The straw-thatched bar is open air and right on the beach, with a floor made of wooden slats like a beach boardwalk that’s flush with the white sand. Plenty of lights make it a beacon in the dark night, and there’s already a small crowd of partiers, which makes me feel slightly better. Hammocks hang between the solid wooden beams that support the roof, and underneath it, tables with cushioned seats in pairs on either side are carefully placed to create conversation areas. More tables are set up just beyond the covered area on the beach, and the palm trees are wrapped with white fairy lights, giving it a festive air.
With his hand on the small of my back, Liam guides me to the bar. I’m wearing the sundress I bought in Puerto Vallarta with a cut-out back, and the warmth of his hand sears my skin. Without asking what I want, he orders two cervezas, his eyes following the bartender as he pulls the cold bottles from a tub filled with ice and pops the tops off before pushing them across the bar to Liam. Liam pays for the drinks, then taking my hand in his, he leads me to one of the tables inside, waiting for me to sit down before he sits next to me. He’s chosen a table with one of the cushioned seats for two, and I’m grateful for the feel of his solid body right next to mine, making me feel safe.
“We’ll stay an hour. That’s it. Make that beer last,” he murmurs to me.
“Yes, sir,” I retort, giving him a mock salute.
He smiles for the first time since we ran into Manny on the beach—a real one that makes the corners of his eyes crinkle. “I could get used to the sound of that,” he says.
“Don’t count on it,” I say with a smile of my own. “Remember? I already told you…I’m untamable.”
Heat flares in his eyes as he says, “We’ll see about that.”
“Liam!” Unfortunately, Manny’s booming voice interrupts us, and Liam stands to shake his hand. I follow his lead, standing with my beer in hand to greet Manny and the attractive older woman next to him, whom he introduces as his wife Salome. After the initial introductions and small talk is over, Manny motions to the bartender. “A round of shots, por favor.” He grins at Liam, revealing a row of crooked, yellow-stained teeth. “The usual? As El Gato always says, never trust anyone who won’t do a shot with you.”
Liam nods, realizing he’s been backed into a corner. I know as well as he does that he can’t do anything to make the cartel lieutenant think anything is amiss…which in this case, means not turning down a shot the lieutenant buys. The usual turns out to be Patron tequila poured straight from the bottle, and Liam gives me a slight nod to let me know it’s safe as Manny proposes a toast.
“Keep your compadres near and your enemigos nearer…” he says. He looks at Liam expectantly, obviously waiting for him to finish the toast, and I feel a flare of panic for Liam. It must be horrible not remembering anything. Before Liam can give himself away, I clink my glass to Liam’s and blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. “But if you make your wife mad, she’ll give you reason to fear her.”
There’s a brief pause, and then Salome bursts out laughing. Both men join in, and I let out my breath. “My dear, that is just priceless!” she says. “I can see you’ve heard the party line as often as I have.” Turning to Liam, she says, “She’s feisty.”
Liam shoots me a grin that has my stomach flip-flopping like an acrobat. “Almost untamable,” he says as he lifts his eyebrows at me. “Almost…” he adds deliberately, and my pelvis tightens deliciously.
“So how did you two meet?” Manny asks.
Liam’s warm hand covers mine. “We’ve actually known each other for years. Charlie went to school with my little sister.”
“Ah…McKenzie, is it?”
Liam’s grip tightens around my fingers and I give his hand a little squeeze back to remind him to not let Manny get under his skin.
“Do you know her?” I ask innocently.
“It’s my job to know everything about the people who work for me. Which is why it was such a surprise to find out that Liam is not only not dead, but that he’s also married. Tell me, querida, how did the two of you end up married when he just came back from the dead? I’m intrigued.”
I can feel a rivulet of perspiration trickle between my breasts as his beady eyes bore into me. I steal a glance at Liam, but his expression is bland with a hint of amusement, and I realize he actually trusts me to handle this. My grandmother’s voice echoes in my head. “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” She was the one haven of love and peace during my turbulent childhood, and I suddenly find myself missing her. She would have loved Liam, and he would have loved her right back.
