“Give me a few minutes to set it up.” Blake excused himself with a nonverbal pass off to Ryleigh, indicating she should put in the earbud to their communication system. She watched her partner walk to the quiet edge of the pavilion and talk to Nigel, who was also looped in. Their operations center in New York City was also monitoring all activity.
“Security one, sweep the woods,” Nigel ordered.
“Team two, move in and follow us.” Garrett and Troy would soon join them.
“We’re almost ready,” Ryleigh assured the Wainwrights. She caught sight of Blake standing at the top of the steps to the beach. At his nod, she turned to Ella and Duke. “Let’s go.”
One look at Blake’s nervous and tense face put Ryleigh on edge. “What is it?”
He scanned the beach before he answered her question, looking everywhere but at her. “My sixth sense is screaming.”
Ryleigh knew for a fact that Blake’s intuition had saved him and his team more than once during overseas missions.
“Team two in position.” Garrett’s voice was loud and clear. A glance down the beach showed him and Troy approximately twenty feet away. The all clear came through from the island security teams.
“Moving out,” Blake announced to everyone listening.
At the bottom step, Ella stopped and slipped off her sandals. To everyone’s surprise, Duke sat down and took off his shoes and socks and rolled up his pants. The couple headed toward the warm water. Giving them space, Blake paced about ten feet in front of them, staying out of the water on the hard-packed sand.
Ryleigh glanced over her shoulder at the pavilion where several couples leaned on the patio railing watching the waves lap the warm white sand. Beside her, Blake’s head rotated in constant motion. She knew he was scanning for danger but, at that moment, it was obvious they were not a couple enjoying a walk on the beach. Ryleigh moved to the other side of him and slid her left hand into his right. Now, both their shooting hands were free.
“What the hell you doing?” Blake glared at her for a brief second before returning to his sweep of the area.
“Protecting our cover.” She squeezed his hand. “Now, smile and pretend you’re having a good time walking on the beach with me.”
He reached up and tapped his miniature microphone then reached over and tucked an errant hair behind her ear, placing her microphone on mute as well. “I wish it was just you and me taking a walk on the beach. Alone.”
“Me, too,” slid out before she could stop it.
“Clients have stopped to play in the water,” Garrett announced as splashing and giggling erupted behind them.
Blake turned and placed his hands on Ryleigh’s hips. “Watch my six. I’ll keep an eye on the Wainwrights and the Pavilion.”
“Turn your microphone back on,” she reminded him as she reached up in what looked like a casual move to sweep hair behind her ear, but was really to reactivate her mic. Her gaze swept over the empty beach and to the woods fifty yards away. A glint caught her eye. It could simply be the eyes of an animal reflecting the many lights.
Or maybe not.
Peering over Blake’s tall frame was not easy, so Ryleigh moved to look around his broad shoulders.
“What is it?” He whispered in a movement that an onlooker would see as her lover nuzzling into her neck.
The heat of his breath on the sweet spot just below her ear sent shivers through her body, momentarily distracting her. When she looked back into the deep woods, she saw nothing.
“Did you see something?” Nigel asked.
There it was again. Definitely not a flashlight, but the glint of green for less than a second.
“I’m not sure enough to call it. Every now and then I get what might be a cat’s eyes reflecting the lights.” She sighed then glanced back to the area. “If I were anywhere else I’d swear it was night vis—”
She suddenly knew.
“Sniper!”
She had barely gotten the word out when the nearly silent disturbance of the air whispered between them.
“Fuck.”
At Blake’s unexpected curse, her gaze flew to him but his eyes were downcast, staring at his right shoulder. Blood oozed between the fingers of his left hand that covered the area.
Her first instinct was to take care of Blake but Ella’s scream brought her back to her job. Blake’s injury did not look life-threatening.
Ryleigh pivoted and ran toward Ella Wainwright.
Chapter 10
Years of training took over. With Blake down, she was the leader. In the four steps it took to reach Ella Wainwright, Ryleigh barked out orders. “Nigel, find the shooter. Less than ten feet inside the woods on the south side.”
