Tropical Safeguard (Men Of The Secret Service) (12 page)

“You sound surprised.”

“I think I severely
underestimated the intensity of Pilates. This is anything but a wasted
workout.”

Katrina pushed his
shoulder slightly at the insult. She knew he was joking, but it always made her
day when a fit person assumed the exercises were a cake-walk.

“That’s quite the
intense burn,” he grunted. “I’m finding it really difficult to look calm and
cool for you.”

Katrina laughed. “Trust
me, you don’t have to try too hard.”

“I beg to differ,” Cole
said winded. “I’m sweating like a maniac here.”

“Now, lets finish off
with some fire. Are you ready for the One Hundreds?”

                                   
<><><>

Cole could feel his abs crying out for
mercy already. “I don’t like the sound of that!”

Leaning over him, she
touched her fingers to his temples, aligning his head. Then she placed a flat
gentle hand on his firm stomach as he crunched up with effort, breathing
fluidly in the process. “Keep going, Cole, you’re doing great,” she encouraged.
“And thirty, thirty one…”

Cole realized it was the
first time she’d said his name and it sounded intimate, almost familiar. He
liked it. They’d gotten to that point in such a short time. Still, there was
another way they could grow even more intimate and familiar. Cole could easily
imagine taking part in that act with Katrina, having her say his name as he
satisfied her. It would be like heaven on earth, but he was also realistic. He
didn’t consider himself the type that would jump a beautiful woman’s bones
before he even knew her. Being here a mere week hardly constituted knowing each
other
enough
.
But there was always the future. Maybe back in New York they could see each
other under different circumstances. He would keep in touch.

                                   
<><><>

In turn, Katrina felt the closeness
between them. She fought it, but it was there. Touching him, she felt as if her
hands would melt right into his flesh. It took everything to fight the urge to
crawl right on top of him and feel their bodies pressing together. Admitting
she felt safe around him was easy…in her head. But she could never admit it
aloud, that would show her vulnerability. Getting any closer wasn’t an option.
She wouldn’t’ allow herself that pleasure because of the risk involved; the
risk of getting hurt again. How many more days until he left? Three. A nagging
dread surfaced at the thought of his departure. In three days he would leave
and the silence she had discussed with Jacque some days ago would engulf her
and she would be an open target.

Chapter Nine

“Morning, Roy, lots
today I see.” Gloria stepped toward the mailman’s outstretched arm and took the
pile of white envelopes and flyers.

“Yep. Making me work for
it today,” he snickered.

“Take care.” Gloria took
a step back from his small postal vehicle.

Roy waved as he sped off
down the driveway toward the rot-iron gate, which closed slowly after his
departure. While mindlessly sifting through the pile, Gloria sauntered back
toward the front door. As she did, she looked up and noticed a piece of white
paper hanging out of the mailbox.

“That’s strange,” she
lifted the lid and pulled out a similar envelope to the one from the previous
day. Her fingers trembled and she automatically turned around in a circle as if
looking for the messenger. She knew of course that he was long gone, but the
feeling of violation lingered.

Opening the grand door,
she strode with purpose through the foyer, passing the hall that led to
Secretary Mitchell’s study. She knew he was in there, as he spent late evenings
and early mornings taking care of business before Jimmy woke up. Instead, she
walked directly toward the back of the house. Bending over to take something
out of the oven, Jacque had his back to her and was whistling to himself.
Gloria passed right by, not wanting to stray from her task. Approaching Agent
Nielsen’s door, she knocked lightly and waited.

                                   
<><><>

Meanwhile, Katrina entered the side door
and wound her way to the kitchen where she found Jacque pulling a roasted
breakfast ham from the oven. After her Pilates workout with Cole, she’d stayed
on the beach a while to stretch after he’d left. Perching on a stool, she
watched Jacque place the ham on a cutting board to relax in its own
juices.
 

“You’re up early,” she
noticed.

“I had a timer set for
this thing. It had to roast for two hours so I’ve been up since before you, my
dear. Putting it in and then trying my best to sleep for another couple of
hours before it had to come out.” Jacque stopped for a moment and leaned on the
island, staring her down. “I did happen to look out my window in the wee hours
of le matin.”

“Oh?” Katrina saw a
crooked little grin on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. She always found her
chats with Jacque entertaining and informative, but she guessed that this
morning’s would be personal.

“So,” Jacque leaned over
in her direction, “the agent then?”

“Pardon?” Katrina
inquired while trying to fain ignorance, though deep down she knew what he was
implying.

“At first I was hopeful
that The Secretary would be your fate, but non, non, non! I was so mistaken.
T’is the agent, oui?”

“Is it that obvious?”
Katrina smiled despite all efforts to maintain control.

“For some, yes. You must
not forget that I am a man of passion and romance. It takes an open heart and
open eyes to see that kind of...” Jacque paused, thinking.

“That kind of what?
Indiscretion?” Katrina assumed he’d view it as a holiday fling even though
nothing had happened – yet.

