A Deadly Business

by Desiree Holt

  Raca nodded.

  They encountered two more security guards along the path. This time there was no wait for orders. Double bursts from two guns, and the guards were dead on the path. Again, they just shoved the bodies out of the way in the bushes. Closer to the main building, a grounds maintenance crew was doing a little early evening cleanup. Startled by the group of large men dressed all in black, one of them grabbed a radio from his belt. But before any of them could say more than a word or two, the suppressed .45 spoke again, and three more bodies were added to the total.

  “There will be more guards,” Desmet reminded Maes. “A place like this will have a full complement of them.”

  “I don’t know what for.” Maes shrugged. “It’s not as if they have to worry about keeping people out.”

  He laughed at his own joke. The feeling of anticipation that had been growing in him all day now threatened to bubble over, and he had to take a deep breath to steady himself.

  “We’ll handle them,” Desmet assured him.

  Even as he spoke, the radio on one of the dead guards crackled to life.

  “Halsey? What’s up with the cameras? Come in.”

  Maes looked at Raca. “Leave one of your men here. Tell him to take out anyone who shows up. Val, let’s get moving again.” He brushed imaginary lint from his jacket. “Tonight we will show them who is really top dog, right, Valentin?”

  Desmet nodded, his mouth stretched in a tight smile.

  * * * *

  For Marissa and Justin, even though they were both on edge, the day had passed quietly. Just being together gave them a feeling of satisfaction. Something was blossoming between them at a rapid rate. Something they were afraid to put a name to. Something that was so strong they could not ignore it.

  They walked the small private beach that was part of Orchid House and even played in the surf for a little while. Kissed standing in the gentle surf until they were both so aroused they had to race to get inside. Bathing suits were flung to the floor, covers jerked back on the bed. Their lovemaking was intense and frantic, as if driven by an urge to take it all. Now.

  Avery called about the middle of the afternoon. By then they were sitting in the shade by the pool sipping on cool drinks, hands linked. Every time their glances collided it was there.

  “I’m sending you what we’ve got on Joubert. It took a little longer because we’re looking for a connection to Maes, if one exists.”

  “And?” he prompted.

  “So far, nada. On the surface Henri Joubert looks like exactly what Walt said,” she told him. “A billionaire with a nice family and a semi-lavish lifestyle. Brian is still digging, but I’m also keeping Ginger on it. It’s just too much of a coincidence for me not to do that. If there’s a connection to Maes, we’ll find it.”

  “Hopefully before Joubert arrives this evening.”

  “Planning on it.”

  Justin used his tablet to pull up the file and they stared at the picture of Joubert.

  “Look familiar?” he asked Marissa.

  She shook her head. “Not even a little. Of course, I never got to meet a lot of the people he did business with. That wasn’t part of my instructions or goal. My orders were to be in a position to steal his accounts from whoever was handling them, give him great advice to grow his finances and at the same time be able to dig into all of his accounts to find where he was hiding his blood money.”

  “From what I understand, you did it very well.”

  She gave a very unladylike snort. “So well, I have a price on my head.” When he started to say something, she held up her hand. “I would not have done anything differently. Innocent people were being killed because of his businesses. I was happy to help put an end to them. And now, enough of Stefan Maes. I think I’d like a short dip in the pool.”

  At five o’clock, pleasantly relaxed—or as much as possible under the circumstances—by the sun and sand and pool, they decided to take showers.

  Or should I say a shower, Marissa thought.

  Just the image of the two of them naked in the shower sent shivers sliding over her skin and every pulse point throbbing. This thing with Justin, whatever it was, had come at her out of the blue. She hadn’t expected it, hadn’t planned for it, but now, worst of all, didn’t want to let go of it. She could no more stop this emotional rollercoaster than she could a runaway train. Nor did she think she wanted to.

  If only her future weren’t so uncertain. Thank you, Stephen Maes. Was it terrible of her to hope somebody managed to kill him so she could have some peace and get on with her life?

  In the bedroom they stripped off their clothes and stepped into the massive shower together. Marissa’s body throbbed with need, just as it always did when she was this intimate with Justin. Her sex was so wet she smelled the scent of her own musk even in the shower.

  Justin’s nostrils flared.

  “Jesus, Marissa.” He looked down at his fully erect cock. “It seems all you have to do is take off your clothes and I’m ready for you.”

  “Same here,” she whispered.

  He cupped her face and nipped her bottom lip. “I just want to make sure I’m not taking advantage of you in a vulnerable situation.”

  She smiled. “I may not be the most experienced lover you’ve ever had, but I’m no weak wallflower, either. You said it was my choice, and I chose this. This thing between you and me? It’s what’s keeping me going right now, and I don’t want to lose it.”