“Well, as Liam said, we’ve known each other a long time. Then last fall, a group of us went on vacation together. Liam and I took a walk on the beach, and it was just so easy to talk to him, to laugh, to be happy, to be drunk, to be sober, to be sad or frustrated. Then he touched me, and it was like he set off a nuclear reactor in my body. I felt like every nerve ending was glowing, everywhere we made contact lit up. We kissed and…you know…” I gesture vaguely. “The way he looked at me was unforgettable. And I knew right then I never wanted to go another day without hearing his laugh or seeing his face looking back at me.”
Salome sighs. “That is so romantic.” She smacks Manny’s arm. “Why don’t you look at me that way?”
I look over at Liam, expecting to see that look of approval I’m slowly becoming addicted to, but his expression is inscrutable. “It was like a dream,” he finally says, tearing his eyes away from mine to look at Manny. “In fact, she haunted my dreams after the accident. When I woke up after months of being in a coma, I had a moment of clarity. Life is short and you shouldn’t waste a minute of it. I knew the first thing I had to do was find Charlotte. Marrying her was a bit spur of the moment,” he admits with a wink in my direction, and I hold back a giggle.
Salome’s gaze swivels to me. “And all that time he was in a coma, you didn’t know where he was? You thought he was dead?”
I nod. “I went to his memorial service. It was awful.”
Liam flashes me a look of mock hurt. “It was awful? I left specific instructions. It should have been the party of the year.”
“It was awful to think of you gone forever,” I say quietly.
Manny clears his throat. “I imagine you were thrilled to see him.”
“You’d think!” Liam says pointedly to me, his lips twitching again with barely concealed amusement. I realize he’s actually enjoying this. I have to admit, I am too. It’s like Liam and I are having our own private conversation right under Manny’s nose.
“There were extenuating circumstances,” I reply primly. Turning to Salome and Manny, I explain. “He made an overly dramatic entrance.” Liam chokes on his beer and I giggle.
Manny is clearly growing impatient with our innuendo-laden banter. Fixing his gaze on me, he says, “How long have you been married?”
Liam slips my hand in his. “Just a few days,” he answers for me. “As I told you earlier, I came here as soon as I could. We married in an informal ceremony—”
“Very informal!” I add with a snort.
“Shame on you,” Salome says to Liam. “The love of your life deserves a ceremony to remember.”
Liam shrugs. “I needed to get here as soon as possible to meet with the boss. I imagine he wasn’t very happy when I died without delivering what I owed him.”
“That is an understatement, compadre. But you are here now. I’m sure you will get it sorted out in no time. It’s too bad he is gone until next week.”
I squeeze Liam’s hand. Finally, some valuable information.
Liam plays it cool. “Yes, it is. But it will give me some time for a honeymoon with my bride. He’s back Wednesday?”
Nice bluff.
“Thursday,” Manny corrects. “At the compound in Quintana Roo. I’ll tell him you’re coming.”
“Perfect.”
“I assume you will deliver what you owe him at that time?”
“Abs
olutely.”
“Excellent.” Manny claps Liam on the back. “Come. Let’s have another shot.”
After another round of shots and a story about Manny and Salome’s young son, Liam threads his fingers with mine. “It has been good to see you, Manny, but if you’ll excuse us, I owe Charlie a honeymoon.”
“And a wedding,” Salome says. “You must give her a proper wedding. These things are important to women. Right?” She looks to me for confirmation.
“Actually—” I say uncomfortably.
“Tell him, Manny!” She grips her husband’s arm and gestures exaggeratedly at Liam.
“Si, señora,” Manny says drily. Turning to Liam, he says, “Give the woman a proper wedding.” He adds under his breath, “But her wedding is your funeral, compadre. This time next year, she’ll have given away your favorite pants, replaced your favorite chair with a designer one that’s uncomfortable, and will be carrying your cajones around in her purse. I see she’s already made you lose that necklace you always wore. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing.” He laughs at his own joke.
