Tropical Safeguard (Men Of The Secret Service) (14 page)

“Katrina, abuse is not your fault, it’s
his fault. It’s a cycle.”

“Trust me, I knew all about the cycle of
abuse and knew it would happen again and again, but it didn’t change things.
It’s different when it happens to you personally. There were so many times when
I wanted to run away, or…”

“Or what?” Cole assumed that she’d wanted
to commit murder and he didn’t blame her. Didn’t blame any woman for thinking
those sinister thoughts toward their abusers.

“Times when I wanted to kill myself.”

Cole hadn’t expected that. Especially not
from someone as full of life and energized as Katrina.

“Thank God you ran instead. You did the
right thing.”

“Did I? Then why am I the one scrambling
for my identity, my own life while living in constant fear? I can run to the
other end of the world, to an island in the middle of the ocean, and he can
still find me.”

She shuddered in her fear and Cole inched
closer. He reassuringly put an arm around her back, wanting so badly to pull
her into a tight hug, to wrap his arms around her and keep her safe forever.
But he knew he had to tread lightly. She was broken, damaged by a monster. She
may never have the strength to love another man again and the thought crushed
him. If only he’d met her first. Cole realized then that the spitfire he’d met
on the beach that first day was not an overly confident woman, but a paranoid
woman putting on a brave face. He’d been a strange man encroaching on her
space, her room. No wonder she was defensive.

                                   
<><><>

Katrina
sobbed lightly. She hated being so exposed, so vulnerable, but she couldn’t
hold it in any longer. Her strong veneer was crumbling in front of Cole, yet
she felt validated somehow. He had allowed that validation. She had finally
broken her silence and the relief flooded out of her. The only people who knew
about her abuse were her parents and even they hadn’t known the full truth for
three years; not until she had left Cameron in the middle of the night did she
explain everything to them. Like a thief in the darkness, she’d slipped away,
her heart pounding so loudly she was convinced Cameron could hear it in his
sleep. She knew she’d be starting over again, hitting her ground zero.

“I’d put on a brave and supportive face
in public during those three years in hell. Cameron had a reputation to uphold.
He threatened to kill me if I ever exposed his dirty little secret to the
world.”

“But what about going to the police?”

Katrina shook her head, “He could have
spun his way out of my accusations, denied it, and in the process turned
everyone against me. Cameron had the power to make everyone question
my
character
through his smooth, swarthy lies. He’s a ruthless businessman, and ruthless in
other areas of his life. I learned this the hard way.”

Cole gently rubbed her back and then
pulled her closer. Katrina’s emotions snapped and she turned into his strong
shoulder, releasing the sobs that had surfaced uncontrollably now.

“Let it out, Katrina. I’m here. It’s
okay.” He gently lifted her chin up and thumbed away a tear from her cheek. He
smoothed down her hair, pushing it away from her face. “I’m proud of you for
letting it out. I think you’ve been carrying this around too long on your own.
You shouldn’t have to do that anymore. You can trust that I’ll protect you. I
won’t let anything bad happen.”

“But you don’t understand the kind of
person Cameron is. He’ll never give up looking for me. I’m like his prized
possession. It’s his life’s ambition to control me, Cole, at all cost.”

“Do you truly believe that he owns you?”

“No, but…”

“But nothing. If you believe it, then
that makes you free.”

“But what about the letters?”

“We can’t be certain that he sent them.
But now that I know about him, we can be on the lookout for someone specific.
I’ll call Intel at the Secret Service and have him checked out. I’ll find his
present whereabouts too so you have some reassurance. Knowledge is power.”

“There’s something else, Cole.”

“What?”

“Yesterday, when we were shopping and I
went back for the shoes, I could have sworn I saw Cameron staring at me from
across the street. I tried to get a better look, but it was crowded and there
was this truck and, well, he was just gone. I ran back to the table and…”

“And were extremely frightened by the
experience, I could tell,” Cole jumped in. He shook his head. “You could have
told me about that instead of carrying around the uncertainty all night. These
are the kinds of things that will drive a person crazy. Let me share your
burden and take some of the pressure off. I’ll take it from here.”

“Thank you so much, Cole. I don’t know
what I’d do without you here.” Katrina looked deeply into his eyes. There was
something about him that she longed for. She could tell he was the real deal.
No pretense, so airs.

“Thanks for confiding in me,” he brought
her closer with his strong arm. “Please know how much I admire your strength,
Katrina. I’ve seen my share of victims, and you are definitely not one of them.
You’re a survivor. You took control of your own destiny.”

Damn was he handsome. “Cole, about our
first meeting. I’m sorry I was rude to you. As you now know, I’m cautious when
it comes to men. When you were in my room, I was more scared than angry.”

“And for good reason. I had no business
in your room. That was more Agent Kensing’s doing, though I’m certainly not
trying to pass the buck. I must admit being in your room was intriguing. It was
nice to feel close to you. I’ve found you interesting from the first time I saw
you.”

Katrina felt a sudden flush in her cheeks
at his revelation. She could sense his attraction. As he leaned in and touched
her lips gently with his own, she kissed him back softly at first, and then
with force. An urgent need to get even closer overcame her. As he returned her
forceful kiss, she ran a hand over his bicep, feeling his strength beneath her
fingertips. He returned the favor, bringing a hand up to the back of her neck
and deepening the kiss. She felt as if she’d stopped breathing the moment his
lips touched hers, as if time stood still. He was so gentle, so kind –
yet rugged in all the right ways. He was a
real
man with integrity and honor, not like the
man from her past who only posed as such.
 

