Annihilate Me (Vol. 4) (The Annihilate Me Series) (5 page)

“Provided
one of them is behind this.”

I
shook my head in frustration.
 
“Now
you sound like me.
 
We
’
re going around in circles here.”

He
looked equally frustrated, likely because we were only going on a whim, and
nothing concrete.
 
“I know we are.”

“If
we go back to Manhattan, we put our lives at risk again.
 
That frightens me.
 
I
’
m
not trying to throw up walls, Alex.
 
I
’
m just trying to think
this through.
 
I can
’
t lose you.
 
Your safety is my main focus.”
 

“And
yours is mine.”

I
ran my fingers through my damp hair and tried to consider other angles.
 
I came up empty.
 

“
We don’
t have to do this, Jennifer.
 
We can remain here and look for other
ways to approach the situation.”

I
thought about it for a moment.
 
Then, I looked at him.
 
“This
will be done in structured environments designed to protect us?”

“It
will.”

“I
know Tank and his team are good.
 
I
know they
’
ll have our backs if
anyone tries anything.
 
But no one
is perfect.
 
Anything can
happen.
 
Our deaths, for
instance.
 
Are you willing to take
that risk?”

“Only
if you are.”

“How
long before they can have a plane here?”

“With
your approval, tomorrow would be our last day on the island.
 
A plane would arrive the morning after
next to take all of us back home.”

I
considered all of it again.
 
Despite
how flimsy and dangerous it felt to me, maybe something would come of it.
 
Or maybe just being back in Manhattan
would open another window and somebody else would expose themselves.
 
Our lives were going nowhere here.
 
By removing ourselves from the
situation, we also had removed the potential to end it.
 
Coming here had seemed like the right
idea at the time, but it wasn’t fixing the problem.
 
To fix it, we had to go back to
Manhattan and face it.

I
stood and kissed Alex on the forehead.
 
“Because of my father, I
’
ve been
running for most of my life.
 
I
’
m over it.
 
I
’
m
tired of it.
 
So, let
’
s do this.
 
Make the call.
 
When you
’
re finished, let’s get in the Jeep and go
over and tell Ann and her family that our time here is over.”

Thirty
minutes later, we drove across the island and broke the news to an elated
family who, because I was smiling, had no idea that the rock in my gut was
sinking like a runaway elevator.
 
At
that moment, I thought I
’
d never
be more frightened than I was then.

It
turned out I was wrong in ways that I never could have imagined.

CHAPTER FOUR

That
evening, Alex and I made an effort to not talk about our return to
Manhattan.
 
What was done was done.
 
Soon, a plane would be en route to take
us home, and we
’
d deal
with the potential consequences of our decision when we got there.
 
The agreement to no longer discuss our
choice was silent but palpable.
 
The
idea was to enjoy the island while we could.
 
Feel safe for a few days.
 
Spend time together.
 
Love each other.

And
ignore all that might come.
 
At
least for now.

While
Alex cooked dinner, I decided to surprise him by dressing up for the
night.
 
I took a hot shower, blew
out my hair, straightened it with a flat iron, and put on a light foundation of
makeup with a touch of lipstick.
 

I
chose the island alternative to the little black dress—in this case, it
was a little white sleeveless dress that came just above my knees.
 
White Manolo Blahnik pumps completed the
look, which was simple yet sexy due to the dress
’
plunging neckline, my dark tan, and the way
my engagement ring winked on my left hand.
 

It
was the only piece of jewelry I chose to wear because it was the only piece of
jewelry that meant something to me.
 
Looking at it on my finger seemed unreal.
 
One day soon, I
’
d marry Alex.
 
I
’
d
bear his children, we
’
d rear
them together, we
’
d watch
them grow together, we
’
d enter
into old age together, we
’
d see
our children have their own children, we
’
d
become grandparents and hopefully, God willing, we
’
d become great-grandparents.
 
That, I knew in my soul.
 
But first, we needed to get on the other
side of this.

I
sprayed the tip of my finger with my favorite perfume and lightly dabbed it
behind each ear, where I knew Alex
’
s lips
would eventually find themselves later.
 
When I was finished, I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, turned in
front of it, and, after nearly an hour of getting ready, I left for the
kitchen.

But
Alex wasn
’
t there.

I
looked around the room at the bowls and kitchen utensils stacked in the sink—telltale
signs that he had prepared something for dinner, and was about to call out his
name when I saw the note on the edge of the island.
 
I went over to it and read:
 
“Meet me on the deck…?”

