Passion Punch

by Tricia Leedom

  “Promise me you two won’t have too much fun at the Ritz. We want you back.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll try not to get used to having servants wait on me hand and foot again.”

  “Girl, hang up the phone.”

  April took a quick shower then slipped on a sleeveless, white eyelet, mini sundress and a cute pair of wedge sandals before she left the bedroom. She was almost to the bottom of the curving staircase when the front door flew open. Two excited little girls in Disney Princess costumes tore into the house followed by a haggard Mrs. Feinstein, the head nanny, and the children’s mother Courtney, who seemed refreshed and unfazed by the chaos.

  “No. Me!” Two-year-old Sylvia shouted in frustration and ran after her older sister Ruby. Shoving her as hard as she could, they both fell and ended in a tangle of ruffles and crinoline.

  Courtney’s face lit up when she spotted April. She stepped around the shrieking girls and met April with a big hug. “OMG! It’s so good to see you! Your father and I are so happy to have you home.” Pulling back, Courtney closed her eyes and signed with exasperation. “Mrs. Feinstein, please take the girls upstairs. They’re making my head pound.”

  The nanny was already trying to separate them and managed to pry Sylvia free. The spitting image of her mother, who wasn’t a natural blonde, the dark-haired toddler hauled back a foot and kicked Ruby.

  “Ow!” Mrs. Feinstein yelped and reached down with her free hand to rub her shin. “That’s enough, girls.”

  “Mommy, she kicked me!” Ruby whined though it was perfectly clear Sylvia had missed her all together.

  “Stay away from her then. First, say hello to your sister before you go upstairs.”

  The five-year-old instantly stopped crying and blinked at April with open curiosity. They’d met before, but Ruby was probably too young to remember.

  “I’m April. You have the most beautiful shade of auburn hair.”

  Ruby, who looked so much like their father it was disconcerting, scrunched up her little snub nose. “I am not sharing my mommy with another sister! One’s enough!”

  Courtney’s jaw gaped open, and April could see her pretty, twenty-eight-year-old step-mother wondering if she needed Botox.

  April laughed. “Courtney is not my mother. You and I have the same father though.”

  Ruby put her hands on her hips and stuck out her chin. “Father is too busy for children, so go away.”

  April’s heart constricted. Did Ruby really think their father was too busy for her? How sad if that was true. Philip Linus had been in the midst of building his hotel empire when April was growing up, yet he always set aside father-daughter time for them, though less frequently after her mother died.

  Mrs. Feinstein picked up Sylvia who stared at April as if she had two heads.

  “Let’s be kind to your older sister.” Turning away, Courtney tossed her oversized purse on the white marble entry table. “April had to move to Casa Linus because she has no place else to live.”

  That wasn’t true, but before she could correct the mistake, Courtney pointed to the nanny, who had started up the stairs with Sylvia. “You better hurry or Sylvia is going to get her morning snack first.”

  “No, she won’t.” Ruby’s face scrunched with determination as she took off after them.

  “You must think I’m a terrible mother.”

  “No,” April said, reserving her judgement. “I can’t imagine having two children under the age of six. And girls are so much—”

  “Easier than boys, I know.” Courtney rubbed April’s shoulder with sympathy. “You’re so lucky you just have the one little monster.”

  “Oh, Archie isn’t a—”

  Courtney spun away from her to check her hair and makeup in the hall mirror. “Join me for coffee?”

  The grandfather clock at the top of the stairs chimed once, indicating the half hour. “Actually, I was just on my way out back to check on Archie. Daddy is teaching him how to golf.”

  As soon as Courtney abandoned the mirror for the living room sofa, Elise the maid popped up out of nowhere to retrieve the purse Courtney had plopped on the entry table. “Pardon the interruption, Miss, but Mr. Linus isn’t golfing.” The young maid hugged the oversized bag to her chest. “He took Master Archie fishing this morning on his boat.”

