by KB Winters
“I’m fine, well, unnerved obviously, but I don’t think they’re going to try and hurt me. Eventually, they’ll see that I don’t know where she is and leave me alone. As it is, I’m having my office searched by my PI to check for bugs and switched email addresses in case they hacked my old one. And I got this burner phone.”
“Smart. You’re a good student,” I said, finding a small smile. I’d taught him some basic aversion tactics after my training with the SEALs and after some contract jobs with the CIA. At the time it was a “in case of emergency” training session. I never expected him to actually have to use any of it.
“I’ll keep changing numbers, but I’ll check in as often as I can so you always have the updated one. In the meantime, Henry hasn’t formally responded to the divorce papers and this could drag out for months before they go to court.”
I stared over at the closed door to my bedroom and briefly wondered what Melissa was doing. She should be getting this same information.
“How are you guys doing?”
“We’re good,” I replied, not wanting to get into the details in case someone was listening in. “Laying low.”
“Good. Well stay off the grid and keep Melissa and Jackson safe. I’ll do what I can on my end. My PI is still digging into O’Keefe, but the problem is that everything is a clusterfuck now that this woman, Talia, is dead. Henry is cautious and it’s making it harder than ever to dig anything up. He keeps a close knit circle. I’ll give him that.”
I nodded and raked a hand over my short hair. “All right. Check in when you can. I’ll try to get word out if we see anything on our end.”
“Okay, man. Stay safe.”
“You too.”
I hung up and flopped back against the mattress. What the hell were we going to do?
* * * *
“Good morning,” Melissa said, smiling at me in a sexy new grin as I walked into the kitchen an hour later. I’d agonized over a game plan while I showered and dressed for the day. We were booked in the hotel for another day but I was getting itchy about the idea of staying still. Something was stirring in my gut but I didn’t want to let paranoia creep in and take over. A little dose of paranoia could be good—but it could also be the difference between staying alive and ending up dead. On the flip side—if you let it get a tight grip—it could make you bat shit crazy. And that was the worst thing I could do.
“Morning, Chase!” Jackson said, his mouth full of breakfast.
Melissa shot him a look and he shrugged and went back to chewing.
“Hey. Can I talk to you?” I said, cutting my glance away from Jackson.
Melissa’s eyes widened but she nodded and wiped her hands off on the kitchen towel. “Sure. Um, Jackson, baby, after you finish breakfast you can go watch the rest of your movie and then we’ll go outside, okay?”
I ruffled Jackson’s hair as he nodded and led the way out of the kitchen, Melissa on my heels. I stopped in the living room and gestured for her to sit on the couch. She did and I took the place beside her, leaving space between our knees as I twisted to face her.
“You’re scaring me,” she said, her voice laced with nerves.
“I just got off the phone with Matt.”
“Oh.”
I nodded and clasped my hands together. “He’s being followed. So far, he hasn’t been threatened again, but he changed all his private contact information in case he’s being monitored. His PI is working the case, but Henry’s laying low in the wake of the plane crash that killed Talia.”
Melissa blew out a long, slow breath and her eyes drifted off. She was just as mixed up about the news as I was.
“I think we need to keep moving. We can stay here one more night, but tomorrow morning, after we check out we need to get on the boat and go.”
“Where?” she fired back, her eyes snapping to mine. A storm was raging in her beautiful brown eyes. “Where are we supposed to go that Henry won’t find us? Is this what my life will be like now? Moving from city to city, living on a boat, occasionally getting a real fucking shower?”
She broke off and shook her head angrily, like a spooked horse.
Her reality was settling in—no—our reality.
I wanted to reach for her, to take the stress and pressure off of her shoulders, but I would only make things worse and more confusing. She needed to process this on her own.
“I’m sorry, Melissa. This is how it has to be if we’re going to keep you and Jackson safe. For a while anyway.
“Sorry son of a bitch is still controlling me and he doesn’t even know where we are!” she said, her voice sharp and her eyes dark and unsettling.
Without waiting for anything else, she looked at me, got up and stalked back into the kitchen.
Chapter Fourteen
Chase
Melissa and Jackson spent most of the day at the ocean’s edge. Jackson built a small city out of sand and found more seashells than I could keep track of. He was having the time of his life on the beaches of Mexico. His mother, on the other hand, had never looked more miserable.
And it gutted me.
I knew I couldn’t backtrack. The whole situation was out of my hands—but that knowledge didn’t take away the sting of not being able to put a smile back on her face. She’d had a couple of really good, strong days on the boat, and even the first day in Cabo. But after the bombshell dropped on her that morning, she couldn’t seem to find a way back to those feelings.
Not that I could blame her. At the end of this, I could walk away and go back to my normal life. Melissa had been forced to give up everything she knew, and there was no guarantee she’d ever get it back. Her whole life had been uprooted and messed up. I couldn’t even imagine what that’d feel like and I’d moved all over the world. But I always had a home to go back to when the job was done.
* * * *
That night, we went to the restaurant we’d dined at the first night ashore. I’d kept Jackson entertained while Melissa stewed. She was distant and checked out and it hurt to watch her so upset. The least I could do was keep Jackson from noticing. When we finished and went back to the hotel, I tried to reach for her, but she slipped past my fingertips and closed herself and Jackson off in their room for the night.
