Hailey's Truth

by Cate Beauman

  Hailey covered his hand on the reins. “I’m sorry, Austin.”

  “Me too.”

  She reached her arms back, clasping her hands behind his head, bringing his face down as she looked up, and kissed his cheek. “You know, the door goes both ways. I’m a great listener if you ever want to talk about it.”

  He pressed his lips to her hair, touched by her sweetness. “Thanks.”

  She rested her head against his chest, laced her fingers with his.

  Austin stared at the creamy gold of her small, graceful hand lying on his, wrapped his arm tighter, trying to tuck his past away and enjoy what he had right now.

  He looked out at crystal blue waters glistening like a gem in the sun, listening to the ebb and flow of surf—a sound that always soothed. His shoulders relaxed by degrees as the horse lazily walked them closer to the stables. They were about to have a blast on their next adventure. He was eager to share with Hailey another experience she’d never had before.

  The everyday noises of civilization began to mix with the ocean waves. Austin turned his attention to the crowds further down the beach. His shoulders tensed as he recognized the man from the restaurant. He was holding a pair of binoculars. The blinding reflection of sun on glass beamed in their direction. Austin no longer questioned the man’s purpose. He’d been there to keep tabs on Hailey, just as he was doing now.

  Austin instinctively tightened his grip around her and nudged the horse along. A grove of palms blew in the breeze just ahead. That’s where he wanted to be, out of the line-of-sight.

  Scanning the area now, he spotted Jeremy and Mateo well up the beach, hanging on the girls who they’d wandered into the casino with. Austin’s eyes tracked further up, noting the two bodyguards he’d seen on the plane.

  Hailey chattered about something cheerfully, but he didn’t pay attention.

  “—on that. Isn’t it amazing?”

  Austin scrutinized the mass of resort guests occupying the white sand, studying the men and women frolicking in the water or lounging about in the sun or shade. Dread clenched his stomach as he picked out the arsenal of close protection agents scattered about the beach, each dressed as any other vacationer. He counted well over a dozen agents casually speaking into wrist pieces or pressing at their ears. What the hell was up?

  Hailey wouldn’t be worth all this to the Zulas. They wouldn’t waste this much effort on one person; they would simply kill her. Something big was going on.

  “Hello, Austin. I’m talking to you.” Hailey tilted her head up again, smiling.

  He tore his attention from the full-scale security detail, trying to focus. “What?”

  “Isn’t it absolutely stunning? I saw it yesterday. It’s coming back.”

  “What?”

  “The yacht, Austin.”

  His gaze flew to the massive boat Hailey pointed at, then to the men on the beach. “Son of a bitch,” he muttered.

  “I know. Amazing, huh?”

  “Yeah.” Everything made sense now. Someone on the mini cruise ship was a big fucking deal. Austin glanced at Mateo and Jeremy, putting the pieces together. He knew exactly who was on that boat, and the stakes had just gotten higher.

  The gelding wandered to the stable, stopping as the guide took the reins. Austin climbed down from the saddle effortlessly, grabbed Hailey at the waist, and set her on her feet. She beamed, hugging him, oblivious to the danger surrounding them. “Thanks, Austin. This was really great.”

  He held her against him. “You’re welcome.”

  “Do you want to give Blaze his carrots?”

  He wanted to get her away from here. “Nah.”

  “He deserves them—unlike Ginger over there.” She glared in the runaway horse’s direction.

  Hailey took the carrots from the guide and held them flat in her palm for Blaze to eat. She rubbed behind his ear with her free hand. “You’re very sweet, Blaze. Maybe you can teach Ginger a thing or two.”

  Austin struggled to smile as he grew impatient. He wanted her on a jet ski, miles out in the water, as far away as he could get her from the prying eyes of the guards.

  Blaze ate the last bite from Hailey’s palm. She thanked the guide as she moved to wash her hands in the small outdoor sink.

  While she busied herself with soap and water, Austin walked over to the groom who was taking the saddle from Blaze. “Excuse me, Señor.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “We just watched a honey of a yacht anchor down. Do you know who owns it?”

  The man’s gaze faltered with what may have been fear. “No, sir, I do not.”

  Huh.

  “If you will excuse me, sir.” The groom hurried off with the saddle.

  Hailey threw her paper towel in the trash and headed over. “Are you ready to jet ski?”

  The excitement was there, in her eyes, in her voice. He was sorry he no longer shared Hailey’s anticipation. “You bet.” Austin wrapped an arm around her, shielding her as if she were a client being harassed by overeager paparazzi.

  He glanced over his shoulder. The man with the binoculars still watched. Austin turned back to walk with Hailey down the beach, eager to get them out to sea.

  Chapter 13

  THE MUSIC WAS FAST AND sultry on the outdoor dance floor. The warm winds blew in from the sea as Hailey spun in her black halter sundress, laughing. Austin pulled her back to him and wrapped his arms around her waist, smiling as they missed their step for the hundredth time. Her pulse kicked into overdrive as she placed her hands on Austin’s hips, never wanting the night to end.

  She faltered another step, tripped against him. “Holy crap, we totally suck at this.”