I
turned to my right and looked through the wide kitchen opening to the living
room beyond.
 
The floor-to-ceiling
sliding glass doors were open to the outside, which wasn
’
t unusual, but the round table on the deck
was unusual.
 
It was covered with a
white linen tablecloth and was set for two, and in the center were tropical
flowers cut low in a shallow vase.
 
Candles set deep in glass cylinders surrounded the flowers and burned
brightly without much movement because the glass protected the flames from the
warm ocean air.
 

I
left the note on the kitchen island, went to the living room, and stepped out
onto the deck to find Alex standing on the beach looking out at the full moon,
which loomed large over the ocean.
 
He must have heard my shoes on the decking because he turned to me when
I stepped outside.

“What
have you done?” I said, looking at the beautiful place setting.
 
“It
’
s gorgeous.”

He
was wearing white linen pants, a white, untucked, button-down shirt that
rippled in the breeze, and nothing on his feet.
 
His hair was parted on the side and
slicked away from his face in such a way that emphasized his strong
jawline.
 
As usual, his hands were
in his pockets.
 
And when he saw
what I was wearing, that grin of his that I loved so much gradually appeared.

“Look
at you,” he said.

“Oh,
no,” I said.
 
“Look at you.
 
Very handsome, Mr. Wenn.”

He
bowed his head at me and started to move in my direction.
 
“
Champagne, Ms. Kent?
”

“I
’
d love a glass.”

He
nodded toward the table and a silver ice bucket that stood next to it in a
stand.
 
“I have a bottle chilling.”

“That
’
s a relief.
 
Looking at you now, I think I need a
tall, cold drink of something.”

He
came up onto the deck and kissed me gently on the lips.
 
I placed my hand on his chest and kissed
him back.
 
When we pulled away from
each other, I saw the lipstick I left on his lips and lightly removed it with
my index finger.

“Now
you have lipstick on your finger,” he said.

Before
I could respond, he placed my finger in his mouth and sucked it in a way that
was so sexy that I wondered if I
’
d get
through dinner without pouncing on him.

When
he released me, he said, “
So?
 
Champagne?
”

“We
can go straight to the bedroom if you want.”

“Let
’
s have a drink and our dinner first.”

He
removed the bottle from the bucket, popped the cork, poured us each a bubbling
glass of something I knew would be decadent, and handed me one.
 
We touched glasses and sipped.

“What
did you make for dinner?” I asked.

“Something
light.
 
A lobster salad that even
Blackwell would approve of.
 
Plus,
it
’
ll give us plenty of
protein for later.”

“Don
’
t tease me.”

“Who’s
teasing?
 
You
’
re going to need your endurance tonight,
Jennifer.”

“Maybe
you
’
ll need a bit of your
own.”

“Always
my equal,” he said.

“Maybe
tonight I
’
ll let you prove me
wrong.”

“I
think I
’
d rather enjoy that.”
 

He
took my free hand.
 
The way he
clasped it in his, I could feel his love for me in ways that I had thought I
would never experience with anyone.
 
How had I come to this point?
 
How had I gotten so lucky to find a man like Alex?
 
It didn
’
t seem possible, yet here we were.

“Before
we eat, walk along the beach with me,” he said.
 
“You don
’
t see a moon like this every night.
 
And look how it’s reflected in the
ocean.
 
Let
’
s enjoy this while we can.”

“I
’
d love to.”
 
I kicked off my pumps and followed him
off the deck, onto the sand, and toward the edge of the water, where the moon
was so bright, it seemed to pull us toward it.
 
The breeze was steady and warm, but not
strong.
 
It felt wonderful and
caused my dress and my hair to lift up and flutter around me.
 

“Are
you happy?” he asked after awhile.

“You’ve
asked me that twice today.”

“It
worries me if you’re not.”

“Here’s
what you need to understand.
 
I
’
m in love.
 
I
’
m
with my soul mate.
 
The moon seems
to have offered itself up to us like a gift.
 
Look at it, Alex.
 
When have you seen such a moon?”

“I
haven
’
t.
 
Not like this.”

I
wanted to say that it was a good omen, but I didn
’
t.
 
Tonight wasn
’
t about
anything but us.
 
It wasn
’
t about going back to Manhattan, and it wasn
’
t about facing all of the potential dangers
that awaited us there.
 
He
’
d gone out of his way to make us an elegant
dinner, to serve us a romantic glass of champagne, and to set a table fit for a
princess, and I was damned if I was going to break this moment.
 
We deserved this moment.
 
We
’
d
earned
it.

“I
love you,” I said.