She rested her palm over his cold hand and choked back a sob. “Matt, please, don’t talk. Save your strength.”
“Jeopardizes…integrity…building…” He groaned and panted between his words.
He closed his eyes and drifted away from her. Only the hum of the machines broke the silence as the minutes passed.
Breathing in the strong medicinal odors, she laid her face against the cool white sheets on the edge of the bed. He had to be okay. Everything in their lives was getting better. She’d been on her way to tell him the newspaper had hired her to take over her late Aunt Kate’s local advice column. However, none of that mattered now.
“Supplies…” he murmured. Kate raised her head and leaned over him. His icy fingers rubbed hers, as if desperate for her to understand something. “Farrington…Trent…”
She sucked in her breath. He was the owner’s grandson and vice president of Farrington Construction—Matt’s employer. “Is Trent Farrington responsible for your accident?” she demanded.
“Tell…police…”
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DANGEROUS PARADISE - BLURB
(2012 National Readers’ Choice Awards Finalist in Romantic Suspense)
(~ The Romance Reviews - 5 Stars TOP PICK)
Strangers on the run for their lives: After death threats for her late father’s business crimes, a woman escapes with her new fiancé on a cruise but becomes stranded with his handsome associate. Unfortunately, the only people who know they are alive are those out to kill her.
DANGEROUS PARADISE - CHAPTER ONE
“What the . . .?” Kelly Cochran flicked on the light and stood rooted in the doorway of her bedroom in her Los Angeles apartment. The French doors to the balcony swung in the evening breeze, and the linen draperies billowed like sails. Her heart slammed against her ribs in a painful, warning rhythm. She had locked those doors in the morning.
Her gaze lowered to the shattered glass on the carpet. Panic raced through her. Why had the newly installed alarm failed to go off?
She fumbled in her purse and hit redial on her cell phone. Please, Robert, answer. He was the last person she’d spoken to and had dropped her off at her apartment only a few moments ago.
A thump from the closet sent cold, dark fright spiraling through her. She turned to run, but strong arms grabbed her from behind, knocked her bag and phone from her hands, and sent her flying onto the bed. The man pounced on top of her and crushed the breath out of her.
“Help!” she cried, kicking wildly. She tried for a knee-kick to his groin, but hit his thigh instead. “Somebody help me!”
He fisted his hand in her hair and jerked her head painfully against the headboard, then clamped his other grimy hand over her mouth. “That’ll cost you, bitch. I heard about you redheads. I bet you like it rough,” he said, in an almost casual tone.
Kelly shook her head frantically. He laughed and released his hold on her hair, then grabbed the front of her shirt. She pummeled her fist against his arm.
He chuckled, his rotten breath assaulting her. “I’ve been paid to off you, but it’s a shame to take out a hot chick like you before we’ve had a little fun.”
A nasty grin lit his face and frightened her more than his threats. She knew in that moment her death would mean nothing to him. Sheer terror sent adrenaline flying through her.
She jerked her mouth free and bit down hard on his hand.
He yelped. “Damn you, bitch.”
Kelly managed one loud shriek before he clenched his hands around her neck, strangling her screams and cutting off her air supply.
With spots dancing before her eyes, she clawed at his hands, but couldn’t pry loose his crushing death-grip. She had to do something to save herself. Wriggling frantically beneath him, she extended her arm and touched the edge of the nightstand. Her fingers curled around the base of her crystal lamp.
Thunk. He grunted and his hands fell away but his body weight slumped on top of her.
She shoved him off her and air rushed into her lungs. Raising fingers to her throbbing throat, she rolled from the bed. The man groaned.
A crash in the living room—as if the door had been broken down—startled her.
“Kelly!” Robert yelled.
Her breath rushed out in a tide of relief. Thank God, he was here.
She snapped her head toward her attacker who’d already staggered to his feet. Her previous adrenaline rush that had allowed her to fight so violently for her life had vanished. Now, she gasped for breath, and trembling consumed her body.
