11
THE NEXT DAY, Luke breathed in the ocean air, trying to clear his head. The boat was a dream—a ninety-foot schooner with four pristine sails and original wood construction. They’d been awakened that morning by a courier at the hotel room door; he’d delivered an invitation for them to join the cruise. The boat was owned by a Saudi businessman, though Luke didn’t recognize the name. He had to be one of the players after the software. Obviously, their gambit of living large on the island had garnered someone’s attention.
If he were more relaxed, he’d be in heaven, admiring the restoration of this beauty. The boat would take them to the outer edges of the island, where they could swim to the reef and admire ruins along the wild shoreline. A luxurious lunch was provided, champagne and anything else they desire, they’d been told upon arrival.
Vanessa had drawn more than one glance from other men on the boat in her bright blue wrap-around dress, cinched at the waist. Only Luke knew that the wrap covered a bathing suit meant to make men’s brains scramble on sight. It certainly did that to his, when he’d seen her put it on. Her broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses made her glamorous and fun-loving all at once.
He didn’t plan to let Vanessa out of his sight, which wasn’t a sacrifice by any means. In an ideal world, they’d be on this trip for fun—on a lovers’ vacation or a honeymoon.
Surprise put the brakes on that line of thought. Luke had never considered himself marriage material, but it was just a random musing. He and Vanessa had good chemistry and he cared about her, but marriage? The setting had inspired him to think that way. It would be the perfect honeymoon, hypothetically speaking.
As they sailed out into the deep, blue-green waters, Luke stood with Vanessa, his hand at the small of her back, the other on the rail. People milled around the deck or enjoyed cocktails below deck, but otherwise, nothing unusual happened. Everyone seemed to be having a good time.
“I wonder what’s going on. Why hasn’t anyone approached us?”
He was frustrated, his patience wearing thin. Maybe they were too late. The deal could be done right under his nose, and Julie and her cohorts would be gone with enough money to disappear for good. Or maybe this had been a diversion—the realization hit him too late. Perhaps this was a scheme to get them both out of the way while the action happened back on the island. As his stress increased, his hand wrapped more tightly around the rail, betraying his thoughts.
Vanessa put her hand over his, rubbing lightly, urging him silently to relax.
“Maybe they suspect a trap? They could be waiting to make sure that it’s not a setup,” she said under her breath.
He pushed a wisp of her hair back that the ocean breeze had blown loose.
“You’re right. I expected things to happen more quickly, assuming the sale is imminent.”
“Maybe we’re sticking together too much,” she suggested. “Not that I’m complaining,” she added with a smile.
“What do you think?”
“We need to mingle. Talk to people, feel them out. Or see what happens if we’re alone.”
Luke hesitated. She was right, but he worried about her being on her own, without him close by. But they were in a closed environment on the boat, with people everywhere around them. It was as safe as they were likely to be.
“Maybe we should go downstairs and see who’s there. Stay in groups of people, and if anything feels wrong, go with that feeling and find me right away,” he instructed, still nervous. Someone had wanted them on this boat, and now he was worrying about why. Splitting up might be exactly what someone was waiting for.
She nodded soberly, a small worry line creasing her smooth forehead, and he leaned in to kiss it, closing his arms around her and drifting his lips down her cheek. He reached her lips and enjoyed a more proper kiss.
When they parted and he looked at her again, her cheeks were pink, her eyes reflecting desire. Luke had second thoughts. If he let her go like this, every man on the boat would be after her.
“C’mon. We’ll be reaching the reef soon where they’ll stop for lunch and swimming. If we want to corral people in one spot, this is the time to do it.”
Luke nodded, and held her hand as they found the stairs that led down to the bar and dining room. When they ordered drinks, Luke tipped his against hers, and they parted ways, both walking toward opposite sides of the room.
He turned back once, and as he imagined, it took approximately thirty seconds for several men to mill around Vanessa. It set his teeth on edge to see her smile at them, engaging them in conversation. Flirting.
Which is exactly what he needed to be doing, he reminded himself, moving deeper into the lounge, where there was a poker game in progress at one of the tables. A chair was empty, and a man his age looked up, met his eyes and indicated that he should take it.
This had to be it.
He took the chair, greeting the others at the table with a brief smile.
“Gorgeous boat,” he said as he was dealt in.
“Thank you. It took ten years to restore Her Majesty,” his apparent host said. “I’m Sayid Alfarsi. Thank you for coming, Mr. Berringer.”
Luke nodded, picking up his cards, though he wasn’t really interested in the card game.
“Thank you for the invitation.”
“You’re very welcome. You’re here on vacation?”
“Business, actually.”
“Really, of what sort?”
“I’m selling a piece of software I created.”
“Really? What kind?”