I tried to tell myself that it was for the best that I went to bed alone, but once inside my own room, it was impossible to drive out the memories of the night before and the passionate lovemaking we’d shared. The echoes of it came back to me and every time I so much as glanced at the bed, all I could see was Melissa lying on it, not a stitch of clothing on her beautiful body, and the tipsy grin she’d flashed my way as I’d stripped for her.
Eventually, it became too much. I was being suffocated by the memories and confusion left in their wake. I pushed out of bed, threw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and slipped out the back door that led into the large room. I walked around the hotel and started down to the dock. I figured I might as well make myself useful and check on the boat.
When I approached the slip, I noted there was a boat docked directly beside it that hadn’t been there when we’d come to port. Normally, I would have chalked it up to a new group of tourists, but there was something about it and the close proximity when there were so many other slips available that unnerved me. I moved silently in the shadows and rounded the boat, scanning the deck for any occupants.
Seeing no one aboard, I shook my head at my own paranoia and told myself to get it in check. I rounded the front of the strange boat on my way to Matt’s and stopped in my tracks as two voices drifted down from above.
“She’s here, all right?”
“How do you know, though? We can’t afford to bungle this,” the second man, with a slight British accent questioned. He sounded nervous.
“We won’t, but you need to follow the plan. Think of all the shit you’ll buy with the payday. Shit, O’Keefe will probably double it since we’re so damned efficient.”
O’Keefe. I knew there was something weird
about that boat.
Damn it. How had they found us? We used cash for everything. Melissa’s cell phone and tablet were hundreds of miles away. We’d left the country for fuck’s sake! How was he tracking her?
I couldn’t figure it out. There wasn’t time. The goons on the boat knew Melissa was nearby. Did they know the boat beside them was her temporary home? I sent out a silent thanks that she was actually tucked away in the hotel.
“You’re going with Marcus,” the leader said, interrupting my thoughts. “We’re going to scan this whole fuckin’ beach if that’s what it takes.”
I breathed a silent sigh of relief. They didn’t know about the hotel.
Yet…
I had to get back.
“What about the kid?”
The question made my blood run cold and froze me in place, one toe out of the shadows. Jackson.
“O’Keefe will have us killed if he’s hurt. And, you’ll also kiss the payday goodbye if he sees the mom going down. So, grab her, unharmed, then get her away from the kid and take care of business.”
Shit. If Henry ever had the misfortune of the two of us meeting—he wouldn’t walk away.
I’d take my time, tearing him to pieces, and then I’d put his ass so far underground that he’d never be found. He’d be worm food. Just as he deserved.
The voice faded and I couldn’t hear any more details. I took my chance and shot out of the shadows and ran back to the hotel as fast as my legs could carry me. I had to get Melissa and Jackson, and get the hell out before they found us.
I burst into the hotel room, locked the door, and hurried to pack up my bag before going into Melissa’s room. Most everything I had was already in my duffel bag that I’d brought ashore with me. I changed into a pair of black pants, a long black shirt, and tucked a .09 mm in the back of my waistband, flipping the shirt over it to not draw attention.
I slung the bag over my shoulder and crept into Melissa and Jackson’s shared room. In the soft shadows, I could see her lying on her side, cradling her son. I cringed, hating that I’d have to stir them both. However, at my approach, she whipped around. I nearly fell back, surprised that she’d somehow heard me and was so alert.
“What the hell are you doing in here?” she hissed.
“We have to go. O’Keefe’s—” I paused to peek over her shoulder at Jackson. He was out. “O’Keefe’s men are here. I overheard them talking on the dock. They have a boat and they know you’re here.”
Her eyes went wide, ablaze with terror in the dim lighting from the window. “What? How is that even possible?”
“I don’t know, Melissa. I’m sorry. We have to get out, back to the boat, and get away from here before they realize we’ve gone.”
“Shit.” She pressed her eyes closed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “We did everything you said…”
I nodded though she couldn’t see me. “I know. Come on, help me pack and then I’ll carry Jackson. You’re going to have to wake him though and tell him he has to stay quiet.”
Melissa’s eyes popped open and she nodded. A second later, she slipped from under the covers and my eyes raked up her long, slender legs as they stuck out from under a long t-shirt.
Holy shit.
It was neither the time, nor the place, but damn it if I didn’t feel my cock stir at the sight of her. Apparently raging horniness could override terror. The adrenaline just rolled from one emotion to the other. Creating a…tense…situation.
“I’ll get Jackson’s stuff,” she said, tiptoeing across the room. “You have a light or something?”
I clicked on the bedside lamp. “What can I pack for you?”
“I got it,” she said, her tone gruff.
I didn’t know how we’d gone from fucking like teenagers to cold strangers in the span of twenty-four hours, especially since we’d barely spoken since she’d sneaked out of my room the night before. But there wasn’t time to worry about it. If all went according to plan, we’d be back on the boat, setting back out to open water and we could figure it out then.
