Tropical Safeguard (Men Of The Secret Service) (18 page)

“Well, how do I look?” he asked, his
voice muffled by the pinching rubber around his upper lip.

“Smashing darling, just smashing!”
Katrina laughed out loud. It felt so good to joke and be silly again. It had
been years since she felt like she had permission to be herself. Cole reached
down and slipped on his fins and Katrina did the same before pulling up her own
mask and placing the air nozzle into her mouth. Like two Charlie Chaplin’s,
they turned and waddled backward holding hands into the water, laughing
hysterically while trying not to choke on the rubber nozzles. There was nothing
sexy about it, just unmistakably hilarious.

The ocean was calm today, inviting. They
waded out deeper and deeper until the water was at thigh level. Turning to face
forward, Cole dove under in one fluid motion. Katrina followed, the cool water
engulfing them invitingly as they entered a different world. The marine life
instantly surrounded them, the colorful fish approaching curiously and swimming
in circles around the couple as they flutter-kicked to and fro. Parrotfish,
angelfish, butterfly fish, and sergeant majors darted here and there in their
underwater home. Skimming the top of the water, Cole reached out and grabbed
Katrina’s hand again, comforted in the act. It seemed like second nature now.
He didn’t even care if Agent Kensing saw them.
Agent Prickly
was no longer Cole’s
concern.

                                   
<><><>

“And
I’m telling you, there’s only one Secret Service guy here. I’ve been watching
for the past hour and there’s only one, and he’s an old guy.” A husky man
dressed in black hunkered down low on the top of the stone wall. With
binoculars perched in his hands, he gazed into the open living room window and
observed the scene before him from a safe distance.

“Just be on the lookout for others. They
usually assign two for a casual trip like this. One is unusual. Just be on
guard.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever.”

“Don’t take that tone with me, David.
This is serious. This is our retirement here. Don’t blow it. Everything’s been
arranged for you, so no excuses. I just need you for the dirty part and the
payoff’s worth it.”

“Okay, we’ll get it done.”

“When are you making your move?”

“In fifteen minutes. The guys are already
geared up and ready. I’ve been going over this plan for days now. It’s time we
made our move.”

“Just keep me posted. And remember, never
use my name.”

“Sure, yeah, okay.”

                                   
<><><>

“That
was breathtaking. Just incredible!” Cole couldn’t contain his joy at the
experience once they were back on the sand. With towels spread out side by
side, they basked in the hot sunshine drying off. Cole leaned on his side
facing her, propped on his elbow. Reaching out, he traced her curved eyebrow
with a finger and winked. “It’s been ages since I’ve gone scuba diving or
snorkeling. I forgot how otherworldly it could be.”

“Otherworldly? You really are a preppy
private school boy, aren’t you. Did you study Shakespeare sonnets in
kindergarten by any chance?” Katrina asked lightheartedly.

“No, more like Keats.” Cole rolled onto
his back and closed his eyes, his arms above his head. Katrina stayed on her
side, watching him. Studying him. She liked what she saw.

“So can we count ourselves lucky that we
didn’t run into a shark out there?” Cole asked, feeling her eyes on him.

“No, there aren’t many sharks in this
bay. The Portuguese man-of-war pose the only danger to swimmers in Bermuda.”
Katrina informed as she sat up and ran a handful of sunscreen down her tanned
arms.

“You know those Portuguese, they can be
very, very deadly,” Cole said seductively.

Katrina looked over in surprise at his
generalization and then realized he was toying with her. He opened his eyes,
looking over for a response. “Don’t’ you remember telling me your Mom was
Portuguese, Spitfire?”

“Right. I’d forgotten.” Katrina grinned.
She kept rubbing the lotion up and down her arms and legs and Cole watched her
rhythmic movements with growing interest. The action reminded him of another
rhythmic exercise he wanted to take part in with Katrina.

“Can I rub some on your back?” she asked,
catching him stare.

“That’d be nice, thanks.” Cole rolled
over and laid his head on his folded arms while she rubbed the lotion in
circles making sure not to miss a spot. Cole was instantly reminded of the
massage he’d enjoyed before. “So when am I going to have the chance to repay
your massage? I bet it’s not often that someone gives you one, am I right?”

“I’d love that. Anytime.”

“How about later tonight? I’ll have
another three hours of freedom then.”

                                   
<><><>

Katrina
sensed the intimacy between them kick up a notch. Although she’d resisted it,
she now felt fully committed to the idea. “Okay, sure.” She tried to sound
casual, but internally her adrenaline was spiking. She was sure Cole could feel
the heat transfer from her hands to his irresistibly scorching skin. There was
no denying her desires and Cole was opening that door for her. She would walk
through willingly. Her anticipation was almost too much to bear.

As they talked, she felt herself begin to
finally relax even more. There was something solid about Cole and the life he
led. He reminded her of all the hopes she’d once possessed before she’d met
Cameron. He represented renewal. Looking back now, Katrina recognized that
there had always been a little part of her that knew deep down Cameron wasn’t
the one
. But
she’d been desperate to be loved by him, as if he were a project, an
accomplishment. Now, she realized that she had been his project too…and his
livelihood – his violent obsession.

“Thanks for the protection,” Cole said as
Katrina fell back on her own towel and sprawled.

