Knight of Paradise Island

by J. L. Campbell

  Knight of Paradise Island

  J.L. Campbell

  Macro Publishing Group

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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  Knight of Paradise Island by J. L. Campbell of the Writers’ Suite Copyright ©2020

  ISBN: [Ebook] 9781952871047

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  Macro Publishing Group

  1507 E. 53rd Street, #858

  Chicago, IL 60615

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  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever or by any means including electronic, mechanical or photocopying, or stored in a retrieval system without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For permission, contact Naleighna Kai at naleighnakai@gmail.com or at www.naleighnakai.com

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  Cover Designed by: J.L Woodson: www.woodsoncreativestudio.com

  Interior Designed by: Lissa Woodson: www.naleighnakai.com

  Editors: Lissa Woodson lissawoodson@aol.com

  Betas: Debra J. Mitchell, Kelsie Maxwell, and April Bubb

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  License Notes: This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like the share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy. If you are reading this book and did not purchase same, or it was not purchased for your sole use, please consider buying your own copy.

  For those who live with the loss of loved ones, yet find the strength to go on.

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  About the Knights of the Castle Series

  About the Kings of the Castle

  About the Author

  Other Books by J.L. Campbell

  Acknowledgments

  I give thanks always to my Heavenly Father, who provides the creativity that allows me to write these stories. I’m also grateful for my family and the leeway they give me to disappear for hours at a time while I write.

  Thanks to Naleighna Kai for conceptualizing and including me in the world of the Kings and Knights of the Castle. Your editing pen keeps me on the straight and narrow.

  No book is complete without beta readers and with that said, I’m grateful to Debra Mitchell for her insightful comments and ideas. I’m grateful also to April Bubb and Kelsie Maxwell for their keen eyes and helpful suggestions.

  It has been a pleasure working with this group of writers to bring the Knights of the Castle to the world. Karen D. Bradley was gracious enough to let me use her characters and their gizmos.

  J. L. Woodson, keep on shining through the excellent work you do with these covers. One day, I will say, “I knew him when …”

  The Kings of the Castle Ambassadors, NK Tribe Called Succes, and readers in the Naleighna Kai Literary Café are a constant source of encouragement and support. Special mention goes to Brenda Powell Pious, Joyce M. Hudson, Kelsie Maxwell, and Carol Jones, who allowed me to name characters for them.

  Thank you.

  Chapter One

  Ryan couldn’t shake the feeling of being encased in a transparent coffin. The shark cut through the clear, blue water as though coming for him, but it disappeared above their heads. His intuition didn’t match the current moment, but he couldn’t discount his sense of unease. Every time he ignored his instincts, he landed in trouble.

  Aziza threw her head back and grinned over her shoulder, lapping up the experience of tubing through a sealed glass channel inside a giant aquarium filled with some of nature’s fiercest aquatic predators. She grabbed his ankles and pointed when the shark’s serrated snout entered her line of sight. “Ryan, look.”

  Her pleasure with everything she experienced delighted him. Ryan loved that about her. Aziza made him view things he took for granted with fresh eyes, which was one of the reasons he was glad he reconnected with her. “I see it, babe.”

  He wriggled his feet against her side, and she sank her nails in his skin. “Behave.”

  Laughing, he did the same thing as they slid into an open pool, which signaled the end of the ride. When they left the rubber ring behind, Aziza hugged him as the water cascaded around them. “Thanks for hosting me again. I’ve loved every minute.”

  Ryan dropped a kiss on her forehead, then said, “Just returning the favor for showing me your city.”

  With her hands spread across his back, Aziza scoffed. “You’re acting as if you haven’t been coming to Evanston since you were a little tiddlywink.”

  Ryan chuckled. “Whatever that means.”

  They walked hand in hand onto the sand, and she looked up at him. “Don’t forget I knew you when your eyes were where your knees are now.”

  Ryan threw back his head and laughed. “Says she, who is all of two years younger than I am.”

  Tugging his hand, Aziza headed for the beach. “Come on, old man.”

  They sank their feet into the powdery sand, moving toward the one-bedroom bungalow that came with his job at the Paradise Island Grande Resort in the Bahamas. For the last week and a half, they spent most of their nights together in Aziza’s room but she had fallen in love with the compact villa that had direct access to the beach via the backyard. Her appreciation for his home confirmed that while she enjoyed the finer things, she also liked the simple life. The house was nice, but not the height of architectural grandeur.

