His to Keep (She's Mine Book 2)

by Stella Noir

  ADRIAN

  “T hanks, man. I really owe you one,” I said as I took the large manila envelope from Grady’s hand. There weren’t many people I could trust anymore, but my father’s former driver turned out to be more loyal and more of a friend to me than anyone I’d ever worked with.

  “No problem, Adrian. You know I’d be dead, or worse, if it wasn’t for you. You didn’t need to carry me onto your plane, but you did. I don’t even want to think about what your father would have done to me if he’d gotten his hands on me. Anything you ever need from me, it’s yours.”

  I nodded and took another long drink of my beer before I asked him about my father and my brother. I hadn’t expected that Lucas would try to get in touch with me since Brooklyn and I had fled from the villa almost a year ago, but I knew if anyone could find me he would be able to. And I had to admit I was curious if he had completely turned against me and was working with my father to find us and take Brooklyn back to the jackass that had bought her.

  During my last conversation with him it seemed like he was telling me I could trust him, that it actually still meant something to him that we were brothers. But I honestly didn’t know if I could trust anyone anymore.

  “Have you heard from anyone? Any of your old associates?”

  “I have a couple guys I keep in touch with. One that does security on your dad’s property, and one that travels with Lucas when he goes out on jobs.”

  “How do you communicate with them? We had everything tracked when I was working for my father, and I can’t believe they would have loosened up security after I took off. That place has gotta be like a fortress now.”

  “Well, we were all buddies before we got the jobs with your dad’s firm. One of them knows how to get around all that computer security stuff, I guess. It’s way over my head, though. He tells me what to do and I do it. Untraceable browsers and that sort of thing.

  “Unfortunately, I can’t get ahold of them anytime I want, though. I have to go through a series of random websites, and perform a kind of survey. I get redirected to a different site if I give the right answer and eventually I leave a message and one or both of them will get back to me.”

  “Damn, that sounds interesting. What if they want to talk to you?”

  “I get a text message on a phone I only use for that purpose. Then I use a different throwaway to return the call. I’ll have to let you talk to Jake about it sometime. It seems like maybe you could use that kind of system.”

  “Yeah, I probably should have something set up. As it is I don’t really need anything like that. I don’t talk to anyone except you and Brooklyn.”

  “Seriously, Adrian? That’s crazy. You can’t isolate yourself like that. Especially with what you’re going through with your father. That would be enough to make anyone lose it.”

  “Yeah, I know, but who am I gonna talk to? My whole life has been cut off. I don’t know who I can trust, and I’m afraid if I make one wrong move I’ll be dead and Brooklyn will be … worse than dead.”

  “Well, from what I understand, your brother doesn’t seem to be part of the search for you and Brooklyn. Lucas has been off doing his own thing for the last few months.”

  “What do you mean his own thing?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe he’s breaking off from your dad’s business. I have no idea. I can find out for you, though. Next time I talk to Jake I’ll get the lowdown.”

  “Thanks, man. I really would like to know what’s going on. I feel like it’s just a matter of time before they catch me with my guard down. I’ve been able to avoid a run-in so far, but I know someone is out there following us. I can’t keep watch twenty-four hours a day, and I have a bad feeling I won’t even see it coming when it happens.”

  “Just stay on the yacht for a while longer, Adrian. It’s the safest place for the two of you right now. By the way, where is she? Did you leave Brooklyn on the cruiser?”

  “No, I don’t ever leave her alone. She’s with a woman she works with. Someone I trust.”

  “Well, there you go, that’s another person you trust. See, things aren’t as bad as they seem. Everything’s going to work out for you, I know it. You did the right thing getting her out of there and away from your father, and you’ll be rewarded for that.”

  I tried to smile. I knew he was right. There was nothing that was more important to me than Brooklyn and her safety. It was hard having everyone I had loved and thought cared about me turn their backs on me.

