Last Ticket to Paradise

by Carol Ericson

  As Georgette took the seat next to Gunther, Nicole took a long pull from her martini glass, assessing her over the rim. “You look stunning.”

  “Thank you, and you are beautiful, as usual.” Georgette air-kissed somewhere above Nicole’s cheek. Nicole would be horrified if she actually made contact.

  “You remember Diego, don’t you, Georgette?” Gunther put his hand on the shoulder of the slim, handsome young man sitting on the other side of him. “He was here when you first arrived and then left. Now he’s back.”

  Diego dipped his head in her direction. “Yes, we met, although you look...different.”

  “Must be the sun and fun.” Georgette giggled and raised her glass to Diego. She recognized him, with his slicked-back hair that curled slightly at the ends, from his argument with Gunther this morning in the stairwell. He and Gunther must’ve patched things up in time for Gunther’s celebration.

  The conversation bubbled over dinner and cocktails, the mood light and the laughter flowing as smoothly as the island punch, until Gunther leaned over to Georgette.

  “I understand some bones were found in a locker at the airport today.”

  Georgette toyed with a scallop on her plate. The police had said they wouldn’t release the name of the owner of the locker or the names of the people who’d discovered the bones—Jake had requested it as a favor.

  “I heard something about that. Of course, I’m praying they don’t belong to Jamie, but I don’t know why her body would be in a locker anyway.” Georgette took the straw to her island punch between her teeth. “It’s your birthday. Let’s not focus on anything negative or dark.”

  Gunther stroked the inside of her wrist. “Diego’s right. You’ve changed since coming here, liebling. You’ve had an...awakening.”

  Warmth crept into Georgette’s cheeks, and it couldn’t be the punch she’d been nursing for over an hour. “Let’s just say I’ve embraced my sister’s lifestyle.”

  “Let’s just say you’ve embraced your sister’s man,” Diego announced broadly to the entire table to laughs and winks...and a tight smile from Brice.

  Diego pointed his fork at her. “Don’t be shy, Georgette. Who didn’t hear the two of you the other night at Jake’s place?”

  Georgette’s smile froze on her face, and she took a gulp of her drink to hide her confusion.

  Diego cupped his hand around his mouth and leaned into the table. “They were doing it in the hot tub, and I don’t think it was the bubbles making her scream.”

  Brice took off his glasses and wiped them with a napkin, but Georgette barely noticed as her fingers curled around the stem of her glass, the laughter and ribald comments washing over her. Diego’s outing her to the rest of the table, including to Brice, didn’t bother her. After all, that was what she wanted, but his comment about Jamie’s man stuck in her throat, choking her.

  When the teasing ended, Georgette leaned across to Diego. “I did not steal my sister’s man. She and Jake never hooked up while she was here.”

  Diego raised an eyebrow at Gunther. “I thought you told her.”

  “I tried to tell her, but others shot me down.” Gunther patted Georgette’s hand.

  “Nicole and...other people told me it wasn’t true.” Georgette squeezed her legs together, the roaring in her ears almost unbearable.

  “But other people don’t have the same vantage point as Gunther...and I, on occasion, when I’m not being a fool.” Diego placed a hand on Gunther’s back. “We’re in the same building as Jake. We see and hear almost everything that goes on in his suite. Believe me, he had Jamie as a guest quite a few times. Don’t worry, Georgie, she wasn’t quite as loud as you were, but they did make quite a pair—Jake so big and dark and your sister so blond and petite.”

  Georgette made a grab for her glass and knocked it over. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m so clumsy.”

  “We’ll get that cleaned up.” Gunther snapped his fingers for a waiter and then squeezed Georgette’s thigh through the lacy material of her dress. “I’m sorry, Georgette. Diego’s the clumsy one. I told him not to mention the relationship between Jamie and Jake to you. I can tell you’re quite taken with the big man. Don’t let it get to you. Jake’s a sensual creature. Your sister was obviously his match in that area, but it’s clear he’s attracted to you, too. There would be no other reason for him to bed you—unless he thought he could get something from you, and you don’t have anything he wants in that way.”