“Here,” Melissa handed a bag to me. “That’s for Jackson.”
Without another word, she stripped the t-shirt off, and I sucked in a tight breath at the sight of her bare naked ass. She dressed quickly and efficiently, not paying any attention to the fact that she had a very attentive audience.
Damn it, Chase. Not the time.
She instinctively picked out a dark outfit, nearly mirroring my look, and tossed her long hair in a ponytail. “Is this okay?” she asked, spinning around.
I nodded. She squatted down, zipped the rest of the bag, and handed it to me. I held up the bag. “Is this everything?”
“I need a few things from the bathroom.”
“I’ll get everything. Just get Jackson up and explain we need to be quiet.”
She nodded and I threw the two extra bags over my chest. Good thing she was a light packer.
When I finished clearing the items from the bathroom, Jackson and Melissa were waiting for me by the door of the bedroom. “We’re going on a secret adventure?” Jackson asked, his voice soft and sleepy.
I smiled sadly. “That’s right, buddy. So you have to be really quiet and don’t talk to anyone. Not even your mom and me until we get back on the boat okay? Can you do that for me?”
He nodded, his young face grave. He might not know what was going on, but he knew that something wasn’t right. My heart ached for him. How was Melissa ever going to explain everything to him?
I didn’t have time to worry about it. My job was clear—get Melissa and Jackson to the boat and get them as far away from Cabo as possible.
“Come on.” I led the way out of the hotel suite and we started down the walkway between buildings to get to the beach. I doubted the men would be searching the beach considering the late hour and the darkness. Most of the shops and restaurants were closed and the beach was much darker than it was the first time we’d gone out exploring.
We made good progress, Melissa carried Jackson on her back, while I took care of the three bags. I wanted to grab my gun, to be ready for anything, but I knew it would scare Jackson. We reached the last cluster of businesses and buildings before the open space to the dock. “Okay,” I paused and sucked in a deep breath. “We have to go and we have to go fast. Jackson, remember our deal?”
He nodded and mimed to show him zipping his lips. I smiled softly, remembering when Melissa had made the same gesture over one of our late night chats not too long ago. “Good boy.”
“Stay close,” I said, dragging my eyes from over her shoulder, back to Melissa. She nodded, also silent.
I looked both ways, placed my hand on the butt of my gun, ready to draw at a moment’s notice, and started across the open ground. Melissa was at my side, Jackson clinging to her back, and we walked—quickly—for the dock. I didn’t see any sign of the men and the docks were silent as a grave as we tiptoed our way down the old wooden planks.
Every step was carefully set, as though I were picking my way through a land mine field back in some war zone. I harnessed my anxiety into a calm, steely exterior. I had to keep it together for myself and for Melissa. She was counting on me and I wouldn’t let her down.
We didn’t run into anyone on the dock and I breathed a sigh of relief when we started up the ramp to the boat. Melissa looked scared out of her mind when I reached for her hand to help her over the side. “Take Jackson below. I’ll be there soon, okay?”
She eyed me suspiciously. “Where are you going?”
“Do as I asked. Go below.”
Without another word, she spun on her heel and set off down the stairs. When she was gone, I tugged the straps of all the bags off of me and dropped them to the deck. We couldn’t fire up the engine and just cruise off into the night. Not when Henry’s men were so close.
I had to take care of them.
With a final glance to the stairs, I made up my mind. I’d make sure they couldn’t follow us.
Ten minutes later, I was lowering myself into the water. I had no idea if anyone was still on board and didn’t want to give them the advantage of a warning. Instead, I let my years of training as a Navy SEAL take over and submerged into the warm water without a sound. I swam around to the back of their boat and located the ladder and hoisted myself up. I silently climbed the metal rungs, going slow as to not disturb anyone and alert them of my presence. I wanted to know how they’d tracked Melissa and Jackson to Cabo. If we couldn’t figure that out—there’d never be any hope to relax and rebuild and I knew Melissa desperately needed that chance.
I slithered aboard the boat that was a little smaller than Matt’s. I cocked my head, waiting for voices but it was deathly quiet. Good. More time to search. I set off, gun raised, and went to the bridge. It was abandoned. Everyone must have gone ashore to search for Melissa.
Rookie mistake, I thought to myself, almost smiling.
I ducked inside and scanned the panel. How they were tracking her wasn’t obvious. I didn’t know what I’d expected, but it all looked normal. As I backed out, ready to go below and continue the search, two familiar voices whispered into the night and sent chills up my spine.
Fuck. Company.
I reached for my side and retrieved two small devices from the waterproof compartment in the belt I wore. It was an old SEAL belt that had room for all kinds of goodies. The two in question were small explosives that packed a powerful punch in their small size.
I might’ve not been able to find out how they’d tracked us, but I could damn well make sure they couldn’t continue. I ducked into the shadows, put my gun in the back of my pants, and rigged up the explosives with a five-minute timer. Plenty of time for me to get away.
Once set, I scurried away from the bridge and away from the voices that were getting closer.
“—don’t understand. This thing is accurate to a two hundred-yard radius!” the one voice boomed. “That means she is on one of these five other boats around us.”