“I’d be happy to discuss that in private, if you like.”
“And you wrote this program yourself?”
“I did. My company created it several years ago, but it was lost. I’ve recreated and refined it since then. It’s much better than the original version. Much more effective.”
There was no mistaking the flicker of interest in Alfarsi’s eyes as he played his hand. Others at the table remained quiet, and Luke didn’t miss the tall, beefy man in the corner of the room, watching them closely. Security, no doubt. Or muscle.
“We should make an appointment, yes. Soon.”
“I agree.”
“Your companion is lovely. Are you exclusive?”
Luke masked his visceral response to the question and the clench in his gut—he wanted to leave the table and make sure Vanessa was okay, but instead, he discarded, and drew before he answered.
“Yes. Very.”
Alfarsi caught something in his tone and smiled. “You’re possessive. I don’t blame you. Though they can slip through our fingers so easily, like gossamer, these beautiful women,” he said, laying his hand on the table, revealing a straight.
Was Alfarsi communicating a subtle threat about Vanessa? Luke wanted to bolt from the chair to check on her, and started to make excuses when he saw her arrive around the corner on the other side of the bar.
The way her posture relaxed told him that she was relieved to see him as she walked in his direction. He could see the strain in her expression as she came closer and stood behind him, her hand on his shoulder as she leaned down to plant a kiss on his cheek. He reached up to squeeze her hand and found her fingers freezing cold.
Something had happened.
Luke put his cards down, three of a kind.
Alfarsi was pleased and gathered his winnings.
The other men at the table left, leaving them alone with Alfarsi.
“I insist you meet me for dinner tonight, you and your charming companion. At my home here on the island. I would like to hear more about your proposition.”
Vanessa’s fingers tightened on his shoulder, and Luke paused briefly. While it was clear Alfarsi was one of the buyers, he wasn’t who they were after. Luke had no real intention of handing the software over to him, of course. But meeting with him would definitely mean they’d make an impression and probably disrupt the auction, which was what they wanted.
“We’d love to,” Luke said with a smile.
“Wonderful. I will send a car to your hotel.”
Clearly, he already knew where they were staying, as he’d sent the invitation to the cruise.
“Now, if you will excuse me, I have some calls to make. We will soon break for lunch and there will be an opportunity for swimming and snorkeling among a reef that is not accessible to others on the island. If you don’t have suits, they can be provided.”
Alfarsi looked at Vanessa as if trying to picture her in a bathing suit rather than her dress, which had Luke counting to ten to maintain his cool.
Luke murmured his thanks again as Alfarsi and his men left, and when they were gone, Vanessa sank into the chair at his side.
“What happened?” he asked, studying her face.
“Nothing, really, I suppose. I was talking with a few people upstairs, and one man sort of cornered me on the other side of the bar. He kept asking questions about you. While he didn’t say anything specifically threatening, there was just something about him that made me feel like you were in danger.”
Her lower lip trembled slightly as she told him, and he drew her in close.
“I know. Our Saudi friend gave me the same indirect impression about you. I guess they were seeing if we were serious. But maybe you should stay at the hotel tonight. I’ll meet Alfarsi alone in case it’s a trap of some sort.”
She pulled away, shaking her head.
“No way. We’re in this together, all the way through.”
“Vanessa—”
“No arguments, Luke. No matter what, it’s safer for us to be together.”
He bit back his response and nodded. He wasn’t sure if they were safe either way, but he’d rather be with Vanessa than not. She was right, they had promised to get through this together.
“Well, then, I guess all we have to do now is go get some lunch and enjoy the afternoon.”
“My stomach has dinosaurs, which is way worse than butterflies, believe me. I don’t know if I can eat anything.”
“Gotta keep your strength up. We can’t sit here and worry. We’re carefree and on the brink of making a big score, remember? So let’s have some fun. Remember, we’re just playing a part.”
Luke stood, holding out his hand, which she took. Relaxation was the last thing he could imagine, either. He needed a plan, and he needed to contact Jake about this party, so that maybe they could have some backup in place, in case things went bad.
But at the moment, he was a few miles off the coast, and there was nothing they could do except continue to stay cool and have a good time. It was also important to keep Vanessa relaxed. She wasn’t used to this kind of thing, though she was definitely keeping her chin up.
Watching her put her game face on as they joined the people up on deck, he smiled, nuzzling her temple. She was tougher than she looked. Pride welled in his chest.
No one would lay a hand on her; he’d make sure of that.
* * *
BACK AT THE HOTEL, Vanessa leaned into the corner of the elevator, lost in thought and wrapped in nerves about the upcoming evening with Alfarsi. She and Luke had done well keeping up their ruse, joining in the fun, swimming the reef and chatting up other guests, but she could hardly remember any of it. All she could think about was what was going to happen next.
