Key West Wild (The Florida Keys Series) (12 page)

He sat back down beside Sara. “Now, where were we?” he asked. He picked up her hand. She watched him and sat back and laughed.

“Did I just see you turn down that picture frame? What, is it a hidden camera?” She picked up her wine glass and took a tiny sip. Sara sat back and snuggled in to his arms.

Josh smiled. “It’s true, the photo has a camera encased inside. The phone call I received came from Art. He’s got high tech video instruments on us and he warned me to shut down this room if we didn’t want to be on camera.”

“Are you sure there’s not any more?”

He shook his head. “No, Art’s honest if anything, although I’d mostly like to choke him. Enough about him, let’s talk about us.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what to say or do about us, Josh.”

He stood and walked to the fireplace. He stared in to the flames for a few minutes and then turned to her. “Sara, I’m going to trust you with this information because your brother may be in perilous danger.”

“Morgan?” A light went off in her eyes. “That can only mean one thing.” She stood beside him. She wrapped her arms around herself as if she were chilled. “Oh please, don’t tell me what I think you’re about to.”

Josh nodded. “If Morgan works undercover for the agency. I’m sorry, it’s true.”

He watched her face go from fright to anger to sadness all in one quick movement. “How?”

“Morgan has been an agent all along Sara, but he should be the one to tell you this. He planned to have you stay with him but he got called inside. He’s working on a big bust right now and my sister is inside with him. She’s an agent too.”

“Your sister? What have I walked in to?” Sara paced back and forth in front of the fireplace. “Let me get this straight. Maggie and Abby said you worked under cover for ten years. Now you are thinking of retiring and that’s what you’re doing in Key West, considering giving up this secret agent lifestyle.”

He nodded. She continued to pace, stop and pace again. Her anger was beginning to boil over and all Josh wanted to do was hold her. But she needed to get it out.

“Well, I’d say your idea to give it up is back firing big time!”

He nodded. “Tell me about it! If it weren’t for Morgan and Sophie, I’d have resigned. The paperwork is waiting to be delivered before my sister paid me a visit.”

“You can’t stop now,” Sara argued. “There are people counting on you.”

“I know Sara. I know!” He backed away from her and walked to the French doors leading to the dining room then swiftly turned back to her. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he groaned. “I’ve spent the last four months drowning in liquor trying to find every excuse in the book to stay with the agency. But when it came right down to it, I want a normal life. Do you realize how long it’s been since I’ve had normal?”

She shook her head.

“Never.” He hung his head. He said it. Finally, after all these years he told someone his deepest desires, to just be a normal person. It drained him because he’d been fighting it all these years. He stuffed his hands in his pockets.

“No, give me your hands Josh,” Sara whispered. He let her pull them from his pockets and she guided him back to the love seat. They sat down and she faced him, never letting go. “Why haven’t you ever had a normal life?”

He hesitated. He never told a soul. His sister and the police knew his story, but no one else. He leaned his head to hers, foreheads touching. She felt so good, so safe. His demons tried to keep him from telling her. Beads of sweat poured from his temple, but she lifted her hand and brushed it away. “Tell me,” she said, her gentle voice prompting him.

“You are so sweet Sara, so good. I’m not sure you want to hear this.”

“Tell me, we all have demons.”

“I watched my Mother kill my Father.” He waited for her to pull back, for a reaction but he heard nothing. Not one sound came from her.

Finally, she said, “Tell me what happened.”

He closed his eyes remembering the night it happened. “I told you before I knew what you went through because my Mom was abused by my Father. He was a drug dealer, very ruthless. I’m not sure how my Mother ever got involved with him, but she did. My sister and I were always treated well. We got to do whatever we wanted, except when he got drunk.”

Josh sighed. His Mom always tried to protect them, give them what they needed. What she didn’t give them was a Father who cared enough to get away from a life of crime.

“My Father got drunk and beat her, at first it was a few times a month. Later, it was almost daily. He had become a monster, taking his own drugs and drinking like a raging alcoholic. He was starting to unravel. The nights he tied my Mom outside in the garage were hell for me and my sister. I tried to protect her. I kept her hidden at times so he wouldn’t go after her. It worked until one night he was so out of control he told Mom he was going to do the exact same thing to Sophie. She was only twelve.”