“See? At least I can protect you from the
sun. We share a mutual need. You save my life, I save your skin.”

“Yes, a mutual
need
. I love that we share that,” Cole
smirked playfully and Katrina laughed.

She rolled up on her side and slipped her
sunglasses on, staring him down. “Tell me more about your life in New York,”
she asked.

“About my family or my neighborhood?”

“Both.”
 
“Well, I had a pretty amazing
childhood in the city. My parents brought my brother and I to the country every
summer, or Europe, China, Australia. You name it, we went.”

Amazed, Katrina thought back to her
humble yet immensely loved childhood with her parents. “Wow, that sounds
terrific. To be given those kinds of opportunities at such a formative age. The
impact must have been tremendous.”

“It was. But even still, as a child if
you see one famous monument or museum, you’ve seen them all. The interest level
just isn’t there yet. That came later. As I began to realize how many
opportunities I’d been given, a huge respect for my parents intensified. I’m so
grateful for everything I’ve experienced, and for them. I’m blessed.”

“Will you see them again soon?”

“Hopefully. I have quite a bit of time
off coming to me, so I’ll probably fly home after this assignment and see them.
Time with my father is precious now.”

“Of course it is,” Katrina said as she
thought about his word ‘assignment’. She couldn’t fool herself. This was, after
all, Cole’s job and she was ultimately part of his ‘assignment’, nothing more.
Though she wished she was.

“How about you? What was your childhood
like in Maine?”

Katrina thought for a moment. “Lovely yet
simple. My parents had me in their late thirties.”

“Only you?”

“Only me. So I was pretty much the center
of their universe. That being said, they had lived full lives together before I
came along, so they had a special bond before I entered the picture. They’ve
always had each other and I can still see that. It’s something to emulate.”

Cole nodded. “They must have been so
worried about you when you told them about Cameron’s behavior. And then having
to leave.”

“I could tell it was extremely painful
for them. They never really took a liking to Cameron. I guess parents have an
internal meter for what’s right for their children. My parents saw right threw
him.”

“I’d love to meet your parents. I wonder
what they’d think of me?” Cole asked innocently enough.

Taken aback by the honesty of his
statement, Katrina swallowed hard. A man wanting to meet her parents meant
something significant. It meant he didn’t view her as simply an extension of
his assignment after all. As she was about to answer, they heard three gunshots
firing from the mansion. Although the beach was quite a fair distance away,
there was no mistaking the sound. Cole sat up immediately, perking his ears in the
mansion’s direction.

Chapter
Fourteen

“What the hell?” Cole jumped up and ran
over to his small backpack. Shoving his arms through his button-down yet
keeping it open, he slipped on his sandals.

“That couldn’t have been…” Katrina said
as they heard another shot fired.

Cole put a hand out. “Wait.” He listened
more but heard nothing until the silence was broken by a random scream.

“That’s Mrs. Greenbaum,” Katrina said
breathlessly.

“Stay here, Katrina. I have to go and see
what’s happening.”

“No, Cole. I’m coming with you,” Katrina
said in desperation.

Cole looked back at her. “Okay, but we
have to stay down and approach the mansion from the most sheltered angle. That
means the far side near the cliff where Noah almost fell, not the staircase.”

“Lets go then.” Katrina could sense his
urgency.

Hugging close to the alcove, they wound
their way along the jagged base until a gradual slope began. The slope led to
the golf course and as they began their ascent, Cole stopped and held Katrina’s
arm.

“Do you hear that?”

“What?” Katrina stood still, listening.
The unmistakable whir of a golf cart drew closer. Cole put an arm across
Katrina’s back and gently pressed her into the jagged earthen wall of the
alcove as he too leaned in. This way, they were hidden from view from above.
They could tell the golf cart had stopped at the top and whoever was driving
was scanning the beach below in much the same way Cole and Agent Kensing had
that first day at the mansion.

“Maybe it’s Agent Kensing?” Katrina
practically mouthed the words.

Cole shook his head. “We don’t know for
sure. Stay here. I’m going to climb the slope and see if I can get a better
look.”

Letting go of her back, Cole moved away
from her slowly, making sure to stay as close to the alcove wall as possible.
Katrina instantly felt the void between them and an isolated sinking feeling
took hold. She tried her best to shake it off. Her concern was more for Cole
now. Without his gun, he was as vulnerable as anyone else.

“Be careful, Cole.”

                                   
<><><>

Cole
turned and smiled at her tenderly. Climbing stealthily up toward the golf
course, he stopped just short of being exposed. He peered up above the crest
quickly, taking in the surroundings before ducking back down. In that split
second, he spotted the golf cart parked at the brink a short distance away.
Agent Kensing was definitely not the driver. Two men donning black outfits and
wielding machine guns stood in front of the golf cart staring down at the
beach. Cole looked back toward Katrina and signed for her to keep still and
stay quiet. Looking up again, Cole assessed the men’s size and description.
Coming back down, he suddenly heard them speak.

“Nothing down there. I don’t know what
he’s talking about. There’s only one Secret Service guy here and that’s taken
care of. What the hell are we supposed to be looking for, the invisible man?”

“Listen, lets just do our rounds when
we’re asked and make it look like we’re doin’ somthin’, kay?”