by Cat Mason
Climbing from the van, Rae looks at me skeptically but doesn’t argue. Keeping her hand in mine, I help her to the ground and lead her back toward Mack and Simon.
“What’s going on?” she asks, her eyes going from me to the monitors. Moving from screen to screen, her eyes grow wider. “How are we possibly going to be able to leave here now?” she asks, covering her mouth with one hand.
“I have a plan, but need your help to pull it off,” I explain, showing her my phone screen. “Best way to distract vultures is to feed them trash. You’re gonna call the tip line and let them know where the boat I chartered is heading.”
“Wait, what?” Rae gasps, shaking her head. “Why in the hell would I possibly give them inside info like that? Even if I hadn’t have signed that non-disclosure agreement, I would never do that!”
I run my hand up her arm, attempting to soothe her. Knowing Katheryn, she’s just waiting on a phone call to come in. She’d peg my voice automatically, and honestly, a woman is the way to go anyway. Katheryn is smart, resourceful, and I’ve got one shot at making this work. Rae is our ticket out of this boat house without adding media seating to the wedding party. “Rae, just trust me on this. It’s our best option of getting out of here without being followed.”
She stares at the monitors again, her brow furrowing. Tugging her bottom lip between her teeth, Rae finally nods. “Okay,” she sighs, blowing out a breath. “What do you need me to do?”
8
Beachside Head Trauma
Rae
I can’t help feeling guilty for the amount of press that ended up tailing us to the marina. Seeing me with Brannon was just the proof of us being at the diner needed to load the parking lot with reporters and photographers all desperate to get a shot of the band or a detail worthy of a grocery store checkout rag. I have no idea how I can possibly help this insane situation, but if I can, I will.
“Here,” Henry says, pointing to a phone on a nearby desk. Picking up the receiver, he begins dialing numbers. “When she answers, you tell her that you work for the Galleon Marina and have information to sell for the right price.”
The surfer looking guy who let us in hands me a notebook. “This is the log and destinations for Wisteria. Tell her you have it, then read it to her.”
I nod shakily, and put the receiver to my ear as it begins to ring. “This is Katheryn, are you calling to report a Shaft sighting?” Her voice sings into the phone and I put two and two together.
She’s the chick who was talking to Henry outside the diner.
“I am.” Squaring my shoulders, I remember the reason for my call. “My name is Nikki, and I work for Galleon Marina.” Looking up at Henry, I continue when he nods, silently encouraging me. “I think I’ve got some valuable info for sale, if you’re interested.”
“Well, well, well,” she tsks, clicking her tongue. “I believe you could be my new best friend. What’ve you got for me, Nikki?” I watch the screen as she begins digging through her bag, pulling out a notebook and pen.
“I have a ship log for Wisteria. The large yacht has been booked for a party of eleven passengers from Tennessee to leave here momentarily. The rental agreement is listed under Richardson.” Looking down at the notebook, I blow out a breath. “You know that helping you out could cost me my job, right?”
“You’re sure this is correct?” she asks, and I hear the rustling of papers in the background.
“The logs don’t lie,” I reply harshly, hoping to drive the point home by being a bit defensive. “I mean I could just walk outside and hand it off to one of the dozens of photographers and reporters outside, but I figured your site would want the exclusive.”
“I do, Nikki, I do and I appreciate this. I’ll be sure to make it worth your while,” she coaxes. “Now, does it happen to say anything about destinations or date of return?”
“It does,” I reply. “According to this, they’re docking in Cancun in two days where an additional three passengers will be picked up before heading out to the Caribbean.” I rattle off more stops and then eventually give her a return date just over two weeks away.
“I’ve got it. Thank you, very much for all your help.”
I rattle off some sort of ridiculous email address for her to contact me along with a completely off my head phone number before she thanks me again and promises to be in touch soon and ends the call. Katheryn wastes no time, on the screen we all watch as she grabs her laptop and types away, her fingers scrambling on the keyboard.
