Shelter in the Tropics

by Cara Lockwood

  “Mark found out. Was it true? Did you nearly kill your commanding officer?”

  “Derek exaggerated,” Tack said, frowning. “I hit the son of a bitch all right, but I didn’t try to kill him. But he wanted me to hit him. He was baiting me. It was his plan to have me court-martialed. That’s why he refused to help Adeeb.”

  Could that be true? It sounded plausible. Cate relaxed a little. She felt relieved, she realized. Relieved there was an explanation. Then the reality of the situation sunk in.

  “Now, you have to choose between me...and your friend.” Cate already realized the outcome of that decision. How could he pick her over him? She hadn’t saved his life. She’d not served beside him in a war zone.

  “I don’t want to choose,” Tack said. “There has to be another way.”

  Cate knew he’d have to choose. Or maybe she’d make the choice for him. By running as soon as she could.

  “Tell me what really happened. The night you left Allen.” Tack slipped the bottle from her hands and took a sip.

  “Are you trying to figure out if I’m a killer? If I’m somehow less redeemable than Adeeb?” Cate wasn’t proud of the words coming out of her mouth, but at least they were honest.

  “You know I don’t think you’re a killer. I just want to know your side. I’ve heard Allen’s. I want to know everything that happened because I care about you.”

  “Do you care about me? You weren’t honest with me.”

  “Cate, I couldn’t be. I wanted to be honest with you, but I just couldn’t. I owe Adeeb. I thought...this was the only way for him.”

  “Isn’t it still?” Cate hadn’t seen how anything had changed.

  “I don’t know. I hope not. Maybe not.” Tack reached out and grabbed her hand. “Will you tell me what happened that night you left? I just want to know.”

  Cate stared up at the thousands of stars and listened to the soft lap of water against the hull of the boat. Everything seemed so calm now, so unlike the storm just hours before. She felt that if she could stay at sea, she could find peace. A real sanctuary. She didn’t want to relive that night at the Allen mansion.

  “I don’t owe you an explanation.”

  “That’s true. You don’t.” Tack took another sip of tequila. “But Rick said you tried to murder him. That you lured him upstairs, and then you shoved him when he wasn’t looking. He said you laughed while he fell down the stairs, that you left him for dead at the bottom. Did you?”

  Rage burned in her chest. How dare he? Is that what he’d told the police? A bitter laugh tried to work its way out of her mouth. He wasn’t the victim. Far from it.

  “That is not what happened.”

  “Then tell me.”

  She felt herself right back in that moment. “I told him I wanted a divorce, that I was done. He hit me so hard, I fell to my knees in the kitchen.”

  Tack visibly flinched, his jaw tensing, but he remained silent.

  “He’d pulled me up by my hair,” Cate continued, her voice sounding detached, cold in her ears. These were facts, nothing more, almost as if they happened to someone else. You can cry about it or you can get over it. Her memory of it wasn’t even her memory; it was as if she was floating outside her body, watching him take her hair in his fist, whip her head up. She cried and begged him to let her go, but he would never do that. She realized that in that very moment. He’d never let her go. He’d kill her first. “I had no choice but to follow him up the stairs. He told me I could never leave him. He told me I belonged to him.”

  She could see herself in her mind’s eye, crying, mascara running down her face. She wore a bright blue taffeta gown, blood from her face dribbling down on the front. He’d been in a tux. There’d been a time when she’d blame the alcohol for outbursts like this, but now she knew the alcohol just brought out his true self. His mean self.

  She’d been angry with herself for bringing up the divorce then. She should’ve known what would’ve happened, but part of her couldn’t put it off any longer. She’d endured the long limo ride home and a laundry list of his complaints about her behavior during the evening. She’d just had enough—of his never-ending list of criticisms, of all the ways she failed at being perfect, of all the ways she continuously disappointed him, when he was the disappointment. Not her.