“What necklace?”
Manny punches him in the arm. “Ha! See what I mean? The silver one with that unusual carving on it. I’ve never seen you without it. You used to say it was your good luck charm. And now you’re all ‘what necklace.’” He laughs loudly. “I guess she’s your good luck charm now.”
Liam wraps his arm around me, pulling me to him. “That she is.” He holds his hand out to shake Manny’s, then kisses Salome’s. “See you next Thursday.”
“That went pretty well,” I say as soon as we get back to our villa. Liam shuts and locks the door, then motions to me. With my heart thumping, I slowly walk over to where he’s standing. He cups my chin in his hand. “You were fucking amazing. Your toast saved my ass! And that description of how we got together…” He shakes his head. “That was something else.” Suddenly embarrassed, I look away. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
“It was. I’ve never had anyone have my back like that.” He presses his lips to mine softly before letting me loose. “Thank you.” Turning around, his runs his fingers through his hair. “I’ve got a week and half to find the guns. Damn my memory!” He paces the room. “I wish I could remember the necklace he was talking about. I don’t remember ever wearing a necklace. Not my style. Maybe that was some sort of clue. Especially if it had some sort of carving. But who knows where it is now? Probably in the rubble somewhere in Pakistan.” He growls with frustration.
“Actually,” I say slowly. “I was wearing it when I got kidnapped.”
Chapter Ten
Liam
I stare a Charlotte uncomprehendingly. “How did you get my necklace? And why were you wearing it?”
She averts her gaze and fiddles with the strap of her dress. Something’s up. I narrow my eyes at her. “Sit.” It comes out sharper than I intended—I’m too used to commanding men—but she promptly plops her adorable little ass down on the sofa cushion, and I have to remind myself to focus. I love the way Charlotte responds to my commands. Maybe because most of the time she’s so hellbent and determined to do things her way. I sit next to her, turning so we’re face-to-face. “Okay, spill it.”
She takes a deep breath and begins. “You died saving the life of an aid worker in Pakistan. Well, you didn’t die obviously, but you know, that’s what you were doing when—”
“Yeah, yeah,” I interrupt her. “I read that in the news. I need to know about the necklace.”
“Right. So a few weeks after you died, or not died—”
“Charlotte…” I give her my most intimidating stare and she flushes.
“Right.” Charlotte gives me that slightly flustered but aroused look she had last night when I demanded her sweet submission. My cock apparently remembers it too. Focus! I remind myself. “A few weeks after you, um, didn’t die, the aid worker whose life you saved contacted McKenzie and said that right before the building exploded, you gave him something to give to her. She and Gemma flew out to San Francisco a few days later and met him and he gave her the necklace. He told her you wanted her to have it so she’d know what kind of man you were.”
“Did you go with them to San Francisco to meet him?”
“No. Someone needed to stay in Charleston to run the business.” One corner of her mouth tips up slightly, but her eyes are sad. “That’s usually me.”
I take her hand in mine and turn it over, rubbing her palm with my thumb. “What did the necklace have to do with McKenzie knowing what kind of man I was?”
She shrugs. “It has some sort of etching on the front that he said stood for bravery, so I guess you wanted her to know you died a hero.”
I stroke Charlotte’s fingers absentmindedly. That doesn’t sound right. I don’t need anyone to think I’m a hero, but the last person I’d need to convince is my little sister. She’s always been my biggest fan.
“How did you come to have it?”
This time she squirms a little. What is she not telling me? “Um…I was at McKenzie’s right before I got kidnapped. Remember, Walker wanted me to see if I could find your passport? I, uh…decided to take the necklace, too, in case Walker needed it. I just put it on so it wouldn’t get lost.”
“So you were leaving McKenzie’s apartment wearing the necklace when the men kidnapped you?”