Instead of coming toward her, the intruder fled onto the second-floor balcony. He gave her one last menacing glare that promised he’d be back, then grasped a rope and was gone.
* * *
One Week Later - April Fools’ Day
“I’m perfectly safe, Aunt Kaye,” Kelly said into her cell phone. “I’m a thousand miles away from L.A. and that thug. What could possibly happen?”
Kelly opened the blinds overlooking her balcony on the luxurious Royal Queen III. Outside, a steady, wind-driven rain rapped the glass––a clear testament to the unpredictability of typhoon season in the South Pacific.
Despite her reassurances to her aunt, Kelly’s throat tightened. Before the attack, she had taken the simple act of breathing for granted. No more.
“Sorry I left so suddenly.” She hoped she sounded normal enough to soothe Aunt Kaye’s fears. “If word gets out someone tried to kill me, it could hurt the company.”
“The company? I’m worried sick about you,” her aunt said in her raspy voice.
“Don’t be. That’s why Robert insisted I go on this trip. We need to consider our options and decide what I’m going to do. Now, please, don’t worry. Perhaps, by the time I return, Detective Spagnola will have someone in custody.”
“You seem to be spending a lot of time with Robert?”
“I enjoy being with him. Why?”
“But he was your father’s lifelong friend,” Aunt Kaye said. “I thought you always considered him as an uncle. With his mother working for your grandparents and living on the estate, he was almost like your dad’s little brother.”
“Yes, but we’re not related by blood, Aunt Kaye. And you should have seen Robert. He was impressive. He busted down the door to my apartment and ran in like a hero. He risked his life to save mine—that killer could have shot him. That he did what he did, means a lot to me.”
That night she’d flung herself into Robert’s arms so thankful for his help.
“I’ll allow you that he’s compelling, and I’m grateful to him, too, for coming to your rescue,” Aunt Kaye muttered, “but didn’t the thug flee before Robert even walked into the bedroom? It sounds to me like you saved yourself.”
“But, Aunt Kaye, I don’t know how long I could have held the man off.” Though she was surprised at how violent she’d been when put to the test.
“You’re under a lot of stress with this maniac after you. Don’t do anything––”
“Impulsive?” Kelly frowned. She had worked hard to curb her impetuous nature. And after graduating with her MBA, she had returned to work for the family company. Still, Kelly sensed her aunt needed reassurance. “This cruise is nothing more than a chance for me to regroup. And it’s a business trip for Robert. He’ll be busy with his clients. I’m just grateful for this chance to get away.”
“All right, sweetie. I’ll try to lose my auntie jitters. However, you’re young and beautiful. Robert’s no fool—”
When the ship’s horn blasted, Kelly exhaled a sigh of relief. She didn’t want to discuss her feelings for Robert. She wasn’t even sure what she felt for him. He’d been her friend and mentor for so long . . . “Aunt Kaye, the ship’s leaving port. I’ll call you in a few days. I love you.”
The ship moved out of the Port of Lautoaka and along the Fiji shoreline, blurred by the deluge. Kelly hadn’t seen the sunshine since they’d arrived yes
terday.
Bracing her hand on the door, she felt the change as the ship entered the open water where waves crested into peaks before plummeting into a green-gray ocean. Dampness mingled with the air-conditioning and the smell of saltwater. She shivered and rubbed her arms for warmth. A headache hammered her temples and she glanced around, nervously.
You’re safe on this trip. As if to taunt her, lightning seared the darkening sky, followed by the loudest crash of thunder she’d heard all afternoon.
“Oh . . .” She whirled from the stormy view and paced the floor of the large, blue and gold cabin, agitated and second guessing her decision to take this luxurious trip.
Get a grip, girl. She stepped to the dresser and examined her reflection in the mirror. She brushed her long hair away from her neck and carefully traced her fingertips along the tender bruises. Although still a faint yellow, the bruises were barely noticeable with the makeup she’d applied that morning.
Oh, Dad, why did you leave me in this mess?
Thankfully, she had Robert in her life. When they’d arrived that morning, he surprised her by having two dozen white roses delivered to her cabin.
