by Cyndi Raye
Sara gathered him in her arms and held him. Her sweet words whispered in his ears. He felt responsible somehow for taking that piece of wood and starting what would be the demise of his own parents, but he had to keep Sophie safe.
“You’ve been the parent ever since, haven’t you?” she asked.
“I guess so. I tried to give Sophie a stable home. I got a job to support us and when she graduated school, I sent her to college. That’s when I joined the academy. I wanted to make sure criminals like my Father were brought to justice.”
She took his face in her hands and made him look at her. “You’ve done that Joshua Eden. You’ve brought down one of the biggest names in criminal history of the last ten years. It’s time to give yourself a life.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because my sister and your brother are now on a luxury Cruise ship heading for Key West. In the next couple of hours, a thug more sinister than you can imagine will be walking off that ship with them. They are going to be heisting a line of jewels that’s going to be displayed in a hotel here for a diamond convention. I got my orders earlier today. I’m going in to get my sister back and to bring this jerk down before anyone else gets hurt.”
“Leave it up to those involved in the case, Josh. You don’t have to do this again.”
“I do have to. The moment my sister walked into this life, I promised I would always keep an eye on her. I sent her to college but she didn’t want a big career. She wanted to help others like I was doing. She’s a good agent, but she doesn’t have the experience like I do. Wouldn’t you do the same?”
She nodded. “I would do anything to help Morgan.”
“Perhaps she can help him,” Art said through the door.
Josh unlocked the library door and flung it open. “Art, are you listening to our conversation?” Josh stalked towards the man as he backed up to the wall.
“No, Josh, hold on! I turned the sound back on as I was coming down the stairs to find you. I swear!”
“You little weasel, I’d say you are lying through your teeth and you’d be eating my fist. But, since you’ve always been honest, I’m going to take you at your word. What’s so important?”
“Orders have come in that when the Cruise ship gets ready to leave port, you will be on it with another agent, disguised as a married couple. The problem is, we don’t have a female agent to be your ‘wife’ so I thought maybe-”
“No.”
“Josh, I do have some say in my own life.” Sara reached out and touched his arm. “Didn’t we have this conversation a few moments ago on how I would help Morgan? Now’s my chance. Let me help.”
He turned to her, agonized. She was right. He would do anything for his sibling. “I’m trained for this, Sara. You are not.”
“Josh there’s something else.”
All eyes turned to Art, who backed up a step at the intensity in Josh’s eyes. “We have one other agent inside, who’s very close to Lane. Word is they are suspicious of Morgan. Right now they are trying to find out if Sophie is really his sister. It’s only a matter of time before Morgan is confronted. I’ve seen some suspicious things going on that you and I need to discuss. Seems that Sara left a note for Morgan with her landlord and someone may have spotted it.”
Sara gasped, remembering how she wrote the note and left it there for him the day she arrived in Key West. “Morgan’s in grave danger! Oh Josh, you see, I have to help get this straightened out.”
Josh paced back and forth. “Let me see how this can all work out.” He gritted his teeth, undecided. “I can’t let you here, Sara and I can’t take you with and do my job.”
Art turned to him. “You better figure out something and fast because the ship sails in to port in one day.”
Chapter 7
Sara stretched and smiled before shooting out of bed. She wanted to get breakfast done so the two could talk. Last night after Art came in to the library, Josh had to leave for a while and so the two men took off. She laid awake for hours afterwards listening for the sound of his footsteps. Around three in the morning, she heard them pass her bedroom right outside the door. This agent stuff was starting to become quite intriguing. Yes, she worried about her brother, but Josh reassured her Morgan was an expert the field.
Somehow, Sara believed him.
If she were going on this cruise ship, masquerading as his wife, she’d need to dig through some clothes and come up with a list of what to take along. A quick trip to one of the local shops would be on the agenda this morning for a gown to wear to the formal dinner.