  A half-hour after they showered, Aziza sat between his legs. As he combed out her kinky-curly hair and oiled her scalp, Ryan thought how content he was doing that ordinary task. Fact was, he loved touching her. His mother and father hadn’t stayed together, but he remembered scenes like these from his early childhood. At some point, his parents had been in love, but life intervened to separate them. He would not allow that to happen with Aziza.

  “You have wonderful hands,” she mumbled from the patterned carpet.

  Ryan leaned sideways on the sofa. “So you’ve told me a time or two, but don’t tell me you’re about to fall asleep.”

  “It’s your fault.” She yawned and pulled herself upright.

  “Hmmm. What are we doing for dinner anyway?”

  She tipped her head back on the cushion. “Are you for real? After that lunch, I couldn’t eat anything more if I tried.”

  As he chuckled, Aziza ran her fingers along his leg. “I can’t believe our time is over already.”

  He pulled her hair together and secured it with an elastic band. Then he helped her to sit on his lap and stared into her eyes. “Yes, the days went by so quickly.”

  Aziza trailed a finger across his chin. “You make a great host.”

  She hesitated over her next words.

&
nbsp; After a gentle peck to her lips, he said, “Speak.”

  “Have you figured out how what we’re doing will work?”

  A slow smile curved his lips as he thought about the 18-karat gold diamond ring that grabbed his attention in one of the jewelry stores on the property. Aziza deserved that and more. Next time they were together, he’d ask her if she’d put up with him for the rest of her life and slip it on her finger.

  “Everything will fall into place when the time is right,” he said. “I have a few things I want to tie down, and you need to finish your contract period in Durabia. Next?”

  She sighed and brushed his chin with her lips. “You make it sound so easy.”

  “Babe, it is. As you well know, this isn’t a random, feel-good, love-on-vacation deal. We’ve known each other too long to end up wasting our time.” The assessing light in her eyes made him pause. Then he went all in. “Aziza Hampton, I won’t rest until we’re in the same place working on all our tomorrows.”

  She cupped his head between her hands and eased his lips open with hers. Their tongues mated in a slow, sensual dance. Aziza held him close as if hungry for him and as though this was the last time they’d be together so she needed as much of him as she could get.

  As his body responded, Ryan relaxed against the seat and let her take the lead. She had his shirt halfway up his chest before she whispered, “Let’s take this to the bedroom.”

  After setting Aziza on her feet, Ryan also stood. “I thought we’d never get there.”

  Later, they would decide where they saw each other in the flesh next. Now, their bodies cried out for the intimate connection they couldn’t do without.

  Her phone rang, and she sighed against his chest. “I have to get that.”

  With both hands resting on her hips, he groaned.

  Aziza giggled, then kissed his chin. “It’ll only take a few minutes. Most likely, it’s Mom checking in with me.”

  She lifted the cellular off the chair arm and swiped the screen, keeping a hand on his wrist. “Hey, Mom. Why are you … ”

  He gripped her butt and kissed the tiny frown that marked her forehead.

  Aziza’s gaze cut to his and concern filled her amber-colored eyes that shifted according to her mood. “What happened to Drake?”

  Ryan sat and pulled her down next to him. Her expression went from concerned to frightened as she rubbed one side of her face. As if the air had gone out of her, Aziza slumped when the call ended.

  “What’s up, Zee?” He slid an arm around her shoulder and drew her close.

  She sniffled, then met his gaze. “It’s Mom. Drake is in the hospital. His wife isn’t sure what happened, but they’re running some tests.”

  “D’you want me to get you a flight out tonight?”

  She shook her head. “Mom says he’s in good spirits, and he’s not in too much pain. No sense shelling out money to change my flight when I’m leaving early tomorrow anyway. You’ve been so generous already.”

  The joy of having her with him for two weeks meant he hadn’t thought twice about flying her to the island. And he’d be willing to spend more for her peace of mind.

  “Let’s hope you get some rest tonight,” he said, smoothing the frown line on her forehead.

  “I’ll be fine. They’ll let me speak with him when they finish the tests.” She snuggled into Ryan’s side. “As long as we’re together, I can deal with anything. Plus, we don’t know when we’ll be in the same place again.”

  “As long as you’re sure, I want what you want.”

  She laid her head on his chest. “After we hear from Drake, we’ll make some more memories.”

  Ryan turned her hand over and kissed her palm. “I’ll take every moment with you I can get.”

  The image of that shark coming toward them flashed in his mind, and a weight settled in his stomach. As he caressed the skin on her arm, he sensed that something other than her brother’s health issue was on the horizon.

  Chapter Two

  “Did you say someone’s missing in Durabia?” Ryan walked around the desk and settled into the leather executive chair, moving his phone from one ear to the other. “I’m in the office now and switching over to the chat.”

