Key West Wild (The Florida Keys Series) (13 page)

She nodded, trying to understand.

“I’m taking you along, because the only other option we have is a sixty two year old agent who no one would ever believe is my wife. We have to move this afternoon and I don’t trust Smith here alone with you. I’m not sure how the man plays in all of this, but I’m not taking any chances. If you’re with me, I can take care of you better because my guys can help to protect you.”

She hugged him. “Oh Josh, I’ll be the perfect honeymoon wife. I’ll put on the performance of a lifetime.”

He backed away. “Do everything you’re asked, Sara. There’s a code, it’s pocket watch. Follow instructions from whoever uses the code, understand?”

She nodded, excited. He looked at her again, his face so serious it scared her. “Remember, no matter what, this is all a show to get the criminals. If I do something or say anything you don’t like or understand, it’s not the real me. Do you understand this before I walk out the door?”

She frowned. “What are you saying?”

He sighed. “It’s hard for you to understand this, Sara. We’re walking blind on to this ship. Without an account of Lane’s men there’s no telling who the enemy is right now. You’re safe as long as you follow all instructions. The moment I sense danger, I’ll switch gears and you will see a side of me you won’t like.”

“Oh I doubt that, Josh. I have seen you at your worst.”

He opened the door and looked back. “You have no clue. You have your warning.”

Sara shivered. He was so dead serious. It was as if another person inhabited that gorgeous body. She doubted there was a bad side to him. Sara dodged the mirror this time and went back in to the kitchen, making mental notes of the clothes needed to take along.

An hour later, the kitchen looked clean so Sara took a bag of garbage out to the trash can in the rear of the property. A man, hunched over with long sleeves and a ragged hooded sweatshirt dug in the can. A homeless man? Sara walked closer, deciding to offer the poor fellow a meal. “Mister, stop that sir! If you need a meal, I’ll feed you one.” She reached out and took a hold of his shirt. As he swung towards her, she stepped back in shock.

“Sara, get out of here,” Josh growled.

His face, covered in dark smudges and dirt looked almost unrecognisable to anyone else, not to Sara. Those dark eyes belonged to the man she thought about day and night. “You don’t have to be mean about it, here, take this trash and go!” She shoved the bag in his hands and placed her own hands on her hips. “Go on, get out of here!” She raised her voice louder and waved her hands at him.

He gave her a grateful nod as he hugged the bag of trash and limped away. As she turned to go in the house, Mr. Smith stood across the street in the alley. He stared at the homeless man for a brief second and crossed over towards her.

“You always give your trash to vagabonds?” he asked. It was the most words said to her in one sentence.

“No,” she lied, “they dig through the can and leave a mess behind. I happened to catch this one.” She moved up the path. “Have a nice day, Mr. Smith. I hope you get to enjoy the butterflies.”

“I’d rather drop dead,” he mumbled.

She turned. “You may do that, if you keep smoking like that, Mr. Smith,” she said before stepping inside. Glad to be in the safety of the house, she cringed at the thought of the man getting to close. Sara peered out the kitchen window, the puffs of white smoke flowing around as he kept his eye on which way Josh went.

She needed to tell Josh. Art’s scratchy voice made her jump back. She shrieked.

“I’m sorry, Sara. You need to calm down. You won’t be any help unless you get your nerves under control.”

Angry eyes glared at the little man. “Who are you to tell me what to do? Josh said I don’t listen to anyone unless they use the code first,” she warned him. She sounded sarcastic, but he caused her to jump out of her sandals!

He grinned. “pocket watch.”

His face skewered up as the agent laughed out loud. Art wasn’t such a bad guy after all. She wondered why he drove Josh crazy. “By the way, Smith is keeping an eye on Josh, er, the homeless guy a bit too close.”

Art nodded. “We know. It keeps his eye off of what’s going on here.”

Sara peeked out the window at Mr. Smith as he made his way down the street after Josh. Every time Josh stopped and peered in to a trash can, Smith slid behind a tree or building to hide, but now she realized Josh played a game. It went on for some time until they were both out of eyesight.