  I looked around the outdoor marketplace that surrounded the bar, then back down at my beer. I hadn’t felt safe when we were docked and were out in the crowds of the port cities where we stopped for supplies for months. Not since I got that anonymous note on the breakfast tray in the hotel in Manila.

  Since we left there four months ago we spent our time island-hopping around the South Pacific, staying out at sea for weeks at a stretch, then docking in a different port city whenever we needed food or water or fuel. And I always felt like I needed eyes on the back of my head. That no matter how safe things appeared, there was always going to be someone sneaking up behind me, ready to pay me back for betraying my father and stealing from one of his clients. Stealing the woman I loved, who was nothing more to either of them than a piece of meat. A piece of very expensive meat.

  “Brooklyn’s at the Aston Manado for another couple of hours. I’m gonna go meet her at the hotel room where she’s having her meeting and then we’ll pick up some supplies on the way back to the dock.”

  “I’ll go with you. Keep an eye on things so you don’t have to worry so much.”

  “You don’t have to do that, Grady.”

  “Hey, what else am I going to do, drink beer all day?”

  “That doesn’t sound all that bad,” I said with a laugh.

  “Seriously, I’d be happy to see you back to the dock. Besides, I’ve got a trunk-load of stuff you ordered. I’ll drive you two around and help you unload. I’m here to help you two with anything you need.”

  “Thanks, Grady. I completely forgot about all of that. I don’t know where my head is at these days. And I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “Don’t mention it. And like I said, things are going to work out. You’ll see.”

  After we picked Brooklyn up from the hotel, Grady drove us through Manado. He’d been staying there for about a week before we got there so he knew his way around a bit. We bought boxes of produce and meat at the outdoor markets and picked up large bags of rice and noodles that would last a month at least.

  There was barely any room for me to squeeze into the back seat with everything we had purchased, on top of the things in the trunk like, soft toilet paper and the candy Brooklyn loved that I had ordered online and had shipped to Grady. And in addition to that I had the manila envelope in my hands that included test results that would tell me the one thing I had been dreading finding out.

  The three of us carried boxes and bags of supplies down the rickety wooden dock, past old wooden canoes and catamarans that floated alongside motorized fishing boats and newer yachts until the last item had been removed from Grady’s rental car.

  We stacked everything next to the yacht as it was carried down the dock from the car, then handed each item off to one another across the plank that served as a bridge. As we passed the boxes and bags I couldn’t help but notice Grady looking back toward the ramshackle huts on the crowded the edge of the shore.

  “I think we’re being watched,” he said as he hoisted a twenty-pound bag of rice into the air. It was the last of the supplies, and after I grabbed it out of his hands he jumped on board. I set it down on the deck next to the other bags and boxes of food without looking up.

  “Are you sure? This yacht does get a lot of stares,” I said, keeping my eyes on the boxes.

  “There’s two guys in suit jackets wandering back and forth between the shacks back there. They look kind of out of place. Too well-dressed to be standing around down here.”

&n
bsp; I started to tell Brooklyn to get inside, but was cut short by the appearance of a stream of rice spilling out of the side of the bag and onto the deck. I immediately turned and grabbed her, then ran up the small flight of stairs and ducked into the main cabin. I pushed Brooklyn down below the counters in the galley and backed up to the cockpit to get the boat started. As I did, I looked toward the shore and could barely make out two men in light gray jackets who were visible around the corners of the ramshackle huts.

  “Stay down! Get on the floor!” I said to Brooklyn as I started up the engine.

  “I’m not the one they’re going to shoot, Adrian! Please don’t go back out there!” she yelled from a crouched position under the galley table.

  As I grabbed the Beretta I kept in the cockpit, I heard the whoosh of multiple shots being fired from Grady’s gun that had been fitted with a silencer. I headed out toward the rear of the boat then eased my way back on deck. I watched as Grady dove behind a pile of boxes that were stacked near the rear seating area, and in between shots I took cover next to him.

  “What are you doing? Get the hell out of here! I’ll jump off as you pull away,” Grady said, switching out the magazine in his gun.