  “Can’t argue with you there,” he said as they spun again. “But who cares?” he added when they faced each other.

  After dinner and a fun-filled round of karaoke, they signed up for an hour-long dance class. The mambo hadn’t gone well, so they were improvising.

  “I’m definitely going to need band-aids.” Hailey winced when Austin’s sandal made contact with her toes again. “Lots and lots of band-aids.”

  “Shit, Hailey. Sorry.”

  She limped a little into the next spin. “No problem. I didn’t like my toes on that foot anyway.”

  A lightning grin flashed across his face as he pulled her off the dance floor. “Are you ready to call it a night?”

  “My feet are, but I’m still wired.”

  “Let’s head back to the cabanas.” He took her hand as they started down the path to their rooms.

  “Thank God they’re close.” Hailey stopped abruptly as the blister on her pinky toe screamed at her. “Hold on, I need to take off my heels.” She held Austin’s arm, balancing as she undid the thin black strap just below her anklebone. She pulled her foot free, sighing with pleasure, until her toes curled in a tight involuntary ball. “Oh my God. Oh my God. Cramp. Really, really bad cramp.” She bent further forward, flexing her toes with her fingers, trying to alleviate the sharp, achy pain.

  Austin hooked an arm around her waist. “Are you okay?”

  When the discomfort left her foot, she wiggled her toes, waiting for the cramp to return. “I think so. This happens when I wear heels sometimes—most of the time, actually. I’m waiting for round two. It’s usually a sneak attack.”

  She peered up at Austin, shrugging. For a fleeting moment, she wished herself sophisticated and elegant. Austin was used to women who possessed those qualities, not only at his job, but in his personal life. She thought of Miranda, the gorgeous dive shop owner Austin seemed very friendly with. The thought made her sigh on an inner cringe. Hailey quickly tried to shake her feelings away. She would never be elegant or sophisticated; she could only be who she was.

  Hailey looked down at her other heeled foot with
trepidation. She wanted to take the sandal off, but didn’t dare. Falling to the ground with toe cramps would be as bad as the blue frosting, raccoon-face fiasco.

  Austin’s brow rose. “Are you going to take the other one off?”

  “Uh, no. It’s just a few more yards.” She took two steps in her awkward gate and stopped as her toes curled tight and painful. “Ouch, ouch. See, I told you. Sneak attack.” She bent down again, waiting, looking up through her curtain of hair. “This could be a minute. Why don’t you go on ahead?”

  “I’ll wait.”

  Several seconds later, Hailey righted herself. “I think I’m good this time.”

  “Let’s be sure.”

  She let out a startled gasp as Austin scooped her up in his arms. Butterflies fluttered in her belly as she stared into his eyes. What girl didn’t dream of being swept off her feet like this—and on a warm, moonlit night in a tropical paradise? “You don’t have to carry me. It’s not much further.”

  “Your toes may very well be bloody stumps. I have to take some of the responsibility.”

  “I stepped on your feet just as often as you stepped on mine.”

  “But I outweigh you by a good hundred pounds… Unless you’re saying you want to carry me back.” He bent low, as if he were setting her down.

  Chuckling, Hailey wrapped her arms around his neck. “I don’t see that going well. I think I’ll stay right here.” In his arms—exactly where she wanted to be.

  “Good choice.” Austin started down the lighted concrete path. With each step, something solid connected with Hailey’s outer thigh. “Austin, what is that?”

  His gait faltered and his eyes changed, hardening, as he scanned their surroundings. “What’s what?”

  “The thing that keeps bumping my leg.” The magic of being in Austin’s arms faded as she concentrated on the thick strip under his shirt on his left shoulder. Curious now, she ran her finger along the outline, following it over the left side of his chest. “Is that your holster? Are you carrying your gun?”

  The porch light of her cabana burned dim as they turned the corner and kept moving forward.

  “Yes.”

  “You’ve been wearing it all night? I had no idea.”

  “That’s the whole point.”

  “Why?”

  “You kind of lose the element of surprise if everyone knows you’re armed.”

  He was being purposely evasive. “I get that part. Why do you have your gun with you?”

  He shrugged as he took the steps to her suite. “I always carry my gun. It doesn’t feel right if I don’t.”

  She rarely saw him with his weapon in L.A. unless he was coming off duty, and even then, he usually didn’t wear one. “But you don’t need it here. We’re safe.”

  “Just because we’re staying at a resort doesn’t mean bad things can’t happen.” He set her on her feet. “Not everyone has good intentions.”

  She was sorry when he set her down, but more sorry that Austin’s light mood had fallen away. “I know.” She walked into the room, and he followed, shutting the door.

  “Sometimes I wonder.”

  She frowned as his tone grew more serious. “I like to see the good in people, but that doesn’t mean I’m clueless about the world around me.”

  “Sometimes the criminal element is closer than you think.” Austin flicked the lock closed and wandered to the picture window, turning his back to Hailey.

  “Now you sound overly paranoid.”

  “Maybe you’re not paranoid enough.”

  “I sincerely believe there are more good people than bad. Sometimes you have to dig a little to find it, but it’s there. Your job makes you cynical.”