“My men are already on it.” Nigel sounded like he was running.
“Garrett, you’ve got Duke.” He was the bigger of the two men and could protect their client with his own body if necessary. “Troy, Blake is hurt.” The young, thin man sprinted past her. She remembered seeing in his file that he’d been a SEAL medic.
Blake was in better hands than hers.
Another bullet swooshed by, followed by a third before Ryleigh dove, covering Ella’s body with her own. She’d already drawn her weapon. Although it was useless against a high-powered sniper rifle, it would be perfect if someone else attacked them, close in. She had no idea how many were after the Wainwrights.
Ryleigh held Ella’s head down in the wet sand and covered her as much as she could with her own body. When Ella tried to look up, Ryleigh warned her to stay down. Several more bullets dug into the sand around them, thankfully missing their target. But who had been the intended victim, Ella or Duke?
Ryleigh looked to the side to see Garrett covering Duke. A quick glance down the beach showed Nigel running full out toward the origin of the shots.
Through Ryleigh’s earpiece, she could hear island security closing in on the shooter.
Voice one, as she’d decided to call the man, announced, “I see him. He’s on the run. In pursuit.”
“I found his shooting position,” voice two said. “I’ve got shells on the ground, still hot. Instructions?”
Nigel replied, “Hold your position, Jeff, and maintain the scene. We’ll need to collect evidence. Glen, I’m moving up along the outer edge of the woods. For Christ sake, don’t shoot me.”
Glen noted, “The little bugger is fast. Agile, too. He all but flew over a downed tree.”
“I don’t care if he’s fucking Peter Pan, don’t lose him,” Nigel warned.
The sound of three shots echoed from the woods. Ryleigh could tell these were from a small caliber weapon, probably a pistol.
Ella screamed and shook underneath Ryleigh. When Garrett told Duke what was happening, she chastised herself for not calming Ella. “Island security is chasing the shooter through the woods. They know this area so much better than we do. They’ll get him.” At least she hoped so.
Glen hissed. “Fuck! I’m hit.”
Nigel sounded stressed. “How bad?”
Ryleigh held her breath. A few seconds later, the man from island security spoke through clenched teeth. “Shot in the leg. I think he may have nicked a bone. Get that little fucker.”
“I can see him,” Nigel said, on the run. “But I can’t get a clear shot. He’s using the trees as cover.”
Glen was obviously talking through a different communication system, but everyone heard him say, “Blue four to base, I’m hit. I’ve activated my rescue unit. I don’t think I can walk.”
“We need that ambulance down here at the beach,” Troy told anyone who was listening. “Blake is bleeding pretty bad.”
Ryleigh’s heart sank. In such a modern place, far removed from so many Third World countries she and Blake had been in, he could still bleed out. He could die before she ever had a chance to tell him how she felt.
She looked down the beach where Troy had taken off Blake’s jacket and laid him on top of it. A red clump, the size of a basketball, lay on the sand ne
xt to Blake’s body. That was once the starched white shirt she’d run her palms over before adjusting his tie.
He couldn’t die. She wanted to jump up and run down there and let him know that she loved him. He needed to hang on…for them. She would quit Guardian Security if it came to that, just to be with him.
But she had to stay where she was for the moment. She couldn’t leave Ella until Nigel’s men had captured the shooter.
When she looked down at Ella’s makeup-smeared face, she saw tears dripping into the sand. “I’ll let you up just as soon as I get the all clear.”
The familiar sound of a .45 caliber round exiting the barrel of the pistol filled the air, with a second right behind it.
“Little bastard is down,” Nigel said with pride. “Now, who the fuck are you?”
“Is he dead?” Ryleigh couldn’t wait any longer. She had to know if the threat was over.
“No,” Nigel sighed. “I took out his knees. We need him alive for interrogation, in case he has a partner.”
“Careful,” Garrett warned. “He could be hiding a gun. Approach with extreme caution.”