  Chapter Nine

  April ignored the winding concrete path that lead to the boat dock and took a short cut over the lush green lawn. The coarse blades of grass scraped her bare ankles but she barely felt them as she ran. Dashing through the small forest of royal palms, she turned toward the split in the hedgerow that shielded the property from prying eyes on the water and stumbled to a stop at the edge of the concrete boat dock. A new guard shack had been constructed by the edge of the water. April banged on the door then turned away and walked to the far edge of the dock, scanning the water for signs of her father’s forty-foot luxury cruiser.

  The breeze coming in from sea whipped her loose hair and pressed her skirt against her thighs. “Damn you, Daddy!” she shouted at the sky.

  “April. Something wrong?” Holding the door open, Jonas poked his head out of the guard shack.

  “Yes.” Angry tears stung her eyes. “My father took Archie on his boat without my permission.”

  Jonas pressed his lips together and glanced away before he stepped out of the shack and closed the door behind him. Standing at the opposite end of the dock, he shook his head. “They just went fishing. They should be back soon.”

  Her fear and fury kicked up a notch. “I specifically told him not to take Archie out on the water. He’s only four and he can’t swim.”

  “You live on an island. It’s kind of irresponsible of you not to teach the kid to swim.”

  “Oh my god, are you for real?” She stomped toward him. “Archie gets chronic ear infections. Until he outgrows them, the doctor recommended keeping his ears as dry as possible. That means no swimming.”

  Jonas’ expression remained passive as if couldn’t care less about her explanation.

  “How dare you judge me? I’m doing the best I can for our son.”

  Jonas sighed and glanced away. When he met her gaze again, his jaw tightened. “You mean your son. I was just the sperm donor.”

  Her palm itched to slap his face, but she contained the urge by curling her hands into fists. “You don’t care at all about being a father, do you?”

  “Bingo. When are you going to get it, babe?”

  “But why?” April threw up her arms in exasperation. “Archie is a wonderful little boy. His smart and funny and well behaved.” She paused as her heart constricted over her next thought. “And he looks just like you.”

  “Poor bastard.”

  “You are such a jerk. You try to look all tough with your tattoos and your muscles and your crappy attitude, but it’s all just a façade. Inside you’re a coward.”

  His dark blue eyes turned almost black as his bland expression morphed into a fierce scowl. He loomed over her, reminding her just how big and scary he actually was and how vulnerable she was whenever she was alone with him.

  She stood her ground, raising her chin a notch as she waited for his retaliation.

  His voice, when he spoke, was a deep husky growl. “You know what? You’re absolutely right.” He spun away from her and stalked back to the guard shack, opened the door, and reached inside for his cell phone. Swiping the screen, he selected a number, and put the phone to his ear.

  “Hey, Mack. It’s Jonas. What’s your ETA?” He paused, listening. “The kid’s mother is in a tizzy.” Another pause. “Got it.” He hung up the phone and shoved it into the thigh pocket of his cargo pants.

  Blood pounded in April’s ears as she took a few halting steps toward him. She stopped when he turned to face her with a guarded expression.

  “They should be here in the next fifteen minutes. Kid’s fine.”

  Jonas was such a complicated man. April didn’t think she would ever understand him. She felt co
mpelled to go to him, step into his arms, and hug him. For her own comfort or for his, she didn’t know. She stayed where she was though. “Thank you. And, Jonas, I didn’t mean—”

  “Forget it. You’ve been keeping this a secret for a long time. It’s better for you if it stays that way.”

  “Yeah, better for everyone.” She crossed her arms tightly, trying not to imagine what her father would do to Jonas if he found out the truth.

  A loud meow drew their attention to the hedgerow and the pair of feet just on the other side of it. Dorito, the Linus’ fat orange tabby, rubbed against Vera Velez’s legs trying to trip her as she came through the opening.

  How long had the nanny been standing there? Had she been listening to their conversation? God, April hoped not.

  “Vera, why didn’t you tell me my father changed his plans and took Archie out on his boat?”

  “You were sleeping, so I left a note on your nightstand.”