Josh was in the kitchen, along with Art and two other men. The two men wore uniforms and spoke to Josh in quiet voices before slipping through the garden doors.
“Who are they?” Sara asked.
As she poured a cup of coffee, Josh leaned in to give her a kiss and spoke in a low, serious tone. “There will be a delivery this morning. Act as if you are stocking it away and take the four boxes to my room. Put them inside and make sure the door stays locked. Here’s the key.”
She held out a hand, but instead, he placed his mouth over hers in a way she never expected. A warm tongue shot in to her mouth but then she felt the hard, cold piece of something being stuffed in her cheek. Her eyes shot open wide when she realized he gave her the key via tongue.
“We’re being watched,” Josh mumbled. He moved away and began to pour another cup of coffee. Sara stifled a smile, amazed. The man’s whole demeanor changed overnight. She stood beside a real secret agent sleuthing like in the movies. “Go get that key out of your mouth and tuck it away.”
She reached in to the cupboard and pretended to lose her grip on a glass, knocking it off the counter on to the floor with a crash. She screeched and bent down to clean up the broken glass. Sara reached under the sink for the little brush and dust pan and after cleaning up, walked down the hall to the garbage can to get rid of the glass. There she slid it deep in to the pocket.
Success! This secret agent stuff agreed with her. When she went back in the kitchen, there stood the guy with the book reader, Mr. Smith, leaning up against the counter waiting on coffee. He didn’t say a word, not even a nod.
“Good morning Mr. Smith,” Sara greeted, oblivious to the fact he never said it back. She was use to the silence, even if he was a suspicious character and a possible thug. “It’s going to be a great day, you may want to check out the Butterfly Emporium,” she told him, smiling. “I have special discounted brochures in the lobby. Help yourself.”
Sara buzzed around the kitchen, gathering the food the down town cafe delivered each morning for breakfast. She made prior arrangements with them because she was no chef in the kitchen. She decided to pay for it out of one of the pay checks since she had no intentions of ever doing any cooking. Coffee was about all anyone would get for a morning breakfast if they let it up to her.
She set the pastries on glass plates to make it look like appealing. Josh grinned as she walked by and leaned in for a kiss. Once again his tongue probed her mouth while holding two plates of blueberry muffins. She realized he searched to make sure the key was gone. His kiss became gentle and flirtatious as he placed tiny little kisses across down her neck.
She shivered and almost dropped the plates. Sara backed away and turned, almost running smack in to Mr. Smith, who walked towards the buffet table. He reached out and grabbed her. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Smith.”
He shook his head, took a plate and set it on the buffet. She gazed over to Josh and he leaned back, hands in his pockets and dark, hooded eyes on Smith. He seemed calm and relaxed, but Sara knew he would pounce at any given time.
She left, rushing back to her room to calm down. Josh’s kiss almost knocked her to her knees. As she was about to shut the door, Josh slid inside. “That’s the reaction I want to see,” he said. “When we are on the ship, we’ll be on our honeymoon, posing as two people deep in love. You may have to act smitten again and again so everyone thinks we’re newlywe
ds.”
She frowned. “That isn’t an act, you do make me breathless. But what about you? All of a sudden you can kiss me and not have any feelings?”
He walked towards her, as if stalking and she backed up against the wall. Josh looked deep in her eyes and began to place more tiny kisses over her face, his mouth warm and soft. “Ah Sara, there’s nothing in the world I’d like more right now than to show you just how you make me feel.” His gaze burned into her, open and raw, his feelings right there on his face. “This is what I do and I’m good at it. I need you to remember that, no matter what.”
She nodded, trying to understand.
“I’m taking you along, because the only other option we have is a sixty two year old agent who no one would ever believe is my wife. We have to move this afternoon and I don’t trust Smith here alone with you. I’m not sure how the man plays in all of this, but I’m not taking any chances. If you’re with me, I can take care of you better because my guys can help to protect you.”
She hugged him. “Oh Josh, I’ll be the perfect honeymoon wife. I’ll put on the performance of a lifetime.”