“Hey, you need to be calm,” Luke said softly against her ear. “It’s going to be okay.”
Vanessa frowned. “How can I be calm? What if this is a trap? Will it lead us to Julie? Will we even survive the night? What will happen when Alfarsi realizes that you have no intention of selling the program? What if—”
His fingers entwined with hers as he cut off her tirade with a kiss. When he pulled back and looked at her, she tried again.
“Seriously, Luke, what—”
Another kiss. Harder, deeper. His hands traveled up her rib cage, one sliding inside her dress, making what she was going to say seem less important.
She caught her breath on a moan as he pressed closer.
“That’s better,” he said, placing another kiss on her lips.
Vanessa thought about the camera that had to be installed somewhere on the elevator—was someone watching them?
Luke’s large frame blocked her from any view, and she was definitely more relaxed as his thigh pushed up between hers, the exquisite pressure eliciting a whimper against his neck.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered to her as he rubbed a nipple in a circular motion, his other hand at her hip, was urging her to move with him. “I love the sounds you make.”
He was about to hear them, she thought, warmth of an impending climax building so sharply that her legs were threatening not to work.
Holding him tighter, Vanessa let herself go, trusting Luke and wanting what he was giving her more than anything. The pressure of hard muscle against her sex made her want him inside, too, but that couldn’t happen here.
But when they were back at the room, she had plans for him.
“Oh, there, yes,” she cried out, heat rippling out from her center as she held him tight, riding it out.
“So lovely,” he was murmuring, along with other sweet things, against her temple. He showered light kisses over her face, finally catching her lips in a kiss so tender her heart almost broke. “I could watch you do that forever.”
Vanessa’s heart might have skipped a beat at the word forever. What exactly did he mean?
“Only with you,” she said honestly, resting her cheek on his chest. “You make me daring.”
He chuckled. “I think daring is your middle name.”
She’d realized so much about herself with Luke. No matter what Luke said about her being daring, this was all new for her. But maybe she was discovering new sides of herself that she didn’t have to set aside when this was over. Just because she taught children didn’t mean she couldn’t have a sexier side, too. Maybe she had just been hiding behind her job and her plain clothes because she’d been too afraid to take a chance until now.
He’d changed everything, she thought with a small smile. How was she ever going to return to life without him?
The elevator doors opened, and Vanessa held her breath, thankful that they were alone. No one was there to see her as she was still flushed. She picked up her step as they got closer to the room, wanting to get inside and finish what they’d started.
She had her keycard out when they reached the door, but as she slipped it inside, the door opened on its own. Luke pulled her quickly back, moving her behind him.
“Wait here.”
He crossed to the edge of the doorway, peeking around the side. Slipping inside, Luke softly closed the door behind him.
Vanessa had to hold herself back from following. He was a professional. He knew what he was doing.
Still, she was afraid for him.
She tried to peek inside. “Luke?”
Nothing. No sound at all. No fighting or voices, but she couldn’t see much.
She grabbed her phone, her fingers ready to call for help as she pushed the door open a bit farther.
What she saw made her gasp as she dropped her phone and stepped inside.
The place was wrecked. As in, completely destroyed. They’d not only thrown their belongings everywhere, but they’d even cut open their suitcases, unstuffed pillows, cushions and pulled everything from the walls.
“Oh, no,” she breathed, and then jumped as Luke appeared around the corner, his expression so fierce she took a step back.
“I thought I told you to stay put?” he snapped, then closed his eyes, and took a breath. “Sorry. It’s fine. They’re gone.”
Vanessa thought this was definitely not fine. She didn’t say anything as she took in the room.
“Are you okay?” His tone softened as he looked down into her eyes.
“Yeah. I’m okay. They took your computer, I imagine?”
“They won’t get anything off it—if they don’t enter a password within ten seconds of booting it up, the hard drive will corrupt itself and basically turn it into a doorstop.”
“I guess that’s one good thing.”
“This is a good thing, though I know it doesn’t look like it, but we got their attention. They’re worried that we have another copy of the software. No doubt, Alfarsi spread the word as soon as we spoke with him, and that instigated this.”
It made sense. Vanessa took in the mess.
“What do we do now? It can’t be safe to stay here, right? And all this damage...”
“We’ll report the break-in and vandalism, and the hotel will handle the rest. We’ll go back to the boat to regroup. This is going to move fast now. It might even be over by morning. Who knows?”
Vanessa’s mind was spinning at the prospect of everything that was happening. She was overwhelmed.
“We can’t possibly go to that dinner tonight, can we?” she asked.
Suddenly, that didn’t seem like the smartest move.
“You shouldn’t, but I will. They’ll be expecting me to show up to broker the deal, but you’ll be safer back on the boat. If we split up, we’re also safer in that we can’t both get caught in a trap.”