“I was seventeen. I had enough. The day he came after Sophie I hit him with a piece of wood from the fireplace so hard it knocked him out. My Mother came in to see what happened. She picked up the wood and just kept hitting him over the head over and over again. He never recovered. He went in to a coma and died several hours later.” Josh put his head in his hands as if it would erase the memories. His heart cried out for what happened. He looked up at her, his eyes tortured. “It wasn’t the end of it. My Mom, she lost her fight to live. Even though she worked so hard to protect us, after that she gave up. A few nights after this happened, she took one of his guns, walked out in to the woods and shot herself and that’s where I found her. We lost both parent’s just days apart.”

Sara gathered him in her arms and held him. Her sweet words whispered in his ears. He felt responsible somehow for taking that piece of wood and starting what would be the demise of his own parents, but he had to keep Sophie safe.

“You’ve been the parent ever since, haven’t you?” she asked.

“I guess so. I tried to give Sophie a stable home. I got a job to support us and when she graduated school, I sent her to college. That’s when I joined the academy. I wanted to make sure criminals like my Father were brought to justice.”

She took his face in her hands and made him look at her. “You’ve done that Joshua Eden. You’ve brought down one of the biggest names in criminal history of the last ten years. It’s time to give yourself a life.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because my sister and your brother are now on a luxury Cruise ship heading for Key West. In the next couple of hours, a thug more sinister than you can imagine will be walking off that ship with them. They are going to be heisting a line of jewels that’s going to be displayed in a hotel here for a diamond convention. I got my orders earlier today. I’m going in to get my sister back and to bring this jerk down before anyone else gets hurt.”

“Leave it up to those involved in the case, Josh. You don’t have to do this again.”

“I do have to. The moment my sister walked into this life, I promised I would always keep an eye on her. I sent her to college but she didn’t want a big career. She wanted to help others like I was doing. She’s a good agent, but she doesn’t have the experience like I do. Wouldn’t you do the same?”

She nodded. “I would do anything to help Morgan.”

“Perhaps she can help him,” Art said through the door.

Josh unlocked the library door and flung it open. “Art, are you listening to our conversation?” Josh stalked towards the man as he backed up to the wall.

“No, Josh, hold on! I turned the sound back on as I was coming down the stairs to find you. I swear!”

“You little weasel, I’d say you are lying through your teeth and you’d be eating my fist. But, since you’ve always been honest, I’m going to take you at your word. What’s so important?”

“Orders have come in that when the Cruise ship gets ready to leave port, you will be on it with another agent, disguised as a married couple. The problem is, we don’t have a female agent to be your ‘wife’ so I thought maybe-”

“No.”

“Josh, I do have some say in my own life.” Sara reached out and touched his arm. “Didn’t we have this conversation a few moments ago on how I would help Morgan? Now’s my chance. Let me help.”

He turned to her, agonized. She was right. He would do anything for his sibling. “I’m trained for this, Sara. You are not.”

“Josh there’s something else.”

All eyes turned to Art, who backed up a step at the intensity in Josh’s eyes. “We have one other agent inside, who’s very close to Lane. Word is they are suspicious of Morgan. Right now they are trying to find out if Sophie is really his sister. It’s only a matter of time before Morgan is confronted. I’ve seen some suspicious things going on that you and I need to discuss. Seems that Sara left a note for Morgan with her landlord and someone may have spotted it.”

Sara gasped, remembering how she wrote the note and left it there for him the day she arrived in Key West. “Morgan’s in grave danger! Oh Josh, you see, I have to help get this straightened out.”

Josh paced back and forth. “Let me see how this can all work out.” He gritted his teeth, undecided. “I can’t let you here, Sara and I can’t take you with and do my job.”

Art turned to him. “You better figure out something and fast because the ship sails in to port in one day.”