A nagging caution took over and, although
it was difficult, Katrina broke the kiss. “Thank you, Cole, for believing me. I
appreciate the shoulder to cry on, literally.” Pulling away for fear of getting
too close, Katrina stood and looked down at him. She could easily get lost in
him, the safety of his strength. But she was still cautious. Caressing his face
gently, she knew staying with him was asking for trouble. “I’m sorry.” She
wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her robe. “I should go.”

“Are you sure you want to leave just
yet?”

Although his offer was innocent enough,
Katrina didn’t trust herself to stay. She knew what would happen and she knew
she would be the one to instigate it. It took everything in her power to
decline his offer.

“I’d better get some sleep. I certainly
didn’t get much last night with all my worrying. Maybe tonight will be
different now that my secret’s out. Thanks again.”

“Night, Katrina.”

“Night.”

                                   
<><><>

He
watched her turn and leave, slowly, reluctantly, closing the door behind her.
He felt helpless. Yes, her room was a mere two doors down, but it still felt
like miles away. He wanted her here, with him, until everything was resolved.
If only they could just be open and honest about their feelings for each other,
he could then insist that she stay.

Cole lay in the darkness rehashing their
intimate conversation. Remembering how her guard was completely stripped away
like that – clinging to his shoulder, holding on to him. And that kiss.
Incredible. She needed him and it was so intimate. He felt the heat licking at
his veins and knew in that moment that he wanted to be with this woman, to know
her on every level. His respect for her had grown immeasurably and he’d be
damned if their pleasantries would get in the way of that. He would have to
make his feelings known, regardless of what anyone else thought. Sure, it may
be deemed unprofessional, but Cole was convinced that you only had one shot at
true love, and this felt like the real thing.

Chapter
Eleven

Katrina lay awake in her bed two rooms
over from Cole. Looking up at the ceiling, she wondered if he had ever been in
a long-term relationship. She realized how much she liked his no-nonsense
approach to life and her mind naturally drifted to his physical appearance too.
He had nice features; his strong jaw with the cleft chin, straight nose, and
full kissable lips. He was extremely handsome. There was no denying how
attracted she was, but it was so much more than that. It was a magnetism she
couldn’t fight even if she’d tried.

Instant chemistry.

The very thought of him made her feel
immense joy. If she hadn’t left his room when she did, she knew she would have
seized her opportunity to feel his body pressed against her, the weight of him
thrilling her to no end. At this thought, warmth spread to all parts of her
body and she realized how much she wanted to really,
really
know Agent Nielsen. But she also
realized it was much more than pure physical attraction. There was a kindness
there, something she had been looking for in Cameron but never received. She
finally felt she deserved to be happy.

Reaching to turn out the light, Katrina
felt her eyes grow heavy. Her exhaustion from the day wrestled with excitable,
giddy thoughts about Cole. Her eyes closed slowly, feeling heavy, but sprang
open at the sound of a branch hitting the porch rail in the wind. The cassava
tree outside her window swayed in the ocean breeze, casting eerie shadows
across her moonlit wall. Katrina hunkered down in the cool sheets, feeling a
ripple of fear trace up her spine. He was out there, she was positive. Cameron
was here in Bermuda and she’d seen him with her very eyes. Her eyes grew wider
and her heart raced at the thumping sound she heard on the balcony. That wasn’t
a tree branch.

Looking at the clock, it had only been a
few minutes since she’d turned out the light. Sitting up, she yawned, feeling
groggy. She stumbled in the darkness toward the French doors and cautiously
slid back the curtains to see if anything,
anyone
, was out there. Nothing.

Drawing the curtain back farther, Katrina
noticed something perched on the edge of the balcony near the rail. A small
white box. Unlatching the lock, she opened the door and walked out. Crouching
down, she slowly removed the lid. As she did, Katrina’s breath caught and she
went numb. A sharp, silver dagger lay atop a dead rose at the bottom. A note
rested beside the morbid objects. Picking up the note, Katrina’s hands trembled
uncontrollably. She recognized the writing immediately.

I brought you a gift.

It will slice through your skin
effortlessly.

It’s been too long since I’ve heard
you scream.

Coming home is the only way to save
your life.

Dropping the note, Katrina’s tears
clouded her vision. Shaking, she managed to stand upright just as she heard a
slight shuffling behind her. Half turning, something large and dark caught her
eye at the corner of the balcony. Cameron. He stood against the wall, a smile
stretched across his face in the moonlight. Thinking fast, Katrina bent to grab
the dagger from the box but Cameron was faster. She cried out, but his strong
hand came across her mouth and muffled the last of the cry. Wrapping his arm
around her, he immobilized her as he had so many times in the past. Stronger
now from all the Pilates, Katrina was able to struggle much more than she ever
had, but she was still no match to his overriding adrenaline. He was savoring
the excitement of having finally found her, having captured his beloved
property.

“You’re mine again, Kat. Don’t fight it
or I’ll make you pay,” he hissed in her ear.

Cameron drew her closer to the rail and
leaned her over. Katrina’s eyes grew wide in fright. She was certain he was
going to throw her off the balcony. Looking down, she judged that the fall was
much too short to kill her, but she may sustain a broken leg or worse, a broken
neck if she landed the wrong way. Kicking out as he held her, her leg missed
Cameron and connected with the open French door, banging it loudly. She did everything
in her power to struggle, but it was no use. She tried biting him, but he
clamped his hand down harder making it impossible. He hoisted her up, groaning
in his efforts. She tried to be as heavy as she could, but this was a tall
order being so light and petite. She was no match for his aggressive, enraged
strength.