  The note April hadn’t bothered to read.

  “Why? Is something wrong?” Vera raised a questioning brow to Jonas who turned away and went back into the guard shack.

  April shook her head, not wanting to get into it again. “No, it’s okay. I just didn’t know where Archie was for a minute.” Dorito pawed at her leg. When she looked down, the fat cat jumped into her arms. “Gosh, Dorito, not now.”

  “That animal is a nuisance.” Vera sneered at the feline with distaste.

  “He’s just spoiled.” April scratched him behind the ears to his delight.

  “There’s the boat. I was coming to meet it.”

  As the vessel came closer, April scanned the deck for her son but there was no sign of him. “Can you take Archie inside and give him a bath and lunch?”

  “I’d be glad too.”

  April put the cat down and went to the edge of the dock to watch the boat back into its slot. She held her breath until Archie popped his head over the railing and waved to her.

  “Mama! I caught a big fish!”

  When he climbed down from the boat with the help of Mack, the security guard, April grabbed the boy up in tight hug.

  “You’re squishing me, Mama.”

  “I know. I missed you.”

  She handed Archie off to Vera and waited for her father who was on a business call. Another ten minutes passed before he hung up the phone and disembarked.

  “Daughter, you should have joined us,” he said cheerfully as he climbed down the latter. “It was a fine morning for boating. The gulf was as smooth as glass.”

  April blocked his path when he would have strolled past her. “You took Archie fishing after I told you I didn’t want him to go.”

  “I used to take you boating all the time when you were his age and younger.”

  “You’re not his mother. You don’t get to decide what he can and can’t do.”

  “You’re overreacting. He loved being out on the water. Didn’t he, Mack?”

  Mack kept his head down as he climbed the latter to the boat again. The security guard had been around since April was little, so he got away with things that other employees couldn’t.

  Philip watched Mack until he disappeared over the gunwale. “Archie and I bonded quickly. He already started calling me Grandpa.”

  “Is this how it’s going to be? Are you just going to ignore my wishes and do whatever the hell you want with Archie? Because we can leave.”

  “If you leave, your friends won’t get their money.”

  “You said they’ll have it on Monday. Then what will you hold over me? Archie’s trust fund?”

  “If I must.”

  “Forget this. I’ll ask Molly and Anders for the money. I should have asked them in the first place.”

  “Wait. Wait. Wait.” He grabbed her arm.

  “Get off of me! Don’t touch me!” She yanked herself free.

  Jonas stepped out of the guard shack on full alert, and she instantly felt safer.

  Her father smoothed the front of his patriotic-colored sailing jacket and tugged the hem in place. “I admit I may have crossed the line a little bit.”

  “A little bit? You took a four-year-old boy who can’t swim out on the water against his mother’s wishes. He wasn’t even wearing a life jacket.”

  “He had a life jacket. He took it off just before we docked. And you’re right. It won’t happen again. To show you how much I appreciate you giving me a second chance, I’ll forget your friend’s debt if you stay the full three months as planned. They won’t have to pay back a dime. Molly and Anders can’t offer you that, can they?”

  He had her there. “Why is it so important to you that we live here at Casa Linus? Can’t I just bring Archie to visit?”

  “It’s not the same and you’re safer here.”

  “Safer from what?”

  He shrugged and made broad gesture. “From the world. Is it so wrong to want my daughter and her child close, especially when you remind me so much of your dear late mother?”

  Hope’s death had crushed him, April too. Perhaps he was thinking more about his late wife these days with their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary coming up in November. Being here at Casa Linus made April feel closer to her mother too. Even though Courtney had tried her hardest to wipe out all signs of the first Mrs. Linus, she couldn’t redecorate-away April’s memories. “Fine. We’ll stay, but I’m not leaving Archie here alone when I go to Miami tomorrow night. He’ll spend the night at Molly’s.”

  “You’re not still planning to go to that engagement party, are you?”

  “Why wouldn’t I? Greenlee was my best friend in high school.”