  Georgette nodded, her teeth clenched behind smiling lips. Jake had wanted something from Felicia, and she’d given it willingly, even though it could’ve cost her a job. Had he bedded her, too? The women at the pool—the touches, the smiles. Was he buying their loyalty? The word of mouth for his resort? Even Clive’s deputy, Dottie, had seemed besotted by Jake and had given her earnest assurances that nothing would get out about the connection between Jake and the bones in the locker.

  And her? As soon as she’d mentioned the lockers at the airport to Jake, he’d immediately assumed the numbers on the postcards were a combination to one of those lockers. Had he already known about the locker? He’d seemed almost angry that she’d kept the packet of drugs she’d found in Jamie’s room a secret from him—and she’d told him where they were.

  The explosion at Jean-Claude’s bungalow? They’d gotten out safely, and he got to play the hero. Then he’d stripped her of her clothes and her inhibitions and completely enthralled her.

  When Brice showed up, Jake probably thought he could get rid of her, let her down easy, and then she traipsed off to see Mrs. Bonnaire. He couldn’t risk her finding the locker and the bones on her own.

  She put her hands to her hot cheeks.

  “Liebling, Diego has ruined your evening. What does it matter? You’re here and Jamie’s not. Who cares that Jake had your sister first? He’s into you...too.” He snapped his fingers again for the waiter, who was carrying a tray of drinks. “Leave one of those for her...now.”

  Gunther’s command carried authority, and the waiter placed a tall island punch in front of her to replace the one she’d spilled. She knew she shouldn’t. Alcohol never solved anything, but she just didn’t want to feel right now. Didn’t want her brain racing in a million different directions.

  She sucked down half the drink in a matter of seconds, and then pressed her fingertips to her temples.

  Gunther whispered to her. “That’s it, liebling. Make the pain go away just for a little while, and then you and Jake can mend things tomorrow. I’ll take care of you tonight. Let Jake deny it if it makes you feel better. Heaven knows, I’ve looked the other way plenty of times over Diego’s indiscretions.”

  She lodged her tongue against the roof of her mouth and then finished the punch with her next go-around. She blinked, her gaze darting around the table at the laughing faces, the sparkling jewels, the smooth masculine charm. That was so much better. Nobody cared that Jake had seduced sisters—even if he’d tasted Jamie first.

  She reached for her empty glass to tip an ice cube into her mouth, but the empty had been replaced by another drink, and she dived into the sweet concoction that let her float away and forget her suspicions about Jake.

  As everyone rose from the table to have birthday cake at the pool, Georgette stumbled—just a little. She’d had two and a half punches. She could handle that, especially under Gunther’s care.

  Gunther took one of her arms, and Diego took the other, and the convivial group converged at the pool. They parked her on a chaise lounge, and Gunther handed her another drink.

  As Gunther blew out the candles on his birthday cake, Brice sat on the edge of her chaise lounge and snatched the drink from her hand. “Georgette, it’s time to come home with me now. I’ll forgive you these trespasses. I’ll even forgive you for sleeping with that...man. It’s clear to me what you were doing, even though these other people don’t know. You wanted something Jamie had, didn’t you? Wanted to prove that you could seduce Jake, as well. You did it. Now, let’s leave
this hedonistic playground. It’s not for us, sweetheart.”

  Georgette closed her eyes. “Go away, Brice. I wouldn’t have you if you were the last man in paradise.”

  “Are you really going back to him? He’s using you, Georgette. A man like that doesn’t fall in love, especially not with a woman like you.”

  Georgette put her hands to her ears. She was so tired of other people telling her what kind of woman she was. She had a pretty good idea of that now.

  “Georgette...”

  She pushed against Brice’s chest and staggered to her feet. She kicked off her heels and ran toward the beach, tears threatening to spill onto her cheeks.

  Even if Jake had bedded Jamie first, she could handle it if he loved her now, but it was worse than anyone knew. Maybe he didn’t just bed Jamie, maybe he killed her. She’d had that wild thought before, but this time a sinister thread had woven its way into her brain. Perhaps, instead of a crime of passion, he’d killed Jamie to keep her quiet about the drugs.