“Right, you could. And I’m just waiting back on the boat,” she said, dismissing that idea. They were right back where they’d started.
“No, honey, you’re my backup. If I don’t check in with you, I’ll need you to be the cavalry. Get Mari’s husband, or any of the authorities, and let them know where I am and what’s happening.”
Vanessa felt her hands go cold when she realized what a risk he was taking.
“Okay, of course.”
“Find anything you need to bring, and let’s get going.”
Vanessa hurried to sort through the mess to find some of her belongings. It seemed like every few days, someone was trashing everything she owned, one way or another.
Vanessa wondered if life could ever be normal again. She didn’t feel like the same person anymore. She didn’t feel like herself, an ordinary schoolteacher from Florida. Too much had happened.
She’d deal with that later, like everything else.
Luke helped her gather her things, and soon they were back in the elevator, heading out of the hotel. Less than an hour ago, he’d held her in his arms in this same elevator. Had that been their last time? The thought brought a piercing sadness with it.
They hustled down to the main doors, where Luke asked for the car they’d been using. He tugged Vanessa close for a tight hug.
“Listen, we should split up. I called Mari to send a car for you, so you’ll be safe. He’ll take you directly to the boat. I’ll catch up with you as soon as I can. I need to contact Jake and I don’t want to do it from my phone or from the boat, where they could be tracking transmissions.”
She wanted to sound calm, reasonable, while ignoring the pressure in her chest that made her want to hold on to him and not let go. She felt as if something terrible was going to happen—again. But she also had to trust that he knew what he was doing; he was the professional after all.
“Okay, but hurry?” she said softly.
He framed her face with his hands, taking a long, long look into her eyes before he kissed her one more time.
“I will. I promise. Go straight back to Mari’s—I texted her that you’re coming. Go directly to the boat. Okay?”
She nodded. “Okay.”
Vanessa reluctantly let him go and went to the car, where the driver held the door open for her and helped her load her bag. It wasn’t Richard. The man introduced himself as Pedro and said he worked whenever it was Richard’s day off. She got into the car. The ominous feeling hit her again as she looked back one more time at Luke, who was already on his way down the street. For a second, she almost rejoined him, not wanting to leave.
But she was being foolish. Luke knew what he was doing, and for once, she needed to follow his lead. The car pulled away from the hotel and back out into traffic, heading out of the city.
Vanessa closed her eyes and tried to breathe evenly, settling her anxiety. She’d feel better when she was back with Luke again.
She almost started to nod off, the day’s activities and her recent lack of sleep wearing on her. But a couple lurching bumps in the road had her blinking awake again.
Glancing out the window, she frowned. The scenery wasn’t familiar, and they were going away from, rather than toward, the water.
“Pedro, are you sure you have the right directions?”
“Indeed, miss. We’ll be at your destination shortly.”
She settled back, but as they traveled deeper into a forested area, nowhere near the water, her heart rate picked up. Something wasn’t right.
Pulling her cell phone from her bag, she found she had no signal. That was strange, too—her cell signal had been fine all over the island, so far.
“Oh, no,” she said, sitting up frantically. “I forgot my prescription in the room. I have to go back. I can’t go without my medication.”
The driver said nothing.
“Pedro, did you hear me? I need to go back to the hotel.”
“No, miss. I can’t do that. I’m sure your medication can be sent to you.”
He knew she was lying.
“I want to go back. Turn around, please,” she said more sternly. Nervously.
This time, his only answer was to raise the divider between them, ignoring her.
Definitely not good. This man wasn’t Mari’s driver, or he had been bribed.
She calculated whether it was possible to jump from the car. As the trees sped by, she decided not.
Was Alfarsi planning to use her as bait to make Luke do what he demanded? Or was she being kidnapped by someone else altogether?
The car finally turned down a bumpy, sandy road, dirt clouding all around the car as they went. It made it impossible for Vanessa to see anything else.
They came to a stop, and she swallowed hard, unsure what she would find when the door opened. As it did, she hesitated, but then stepped out. There was no avoiding her fate now, whatever waited for her.
She thought of Luke, and then stopped. The idea of never seeing him again was too painful to bear. What if they had taken him, too? What if someone had told him that she was gone, and he had to do what they said, or else?
She stood, blinking as the dust settled. Two people crossed a lush lawn, heading toward her. They didn’t have to come much closer for her to recognize one of them.
Julie.
Her sister was only yards away.
Vanessa stepped forward, but the driver caught her arm, holding her back. She started to object, and then she noticed his weapon.
Her sister was there, right in front of her, for real.
“Julie,” Vanessa breathed as she launched herself forward and threw her arms around her sister, forgetting about everything else.