  She remembered Mark and Carol, and how kind they’d been to her, and she’d begun to see with perfect clarity that she wasn’t the one who deserved this. She was done with him putting all the fault on her, when his glaring faults were never up for discussion. She was tired of taking the blame.

  “He kicked me at the top of the stairs, hard. Knocked the wind out of me,” she said, continuing her story as Tack stared grimly at her. “I rolled down the first step of the landing. He lifted his foot to stomp me. Hurt me some more.” What happened next came from pure, protective instinct. “I reached up and grabbed his foot. I twisted it. He lost his balance.”

  “He fell.”

  “He tried to grab the railing, but...” She shook her head, remembering how she’d flung his foot away from her, a purely instinctual move. Had she realized he’d fall? She didn’t know. All she knew was that she wanted him away from her.

  It had been enough to topple his equilibrium. She still remembered the look of shocked surprise on his face as he tumbled, his hand just missing the railing as he snatched thin air.

  “Did you want to kill him?” The question hung in the air between them.

  “I...I didn’t think about that. I just wanted him to stop hurting me.”

  “So you did what you had to do.” Tack nodded. “Sometimes, the worst option is your only option.”

  “I didn’t mean to kill him. But...”

  “You didn’t call for help, either.”

  Cate shook her head. Tack handed her the bottle of tequila, and she took a deep drink. “I knew... I just knew when he woke up, he’d kill me. There’s no way he’d let me live after...I hurt him like that. I just knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, he’d kill me. So I got Avery, packed a quick bag and left.”

  “And the millions?” Tack leaned forward on the bench, resting his forearms on his knees.

  “I took my jewelry, which he kept in his safe. Technically, it was mine, though he’d bought it. It would be cheaper for him than a divorce. He didn’t sign a prenup with me. It was one of the reasons he could never let me leave him. I’d take half his fortune.”

  Cate glanced up at the stars again, half hoping she’d find a different reality there. If she’d known money would cause her such problems, she would’ve insisted on the prenup in the first place. Then maybe he wouldn’t have hit her.

  Then again, she thought sourly, he probably would’ve hit her, anyway.

  “Wait...” Tack sat up, his back ramrod stiff. “Allen told me he had an iron-clad prenup. That the only way you could get his fortune was by killing him.”

  Cate shook her head. “He’s lying. No prenup. You can check with his attorney, if you want. He told everyone in his life he didn’t need one. That he knew what he was doing. That men who had prenups weren’t real men because they couldn’t ‘handle’ their wives. It was a whole control thing with him. As long as he kept me in line, then everything would be fine. And when he couldn’t keep me in line anymore...”

  “He’d kill you.” Tack slapped his knees in anger. “Son of a bitch.”

  “My thoughts exactly.” Cate laughed a little. She relaxed a bit. A little voice in her head told her if she’d been Tack, she might have believed Allen, too. Why wouldn’t she? Rick Allen was a persuasive man, and very good at pretending to be something he wasn’t.

  “The crazy thing is, he can’t even let me get out of jail,” Cate said, shaking her head sadly. “When you think about it. When I got out, I’d still be entitled to half his fortune. If I go to jail, I’m almost c
ertain I’m never coming out. He’ll see to that.”

  Tack stood, clasping and unclasping his fists, as if looking for something to hit. She’d wanted to spare him the truth, but Adeeb’s fate and hers weren’t that far apart, really. They were both marked for death.

  “If he wasn’t dying, I’d kill him myself,” Tack murmured.

  Cate went stock-still. “Say that again?”

  Tack glanced at her, his dark eyes widening. “You don’t know. Then again, why would you? The man keeps everything a secret.”

  Cate still wasn’t sure she’d heard him right in the first place. Her heart sped up. Could that be true? Could he really be...?

  “That’s why he hired me, why he’s so determined to find you, and find you now,” Tack said. “Rick Allen has only a few months to live.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CATE FELT HERSELF REELING, and it had nothing to do with the gentle lilt of the ship beneath her feet.