  “If you insist on going, you must take one of my body guards.” He focused on something beyond April’s left shoulder. “Jonas, you’ll escort her.”

  “How many men do you want on the detail, sir?” If Jonas couldn’t get away from this woman, he sure as hell wasn’t going alone.

  “A full detail will draw too much attention. You’ll go alone.” Linus stepped around his daughter and started for the house. “Walk with me.”

  Jonas met his broad strides with ease, while April jogged behind them trying to keep up. “Daddy, wait! I don’t need a babysitter.”

  “I imagine it’s black tie, so find yourself a tux.”

  “Sir? Is that necessary.” Jonas paused on the concrete path beneath the rows of royal palms. April caught up to him. Their eyes met and he imagined her frown mirrored his. He started walking again. “Sir, a single bodyguard wouldn’t seem unusual.”

  “No. No bodyguards. Not for this.” Linus slowed down just long enough for Jonas to catch up with him.

  “Daddy, Greenlee’s fiancé is a conservative congressman who comes from a family with very traditional values. I certainly can’t bring Jonas as my date.”

  Stopping short, Jonas turned to glare at her. So she had gone slumming the night they’d slept together. He’d always suspected it. Why else would a rich, pampered daddy’s girl like April Linus be hot for trailer-park trash like him? Damn it. Why the hell should he care that she didn’t want to be seen in public with him? The last thing he wanted to do was spend the night in Miami with her. He needed to stay close to Linus, because his gut told he didn’t have a lot of time.

  Linus stopped walking too. “If he’s so conservative, why on earth is he marrying Greenlee Fiori of all people?”

  “She’s my friend. Please be kind.”

  Jonas had to pull the brakes on this train wreck. “With all due respect, sir. Why choose me? You may have forgotten, I’m an ex-con. I just finished a five-year stint in the state pen. If the congressman’s security team runs a background check on me, they won’t let me anywhere near the place.”

  April’s head snapped up at the mention of his prison stint, and she eyed him with curiosity. She was smart. Capable and putting two and two together and catching him in a lie.

  This mission was turning into another shit show, and he was getting tired of fighting it.

  “Let’s keep wa
lking.” Linus waved, encouraging them to follow. “My bladder is about to burst.”

  April trailed behind her father and Jonas kept pace with her this time. “Daddy, that’s all the more reason not to bring Jonas as my date.” She shot him a wary glance.

  Jonas pretended to ignore it.

  “If he’s your date, they won’t run a background check on him. If he’s your bodyguard, they might. And, as for your background, Jonas. If I can trust you with my most prized possession, I’ll know I can trust you with other things.”

  Jonas heard the message loud and clear. This was the ultimate test of loyalty before Linus invited him to his inner circle. It rankled Jonas that Linus would gamble his own daughter’s safety to test that trust, but Jonas refrained from stating his opinion. If he had been in Linus’ Italian loafers, however, he wouldn’t have left his kid alone in the same room with an a-hole with Jonas Smith’s sketchy background. Hell, Jonas Ostergaard wasn’t much better, as proven by the cute little bastard running around the estate with his face.

  “The hotel is booked solid, and I only have a single room.” April persisted.

  “Cancel your reservation. I’ll take care of the hotel arrangements.” Linus opened the screen door to the lanai and the Linus’ orange tabby, who’d followed them from the dock, dashed in ahead of them.

  Jonas held the door, letting April go in before him.

  “You are overstepping again,” she said, catching up to her father when he paused to open the sliding glass door. “I don’t want or need a bodyguard. If anyone needs protection, it’s my friends. They were threatened this morning.”

  Philip headed toward the closest toilet. “That is precisely why I don’t want you traveling to Miami alone just now. Your friends have pissed off some very powerful people in the Miami underworld and that makes you a target by association.” April stopped short when her father entered the bathroom and turned around. “Put my mind at ease, Kitten, and don’t fight me on this. Jonas will be your date for the ball.” She opened her mouth to protest again, but Linus stepped back and closed the door firmly in her face.