Key West Wild (The Florida Keys Series) (18 page)

“Sara,” he said.

She stopped but didn’t turn around, unable to trust herself.

“Be packed and ready to leave at a moment’s notice.”

She forced herself to follow the assistant in to the Turkish treatment room. As soon as she was out of Darian’s sight, she let out a whoosh of air. She had to get to Josh and tell him what happened, but she didn’t want Darian to see her high tail it out of here yet. First, a massage and then she’d leave here.

Forty minutes later, Sara made her way back to the suite. Someone followed behind and she assumed it to be one of Josh’s men. But the man turned and entered Darian’s suite. She wondered if he was one of the men who hid in the shadows for Darian Lane. At least she got a good look at him so she could warn Josh and his agents.

Sara didn’t see anyone stand guard at her suite. She found it empty inside and went out the sliding door to the veranda. She peeked through the glass of the other suite where a group of men, mostly dressed casual in trousers and pullover shirts were in a serious meeting. Josh walked back and forth, talking, pointing to a paper spread out on the coffee table. He motioned to three of the men as if giving directions. He took his job so serious, his brow furrowed as in deep thought.

She loved him. Every single bit of his secret agent smile and body. Her hand, hard pressed against the glass door ached to touch that incredible man. It made her want him more. Their eyes met. She smiled and his face softened for a moment. She backed away, unwilling to disturb their meeting.

Her run in with Darian can wait until the meeting ended.

Sara stood in front of the bathroom mirror. She began to try some things on for the private party Darian invited them to. She wore a black sleeveless dress but when she put it on, discovered Lane’s hand print left a dark bruise on her upper arm. She rubbed it, remembering the evil words he spoke. This game of cat and mouse seemed evil. Sara began to understand how dangerous Josh’s life really was.

The ice from the bucket didn’t seem to help the bruise any, so she went through her wardrobe, picking out a chiffon mini dress instead. She didn’t want Josh to find the bruised arm, he would just get upset and tonight needed to concentrate more than ever.

The chiffon material slid over her creamy skin. The material flowed across one shoulder and down her arm, a sheer organza sleeve covering the bruise. She began to rub cocoa butter on the bare shoulder to make it look softer. Her hair she would let hang down tonight, giving herself a rather gypsy appearance. The emerald earrings looked great, but not the necklace. Sara did her little jig and began to turn around in a circle when she caught Josh standing in the doorway. She had been so intent on covering the bruise up.

Luckily, he showed up after she covered her arm. “You look beautiful,” he told her, his voice, low, husky. He stepped towards her and put his arm around her waist, pulling her to the length of him. Soft kisses rained over her lips but she pushed him back.

“Josh, you’ll wrinkle this dress,” she teased. In reality, she didn’t want him to see her bruise and if he continued with those kisses, more was bound to happen. He’d peel the dress off in a heartbeat and then he’d find out Darian Lane hurt her. It wasn’t an option to let anger get in the way, not tonight.

He grabbed a towel and ducked out of the bathroom. “I’m going for a run, beautiful. I’ll see you in a bit.” Josh turned, opened the door, stopped, let it slam shut, took a few steps and pulled her against his chest. Dipping his head, he kissed her as if the moon and the stars hung in the balance. His hands gripped her upper arms and it was all Sara could do not to scream at the pressure on her damaged arm. He stilled at first but she raised hands to his face, trying to avert the damage.

“I love you,” she told him. “Now go so I can make myself beautiful for you.”

He gave her a hug. Dark eyes penetrated her soul. “You couldn’t be more beautiful than you are right now.”

Sara leaned against the bathroom counter. He was so intense in everything he did and said. This is the tough thing about being in love with a secret agent. They don’t miss much, she told herself, rubbing her arm.

<><>

Josh took the metal steps up to the jogging track this time. He needed a more intense workout today to be able to deal with whatever this evening would bring. He was ready, he wanted to end it tonight and get back to normal life, whatever that involved. Josh wanted Sara more than anything he ever wanted in his life. He would give all of his love, his heart and himself so she never had to be hurt again.

