“Daddy, she obviously can’t protect you,” Yvette urged. “Find someone else at least.”
“I am standing right here, Yvette,” Dylan remarked dryly. “And your father isn’t dead…yet. That should count toward my brownie point score, shouldn’t it?”
The sullen blonde scowled at the fiery redhead and turned to stalk from the room.
“Goodbye, daddy. You know where to find me if you change your mind.”
“I won’t,” Garret called back. Dylan smothered a smile at Yvette’s grunt, watching the younger girl’s shapely calves disappear toward the front of the villa. A moment later, Zave appeared in the doorway.
“I am off to the mainland, dad. Uh…good luck I guess?”
Garret turned suddenly and regarded his son. Dylan watched in puzzlement as a strange look crossed over his face.
“Be safe, son,” he said. “I love you.”
Zave’s expression took on myriad emotions, none of which Dylan considered pleasant.
He has never been told “I love you” by his father, she concluded in minor disgust. Just look at his face. He’s shocked.
“Uh, okay dad,” he mumbled, turning his scarlet cheeks in embarrassment.
“I am taking the kids to the mainland, Garret. I will be back in a few hours,” Hunter announced, appearing beside Zave. The hairs on the back of Dylan’s neck began to prickle as she sensed something.
What is it? What am I feeling? She wondered, but her military training and honed sixth sense could not seem to pick up what her subconscious was screaming.
“No,” Dylan interceded before Garret could respond.
“No?” Hunter echoed in confusion. “No what?”
“No, don’t come back,” she told him. “And take Gaspar and Priscilla with you also.”
The assistant laughed and glanced at Zave who continued to stare at his feet, and that was when Dylan understood what her instincts were trying to tell her.
“I am not leaving the island,” he told her, looking at his employer for confirmation.
“Yes, you are,” Garret answered tiredly, sitting back against the desk. “Everyone is going but us.”
Hunter’s face became a mask of fury, and he glared at Garret.
“You can’t be serious, Garret!” he growled. “For all you know, she could be a hired hitman. You don’t know anything about this woman!”
“I know enough to trust her,” he answered, but Dylan did not hear the conviction in his voice.
At least he is saying the right words, she reasoned. Even if he doesn’t believe them.
Sputtering, Hunter turned to glare at Dylan hatefully.
“If something happens to him now, it will be on you,” he warned.
“That’s kind of why I am getting you out of here,” she replied shortly. In a huff, Hunter turned to Zave.
“Let’s go. We both know that your father is obviously not thinking with the right head.”
The two vanished before Dylan or Garret could respond, but suddenly Dylan had a very viable suspect.
Chapter Seven
Like a bad omen, the storm clouds began to roll in as Hunter pulled away from the dock.
Of course, a hurricane is brewing, Garret thought dryly. Why wouldn’t the gods mock me more? We will be here with a destroyed house and no one to help us. I wonder if Dylan has any carpentry skills on her resume.
His wryness did not ease his growing doubt.
But what if that was the plan all along?
Dylan was securing the property and had instructed Garret to stay in his suite until she returned.
What if Hunter is right? What if it is Dylan who cannot be trusted?
A foreign sense of paranoia-wracked his body and he paced through the vast space of his quarters like a caged rat.
Maybe I should get off the island too. Why would she demand that we stay here alone? This makes me a sitting duck. What do I really know about her except what our mutual friend has told us?
Garret turned to his laptop which was perched on the edge of the coffee table near the hearth of the sitting room. He glanced covertly at the door as if expecting Dylan to burst inside, guns blazing.
The sense of danger he was feeling was almost palpable as he fired up the Mac Book, his fingers shaking.
Get it together; he snapped at himself. You are Garret Elgin. Your very name inspires fear in anyone who hears it. You are fearless, wealthy and powerful. You have more clout in the world than any single world leader.
They were his words, his mantra. They lifted him up and made him invincible.
Then why was he so afraid?
Outside, thunder roared in the distance, but even from his spot inside the room, he could feel the vibration through the caye.
She has arranged for this, to be alone with me. She is the one who has been hired to kill me. But by whom and why?
He began to type furiously into the computer and instantly, he found what he was seeking; Dylan McMaster.
She had always been there; he had just not known where to look. As their mutual friend had stated, her credentials were outstanding. She had a Purple Heart and was trained in martial arts. She had been honorably discharged from the army three years prior after her third tour in the Middle East. She had a Facebook account, and she was a real person, a spitfire with brilliant green eyes and a pouty mouth.
As he began to troll what little he could see of her social media account, his pulse began to slow. His uncertainty was getting the best of him.
Everyone is a suspect, and everyone is pointing the finger at someone else. Who am I supposed to believe?
Swallowing, Garret closed the laptop and stared blankly into the unlit fireplace.
The only person I can trust is the only person I don’t know, he thought.
“Garret?” Dylan knocked on the exterior door. “I have checked the island. Everyone is gone.”
As if to solidify his concern, another deep rumble of thunder emanated from outside.
“Okay,” he called back.
“Are you going to let me in?” Dylan asked, and he could detect a note of amusement in her voice.