Kelly leaned over and inhaled the sweet fragrance, then reread his bold script on his card.
‘Love always, Robert.’
She smiled. Did he mean the kind of love one had for a lover? She suspected his feelings for her had changed when he kissed her unexpectedly the day after the attack. And then, ‘to ensure her safety,’ he’d asked her to accompany him on this business trip.
She had almost been killed . . .
Had he been so shaken up that he realized he loved her?
With a sigh, Kelly walked to the closet and removed her blue evening gown from a hanger. The silk caressed her fingertips as she draped the dress over a chair. Tonight she’d explore this new romantic side of Robert. A girl could get used to this.
Deciding she needed a rejuvenating shower, she stripped down to her underwear. Then her gaze fell on a familiar gray envelope on the nightstand.
The terror had begun a month ago with the arrival of the first in a series of similar threatening letters. This was the first one since the attack.
Her pulse beat erratically as she reached for the envelope and sank onto a chair. The usual cut-and-pasted letters from magazines creepily spelled out her name and company address.
Despite her shaking hands, she opened the envelope and managed to read the letter’s different-sized words.
You take expensive trips and don’t repay your father’s debts. Next time, you die.
Kelly leapt to her feet. Robert had paid for this trip and this elegant suite. Even though many clients had lost their life savings in the company’s debacle after her father’s death, she and Robert were going to make sure all were gradually repaid. Resisting the urge to crumple the letter, she stuffed it back into the envelope.
With it in hand, she slipped on her robe, hoping Robert was next door in his cabin. The clatter of something falling in the bathroom . . . made her pause. A chill edged her spine. She froze.
Her heart pounded in her ears as she strained to hear sounds from the bathroom. Only the familiar groans of the ship, and the titter of a woman’s laughter from the hallway, broke the silence. Rain beat a rat-a-tat on the glass. The seconds dragged. Slowly, the bathroom door squeaked open.
Someone was in there.
The envelope slipped from her icy fingers and she ran. The lock clicked into place behind her as she hurried from the cabin. Exhaling a pent-up breath, she turned to run, but the hem of her robe snagged in the closed door. She tugged, but couldn’t free herself and didn’t have her keycard. She glanced down the hallway. It was empty so she tore off the robe and left it behind.
Appearances were the furthest thing from her mind as she made her escape.
Cool air hit her bare skin as she ran the few steps to Robert’s suite.
She pounded on the door. “Robert. Open the door. Please.”
When he didn’t answer, she wrenched the knob. Locked. She shot a glance toward her cabin. The door remained closed. She choked out a sob, relieved that she’d not been followed.
She couldn’t run through the halls of the ship dressed in her underwear so she needed to get into a cabin and call security.
She tried the door across from Robert’s cabin. It opened, and she lurched inside. Crouching down, she leaned against the door, her breathing rapid. The room spun.
Calm down. As she scanned the room, she forced herself to breathe evenly. A man’s white dress shirt lay on the satin comforter and a suitcase stood nearby on the floor. The bathroom door was closed.
She rose on shaky legs. “Hello?”
When no one answered, she exhaled and crossed to the desk where she found the ship’s directory card and security’s telephone number. She reached for the phone.
“Oh, this one is really good,” said a man with a deep polished English accent, from behind her. “Much better than a fruit basket.”
The receiver slipped from her hand and clattered onto the desk. She whirled to find the most handsome man she’d ever seen standing at the bathroom entrance. Every worry she had, left her on the exhale as she stared at him.
At least six feet tall, the Adonis raised muscled arms and casually towel-dried his dark blond hair. He looked to be in his late twenties, and he wore only a white towel draped around his sleek waist and hips.
He leveled his aqua-blue gaze on her. “Should I give my compliments to the captain? Or is this what thieves are wearing these days?”
Disoriented, she stared. Then remembering she wore only her new Victoria’s Secret bra and panties, she clamped her arms across her chest. “I...”
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Weekend Wedding Deception (Dangerous Millionaires Series) Page 15