“We’re ready over here, Liam. Launch Wisteria.”
“Good to go, Simon.” A very dark skinned man with long dreads shouts from the deck of the beautiful white yacht with ‘Wisteria’ written in red letters along the side. He salutes when the motor roars to life and he begins pulling from the boat house, heading into open water.
All our attention goes to the cameras. The crowd starts to move toward the docks, flashes are going off like crazy as everyone tries to get shots of the boat as it gets farther and farther away. Simon radios back and forth with Liam, until the ship is gone from the screen. A ping goes off from Henry’s phone, his eyes flying to the screen immediately.
Henry’s jaw ticks as he reads the screen, his face an impassive mask. “Katheryn bit, she will be posting everything just as Rae fed it to her along with some photos of the boat. Now, we wait.”
“For what?” I ask, curious as to his next move. He’s very methodical and seems to have planned this entire scenario out.
“Watch.” Henry steers me closer to the monitors, and points as people start grabbing for phones and pagers before they all scramble for their vehicles. Pointing down at his screen, he shows me the latest update. “Looks like there has been an alert go out, thanks to an anonymous tip. Looks like everyone is being told to get to Cancun.”
“It worked?” I ask in disbelief. Looking up, I meet my reflection in his mirrored gaze.
Henry nods. “Yes, it did.”
“I’ll radio your ride and give them the all clear,” Simon says, turning back toward the radio and adjusting dials and pushing buttons.
“Mack, let’s unload,” Henry shouts, heading over toward the van.
Following Henry over, I open the door and help a very irritated Jasmine out of the back of the van. “This is not where I’m getting married,” she sulks. Crossing her legs, she begins shuffling around. “It smells like fish and boys…and I have to go, for really really.”
“We won’t be here much longer,” I reply, grabbing my bag from the seat. “Let’s see if we can find a bathroom before our ride gets here, huh?”
Turning to the group, I make sure Henry hears where we are headed before Jazzie and I go in search of the bathroom with him following closely behind.
By the time I have washed up, Jazz is done. Walking out, we find Henry waiting against the wall and I can’t help but laugh because it looks like he’s holding the damn thing up instead of resting against it.
A boat, not quite as big as Wisteria, is pulling into the boat house when we make it back over. “Uncle Luke!” Jazzie screams, starting to run toward the boat, but is stopped when I don’t let go of her hand. “Come on, Miss Rae, it’s Uncle Luke!”
“I see that, but you’re going to have to wait. It’s not safe to run like that in here.” I say, firmly keeping hold of her hand.
A man with a goatee and blonde hair pulled back through the back of a baseball cap releases the wheel once the boat is parked and leaps over the side. Running up the dock barefooted and in nothing but a pair of black board shorts, he smiles brightly at Jazzie. Once he’s close enough, I release her hand just in time for her to leap into his arms. “Hey, how’s my favorite tattoo artist?” he asks, before kissing both her cheeks with loud smacks.
“Uncle Luke, did you bring me a surprise?” Jasmine asks, wrapping her arms around his neck as he stands to his full height.
“You know it, dollface.” Hugging her to him, he chuckles. “Hi, I’m Luke, you must be Rae,” Luke say
s, shifting Jazzie to extend a hand to me.
“That’s me,” I reply, shaking his hand. “Good to meet you.”
“You too,” he smiles before turning toward Chase as she comes up to him and wraps her arms around him. “Hey, baby girl, sounds like it got thick for a bit there, huh?”
“Nothing that Big Man can’t handle,” Chase replies, pushing up on her toes to press a kiss to Luke’s stubbly jaw.
“Speaking of Big Man,” Luke says, handing Jazzie to Chase. “I probably should go help him and Mack get shit loaded so we can get the hell out of here. The beach is waitin’.”
Luke leaves us, heading over toward where the guys are unloading our bags from the back of the van. When Chase walks toward the boat with Jazz, I follow behind, staring at the ship in awe.