“Always,” Nigel replied.
All systems were quiet, waiting to hear Nigel’s revelation.
“He’s wearing a goddamn camouflage balaclava,” Nigel declared. “Looks like he’s out.”
It was so quiet they could hear the rustling of leaves.
“Well, ho-ly fuck.”
Epilogue
“He’s mine, you bitch.” Karen Jacobson leaned up on her elbows as the transport gurney was wheeled to the life flight helicopter. “He’s always been mine. We’ve been in love since we were kids.”
Ryleigh wasn’t sure who she felt worse for, Duke or Ella, as they held each other, staring at the woman with air casts on both legs. Ella’s former roommate, and Duke’s childhood friend, was Bat. Shit. Crazy!
The insane woman’s gaze tracked to Duke. “Tell her, Duke. It’s me that you have always wanted. I’ve always been there for you. I understand that you needed a diversion for a few years, and I’m sure you’ve seen, now, that what you need is a tough woman, not the soft Southern Bell.”
Antonio, who had been talking to the pilot, came over to stand beside the couple. “We had no idea that Karen Jacobson was her real name. We hired Cireen Ortega three months ago as an interior decorator while we refurbished several of the cabanas and certain portions of the hotel after we’d been hit by a hurricane strength storm. She had excellent taste and understood the level of elegance required at Indulgences Resort.”
Nigel tried to explain, “I assure you, we vetted her, as we do every employee. Her background was squeaky clean, and she came highly recommended.”
“She was very good with computers,” Ella confessed. “When we were freshmen in college, she’d create IDs so those underage could drink. In our senior year, she was creating fictitious companies and offering letters of recommendation so it would be easier for her friends to get jobs. But they weren’t really her friends. They were just using her.”
“She became the son her father never had.” Duke shrugged. “I’m sure when he taught her how to shoot, he never imagined her pointing a gun at her roommate or me. I hope he gets her the psychological help she needs.”
They all turned to watch as one of the resort’s security men hopped into the helicopter and closed the side door. “He’s going to have to get her out of a Panamanian jail first,” Nigel noted. “That government takes attempted murder very seriously, especially when there are several counts.”
Ryleigh hoped the man had lots of money. He was going to need it.
The Indulgences Island airplane was pulled into place as soon as the hospital helicopter lifted off.
Nigel shook hands with Garrett and Troy. “Gentlemen, I wish I can say it had been a pleasure, but I will say thank you for all your assistance in the protection of the Wainwrights.”
Troy stepped up first. “Nigel, thank you for a soft bed and cold drinks by the pool.”
One side of Nigel’s lips kicked up. “You’re not going to thank me for introducing you to Calita?”
Troy’s broad smile spoke volumes. “We already said our thank you and goodbyes.” He strode to the stairs and disappeared inside,
“Thank you for everything, Nigel.” Garrett shook the security director’s hand. “If you ever get to New York City, look me up. I’ll buy you a beer.”
Antonio shook Duke’s and Ella’s hands. “I’m so glad we were able to capture your assassin before she actually killed someone. I hope the rest of your vacation at Indulgences Resort met with your satisfaction.”
If the way Duke and Ella looked at each other was any indication, the trip had reinvigorated their marriage.
Ella smiled at Kenderly, then left the embrace of her husband to hug the woman. “I’m leaving here with not only a new job, but my first client.” To Antonio she said, “I’ll see you both in Baja in three weeks.” She cuddled back into her husband before adding, “Right after we get back from a buying trip to Turkey.”
The happy couple headed towards the plane as Ryleigh turned to thank the Indulgences Resort trio one last time. Shaking Kenderly’s hand, she commented, “Thank you for everything you did in steering Ella toward her new future. I’ve grown to like her a lot, way past the client familiarity. I’m looking forward to traveling with her and her husband as part of their security detail.”
Kenderly gave her a knowing smile. “Don’t plan on that job lasting long. They left with more than they arrived with.”
“Ella is pregnant?” Ryleigh asked as she looked back toward the plane where Duke was giving her hand up the steps.
