized that she was alone in the cabin. Ben no longer held his position in the chair across the room. His black duffel bag no longer rested at the foot of her bed. He had abandoned her.
In a panic, she vaulted out of bed. The sheets remained tangled about her legs causing her to land with a crash, and a grunt, on the floor.
Seconds later, as she lay kicking her legs in an attempt at freedom, Ben came bursting out of the bathroom, gun drawn and completely nude.
Emily’s eyes sprang open as she tried to look anywhere but at his naked body that was dripping streams of water onto the carpeted floor.
“Oh, crap!” she exclaimed, realizing that her interpretation of his absence had actually been his attempt at taking a shower. Emily rolled over onto her stomach and pressed her face into the carpet. She clenched her eyes in an attempt to erase the image that now seemed burned into her mind. It was unnatural for a human body to be that perfect, she thought. Then she found herself wondering how ALL of his body was equally tan. Was that natural or did he have a habit of sunbathing in nothing but skin?
Emily groaned again as she mentally pleaded with her mind to end its dangerous train of thought. She repeatedly tapped her forehead on the carpet in an attempt to drive away the memory of his rigid muscles and toned abdomen.
“Geez!” he exhaled. She heard him re-activate the safety on his gun. “I thought you were getting attacked out here.”
“Nope. It’s just me.” She waved a hand in his general direction in an attempt to shoo Ben back into the bathroom. “Go away. Go back to what you were doing. I’m fine.”
Rather than return to the shower, Ben pulled the sheet from her legs in one swift motion. Emily, now free to move, remained in her position on the floor. There was no way she was moving before she heard that door close firmly behind him.
“I’m decent.” He informed.
“Just go.” She continued to wave him away.
“Emily,” she heard the bed groan as he sat down upon it, “I’m sorry that you had to see me naked.” He was laughing, she realized. The man was laughing!
She did not, however, know what he was apologizing for. As far as Emily was concerned, she had just witnessed the most delicious male form that she had ever laid eyes upon. It was not a moment that she would soon forget. She o
nly remained on the floor, she convinced herself, in protection of his modesty.
Clearly that was something he had in short supply.
Emily flopped over and stared at the decorative bronze ceiling tiles. In her peripheral vision she could see that Ben was sitting casually on the bed with the sheet wrapped around his waist. His torso, however, remained bare.
Suddenly she sat up and stared at him in shock.
“What are you doing with a gun?” she demanded. It had only just occurred to her that he had burst into the room with a lethal looking handgun and a powerful stance as he had aimed for the kill.
“Why wouldn’t I have a gun?” He replied with nonchalance.
“Fair enough.” She sighed and chewed her lip. “Do I get one?”
“Do you have a license?” he asked.
“No.”
“Have you ever shot a gun before?”
“No. But, you could teach me.” she said hopefully. A gun would make her feel much more prepared to face Casper.
“Where would I teach you?” He cocked his head at her like a parent who is humoring their child. “In this cabin? I don’t think so.” Ben shook his head. “No. You can’t have a gun. Unless you tell me where the evidence is hidden, then I might consider it.”
“Come on!” Emily found herself scooting across the floor as she begged. “How many do you have in that bag?”
“I have enough.” He stated this with a finality that informed Emily that their conversation about the weaponry was over. “May I finish my shower?”
“Yes.” Emily mumbled as he sauntered away. She found that the ability to hear the water running on the other side of the wall elicited a series of entirely inappropriate images to flash through her mind.
The first day, and the next, passed with relative speed, much to Emily’s surprise. Ben helped Emily to dye her blond hair a dark chestnut brown and chop the length to land just above her shoulders. The change was remarkable. In combination with stuffing her bra, and wearing heels beneath over-long pants to mask her height, Emily was able to leave the room for short durations to procure food.