I’ve never been on a boat like that. Hell, until I married Joshua I had never even seen the ocean before. The sight of it was staggering, seeing the waves crash in and out and realizing how small we truly are in the grand scheme of things. I never wanted to leave the beach.
The sand beneath me, the water rushing over my feet…
“Shit, look out!”
I hear the warning, but it’s too late. Next thing I know, something slams into the back of my head sending me tumbling into the dock. Pain explodes through my head and down the back of my neck, stealing my breath. I hear people shouting and scrambling, but I can’t say a word, I can’t move.
“What the fuck did you do, Mack?” I hear Henry shout, loudly.
“I lost my grip,” he replies, guilt lacing his voice.
“My God, Mack, you couldn’t fuck this nanny, so you decided to kill her off?” Hunter blurts from behind me. “And with my guitar? Dude, come on.”
I feel Henry—even before his hands grip my arms—helping me to my back. “Are you okay?” Pushing his sunglasses up, he begins looking me over. His fingers run along a sore spot on my forehead before slipping into my hair, brushing over an already growing bump, making me hiss through my teeth. His eyes are filled with worry. “Let’s get you up onto the boat, Simon can check you out while we wait for an ambulance.”
Lifting me into his arms, Henry cradles me against his chest. I can’t help taking him in, his strength, his scent. I don’t know why, but I feel safe and comfortable in his arms, even though I know I shouldn’t. I don’t know him well enough to be comfortable. Hell, I don’t even like him much at all and I know he doesn’t like me. I don’t bow to his command, so he watches, simply biding his time, until I fuck up somehow and he can get my ass canned.
My body sways against his as he climbs the ramp up onto the boat and settles me onto a large padded seat on the starboard side, taking a seat beside me. Simon kneels at my side, almost coming out of nowhere. Henry’s hand cups the back of my head when I start to sit up.
“No, don’t move yet,” Simon says, placing his hands on my shoulders.
“I’m fine, really,” I defend, swatting at his hands. Pushing up, I grab my head with both hands when their faces begin to blur in front of me.
“Call an ambulance, Mack.” Henry says, wrapping an arm around me.
Brushing him off, I shake my head adamantly. “No, the last thing we need is to call attention or stay here any longer than necessary. I didn’t lose consciousness. I know my name, date of birth, and who the president is, even though I didn’t vote for him. Take your finger off the nine-one-one speed dial, Bear, I’m gonna live.” Pushing to my feet, I grab the railing and steady myself. “See, totally fine. Now, can we get the boat loaded and get to the island before we lose our chance at doing so without being followed?” Staring at Henry, I silently plead with him to drop it and get on with loading and setting sail. I don’t need people hovering over me like I am some invalid. I’m breathing, which means I’m fine. All I need is a trip to the restroom to check myself over and then to stick my ass in the sand and smell that sweet salt air while the kids play on the beach.
“Did you just call me bear?” Henry says, growling low in his throat.
“Yes, I did.” I answer, turning my eyes to Luke as he climbs aboard with a cooler in his hands with Camaron following behind him. “Bathroom?” Grabbing my bag from her, I thank her for grabbing it while listening to Luke explain where the bathroom is and then head below deck to find it.
Walking into the bathroom, I close the door behind me and set my bag on the small vanity. Turning on the faucet, I splash some water over my face and stare into the mirror. “Well, Rae, you’ve had a damn fine first week,” I say to my refection. “How about we focus more on doing the job and less on providing soap opera style theatrics?
I take out my bow and brush out my tangled hair, careful not to brush over the bump that is forming on my head thanks to the guitar case Mack dropped on me, before slipping on a headband with a red lace bow. Once I right my clothes and fix my smeared make-up, I pull my ruby red studded sunglasses out of my bag and slip them on my face. Looking in the mirror, I force a smile and open the bathroom door, running straight into Mack’s now bared chest.
“Shit, almost got ya again. I was just coming to tell ya we’re pulling out,” he says, grabbing my forearms to steady me when I wobble. “You okay? I’m sorry about your head and shit.”