She turned to say something to Art, but he disappeared. She peered in the dining room and looked out to the garden area, but no one was around. The house seemed too quiet. Sara didn’t quite know what to do with herself at the moment, so she spent time in the garden, reflecting on the next few days to come.

Excitement ran inside. This was a chance to show Josh she can accept a secret agent life if he decided not to leave the business.

The front door opened as the delivery man called out for a signature. Sara took the packages and set them on the floor beside Josh’s door. She fished in her pocket and pulled out the key and realized the boxes being delivered were the reason Mr. Smith got distracted by the ‘homeless man’.

Sara stepped inside Josh’s room and froze. The room looked bare, except for one small overnight bag sitting on the chair. She tip-toed to the closet and peered in to see a few items hung up on hangers. She hated to snoop, but curiosity won. He lived like he may take flight at any given time. She peeked in the bathroom and found another overnight bag filled with clothes. He lived out of luggage. Perhaps that’s the life of an agent on the go.

A hand covered her mouth and she tried to scream, petrified. Warm breath fluttered across her ear. “It’s okay, it’s Josh.”

She leaned her head back and her body went limp with relief. He removed his hand. “Joshua Eden, don’t you scare me like that, ever!”

He nuzzled her neck. “What are you doing in my bedroom?”

She moved away and wrinkled her nose. “I brought your delivery.” Her hands flew to her hips. “You smell of garbage.”

He pulled off his long hooded sweater. Next, his shirt. “I’m going to take a shower. If you don’t get out of here, I’ll have you in there with me.”

She ducked out of the room, slammed the door and slipped in to her own room. She didn’t doubt for one minute he’d do as he said. Those dark eyes of his told of hidden promises. Was he hungry for her or the anticipation of going undercover that made him daring and brave? She met the gentle side of Josh and the fun side of him while dancing, but now he seemed somehow different. He seemed darker, wilder and daring and a bit of danger lurked in the air all around him.

It made her want to be with him even more.

Sara needed to keep busy. She went through all of her clothes and decided on several outfits that would work on a cruise ship and piled them in her designer luggage. She grabbed her purse and ran out the front door, hurrying down the street to find the little dress shop she spotted. After spending an hour rummaging through clothes, she found a few casual dresses. Next, she stopped at a shoe store and after trying on several, decided to buy both pair. When it came to clothing, Sara liked what she liked and it was hard to put things back.

She enjoyed her little shopping excursion and found a shop that sold cigars. Sara picked up a few boxes of slim ones and stuffed them in her shopping bag. She wanted them for her new under cover look. She giggled to herself, loving the idea of dressing for a secret endeavour. Josh warned her things may get serious all of a sudden, but until it did, she planned to have fun.

Sara slowed her pace and spotted a long, formal gown displayed in one shop window. She had to have it for the formal dinner on the cruise. After trying it on she slid her credit card across the counter, not caring about the cost. She walked down the street happy with her purchases when she noticed the two old couples from the Inn. “Hi there!” she shouted, unable to wave since her her arms were full.

Four pairs of eyes stared at her in shock, looking quite guilty. Funny how this sleuthing business made you wary of others, she thought to herself. They lingered in front of a very expensive jewels shop with their mouths open. One of the ladies forced a smile. “Hi Sara. We’re resting here a moment before we head back. Do you need help with those packages?”

“No, no. I’m fine,” she said. They didn’t look like they were strong enough to carry the bags anyway. “I’m not done shopping, have a good day.” She made her way in to the jewelry shop and set her bags down beside the counter.

She smiled at the jeweller. “Good afternoon. Do you mind if I leave my bags there while I browse?”

“Not at all. Would you like me to put them behind the counter while you shop?” he asked. A young man, a bit older than her smiled. He had perfect white teeth and a beautiful face, like you would see in a magazine. Not rugged at all, not like Josh. She sighed. Why did she do that, compare every man to him?

“No, I’m not going to be here long.” Sara wandered around the shop, acting as if she were looking for something special. Her eyes kept moving to the big picture window where the two older couples stood together under the awning. As she made to turn away, Mr. Smith walks up, hands them a shopping bag, turns and disappears in to the crowd of people on the street. Sara went to the front of the shop. Did they know each other? It didn’t make sense.