  “I’m still tied up. If I pull away now I could take the whole damned dock with me. Don’t worry about me, I’m fine. Do you see them?”

  “I think I hit one. I saw a body in a gray jacket go down next to the shack over there on the far right. His buddy is probably right around there too.”

  “Did they look familiar at all?”

  “I didn’t get a good enough look at ‘em. Besides, your dad has more connections than a goddamned Hollywood producer. He could buy just about anyone in any country at a moments notice. They could be working for him or anyone. Is she okay?”

  “Yeah, I told her to stay down, but I’d feel a hell of a lot better if I could get out of here. I really don’t want to wind up with a bullet in the engine or an exploding gas tank. I’m gonna try and sneak up onto the dock and undo the ties. There’s no other way—”

  “What are you, crazy? The second they see you out there you’re dead. Just stay down. I’ll head to the other side of the boat and see if I can make my way to the bow without being seen. Stay here.”

  I kept my eyes on the rickety shacks that were covered in nets and tarps on the edge of the dock as I heard Grady slip away behind me. It was eerily quiet in the direction where the shots had come from, and that worried me a little.

  I couldn’t see a single person moving and that was unusual, especially at this time of day on a fish-monger’s dock like this. People were usually up near the wooden shacks buying fish or down here on the docks cleaning up the boats after a day of work.

  Suddenly I heard some thumping coming from the dock on the other side of the boat. I jumped up and crossed the plank in time to see some guy put Grady in a choke hold. The other man had come up out of the water behind him while he was untying one of the lines and caught him by surprise. I had to act fast before he broke Grady’s neck, but I couldn’t get a clear shot from where I was. I moved a little closer, but I didn’t want to leave the only entrance to where Brooklyn was hiding unprotected, so I shot at the guy’s leg, hoping to at least knock him off balance.

  As the guy dropped to the ground Grady twisted around and immediately shot him in the head, then kicked his body into the water. He untied the cleat at the bow and threw the rope on board, then ran up to me where I was untying the second hitch.

  “Get the hell out of here. I’ll call you when I find out who these assholes are.”

  “Thanks, Grady. I owe you more than one, that’s for sure.”

  “Don’t mention it. Now get outta here.”

  I jumped on deck and headed for the bridge.

  “Are you ok, Adrian. I heard more gunshots.”

  “I’m fine, but stay down till I pull away. I don’t know how many men are out there.”

  “Is Grady okay?”

  “Yeah, he’s fine too. He’s gonna call the satellite later. He’s going to see if he can find out anything about who those guys are.”

  “But we know who’s after us. It’s your father.”

  “He might not be the only one, Brooklyn.”

  After we got a few miles out I set the controls on autopilot and helped Brooklyn bring the supplies into the galley.

  “I can’t believe we didn’t lose more than a couple pounds of rice,” she said as she looked for containers for the remaining rice. “It sounded like all of our supplies were going to wind up out in the ocean.”

  “I’d give up all of our supplies to make sure nothing happened to you,” I said as I watched her search through a couple cupboards. She brought some empty gallon jugs out of a cupboard that we used for transporting water when we were at smaller ports with no services and held them up in the air.

  “These are dry. I think they’ll work.”

  “Sure,” I said. “You have it all figured out, don’t you?” I moved closer to her and pushed my hands through her long, blonde hair and kissed her forehead.

  “If you mean rice storage, then yeah, I’ve got it all figured out,” Brooklyn said with a smile. She looked up at me and I saw a twinge of fear in her eyes. “What are we going to do, Adrian? It’s getting harder to stay hidden.”

  “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll figure something out, I promise. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “But it’s not just me I’m worried about. I don’t want anything to happen to you, either.”

  I kissed her furrowed forehead and then her lips and when I pulled away and looked down at her she seemed to have relaxed a bit.