Chapter 7

Sara stretched and smiled before shooting out of bed. She wanted to get breakfast done so the two could talk. Last night after Art came in to the library, Josh had to leave for a while and so the two men took off. She laid awake for hours afterwards listening for the sound of his footsteps. Around three in the morning, she heard them pass her bedroom right outside the door. This agent stuff was starting to become quite intriguing. Yes, she worried about her brother, but Josh reassured her Morgan was an expert the field.

Somehow, Sara believed him.

If she were going on this cruise ship, masquerading as his wife, she’d need to dig through some clothes and come up with a list of what to take along. A quick trip to one of the local shops would be on the agenda this morning for a gown to wear to the formal dinner.

Josh was in the kitchen, along with Art and two other men. The two men wore uniforms and spoke to Josh in quiet voices before slipping through the garden doors.

“Who are they?” Sara asked.

As she poured a cup of coffee, Josh leaned in to give her a kiss and spoke in a low, serious tone. “There will be a delivery this morning. Act as if you are stocking it away and take the four boxes to my room. Put them inside and make sure the door stays locked. Here’s the key.”

She held out a hand, but instead, he placed his mouth over hers in a way she never expected. A warm tongue shot in to her mouth but then she felt the hard, cold piece of something being stuffed in her cheek. Her eyes shot open wide when she realized he gave her the key via tongue.

“We’re being watched,” Josh mumbled. He moved away and began to pour another cup of coffee. Sara stifled a smile, amazed. The man’s whole demeanor changed overnight. She stood beside a real secret agent sleuthing like in the movies. “Go get that key out of your mouth and tuck it away.”

She reached in to the cupboard and pretended to lose her grip on a glass, knocking it off the counter on to the floor with a crash. She screeched and bent down to clean up the broken glass. Sara reached under the sink for the little brush and dust pan and after cleaning up, walked down the hall to the garbage can to get rid of the glass. There she slid it deep in to the pocket.

Success! This secret agent stuff agreed with her. When she went back in the kitchen, there stood the guy with the book reader, Mr. Smith, leaning up against the counter waiting on coffee. He didn’t say a word, not even a nod.

“Good morning Mr. Smith,” Sara greeted, oblivious to the fact he never said it back. She was use to the silence, even if he was a suspicious character and a possible thug. “It’s going to be a great day, you may want to check out the Butterfly Emporium,” she told him, smiling. “I have special discounted brochures in the lobby. Help yourself.”

Sara buzzed around the kitchen, gathering the food the down town cafe delivered each morning for breakfast. She made prior arrangements with them because she was no chef in the kitchen. She decided to pay for it out of one of the pay checks since she had no intentions of ever doing any cooking. Coffee was about all anyone would get for a morning breakfast if they let it up to her.

She set the pastries on glass plates to make it look like appealing. Josh grinned as she walked by and leaned in for a kiss. Once again his tongue probed her mouth while holding two plates of blueberry muffins. She realized he searched to make sure the key was gone. His kiss became gentle and flirtatious as he placed tiny little kisses across down her neck.

She shivered and almost dropped the plates. Sara backed away and turned, almost running smack in to Mr. Smith, who walked towards the buffet table. He reached out and grabbed her. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Smith.”

He shook his head, took a plate and set it on the buffet. She gazed over to Josh and he leaned back, hands in his pockets and dark, hooded eyes on Smith. He seemed calm and relaxed, but Sara knew he would pounce at any given time.

She left, rushing back to her room to calm down. Josh’s kiss almost knocked her to her knees. As she was about to shut the door, Josh slid inside. “That’s the reaction I want to see,” he said. “When we are on the ship, we’ll be on our honeymoon, posing as two people deep in love. You may have to act smitten again and again so everyone thinks we’re newlyweds.”

She frowned. “That isn’t an act, you do make me breathless. But what about you? All of a sudden you can kiss me and not have any feelings?”

He walked towards her, as if stalking and she backed up against the wall. Josh looked deep in her eyes and began to place more tiny kisses over her face, his mouth warm and soft. “Ah Sara, there’s nothing in the world I’d like more right now than to show you just how you make me feel.” His gaze burned into her, open and raw, his feelings right there on his face. “This is what I do and I’m good at it. I need you to remember that, no matter what.”