  “He’s...dying?” She’d never in a million years imagined he’d die before she did. He was always such a huge, looming figure in her consciousness, a kind of malevolent force that would live forever. She felt shock. No matter what Rick did to her, she’d never wish death on anybody.

  Yet this changed everything. Would it be possible? A world without Rick Allen? A world without her looking over her shoulder every other minute, without wondering when he’d catch her?

  “What’s wrong with him?” Cate couldn’t imagine what could fell such a determined and stubborn man. Cancer?

  Tack’s eyes widened. “You don’t know what happened when you left?”

  Cate felt like she was suddenly trapped in a small tunnel, the walls closing in on her. “When I left? I know he lived...” He survived a fall that should’ve killed another man. One of the many reasons Cate had started to feel he was indestructible. She’d tried to find out more, but the stubborn recluse didn’t reveal anything. He never gave interviews to the press, and he was nonexistent on social media. All she knew was that his new real estate deals proceeded as usual and there was no obituary, so he’d lived.

  “The fall down the stairs,” Tack continued. “It paralyzed him. Severed his spinal cord.”

  Cate felt like she’d been sitting next to a grenade when it detonated. “He’s...”

  “In a wheelchair,” Tack said. “And his lungs aren’t working properly, as well as the muscles that help him breathe. He doesn’t think he has much time left.”

  Cate felt all the air whoosh out of her lungs. As much as she hated the man, she never meant him that kind of harm. She felt a wave of guilt wash over her. And then, came fear. She’d taken away his legs, his dignity...not only would he kill her. He’d be sure to make her suffer. Maybe even make Avery suffer, too, for her sins.

  Cate popped to her feet and began an anxious pacing. “I d-didn’t know. I didn’t mean to...”

  Tack stood, as well. “I know you didn’t,” he said in a calm and reassuring voice. He moved in front of her. She stopped and looked up at him, his dark eyes studying her in the moonlight. The twinkle of a thousand stars were just beyond his head. How she wanted to trust him, to believe in him at this moment. How she wanted to walk into his arms and be comforted... And more. Yet she couldn’t.

  “You’re working for him,” she said aloud, finding courage deep within her to say the truth she knew had to be said. In fact, Rick could’ve hired him to kill me. The thought sent a cold shiver down her spine. It made perfect sense. Why even bother extraditing her? Why bother with sending an assassin to jail to shiv her in the shower, when he could just get rid of her on this very boat, right now, in the middle of the Caribbean.

  Sure, it would leave Avery an orphan, but knowing Rick he’d prefer Avery raised by one of his cousins than her, or even a paid guardian.

  “I’m not working for him anymore.” Tack put his hands on her shoulders. She tried not to back away from him. Stay calm, she told herself. Nothing will help by panicking.

  “You have to help Adeeb. I know that’s why you’re doing this,” she said. He might not want to kill her, but what if it literally came down to her life...or his friend’s? What would he do?

  “Just be honest with me, did Rick send you to kill me?” she asked him, unable to hold back anymore. If death was coming, she wanted to know it and look him in the eye. She wanted to be ready.

  “Why would you say that?” Tack looked taken aback as he dropped his hands from her shoulders. Shock flicked across his face. “No. Of course not. My job was just to find you. I don’t...I don’t kill...” He stopped, suddenly, turning his back on her, flustered, as if he’d just remembered he did. Then, she remembered Afghanistan. He’d been evasive when Avery had asked him. That meant he probably had.

  “I just... If you’re going to do what you have to do, I just... I want you to promise me to keep Avery safe.”

  It seemed like a ridiculous request. Asking him for mercy, but still. Maybe Rick planned to keep his son and only heir alive. She hoped he was good enough to do that. She wanted Avery with her, but if he couldn’t be, then all she wanted was for him to be safe.

  “I’m not going to hurt you, or your son,” Tack said, turning and meeting her gaze with a stoic look of his own. “I promise you that.”

  His brown eyes offered loyalty, and maybe even something more. Either that, or he was an amazing actor. The way his dark hair curled down across his forehead made her want to sweep it away.