  “Yeah, well, cynical keeps me alive,” he muttered.

  She sat on the bed, staring at his back as she took off her other heel. What was going on? What had changed his mood so quickly?

  Hailey stood, expecting her toes to cramp, but they didn’t. She walked to Austin’s side, unsure of what to do next. She took in the view, staring out at the bright lights of the yacht in the distance, trying to figure out her next step. “It’s—it’s so big, so beautiful in the moonlight.” She slid him a sidelong glance when he had nothing to say. “Earlier this afternoon, I saw Jeremy talking to a man docking one of the powerboats that comes and goes from the yacht. I would love to get on that boat.”

  A grunt was Austin’s only response.

  Hailey brushed her fingers down his forearm, studying him as his jaw clenched tight in the cast of light. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “We both know that’s not true.” She ran her hand up, back down, trying to soothe. “I thought we had fun tonight. What changed?”

  He met her gaze in the dim porch light filtering into the room. The intensity of his stare made her swallow. She wanted to step back from the heat scorching his eyes, but instead stepped closer. “Tell me what’s bothering you.”

  “You’re bothering me, Hailey. Everything about you is driving me crazy.”

  She dropped her hand. “I don’t understand.”

  He took a step toward her. “No, I don’t understand. You’ve been through hell. You’ve been surrounded by the scum of the earth, yet you’re still so sweet, so kind, so naive. How is that possible? The truth is right in front of you, but you don’t see it.”

  She shook her head, confused. They’d spent the entire day together. She’d never enjoyed anything more, but his sudden mood had come out of nowhere. “What are you talking about?”

  “Look.” He turned her to the window, toward the massive boat on the water. “Why can’t you see it?”

  Baffled, she stared at him instead. “See what? What are you talking about?” She repeated, growing more frustrated.

  “The truth, for God’s sake.” His voice rang sharp, and she broke free of his hold.

  “Austin, I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but I’m leaving.” She never did well with angry men. Hard eyes and harsh male voices left her uneasy. She made her way to the door.

  “No, you’re not. It’s dark, and despite what you think, it’s far from safe to be alone out there.”

  Exasperated, she whirled as her own temper began to heat. “Did you get too much sun today? What the freak is wrong with you? You clearly have something to say, so say it. Drop the cryptic crap and get on with it, or get out. Better yet, I will. I’m going to Jeremy’s.”

  Austin let loose a humorless laugh as he sat in the whicker chair, scrubbing his hands over his face.

  Bubbling with confusion and a healthy dose of anger, Hailey turned the knob. “I’ve had it. I’m outta here.” She stepped into the night, taking the steps in a hurry, stopping when she spotted the huge man leaning against a palm tree in the shadows. His cigarette smoke stung the air, curling until the wisps vanished.

  Why was he so close to her room? Goosebumps prickled her skin as he gave her a small nod. She didn’t know him, but she didn’t like him.

  Hailey backed up, rammed into a solid wall of man and whirled, stifling a scream as Austin’s arms came around her, steadying her. Her breath shuddered in and out as she glanced behind her.

  The guy was gone.

  Did she imagine him? With her next breath, she smelled smoke still lingering. Hailey looked to the beach, the water, the docks. Where did he go? He had all but vanished. She tried to break free of Austin’s grip. “Let me go.”

  He held firm. “Not until I know you’re coming back in the room.”

  She didn’t feel safe in the dark, not like she had just minutes before. “I’m going back.” She stormed up the steps, tried to slam the door closed, but Austin caught it. She pivoted before he turned the lock. “You knew that man was out there. You knew he was watching me, and you still s
aid nothing.”

  “I saw him at dinner last night.”

  “And?”

  He shrugged. “And that’s it.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t believe you.”

  He shrugged again. “I don’t know what to tell you.”

  “Oh, there’s plenty to tell me, but you won’t. I’m starting to recognize the machismo crap you, Hunter, and Ethan pull when you think the ‘little women’ can’t handle something.”

  Sighing, Austin moved to the whicker couch.

  “What are you doing?” Hailey rushed to him. Dark night stared through the big window, making her shudder. She yanked the curtains closed. Is this how Sarah felt during her ordeal? Violated? Disgusted that someone scrutinized her every move?

  “Sitting down.”

  “Huh?” Hailey rubbed her hands over the goose bumps on her arms, fighting to find the thread of their argument. “Go sit in your own room. I don’t want you here tonight.” That wasn’t exactly true, but she had her pride, didn’t she?

  He closed his eyes and blew out another long, steaming breath. “Hailey.”

  “Don’t ‘Hailey’ me in that placating tone. I said, get out. If you aren’t willing to explain the completely bizarre-o, one-eighty turn this evening just took, I won’t have you here.”

  Austin rubbed at his jaw. “I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t.”

  “Once again, I have no idea what you’re talking about, but it sounds like you have a personal problem.” She wasn’t going to bend, even if the thought of being here without him creeped her out.

  “You say you want the truth, but you don’t. Not really.”

  “Don’t tell me what I want.”

  He stared at her for a long time. “Some men are watching us. I think they’re locals that know we’re connected with Project Mexico.”