He backed away. “Do everything you’re asked, Sara. There’s a code, it’s pocket watch. Follow instructions from whoever uses the code, understand?”
She nodded, excited. He looked at her again, his face so serious it scared her. “Remember, no matter what, this is all a show to get the criminals. If I do something or say anything you don’t like or understand, it’s not the real me. Do you understand this before I walk out the door?”
She frowned. “What are you saying?”
He sighed. “It’s hard for you to understand this, Sara. We’re walking blind on to this ship. Without an account of Lane’s men there’s no telling who the enemy is right now. You’re safe as long as you follow all instructions. The moment I sense danger, I’ll switch gears and you will see a side of me you won’t like.”
“Oh I doubt that, Josh. I have seen you at your worst.”
He opened the door and looked back. “You have no clue. You have your warning.”
Sara shivered. He was so dead serious. It was as if another person inhabited that gorgeous body. She doubted there was a bad side to him. Sara dodged the mirror this time and went back in to the kitchen, making mental notes of the clothes needed to take along.
An hour later, the kitchen looked clean so Sara took a bag of garbage out to the trash can in the rear of the property. A man, hunched over with long sleeves and a ragged hooded sweatshirt dug in the can. A homeless man? Sara walked closer, deciding to offer the poor fellow a meal. “Mister, stop that sir! If you need a meal, I’ll feed you one.” She reached out and took a hold of his shirt. As he swung towards her, she stepped back in shock.
“Sara, get out of here,” Josh growled.
His face, covered in dark smudges and dirt looked almost unrecognisable to anyone else, not to Sara. Those dark eyes belonged to the man she thought about day and night. “You don’t have to be mean about it, here, take this trash and go!” She shoved the bag in his hands and placed her own hands on her hips. “Go on, get out of here!” She raised her voice louder and waved her hands at him.
He gave her a grateful nod as he hugged the bag of trash and limped away. As she turned to go in the house, Mr. Smith stood across the street in the alley. He stared at the homeless man for a brief second and crossed over towards her.
“You always give your trash to vagabonds?” he asked. It was the most words said to her in one sentence.
“No,” she lied, “they dig through the can and leave a mess behind. I happened to catch this one.” She moved up the path. “Have a nice day, Mr. Smith. I hope you get to enjoy the butterflies.”
“I’d rather drop dead,” he mumbled.
She turned. “You may do that, if you keep smoking like that, Mr. Smith,” she said before stepping inside. Glad to be in the safety of the house, she cringed at the thought of the man getting to close. Sara peered out the kitchen window, the puffs of white smoke flowing around as he kept his eye on which way Josh went.
She needed to tell Josh. Art’s scratchy voice made her jump back. She shrieked.
“I’m sorry, Sara. You need to calm down. You won’t be any help unless you get your nerves under control.”
Angry eyes glared at the little man. “Who are you to tell me what to do? Josh said I don’t listen to anyone unless they use the code first,” she warned him. She sounded sarcastic, but he caused her to jump out of her sandals!
He grinned. “pocket watch.”
His face skewered up as the agent laughed out loud. Art wasn’t such a bad guy after all. She wondered why he drove Josh crazy. “By the way, Smith is keeping an eye on Josh, er, the homeless guy a bit too close.”
Art nodded. “We know. It keeps his eye off of what’s going on here.”
Sara peeked out the window at Mr. Smith as he made his way down the street after Josh. Every time Josh stopped and peered in to a trash can, Smith slid behind a tree or building to hide, but now she realized Josh played a game. It went on for some time until they were both out of eyesight.
She turned to say something to Art, but he disappeared. She peered in the dining room and looked out to the garden area, but no one was around. The house seemed too quiet. Sara didn’t quite know what to do with herself at the moment, so she spent time in the garden, reflecting on the next few days to come.
Excitement ran inside. This was a chance to show Josh she can accept a secret agent life if he decided not to leave the business.