My life is on the line, and she is tickled.
Furiously, he stormed to the door, throwing it open to glower at her.
“Is something funny?” he asked her angrily. “You sound just charmed.”
Dylan shrugged indifferently and brushed past him, allowing herself inside the front room.
“This entire situation is amusing,” she replied. He stared at her in shock.
“Someone is trying to kill me,” he snarled, folding his arms over his chest. Despite her tall stature, Garret still towered over Dylan by eight inches.
“Yes,” Dylan agreed. “And as I was going through the house, I decided to do some nosing around.”
Garret felt himself bristle.
“You can’t just go through my business files,” he snapped, his heart beginning to thump again.
How could I have been so attracted to her? She is so smug, so sure of herself. What did she find in my office?
He did not want to admit that he was becoming aroused as he watched her peer back at him with glowing eyes.
“It’s always about work with you, isn’t it?” she asked unexpectedly. He blinked, taken aback by the accusation.
“I don’t know if you’re aware, Miss Elgin, but I am one of the wealthiest men in the world.”
“Yes, yes,” Dylan retorted with irritation. “How can anyone forget? Especially your kids.”
Garret’s teeth began to gnash together, and he glared at her.
“How dare you presume to know my relationship with my children?” he yelled. Dylan had picked a sore subject, but she was not about to let it go.
“What do you know about your children?” she asked, plopping unceremoniously onto the sofa. She put her feet up on the table and Garret resisted the urge to make her move them.
She is doing this for a reaction, he told himself. I have dealt with wo
men like her my whole life.
“I know everything about my children,” Garret shot back. “Ask me anything.”
“Do you know about Yvette’s pill popping?” she questioned pleasantly, reaching into her vest and whipping a baggie full of opiates onto the couch. Garret’s mouth dropped in shock.
“Where did you get those?” he demanded.
“From your princess’ room. She didn’t even hide them, not really. She keeps them next to her bed on the nightstand under a lamp.”
“No! Yvette doesn’t have a drug problem!” he protested, but deep down, he knew that Dylan had not planted the pills. His mind wandered to all the times he had suspected Evie of acting strangely or passing out in strange places.
Why didn’t I pay more attention to her? Why did I brush it off?
Garret looked at her; his eyes lit with worry.
“How long has this been going on?” he asked.
“My guess is if she left this stash here, it’s been going on for a while. There is not a junky on the planet who would leave this much gear behind unless she had much more on her.”
Garret shook his head, uncomprehendingly.
“Do you think that Yvette is trying to have me killed? But why? She wants for nothing! I give her everything!”
“Too much apparently,” Dylan commented dryly. “But no, I don’t think it’s Yvette. I was just wondering if you were aware of your daughter’s inner struggle.”
Garret turned to stare at her hopefully.
“You don’t think she’s trying to kill me?”
Dylan sighed, rolling her eyes.
“Next question, what can you tell me about Zave?”
Garret was beginning to get lost in the conversation.
“What about Zave? Is he on drugs too?”
Dylan chuckled.
“Nope. It’s better than that,” she assured him. “Did you know Zave is married?”
Garret began to laugh, but the sound died on his lips when he saw the deadpan expression on Dylan’s face.
“Who the hell would marry Zave?” he demanded. “You’re wrong. He’s not married.”
Dylan sighed and pulled a piece of paper from her inside pocket.
“He’s married, Garret,” she told him with the matter of fact assuredness. “Is it safe to assume that you didn’t know he was gay either?”
This time Garret did allow for a chortle to escape his lips.
“You are pulling my leg,” he snapped, reaching for the paper in her hands. “Have you seen the way that boy dresses? The gay community would have nothing to do with him.”
Dylan gave him a disgusted look.
“I am trying to tell you about your kids, the ones whom you have forsaken to run your empire, and you’re still mocking. He’s your son for Christ’s sake, Garret. Show a little bit of humbleness.”
Garret seemed stunned by her outburst. He swallowed and nodded.
“You’re right,” he replied. “I – I guess I am just trying to deflect.”
Dylan seemed to accept his explanation and continued.
“Sorry you’re finding out this way,” she told him. “But here’s the kicker.”
Garret unfolded the paper and the blood drained from his face as he read. Slowly, he looked up at Dylan.
“No,” he gasped. “No!”
Dylan exhaled again and patted his hand.
“I’m afraid it’s true. Zave and Hunter are married. And I would bet good money that they have conspired to have you killed.”
Chapter Eight
It was the wedding ring on Zave’s finger which had tipped her off. From the start, Dylan had sensed a deep-seeded anger in the seemingly mild-mannered boy. There was always something about him which she could not quite pinpoint.
When he and Hunter stood in the doorway to the study as they were leaving for the mainland, Dylan had noticed their matching bands.
How could Garret Elgin, shrewd business man and multi-billionaire not notice that his son was not only gay but hooking up with his assistant?
Add to the fact that Hunter seemed to know about the tryst between her and Garret the previous night despite not being in the room when Zave brought it up, Dylan knew she was onto something.