Antonio intervened, “You and Blake have an open invitation to return at any time.”
“Thank you, but we couldn’t.” There was no way in hell they could afford a trip to Indulgences Resort.
Kenderly took both of Ryleigh’s hands in hers. “Our treat. We owe you so much.”
“Maybe someday.” Like when hell froze over. “Speaking of Blake, have you heard from the hospital? Was he taken right into surgery once he reached the mainland? He must have been transported to Panama on the first helicopter.”
Kenderly slid her eyes to Antonio.
“Yes.” His smile seemed genuine. Maybe. “Blake was immediately treated.”
Well, that was good. She’d been tied up with the arrest details and reports almost all night, and she hadn’t been able to go with him to the clinic, or see him off to the mainland. She’d have to wait until he made it back to New York to tell him she loved him.
Ryleigh looked back at the plane. “Looks like the plane is ready for takeoff. I best be going.”
Antonio put a hand on her forearm. “Actually, we’re waiting for one more passenger.”
A second tram pulled up on the far side of the one that had brought the Wainwrights and their security detail, so Ryleigh couldn’t see who was on board.
The doctor rounded the end of the tram beside…Blake.
Ryleigh’s heart bounced up and down with uncontrolled happiness. “I thought Blake had been transported to the mainland as one of the first evacuees,” she grilled Antonio.
“No, I had the medical crew bring me several bags of blood and platelets for him, but I assure you, his was not the first through-and-through bullet hole I’ve ever sewn up. I doubt that it was even the hundredth.” The doctor winked at Ryleigh. “You two weren’t the only ones who played in the sandbox for far too many years.”
She glanced at Blake’s arm, trussed up in a sling.
“Now, Ryleigh, I want you to make sure he keeps that sling on until he gets back to New York City. It’ll just keep that shoulder stabilized in what can be a bumpy ride.”
“Yes, sir,” she replied not taking her eyes off Blake.
“Come here,” he ordered.
She flew into his one-armed hug.
She had so much she needed to tell him. So much to say.
With her arms carefully arou
nd his neck, she whispered in his ear. “I love you. I don’t know what is going to happen when we get back to New York, but I do know I want to give us a try.”
“Oh, Ryleigh, I love you.”
Mario, who had arrived on the second tram, clapped his hands vigorously, interrupting the moment. “I just love a happy ending. And of course, you’ll be honeymooning right here with us at Indulgences Resort.”
Laughing, Ryleigh leaned back to see Blake also shaking his head. “I don’t see that happening.” He then looked at Ryleigh with all seriousness, “But I will take you to a tropical island. I promise.”
The End
Next up in the Indulgences series is Take Me Away from USA Today best-selling author of the TREX romantic suspense series, Allie K. Adams. Here’s a taste of the adventure awaiting you:
After her testimony sends a guilty man to prison, Kenzie Wilde travels to Indulgences to visit her aunt and hopefully get a job. Having spent every summer on Aragon Island since she was a teenager, returning to the private paradise is exactly what she needs to forget the testimony that ended her career as a CSI tech. The last thing she needs is to be swept up in a guest’s fantasy, one more dangerous than anything she has ever experienced – both the fantasy and the guest.
Bounty hunter Nick Dawson’s fantasy is to pen the next greatest American novel–or so he tells those at Indulgences Resort. Although he wants to become the next Steinbeck, he must complete the last job before his employer will release him from his contract–track down and retrieve the woman responsible for sending his employer’s best customer to prison. In exchange, Nick’s ledger would be wiped clean. It’s her freedom in exchange for his. Easy peasy.
Kenzie doesn’t trust Nick and doesn’t trust herself alone with him. When a tropical storm strands the two in the middle of the jungle, they take shelter–first in a cave then in each other. Nick has never been so captivated by anyone. She’s fun, the perfect level of crazy, and she has a great smile. She makes him want to be a better person–starting with telling her the truth behind why he’s on the island. When he does, Kenzie is ready to kill him.
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