She nods.
I whistle softly. “Now I see why they thought you were McKenzie.”
She nods. “They were planning to keep me there until El Gato returned. I don’t know if they thought I, or she, knew where the guns are and would lead them to them, or whether they were going to use me as a bargaining chip, or kill me.”
“So they kept you, thinking you were McKenzie, and took the necklace.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh no! I still have it. I was still wearing it when I woke up. But I didn’t want them to notice it, so I took it off and put it in my pocket.” She jumps up. “I’ll get it.”
“Hey, Charlotte,” I call to her as she disappears into the bedroom. “You are a total badass.”
“I know.” She’s smiling when she returns a moment later with a silver medallion about the size of a quarter on a silver chain.
“I’m starting to appreciate your tendency to overthink things.” I wink at her.
“Is that an apology?” she asks, her grin widening.
I lean forward and take her mouth, kissing her hard. “What do you think?” I ask when I finally pull back to look into her beautiful brown eyes that are now soft with arousal.
“Um…” Suddenly flustered again, she hands me the necklace.
I let it rest in my palm, examining it. “Was I wearing it when we went to Playa on vacation?”
“No. I’d never seen it before McKenzie brought it back from San Francisco.”
That means I got it during that window of time I don’t remember when everything seemed to go down. I rub my thumb across the three numbers carved on the back, wondering if they have any significance. I turn it over. Stunned, I stare at the design etched on the front. What the serious fuck is going on?
“What?” she says. “Do you remember something?”
“No. But this is the same design my college buddy Anthony has tattooed on his arm.”
She stares at me, equally dumbfounded. “Does it have some special significance?”
“He’s gay. I helped him design it when he decided to come out. It means…” I pause for a minute. “That’s it!” I jump up and kiss her hard on the lips. She’s looking at me like I lost my mind. Which, incidentally, I have. But maybe, just maybe, it’s coming back. I just need it to come back a little faster. “It stands for valor.”
“Which is another word for bravery,” she adds slowly. “But why would you have a necklace with your friend’s tattoo on it? Oh! Maybe you gave him the guns.”
I shake my head. I wouldn’t have implicated Anthony in any sort of illegal activity. The guy’s had enough trouble in his life. It’s not easy being the gay son
of a Southern Baptist minister. “No. But I remember dreaming about a necklace when I was in the hospital in India. There were a few days when I was coming out of the coma that I didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t, but I’m sure I dreamed of it, I just couldn’t see the emblem. Anthony was in my dreams too.” I’m not about to tell her she starred in the majority of them. Although I’m starting to wonder…if my dreams of the emblem and Anthony were real…
“What do you think it means?” she asks excitedly, interrupting my thoughts.
“Let’s look at the bucket list.”
She hops up and disappears into the bedroom again, coming back with the folded and creased piece of paper. She carefully unfolds it and lays it on the table, and we lean over it.
“Hang on a second.” I point to the item that says Visit the Dominion BDSM club in San Francisco. “Anthony lives in San Francisco. That sounds familiar.”
“You’ve probably been there before, seeing as how you’re so into kinky sex,” she retorts.
“Don’t knock it until you try it,” I tease.
She “hmphs,” but not before I see the flash of arousal in her eyes. Quickly averting her gaze, she says, “Let’s see if we can find some pictures. Maybe that will spark your memory.”
“Good idea.” It takes us the better part of half an hour to find anything on The Dominion—it appears to be extremely exclusive and private—but Charlotte’s research skills rival mine, and we finally find a few pictures. Unfortunately, I don’t recognize the place at all.
“Tell me more about Anthony,” she suggests.
“He was one of my best friends in college, one of the few who stuck by me after my parents died. The only person I trust more is Walker. We played football together at USC. As I said, he was gay, and it was a secret he kept for years. I used to always say if I ever had a secret, I knew I could trust him to keep it. We meet up whenever we can to dive.”
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