It made perfect sense; Garret was overbearing and critical with Zave but tender and loving with Yvette. The fire must have been burning since birth with the oldest Elgin child. It was only a matter of time before the fuse hit the bomb.
It all came together like a perfectly formed jigsaw puzzle. Hunter had preyed on Zave burning frustration, grooming him since childhood. It would not take much for an impressionable child to be molded by an older man.
Zave probably looked to Hunter as a father figure when his father was too busy for him, Dylan thought sadly, peering at Garret’s horrified face.
“My guess is that Hunter manipulated Zave into this plan,” she told him softly. “I think Zave only wanted you to love him. He was just angry, hurt.”
Garret seemed unable to speak, swallowing heavily as he continued to stare at the marriage certificate in his hand. Dylan watched his eyes grow moist, and he shook his head.
“I drove him to do this?” he asked quietly. “I was such a terrible father that he conspired to have me killed?”
“I have no proof of anything, Garret,” Dylan answered, but she knew her instincts were not wrong. “It seems to fit, however. All the attempts on your life were different which indicates that there were likely two or more would be assassins.”
Garret nodded slowly.
“It makes sense,” he admitted, and Dylan was suddenly overcome with pity for him as she watched him come to terms with what was unfolding.
“Elgin Inc will be reverted to Zave in the event of your death, right?”
“Seventy-five percent of it,” he told her. “Twenty-five percent goes to Yvette.”
A slow feeling of cold crept through Dylan at the revelation.
“What if Yvette dies?” she asked quietly.
As if moving in slow motion, Garret’s head turned to stare at her, his eyes widening in shock.
“No!” he cried. “He wouldn’t hurt his sister!”
“He might not,” Dylan agreed tightly. “But I don’t think Hunter will think twice. He and Zave are married. Hunter will own just as much as Elgin Inc as Zave. If he is willing to go this far, how much further will he go? It’s possible that he might even kill Zave after everything, simply to get his hands on the company.”
“We have to warn Yvette!” Garret gasped, reaching for his cell phone.
“Easy, now, Garret,” Dylan urged. “We have nothing to go off but pure speculation here. Anyway, you have to be dead before they go after Yvette.”
He seemed to balk at her flip comment, but a strange calm seemed to pass over his face as his eyes met hers.
“You are not worried, are you?” he asked. “Are you truly that fearless?”
“We have an idea what is happening now. We can address the problem head on,” Dylan replied. “Fear won’t help us.”
Garret studied her.
“You’re right,” he agreed. “We can’t fight the inevitable.”
Dylan caught the innuendo in his voice and tried to shift her eyes away, but Garret grabbed her chin, forcing their eyes to meet.
“You can’t run from the inevitable,” he repeated.
Dylan sprung to her feet.
It can never work between us, she thought mournfully. He is not Ollie.
Consternation flowed through her as he stared at Garret, his blue eyes identical to that of the man she had lost.
It is time to let go of Ollie. He is gone, and Garret is here.
Slowly, she sat back down, cocking her head to meet her mouth to his. He drew her close, pressing his lips firmly to hers.
“You and I are the same,” he whispered urgently, and Dylan was filled with a sudden panic. “We have been strong for too long. We need each other so we can let go.”
He is only reaching ou
t to you because he needs you, not because he loves you. You are a crutch, nothing else.
A spark of lightning coursed through the room and the lights flickered, but Dylan barely noticed as she continued to allow their kisses. He was saying precisely what she needed to hear, his words making more sense than anything else she had heard in years.
This is wrong. He is a client, someone you are sworn to protect. You are taking advantage of the situation, she told herself, but she could not stop.
“Don’t fight me,” he whispered as if sensing her reluctance. “We can have the world together.”
“No,” she protested weakly. “I can never fit into your life.”
“You already have,” he sighed, his teeth gently nibbling on her earlobe.
“What did I tell you?”
Dylan and Garret jumped at the sound of a voice in the doorway. Zave and Hunter stood eyeing the scene with disgust; a semi-automatic pistol pointed at their faces.
“She kicked us out of here so she could seduce your father,” Hunter snorted contemptuously. “What a whore. Gold diggers, all of them.”
“Hunter, put that toy away,” Garret snarled, but Dylan could hear his voice crack.
Hunter chuckled, pulling his husband further into the room.
“It was real enough when I almost took you out last night, Garret,” he retorted.
“Almost being the operative word,” Dylan shot back wickedly. “You’re not a very good shot. Are you sure you want to try again?”
“Shut up, bitch!” Hunter snarled, slamming the door to the suite.
“Why are you doing this?” Garret sighed angrily. “After everything I have done for you. Zave? How could you?”
Hunter chortled, drawing closer to the couple. Dylan felt her spine tighten as he neared.
Focus on Zave, she thought. He is your weak link here.
She knew that if she got Zave to unravel, Hunter would be distracted.
“You hear that, Zave? After all, he’s done for us!”
Zave looked apologetically at them.
“Sorry,” he muttered, glancing at his nervously shaking hands. “I didn’t want it to end up like this.”
The Lost Seal: A Seal Romance Page 16