  “What are you doing at work on a Sunday morning?” his cousin, Shaz, asked.

  “The same reason you’re sitting in your office until Camilla drags you away from that desk.” He opened the laptop, and Shaz’s face appeared on the screen.

  “Are you putting on weight or something, cuz? What’s Camilla feeding you?”

  Shaz snorted. “You’re the one who looks like you gained about ten pounds since we last spoke.”

  “Whatever, man.” Ryan snickered because the entire family knew Shaz could eat everybody else under the table. And that meant e-very-bod-y.

  “So, back to business,” Shaz said. “Aziza is missing.”

  “Wait a minute, did you say Aziza?”

  “You getting hard of hearing, man?” Shaz sounded testy.

  Ryan’s chest tightened painfully, and he had to clear his throat to speak. “That’s not possible.”

  On Thursday, he spent over two hours on a video chat with Aziza. They ended the call when she started falling asleep over the laptop. The two of them had been following that ritual since she left the Bahamas two weeks ago. She contacted him when she landed in Evanston and again, when she found out her brother was suffering with kidney stones.

  The last time he spoke with her was on Friday while she was getting ready to go out with her coworkers. The only reason he hadn’t called last night was because of what turned out to be a non-emergency that involved a missing guest. The middle-aged man had turned up disheveled and hung over after a day and night in Nassau. With the eight-hour time difference, he didn’t want to disturb Aziza’s rest. Now, Ryan knew he should have done so. He’d have been aware of her disappearance earlier.

  “Is there something you’re not telling me,” Shaz asked, his brows elevated.

  “Yeah, Aziza and I … let me put it this way. We’re a lot more than friends.”

  Shaz’s eyebrows met as he said, “Dang. You’ve kept that close to your chest, but then you’ve always been secretive.”

  “No more than you.” Ryan headed him back to the present business, which had his stomach doing drunken somersaults. “When exactly d’you think she went missing and how d’you know that for a fact?”

  “Her parents contacted me fifteen minutes ago. Yesterday was Miss Constance’s birthday. She and Aziza are close. She said she’d never miss her birthday.” Shaz let out a deep breath. “Her mother was in a state after she called the hotel where Aziza works. They told Miss Constance she didn’t turn up for work this morning. Her father had to finish up the call with me.”

  “Does her brother know?”

  “His wife just had a baby, plus he’s dealing with his own medical issues. Drake can’t be out of range at this time.”

  “Understood.”

  “There’s some other suspicious activity over there that needs our attention. Missing women are involved, so …” Shaz laced his fingers together and met Ryan’s eyes. “I’m asking you to go.”

  This hadn’t been the first time Shaz hinted that he had a special assignment for Ryan, given his five-year stint with the Criminal Investigation Department of the Royal Bahamas Police Force. After reconnecting with Aziza months ago, Ryan had stayed busy with hotel business, as well as expanding the reach of Bostwick Security in the Caribbean. They were in the middle of business negotiations that needed Ryan’s input. Now this.

  “I figured,” he said, sucking in his breath.

  Getting away would be challenging, especially since he’d taken time off to be with Aziza. Good thing the director of security at the hotel was his friend. Plus, his brother Myles was more than competent. The two of them ran the security firm and also took on specialized jobs, depending on the needs of their clients.

  At thirty-five, Myles was three years older and also in
a steady relationship. He was level-headed and wouldn’t mind doing double duty while Ryan was out of the country. Ryan’s biggest challenge would be those contracts he’d been in the middle of preparing that were yet to be finalized and sent to their lawyers.

  “Great. The Kings and I plan to get together within the hour. When we convene at The Castle, we’ll set up a video connection to bring you into the meeting.”

  “Sounds good. In the meantime, I’ll talk to Roger Blythe, an extractor who will give me some guidance on navigating through this minefield. He’s been everywhere on the map. Then, I’ll look at what flights are available.”

  Shaz nodded and glanced to his left. A smile lightened his serious expression.

  “Daddy-Shaz.”

  His daughter’s head popped up behind the desk and a second later, she wriggled between him and the desk and climbed onto his lap. The little girl propped her elbows on the desk and waved at the screen, “Hi, Unca. Where are you?”

  “Hey, Ayanna.” Ryan wriggled his fingers at the charmer Shaz had adopted when he married her mother. “I’m in the Bahamas.”

  When he tipped one eyebrow, Shaz chuckled. “When you have a dozen or more uncles, every man other than me gets that tag. Plus, the others travel so much, she understands that screen time means you’re not in Wilmette.”