Taken aback, Jacque
wagged a finger as if to scold. “Katrina, I would never point out a simple
indiscretion. To each their own. This is something completely different. I see
the way you are together, the way you look at each other. There is a joie de
vive lurking, a tangling of the lives. It is love, my dear, love!” Jacque
leaned over the expansive island and tapped the tip of her nose with his
finger, smiling.

Dumbfounded, Katrina
stared blankly at his jovial face in shock.

“Say something, my
dear.”

“I think you
overestimate my sentiments, Jacque. I appreciate you wanting the best for me,
but I think your love radar may be broken. Agent Nielsen is a great guy and
all, but come on. I’ve only known him for four days.”

“This is more than
enough time for the heart, more than enough. But, I understand if you are in
the denial. It happens. You are the kind of woman who takes her time. But
remember, Kat, there is not much time left. Grab a hold of this chance at
l’amour.”

                                   
<><><>

Hearing the knock, Cole had just come
from the shower after his private Pilates class. His shift was to start in an
hour.

“Good morning, Gloria,
how can I help?” Cole then noticed her worried expression.

“Another letter came,
Agent Nielsen. Should I tell Secretary Mitchell? I thought it best to come to
you first. I don’t want to upset him anymore than I have to. He’s here on holiday
after all.”

“Thank you, Gloria. I
appreciate that, and yes, I’ll handle it.”

“Yes, agent,” she said,
closing the door.

Cole sat on the corner
of his bed. He wedged open the letter, careful not to disturb the envelope too
much. It was, after all, evidence. He slid out the paper and could tell right
away that it was sinister. The words appeared to be written in a frenzy of
agitation, all capitals and messy. The author had progressed in his fury since
the first letter’s more subtle threats and controlled handwriting. The perp was
definitely progressing in heightened anger.

Cole inserted his
earphone and clicked it on, calling his colleague. It took a few rings before
he got a response.

“Agent Kensing.” His
voice sounded sleepy, muffled.

“Morning, Agent. We have
another letter.”

                                   
<><><>

With the oncoming sound of footsteps,
Katrina and Jacque stopped talking. A moment later, Gloria walked into the
kitchen. They could tell something was wrong right away.

“Gloria, darling, who
killed your dog?” Jacque asked directly.

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong, Gloria,
you look really upset,” Katrina asked.

“Another threatening
letter arrived today for Secretary Mitchell.” Gloria took a seat beside
Katrina, looking glum. “I’m starting to feel a little vulnerable with this new
crowd. We have two Secret Service agents here yet someone still manages to
harass our guests. I have a strange feeling that something’s going to happen,
and we’re not going to like it.”

“What do you mean
another letter came? What kind of letter?” Katrina asked. She’d missed out on
the gossip of the first letter.

“Didn’t Jacque tell
you?” Gloria looked over at Jacque and he scrunched his shoulders.

“I thought everyone
already knew,” he confessed.

“An anonymous letter
arrived yesterday. It was very threatening. It said something like, ‘You can
run, but you can’t hide. I’ll find you.’ It’s enough to make everyone lose
sleep.”

At Gloria’s words,
Katrina’s heart skipped. “Was the letter addressed directly to The Secretary?”
she asked with a slight chill in her voice.

“No, it was pretty
general. And now we have a second one in the span of a day. I’m starting to
feel a little unsafe.”

“What did the second
letter say?” Jacque asked.

“I didn’t read it. I
brought it directly to Agent Nielsen this time and he opened it in private. Who
knows what will happen now.”

“I suppose there won’t
be any trips into town for the rest of the week. Maybe we’ll be on lock-down or
something. I cringe at the thought!” Jacques said, worried that his trips to
the fish market would be put on hold.

“Don’t worry, Gloria.
I’m sure this kind of thing happens everyday for The Secretary. Every political
figure experiences threats from people who don’t agree with their agenda.”
Katrina tried to comfort her, though she herself was shaking to the core.

Back in her room,
Katrina paced the floor with worry. Could her ex have sent those letters? She
wouldn’t put it past him. The nagging belief in his presence heightened. She
was positive she’d seen him downtown yesterday and those letters confirmed it.
They were meant for her and her alone. She was in grave danger.

Katrina picked up her
cell phone from the top of her dresser. She punched in the numbers of an
untraceable calling card and waited.

“Hello.”

“Dad, it’s me.”

“Hey there, Katchup! How
are things there?”

“Okay. Can’t complain.
How’s Mom?”

“Oh, fine as usual.
Keeping busy. She’s at the grocery store right now. She’ll be sorry she missed
your call. She says she wants to whip up something special for me tonight. She
loves her cooking class and likes to make me surprises. And I love eating her
homework!” Allen Turner chuckled, but he didn’t hear his daughter reciprocate.
Her silence said it all. “Katrina, is something wrong?”

“Dad, I’m calling to see
if anyone’s been asking where I am. Some strange letters have arrived here
recently and they have me a little nervous.” Katrina downplayed the severity of
the situation. She wanted to protect her father from further worry. She’d
caused her parents enough. She noticed his long pause and knew something wasn’t
right. She fought down a rising flutter of terror in her chest with each
passing second.

“Well,” he finally spoke
with some caution, “there was a bit of an incident here last week but Mom and I
didn’t want to make you worry about us.”