  As her toes hit the wet sand of the beach, Georgette doubled over. It couldn’t be true. Not Jake.

  Sobbing, she crumpled onto the sand, her head swimming from too much of the potent punch. She needed to get herself together and march into Jake’s office to confront him.

  She rose to her knees, squeezing out the wet hem of her dress.

  Someone grabbed her waist from behind. “Liebling, why did you run off like that? I told you I’d take care of you. It’s not safe on the island for inebriated women like yourself.”

  “Gunther?”

  “Of course. I told you I’d take care of you.”

  He helped her to her feet, keeping a hold of her wrist.

  The sound of a motor came from the water, and Georgette jerked up her head. The almost-full moon lit up a boat bobbing on the high tide.

  Gunther yelled in a guttural tone, “Hurry up and come get her.”

  Georgette craned her head to the side to make sure it was Gunther still standing beside her.

  He smiled and squeezed her arm. His voice returned to its dulcet tones. “It’s all right, liebling. You’re going for a little boat ride.”

  She tried to yank her arm from his grasp, but he only tightened it and grabbed the back of her neck with his other hand. “Hurry up, Bones.”

  A hulking figure jumped onto the sand from the boat and descended on them. He snatched her from Gunther and threw her over his shoulder, his fingers digging through the thin material of her dress and into her backside. “Slut.”

  Georgette tried to scream as she squirmed against the hold Bones had on her.

  Gunther clicked his tongue. “No point in struggling. You must realize that even a lightweight like you can’t get this wasted on two drinks. Relax and go with it, Georgette. Your sister did...in the end.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jake’s head jerked up from his paperwork at the pounding on his office door. Before he could yell an invitation to enter, the door burst open.

  “Let her go.”

  Jake raised his brows at the sight of Brice barreling toward his desk, fists clenched. He scooted back his chair and folded his arms over his chest. “What are you talking about?”

  “You know damned well what...and whom I’m talking about. Georgette fancies herself in love with you, and you’re just using her. Let her go, and she’ll come home with me.”

  Jake clenched his jaw. “Whether or not I let her go, whatever that means, Georgette isn’t going back to you. And don’t presume to tell me what my feelings are toward Georgette. You had your chance with that incredible woman, and you blew it.”

  Brice leveled a finger at him. “You’re a philanderer, and Georgette is just another notch on your belt...just like her sister was. And Georgette knows it now.”

  “Oh my God.” Jake ran a hand through his hair and clasped the ends. “Who keeps spreading that rumor? I already set Georgette straight on that one.”

  “Well, she heard it again from another source tonight, and it looked like she believes it.” Brice blinked his eyes behind his glasses. “She didn’t even look that upset when she found me and Jamie—in flagrante delicto.”

  Jake’s heart skipped a beat. “Who told her? What the hell are you talking about? And I’m not referring to that French shit.”

  Warming back up to his task, Brice jabbed a finger in the air. “That German guy’s boyfriend told her.”

  “Diego?” Jake cocked his head to the side. “He told Georgette I slept with Jamie?”

  “The German guy reiterated it...and Georgette believed it. You should’ve seen her face, and then she started drinking a lot and had to be practically carried out of the restaurant.”

  “Carried out by whom?” Jake narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

  Brice inclined his head and stumbled back a step. “G-Gunther and the boyfriend.”

  “Where did they take her?” Jake sprang from his chair, and it rolled back and hit the wall.

  Brice jumped. “They took her to the pool.”

  “And Georgette is there now?” Jake’s hands curled at his sides. “Alone? Why didn’t you stay with her?”

  “She left the pool.”

  “Back to her room?” Jake flexed his fingers and then grabbed his keys.

  “Last I saw of her, she was walking out to the beach.”

  Jake gripped the keys so hard in his hand, they gouged his palm. “Did anyone go after her?”

  “No.” Brice held up his hands. “Don’t blame me. I tried talking to her, and she wouldn’t have it.”