“Oh, I’m fine,” I reply, shouldering my bag. “Thanks, Mack, I should go see if they need me to help with Brannon and Jasmine.”
“You know, beautiful,” Mack purrs, resting his arm against the wall above my head. His eyes heat as he stares down at me, his lips quirking into a confident smile. “Maybe, I can make it up to you on the island…”
“Mack,” Henry booms from behind us, making us both jump. Mack whips around, facing Henry, knocking me back against the wall with his hip. “Need you up on deck to help Luke. We’re about to head out into open water.”
“Mackarella, Mackarella…” he huffs, walking past Henry up and heading up the steps. “When is my day off?”
“The day after mine, asshole!” Henry shouts, not taking his eyes from me. “Are you sure you’re all right? We can still have you taken to the hospital to be checked out.”
“I told you, Henry, I’m fine,” I reply, rolling my sunglass covered eyes. If he thinks a bump on the head is going to get rid of me, he’s got another thing coming. I’ll just have to be more careful. Stepping around him, I walk up the steps in search of the kids.
9
Jizz Splatter Island
Henry
After Mack nearly took Rae’s head off with Hunter’s guitar case, everything went smoothly. We set sail for the island, and with Rae’s help, without any shadows.
For now.
It hasn’t for one minute let me believe that we’re safe on the island. The media will find us eventually; they always do. Thankfully, I am ready for that. I’m prepared for everything.
Once we dock the ship, we begin to unload everything and carry it into the larger of the two houses.
“I won that bet fair and square back at the diner, I’m not about to lose my chance at first choice of the rooms,” Hunter’s voice echoes throughout the house.
“You were disqualified for crying,” Aiden says, laughing. “Hell, your tears washed away most of the sauce.”
“I forgot all about the damn wings,” I say, pissed off that I didn’t even get to eat mine, or watch Hunter lose to Rae.
Chase walks over and kisses Hunter’s cheek. “Babe, face it. You lost. Move on.”
He puffs out his lip, pouting. “I don’t lose. I just seem to let others win.”
“Here you go, winner,” Daisy says, handing him a bottle of Pepto. “Better start now.”
Hunter smirks and removes the cap before taking a big swallow. “You know just how to get to my heart, baby momma,” he says, heading over and plopping on the sofa.
The living area of the house is large and all wood flooring. The big floor to ceiling windows are open and the furniture is scattered about the middle of the room. Dark brown couches along with chairs and tables that almost matc
h the sand angle either toward a large flat screen mounted above a stone fireplace or towards the open windows with an unobstructed view of the beach.
“Bits would love it here, man” Hunter says, his eyes going to the view outside as he props his feet up on the table. “He should be here and not in the damn kennel.”
“That furry bastard is exactly where he belongs,” I blurt, chuckling at my ulterior motive for where we’ve sent Bits for his very own vacation. “It’s gonna be nice being able to sit something down on the floor without it being chewed and violated.”
“Henry, you remember Kionna,” Luke asks, walking up with his girlfriend. “They’ve changed Mom’s work schedule so she won’t be here until the night before the wedding.”
“Of course,” I say, reaching out to shake her hand.
“Sorry I wasn’t on the boat with Luke to meet ya, I was getting the things unpacked and put away. I also wanted to get a look at the lagoon before the bachelor and bachelorette party.”
“That’s much appreciated, thanks,” I reply, grateful that Ki and Luke had the idea to have the party up in the lagoon since it is completely secluded by trees and shrubs, according to the brochure and photos I’ve seen. “Camaron, Aiden, and Mack will be sharing the guest house with you and Luke, so let us know if you need anything,” I explain. “I’ve got the rest of them in here so I can keep tabs.”
“More like so we can keep Hunter and Mack separated some,” Chase giggles, heaving a bag up onto the counter. “Those two are up to no good more often than not, Ki. Fair warning.”