He wanted to show her two people carrying so much baggage could still live a different life without the pain of the past. His natural instinct was to find her ex-husband, he had the means to do it and crush him so that he would never hurt someone else again. What he did infuriated Josh and if he ever showed up anywhere near Sara, it would be the biggest mistake he’d ever make.

After days of intense work, the plan to bring down Darian Lane fell in place. They would go mingle at the private party tonight, giving Josh an excuse to look for hidden jewels. Most crooks were all the same, thinking they were so smart hiding the jewels. Josh had been down this road too many times and could flush out the goods within minutes, proving the thieves were really stupid after all. The minute he found the stolen jewellery, it would be all over for Lane. The men were all ready to swoop down and remove him from the ship. It would all be done quick so none of the other passengers would be harmed.

Of course, in real life it almost never happened the way it should. That’s why he devised a back up plan.

“We meet again,” the voice of his arch enemy riveted through the air. “Is your little woman coming along tonight?” Darian asked.

Josh kept running. If he wanted an answer, Lane would have to keep up with him. He increased his pace. Darian fell in behind him and then Josh would get a deliberate burst of speed and leave Darian in the dust. He laughed when he heard the other man grumble. After two or three times, Josh decided to have mercy.

Darian paced himself beside Josh. “What’s that all about?” he asked, anger on his perfect face.

Josh shrugged. “Didn’t want company.”

“That little woman got you all worked up? Hey, I’ll take her off your hands. I’ll make you a deal. If you want to get rid of her and all the embarrassment she causes, bring her along tonight and hand her over to me. After a few weeks with me, she won’t ever cause any trouble.”

Josh stopped dead in his tracks, causing Darian to stop or run into him. The two faced each other, their chests heaving in and out and taking in great gasps of air.

Josh’s eyes locked on the other man. “What’s mine is mine. If you want to deal with me on a business level, you’ll stay away from my wife.”

Darian stared right back. “You sound jealous. Perhaps there’s more to this than meets the eye.”

Josh shrugged, deciding to play it another way. “I know you want her, but until I get rid of her, I don’t share. That’s the bottom line.”

Darian’s face reddened because Josh was certain no one ever refused any of his wishes. A shadow surfaced from the corner of his eye as two men began to walk towards them. “Maybe,” he said, slowly and deliberately, “I’ll kill you right now and take her for myself.”

Josh stilled. He’d been in these situations before. It was all a ruse to see if he would break. Josh forced himself to grin and burst out in a bold laugh. He turned and began to run again. “Come on, I’ll buy you a cognac and cigar.”

He ran at an even, steady pace, not looking back until Lane fell in beside him. Sweat trickled down his temple. He realized how easy it was to shoot and dump a body from the boat, no one the wiser. Lane was the kind of man who thought he belonged on a pedestal, above the law. If he thought Josh seemed a threat, he may have thrown him overboard.

Josh counted on a certain leverage to make sure it didn’t go down that way. He told Lane last night at the casino, his ‘wife’ was trying to steal his art. So he rigged all the artwork with a special code. Same with his jewels. No one could get at it but him. Unless, he said, you could figure out the code to his security system. Then he told Lane the estate in Fort Lauderdale, not New York is where all the riches were and basically gave him the gps to find it.

If plan A failed and Darian escaped, they wouldn’t have to hunt him down. They’d know where to find him. He would be heading to Josh’s fake estate where fake art and jewels awaited. Plan B in place.

Josh felt as if someone followed as he made his way back to the suite. He pressed some buttons on the watch, and suddenly three other men began to walk behind, acting loud and annoying. One of them leaned back on the railing, acting as if he were getting sick. The guy who followed Josh, walked past and the minute he went by, the others began to follow. Josh slipped in to the suite, confident his men were on the man’s tail. He had a hunch Lane’s goons were all over the place.

The empty suite had Josh heading for the veranda, expecting Sara to be there. He told her she didn’t need to be couped up any more, but needed to wear the emerald earrings so they could keep track where she went. He couldn’t keep her locked away like a prisoner, but someone had to stay close no matter what. He wondered when she would tell him about her encounter with Darian at the Spa earlier. Even though left without the earrings, she wasn’t alone. It was an honest mistake on her part, forgetting the earrings, but may have proven deadly. He finally understood she never lived this life, so she’d have no clue how much danger her life may be in. That’s why he had to do everything in his power to keep her safe from the villains.