  “You idiot. Don’t you know her life is in danger?” Jake reached behind him and grabbed a pair of binoculars and a set of keys. He unlocked his bottom desk drawer, withdrew his gun, and then charged past Brice, knocking into his shoulder.

  He was angrier at himself than at Brice. He knew Georgette’s life was in danger. He shouldn’t have left her alone for a minute. What was in it for Gunther to make Georgette believe he and Jamie had hooked up? And Diego? He hadn’t said two words to the guy.

  Jake took the side path to the beach and clambered on top of a rock piling that jutted into the sea. High tide had the water rushing around the rocks as Jake picked his way across the wet surface.

  He trained his binoculars, which had night vision, on the sands of the beach. Georgette had come here before when she was upset.

  Turning his head, he spit into the ocean. Why was Gunther spreading lies? It must be to keep him and Georgette apart, to make Georgette leave. Who wanted Georgette off the island? Who wanted Georgette gone?

  He swept his binoculars out over the water. He could see his private island from here. He’d wanted to take Georgette there before she left.

  A light twinkled over the water, and Jake’s hands tightened on the binoculars. Boats did occasionally make their way over to the island for the diving, but not usually for night diving—and not without his permission.

  He focused on the light bobbing in the water and adjusted the power of the binoculars. His heart slammed against his chest. Three figures occupied the boat, and one was a woman in white. He’d seen Georgette’s outfit tonight—hard to miss.

  He’d been an idiot. The answer had been there in front of his face all along. Had he refused to see it because Gunther spent so much money at the resort? Drug money?

  He scrambled from the rocks. Sloshing through the water, he made his way to the motorboat he kept moored on the beach.

  He dug his feet into the sand and pushed the boat out to the waterline until a wave picked it up, slapping its sides.

  Jake vaulted into the boat and started the motor. He kept the light out, using his flashlight on board instead—and the light of the almost-full moon. He and Georgette had been fools to expect action on the night of the full moon and at the Palarosa ritual rock. The small island had its own rock—that’s why the locals called it Palarita.

  The calm water eased the boat’s passage to the island. Jake kept far enough back to keep out of sight, but
he could see the other craft through his night-scope binoculars, and his breath hitched in his throat when it made its way around to the right side of the island.

  Nobody could see that side of the island from Palumba. It faced the Caribbean Sea, without another island in its path for miles and miles—and the Palarosa ritual rock inhabited that side.

  When the other boat disappeared from view, Jake drew in several deep breaths of the salty air to steady his panic. He couldn’t just charge onto the island with his gun blazing. They had Georgette.

  Crouching on the deck, he unlocked a cabinet and pulled out his diving gear. He’d get the jump on these guys—and they’d never know what hit them.

  ***

  The bottom of the boat scraped against the sand as Bones pulled it ashore.

  Georgette had vomited over the side of the boat on the way over, and her head had started to clear. She would never let Gunther see that, though. Better to let him think his drugged punch still had her in its grip. Another advantage her size gave her over Jamie was that it would take a lot more drugged booze to incapacitate her.

  Gunther nudged her back and growled. “Get her off the boat and take her to the rock.”

  The rock? Georgette’s heart galloped in her chest. She’d read in her book about three Palarosa ritual rocks. That must be why the locals called Jake’s island Palarita. Little Palarosa. If Gunther was going to burn her alive, maybe she’d better ask for more of that drug.

  Bones waded back to the boat and grabbed her around the waist, lifting her over the side. He set her down in the water, which lapped against her legs. Her skirt clung to her calves, and she stumbled and fell to her knees.

  Gunther jumped into the water behind her, agile for his size, and grabbed the waistband of the skirt. He yanked it, ripping it from her body and dropping it in the water.

  Bones turned to pull her up by her arm and grinned, his white teeth shining in the darkness. “Now, that’s more like it.”

  The satin boy shorts that came with the skirt covered more than a bikini, and she still had on the bandeau top that went with the skirt. How long she’d be able to keep those, she had no clue.