The front door opened as the delivery man called out for a signature. Sara took the packages and set them on the floor beside Josh’s door. She fished in her pocket and pulled out the key and realized the boxes being delivered were the reason Mr. Smith got distracted by the ‘homeless man’.
Sara stepped inside Josh’s room and froze. The room looked bare, except for one small overnight bag sitting on the chair. She tip-toed to the closet and peered in to see a few items hung up on hangers. She hated to snoop, but curiosity won. He lived like he may take flight at any given time. She peeked in the bathroom and found another overnight bag filled with clothes. He lived out of luggage. Perhaps that’s the life of an agent on the go.
A hand covered her mouth and she tried to scream, petrified. Warm breath fluttered across her ear. “It’s okay, it’s Josh.”
She leaned her head back and her body went limp with relief. He removed his hand. “Joshua Eden, don’t you scare me like that, ever!”
He nuzzled her neck. “What are you doing in my bedroom?”
She moved away and wrinkled her nose. “I brought your delivery.” Her hands flew to her hips. “You smell of garbage.”
He pulled off his long hooded sweater. Next, his shirt. “I’m going to take a shower. If you don’t get out of here, I’ll have you in there with me.”
She ducked out of the room, slammed the door and slipped in to her own room. She didn’t doubt for one minute he’d do as he said. Those dark eyes of his told of hidden promises. Was he hungry for her or the anticipation of going undercover that made him daring and brave? She met the gentle side of Josh and the fun side of him while dancing, but now he seemed somehow different. He seemed darker, wilder and daring and a bit of danger lurked in the air all around him.
It made her want to be with him even more.
Sara needed to keep busy. She went through all of her clothes and decided on several outfits that would work on a cruise ship and piled them in her designer luggage. She grabbed her purse and ran out the front door, hurrying down the street to find the little dress shop she spotted. After spending an hour rummaging through clothes, she found a few casual dresses. Next, she stopped at a shoe store and after trying on several, decided to buy both pair. When it came to clothing, Sara liked what she liked and it was hard to put things back.
She enjoyed her little shopping excursion and found a shop that sold cigars. Sara picked up a few boxes of slim ones and stuffed them in her sh
opping bag. She wanted them for her new under cover look. She giggled to herself, loving the idea of dressing for a secret endeavour. Josh warned her things may get serious all of a sudden, but until it did, she planned to have fun.
Sara slowed her pace and spotted a long, formal gown displayed in one shop window. She had to have it for the formal dinner on the cruise. After trying it on she slid her credit card across the counter, not caring about the cost. She walked down the street happy with her purchases when she noticed the two old couples from the Inn. “Hi there!” she shouted, unable to wave since her her arms were full.
Four pairs of eyes stared at her in shock, looking quite guilty. Funny how this sleuthing business made you wary of others, she thought to herself. They lingered in front of a very expensive jewels shop with their mouths open. One of the ladies forced a smile. “Hi Sara. We’re resting here a moment before we head back. Do you need help with those packages?”
“No, no. I’m fine,” she said. They didn’t look like they were strong enough to carry the bags anyway. “I’m not done shopping, have a good day.” She made her way in to the jewelry shop and set her bags down beside the counter.
She smiled at the jeweller. “Good afternoon. Do you mind if I leave my bags there while I browse?”
“Not at all. Would you like me to put them behind the counter while you shop?” he asked. A young man, a bit older than her smiled. He had perfect white teeth and a beautiful face, like you would see in a magazine. Not rugged at all, not like Josh. She sighed. Why did she do that, compare every man to him?
“No, I’m not going to be here long.” Sara wandered around the shop, acting as if she were looking for something special. Her eyes kept moving to the big picture window where the two older couples stood together under the awning. As she made to turn away, Mr. Smith walks up, hands them a shopping bag, turns and disappears in to the crowd of people on the street. Sara went to the front of the shop. Did they know each other? It didn’t make sense.