Sara, in her black mini dress, long legs crossed and strappy wedges on her feet, her hair hanging over her shoulders like a gypsy, shook dice and laughed with the men. They were sitting around the table and she, the center of attention, looked up when he came in the room. The men pushed back their chairs and stood up quickly, embarrassment on their faces getting caught by the boss.

Josh held up his hand. “It’s okay guys. Get it out of your system, you’ll be working hard tonight. Carry on.” He gave Sara a wink and went to get dressed. Let the guys have some innocent fun and unwind. He wanted them on their toes tonight, ready for anything.

It wasn’t long before the glass door slide open. Sara came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle, hugging him from behind, her cheek against his back. After a while, she spoke, her voice quiet and so serious. “Can we leave here, right now, forget about all of this?” she whispered.

“Soon. Sara, promise me when I ask you to leave the party tonight, you will.” He turned swiftly around, her arms still around him, and cupped her face in both hands.

“I promise, this time, I’ll listen.” She raised her right hand up. “I swear.”

He swooped down and kissed her, so incredibly intense that when his mouth left hers, she cried out.

“You drop me to my knees,” they both said at exactly the same time.

She shivered against his skin. “I almost forgot to tell you about the Spa.”

“I wondered when you would get around to that.”

“How did you know?” she asked, surprised. “Of course, the man who followed me. Wait, he wasn’t your man, he went into Darian’s cabin.”

Josh stilled. “What did he look like?” When she described him, he took off out of the suite to the other agents. She followed behind.

“Let’s get this rolling now. I want him found, secured and dump him in the ocean if you have to shut him up.” He turned when her arm slid around his waist. “What else happened Sara?”

She told him everything about the visit from Darian in the Spa and what he said about leaving tonight, which had the men moving in another direction. Josh made calls, changed plans and ignored her presence. He had to focus on the operation.

<><>

She went outside on the veranda, thinking about everything happening so quickly. That’s when she realized they found the rat. He must work for the agency and decided to double dip.

That only meant one thing. She stood up and grabbed the rails. Morgan’s life may be in grave danger. The reason Josh came in on this whole sting from the beginning was because his sister and Morgan may need his help. There was a chance Morgan would be thrown under the bus by one of his own men. She didn’t want to face that reality, now it stared her dead in the face. She began to shake, afraid for his life for the first time since they boarded the ship. This was too much, too dangerous. Sara began to lose faith, her knees started to buckle, so she clutched on to the rails even harder, afraid to crumble in a big heap on the ground.

When Josh came outside, she heard his voice, steady and strong. “Sara, you need to stay with us. Snap out of it.” He grabbed her shoulders and cupped her chin, placing desperate kisses on her mouth.

“Morgan could be in danger. Grave danger.”

Josh raised his voice. “Sara! Morgan is not in danger.” He shook her shoulders, not trying to hurt her but her arm, still sore, made her grimace. “What is it? What’s wrong with your arm?”

His words made her snap out of it, realizing if Josh saw her bruise, he would lose his mind and go after Darian, and the whole thing could blow up in their faces. No, she had to remain calm. “I’m sorry Josh, it won’t happen again.”

Josh rubbed her arms, lifting them both and brought her hands to his mouth. The chiffon sleeve covered her bruise well. She smiled at him.

“Are you sure you’re all right?”

She nodded as his dark eyes delved in to her own. A moment went by before he spoke. “You’re keeping something from me, but for now we have to move. Plan A is about to begin.”

Sara shuddered and pulled herself together, glad he didn’t catch her lie, even if it was for the best.

<><>

“You must admit, we make a striking couple,” Sara said when she gazed at their reflection on the glass door. He patted her hand, the one tucked into his arm. He wore a black suit, the white shirt open at the neck.

“Ready?” he asked, his eyes cold and hard. He was back in secret agent mode.

“I believe so. Let’s do this.”