She peered down in to the shopping bag through the big glass window. Sara noticed black cases and they looked like they would hold something precious, like diamonds perhaps? Her hand shot to her throat. She had to get back to tell Josh right away. She waited for the two couples to leave the area. They walked towards Mallory square and Sara wanted to follow them.

She swung to the jeweller. “Can I ask you a little favor? I need to go find my husband who is up the street. May I leave my things here for just a few more minutes while I go talk to him?”

“Sure, I’ll put the bags behind the counter. You never know these days if someone will up and take them.”

She thanked the guy and slipped from the shop, following the two couples. They walked toward Mallory Square, where vendors were starting to set up their tables. She stayed far enough away yet close enough to make out the direction they walked. The one old man clutched on to the bag as if the crown jewels were inside.

As she neared the crowd on Mallory square, Sara heard sirens going off and a big commotion at the hotel beside the square. People were bottle-necking to see what all the noise was about. Sara joined in, getting closer to the crowd when she spotted a small group of about five people standing near the edge of the docks.

Sara froze. Her brother Morgan stood there, along with a beautiful tall, dark-haired woman who looked familiar. She closed her eyes. It had to be Josh’s sister. When she opened them again, a man in an expensive casual suit stared at her with interest. That’s when she looked around to see the two elderly couples walking away from his entourage. They no longer held the shopping bag, but the beautiful man clutched it in his fist.

Sudden realization came to her and she held her breath in order not to cry out. He had to be Darian Lane, the thug Josh was trying to nail. Determined not to give herself away and screw up the whole sting, Sara dug deep down inside herself for strength. Her brother’s life was dependent on her not screwing things up.

So she began to walk towards the crowd of people, stopping short of the group. “What’s going on?” she said aloud.

Darian Lane turned and smiled. He took in every inch of her, from her head to toes, lingering on her breasts. Like he was trying to undress her right there on Mallory square. What a piece of garbage, she thought to herself, but plastered a fake smile instead. She felt her brother’s eyes on her but didn’t dare to look in his direction, afraid she’d blow it. Seeing him and knowing how close he stood gave her goosebumps.

“I’m not sure, the cops are over here. It looks like there’s some kind of convention going on,” he offered, his smile trained on her. Sara worried he’d see right through her facade, but she had to stop assuming.

“Well, I’m looking for my husband, I misplaced him,” she laughed, her giggles a bit strained. She started to walk away when she felt something behind her and as she turned around, Josh swung her up in the air.

“Darling! I found you!” he crooned. He swung her around several times before she landed on her feet. He pulled her to him and he swooped down and kissed her so deep and long that it took her breath away. She put her arms around his neck and forgot all about the crowd surrounding them. He may be pretending, but she would enjoy every savage kiss.

He pulled away and stared deep in her eyes, his stormy and dark and she had no clue what he thought. They were void and empty and it kind of scared her. He took her hand and said loud enough for the others to hear, “I have something waiting for you back on the ship.”

Sara turned to the small crowd and lifted her hand. “Nice talking to you,” she said to Darian Lane. He nodded to her, a small controlled smile on his face. She wanted to wipe it off, he was pure evil.

When they were several feet away, Josh once again gathered her in his arms and embraced her as if she were the only woman on earth for him. He cupped her face in his hands and looked deep in her eyes. She whispered, “You stare at me as if you are looking right through me. This scares me.”

He placed a tiny kiss on her mouth, lingering there for a moment and nibbling on her lips. “We must act and seem like newlyweds. I told you how it would be, Sara. It’s official, we’re under cover. What ever I do, go along with me. Please.”

She sighed. She wanted this under cover stuff so now she had to play along. Even if he didn’t mean those deep kisses, she’d take them in and embrace the world she threw herself in to. “Whatever I can do to help my brother and your sister, I’ll do,” she vowed and lifted her face to him. She kissed him with so much force he took a step back.

“Sara, that’s deep,” he said. He looked distraught.

“There’s more where that came from,” she giggled, breaking free and running past the crowd they were performing for. Sara didn’t even know what direction to take, she just began to run, acting like a love struck bride. Josh followed on her heels, his face blank. “What are we doing now?” she asked.