  Tack took another step closer and suddenly they were toe-to-toe. Her fear fled, and the uneasiness she felt turned to something like anticipation. She felt the danger like static electricity between them, or was it primal attraction? She had to crane her neck to look at him, and all she wanted to do was kiss his sensual mouth. God, he was such a good kisser. The memory of his hands on her made her feel hot all over, tingly. Was she attracted to the man who might end her life? She might be too far gone to save.

  He took both of her hands in his.

  “Cate, I know I’ve betrayed your trust. I am so very sorry. I didn’t know. I never would’ve accepted this job. I would’ve found another way for Adeeb.” His eyes never left hers, and she felt spellbound for a minute. He was saying everything she wanted to hear. Her heart sped up. “I think I’m falling for you.”

  For a full minute her heart seemed to stop. He was falling for her? As in in love? Then her brain kicked on like a rickety old air-conditioning unit, blasting through her hope. He’s still playing me. A second ago, I thought he was here to kill me, and now I’m supposed to believe he’s in love with me? Even worse, he’s going to sacrifice his friend for me? How can I live with that?

  “But you can’t abandon Adeeb. You can’t choose me over him.” The thought made her sick to her stomach.

  Tack shook his head. “I’ll just have to find another way. Maybe ask my senator for help again. Maybe, if he lives past the election, there will be changes to the immigration law.”

  “No.” Cate couldn’t live with that. Or could she? If it was her and her boy up against someone halfway across the world that she didn’t know? Would she really choose the man she didn’t know? She felt overwhelmed and confused.

  “Cate, I want to be with you.”

  “But Rick will never stop until he gets me. He won’t ever stop. Even if he dies, he’ll make sure his estate keeps after me. Somehow. That’s just how he works. His revenge will outlive him. There’s no reason to be with me, Tack. I bring nothing but baggage.”

  “Cate, there’s every reason to be with you. You’re gorgeous, kindhearted, brave and smart. You’re everything a man could ask for.”

  Why was he so persistent? She was on the run and had next to nothing, except the ring and this boat.

  “But I’m not rich.”

  “Who cares? I’ve got some money saved. I can care for us.”

&n
bsp; “What?” Cate couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

  “And even if I didn’t, I can work. We can both find work somewhere. We’ll make do. I know we will. All you have to do is trust me.”

  Could she do that? She badly wanted to. Standing before him now, the gentle sway of the deck beneath their feet. All she wanted to do was believe him.

  “But how long before you start resenting me for Adeeb? What if he dies before you can help him? You’ll blame me and Avery for his death, and you’ll be right.”

  “No.”

  “Why should I believe you?”

  “All I can do is show you that it’s the truth.”

  Tack pulled her closer to him and dipped his head, covering her lips with his. For a frozen second, she stood stock-still, unsure of what to do. But feeling his warm body against hers, his tender lips gently kissing her, her body took over. She kissed him back with an enthusiasm she forgot she had. Despite all the insanity around them, despite all her doubts, it felt like the most natural thing in the world, and oddly, the most dangerous. She deepened the kiss, and the fire in her belly grew, but also, so did his passion, as she felt him harden through his clothes against her belly.

  “Oh, God...Cate,” he murmured, leaning into her touch. She kissed him and then broke away. “Cate, I want to be inside you,” he groaned, the need obvious in his voice. For a golden moment, she thought, I want that, too, before reality crashed into the moment.

  She couldn’t do this. Not here. Not now. Maybe not ever. She couldn’t trust him. As much as she wanted to. She couldn’t.

  He tugged at her clothes, but she stepped away, releasing him. He let out a moan.

  “I...I...just can’t.”

  Tack nodded, as if he understood. “You can trust me, Cate. I promise you that. I’ll spend the rest of my life proving it to you if I have to.”

  The rest of his life? Cate’s heart leaped at his words. How could he promise that? It sounded like he was proposing. He’ll say anything to get back into my good graces, and he might be delusional now, but how long before the guilt about Adeeb catches up to him?