Loving the Wild Card (Kingdom Book 5)

“Come on Josh, we need to get out of here. That boat’s moving fast. We can get a head start, but we need to go, now!”


Pausing only long enough to take in his raised brow and lack of movement, Lux shrugged and began to back away. He was a big boy so he could take care of himself. As soon as the thought passed through her mind, she knew she was lost. There was no way she was going to leave him to face their adversaries alone.

She knew how to protect herself and even though he was too stubborn to heed her warning, she would have to stand by his side. She may not have faced off with a grown man before, but she would have to do it now because the big lump refused to do as she said.

After an enormous exhalation, Lux muttered under her breath as she gathered the folds of her dress and tied it at her hip. Next she twisted her braids into a knot at the nape of her neck, unaware Josh watched her with a speculatively raised brow.

A large man left the boat and jumped down into the shallow water near the beach. Not even the choppy roll of the tide stopped his advance. The closer he came, the more his size worried her. Bending her knees, Lux buried her toes into the sand and breathed deeply. She was ready for the fight ahead.

The sun had all but set and both Josh and the new man were now cast in silhouette. That Josh seemed unconcerned didn’t register with her. All she knew was she was not going down without a fight.

The boatman stopped when the water just covered his feet. Lux wasn’t prepared to take her eyes off him. From the way, he carried himself, she knew he was dangerous and one should never take their eyes off trouble. Further thought was dispelled when she was caught, spun and thrown over a muscular shoulder and the breath left her body. Distracted by the newcomer, she’d taken her eyes off Josh.

As he strode towards the ocean, she fought for release, but the arms that held her in place were bands of steel. Catching a glimpse of the man from the boat, some of the fight went out of her. She recognized him, she should have realized why Josh was so unconcerned by his arrival. Where there was one Kingdom brother the other was never far behind. It was Jake.

When Josh came abreast with his brother, he didn’t break stride. In perpetual motion, he waded through the lapping tide and continued on towards the waiting boat. Lifting her head as best she could, Lux looked back at the beach and saw that Jake was standing guard, watching their backs.

Deposited into the boat, she immediately rose to her feet, thoughts of escape at the forefront of her mind. How they managed to move so quickly was something she would have to ponder at a later date. No sooner had she gained her feet, both the brothers were aboard and the speedboat was in full flight.

It happened so quickly, Lux was thrown back and landed hard on her backside. Staring at two impressive backs; she knew there was no way to escape until they reached their destination, wherever that might be.

From the moment he manhandled her onto the speedboat, Josh ignored her. Both men stood behind the windshield in silence as the boat plowed its way through the water. Sure they could feel the daggers she threw at their backs, Lux bided her time.

She didn’t have long to wait. Within ten minutes, they reached their destination and she knew there was no way they were on Tobago. That trip would have taken at least two hours.

Docking the boat beside what looked like a disused jetty, Josh, and his brother, jumped onto the rickety wooden planks. When Josh held out his hand to her, Lux ignored it and disembarked under her own steam. Looking around, she tried to gain her bearings, but she had no idea where they were.

Both men stood with their heads together and spoke for the first time. Their voices were so low she couldn’t hear what they were saying.

“Let’s go, Lux,” Josh said as he nodded in the direction his brother took.

“Where are we going?”

“I’ll explain everything to you in a little while. For now, we just need to get out of here.”

“We’re not being followed so you can cut the crap! I know you, Joshua Kingdom, and if we were in danger you would have probably gone all He-Man again with me over your shoulder.”

“Luxie, if you like it when I carry you over my shoulder, it will be my pleasure to accommodate you,” Josh replied with a slight lift of his lips. The semblance of a smile warned her, he wasn’t about to tolerate her delaying tactics.

Giving him her dirtiest look, she ignored the hand he still held out to her and marched off, fed up with being bossed around by him. For a moment, she thought about running into the bushes that overran the path they were on. She changed her mind when she remembered she didn’t know where they were. One misstep in the darkness and she could be in more trouble than his royal bossiness posed.

Theresa L. Henry's books