  “I’m gonna find a place to drop anchor in a bit, so why don’t you get that rice put away and I’ll see if there’s anything else out on deck—”

  I froze as I suddenly remembered the one thing I hadn’t brought inside with all of the other supplies that we had stacked out there while unloading the car. I ran out and flipped on the lights that lit up the aft deck, then turned everything over that wasn’t bolted down. Brooklyn came out after a minute to see what I was doing.

  “What’s the matter, Adrian? What are you looking for?”

  I turned over seat cushions and looked behind the seating area and anywhere else where a thin envelope could have fallen, but it wasn’t there. I turned and looked back at Brooklyn and I could see in her eyes that she was even more upset than she had been inside, but she couldn’t have been half as sick as I was.

  It was gone. The manila envelope with the test results that would tell me if Brooklyn and my father were related was gone.

  BROOKLYN

  “What are you working on?”

  Adrian wrapped his arms around my shoulders and nuzzled my ear with his nose as he looked at the computer screen in front of me. I giggled and shivered, but he didn’t release me from his arms. They felt so good wrapped around me, strong and safe, and I couldn’t imagine anything bad happening to me while they were near.

  “It’s a new line of cruise-wear. I got the idea from looking out whenever we’re anchored in clear, blue water. I’m using different shades of blue and green with layers of sheer, gauzy fabrics to create the feeling of depth and movement.”

  “Sounds sexy,” he said as he kissed and bit my ear. “You’re going to give a whole new definition to the term cruise-wear. Whenever I hear the term all I think of are tent dresses and Hawaiian shirts.”

  “You’re not the only one. Gina really likes the idea and thinks this could launch a new line under her brand. She’s going to take care of the marketing and wants me to come up with the designs. We’re meeting again in a month. Where do you think we’ll be then?” I asked, twisting around in my chair so that Adrian’s lips brushed up against mine.

  “Well, we’re headed east right now. I was planning on going south once we get around the Minahassa Peninsula. There are hundreds of islands in Indonesia. We could really get ourselves lost down here.”

  Adrian’s lips moved along my
cheek and down past my jaw. I knew he was headed for my neck, and once he got there I would be useless.

  I felt my whole body melt into his hands as he brought them up and buried both of them in my hair, then pulled it to the side to completely expose my neck. His lips started behind my ear and slowly moved down my neck, and a breathy moan escaped from my lips.

  “I need to get a little more done today, okay?” I said, barely above a whisper. My eyes were closed and I was barely able to hold my head up once his lips left my neck.

  “Okay, you’re the boss,” he said with a grin. “But just wait till I get your clothes off. You won’t be the boss anymore.”

  A flash of intense tingles shot through my body as I looked into Adrian’s eyes. I could tell by the look in his eyes that even though he had a playful tone in his voice that he was dead serious. And that thought took my breath away. I suddenly felt self-conscious and shy and looked down while I tried to regain some composure. It was strange to me how I loved and hated the way his stare made me feel at the same time.

  It was something that started when I was back at the villa with him. At the time I thought it had to do with the fact that he was holding me prisoner there. Or that his father was.

  In the beginning I thought it was Adrian, that he was the reason I was in that horrible place. But I realized very quickly that he was trying to protect me. And even though I knew what he and his family did with all of the girls they kept and trained underneath the villa, I couldn’t stop the feelings I had for him.

  He told me he wanted to get me away from there and I believed him. I believed him because I had fallen in love him a long time ago, when he was a different person. And when I looked deep into his eyes I saw that person and I knew he was telling me the truth.

  But the very first time we made love, when he looked into my eyes I saw something completely different. Something both terrifying and thrilling that I had never seen long ago on that beach. I knew when he looked into my eyes then and told me what he wanted me to do that I had no choice.

  An overwhelming feeling swept through me and made it impossible to say no to him. There was a feeling that I couldn’t say no because he would be disappointed, but also a feeling that I didn’t want to say no because I would be too. And I always I hoped, when I saw that look in his eyes, that he would ask me to do the most dirty, filthy, and most humiliating things imaginable. I wanted him to make me do those things.