  He nipped her lower lip. “Good, because neither do I. And after this is over—”

  “If it ever is.” Her shoulders slumped. “What if no one can locate Maes? What if I’m running from him for the rest of my life?”

  “Hush.” He touched the tip of one finger to her lips. “Don’t even go there.” He grinned. “On the other hand, it means I have a lifetime job.”

  “Guarding me?” She didn’t want to read too much into his words. “I’m sure you have other things to do with your life.”

  This thing between them grew more intense with every passing moment. She hoped it wasn’t just the danger ramping everything up. Accelerating their emotions. She knew danger could do that, and she wondered if that’s what it was with Justin.

  All the humor left his face, replaced by a serious expression. “I can’t think of a better way to spend it. And when this really is all over, that’s what we’re going to discuss.”

  “Can something like this happen so fast?”

  “Just because it’s quick, doesn’t mean it’s not right.” He touched his mouth to hers. “It blindsided me. I wasn’t looking for any kind of connection to anyone. For a lot of reasons, it wasn’t on my to-do list. But that doesn’t mean it’s not special.”

  He was silent, but just for a moment.

  “When Logan Malik, another Vigilance agent, got married a while ago, he told me something very profound.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “He pointed out that at Vigilance we work in a dangerous environment. When you find the right person, you don’t want to waste a moment.”

  “And do you think you’ve found the right person?”

  He tightened his arm around her. “I do. And I hope you feel the same way.”

  The sudden flood of emotions swamped her so intensely she couldn’t speak, so she just nodded.

  “Is that a yes?” he persisted. “I’d like to hear the word.”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  He took her mouth in a kiss so intense she felt it in every inch of her body.

  “So, when this is over,” he said when he broke the kiss, “I want to give us a real chance, okay?”

  “Okay,” she whispered.

  “I think we should seal this deal.” His laugh was hot and dirty. “Just close your eyes, sweetheart. Let me make you feel good.”

  She notic
ed he’d placed his cell on the vanity by the shower, along with his M&P and a condom.

  “Multitasking?” She grinned.

  “You know it. Something I’m an expert at.”

  He cradled her head with the palm of one hand, while the other slid between her thighs. When she opened her mouth to say something he slammed his lips against hers and thrust his tongue deep inside. At the same time, he played with the lips of her sex, rubbing her slit with his fingers.

  She moaned into his mouth as his nimble fingers worked her flesh. Hands shaking, she grabbed his shoulders to steady herself and gave herself over to the sensations cascading through her. Beneath the taut skin of his back, slippery from the shower, she felt the flex of firm muscles. His fingers were doing magical things to her body, so tantalizing she rocked on them, trying to impale herself on them.

  She attempted to slide her hand between their bodies, needing to find and grasp the thick length of his cock now pressing into the soft flesh of her tummy, but Justin brushed it away.

  “Not yet, not yet.” Another sexy, dirty laugh. “Let me lead this dance, okay?”

  She nodded and squeezed her thighs hard against his hand, continuing to move her hips back and forth. Her entire body had ramped up from wanting and needy to ravenous and desperate in scant seconds. She had never been this ready so fast in her life.

  Justin shifted to slide open the shower door, reached for the condom, and rolled it on with expert speed. She didn’t want to know how many times he’d done just this in order to be so quick about it. This was about them, about right now, and that was all she wanted to think about. With the condom efficiently rolled on his very hard shaft, he lifted her enough to slide into her, filling every inch of her.

  “Wrap your arms around me.” His voice was raw with need.

  She did as he asked, and with her legs, locking her ankles at the small of his back. Pressing her back against the shower wall, he thrust in and out of her with hard, fast strokes. Marissa hung on for dear life as her body raced to completion. And then, there it was. An explosion so intense it shook both of them.

  He cupped the cheeks of her ass with his palms and held her steady as his breath seesawed out of his lungs. Marissa wasn’t doing much better herself, gasping to breathe steadily, her heart beating like a trip hammer. At last her inner walls, clamping down on him like a wet vise, stopped pulsating and her heart rate slowed, until she could unwind her legs from his body and make herself stand there steadily.

  Justin looked at her with so much emotion in his eyes it nearly brought her to her knees.

  “It may have been fast, but it was better than the best. But later? When I have more time? You better believe I’ll be taking a slow tour of your body.”

  His words threatened to set off more tiny explosions inside her, so she took a step away from him.

  “We’d better get dressed or we might never leave the villa.”

  “If I wasn’t so curious about the late-arriving guest I’d vote for that.” He took a step backward. “Let’s just check out what all is going on, and then we can come back here.”

  “We’ve actually got enough stashed in the fridge here to make a meal,” she pointed out. “I wouldn’t mind eating here by the pool.”

  “That actually sounds pretty good.”

  While they were dressing they heard the drone of a helicopter overhead.

  Justin look upward. “That must be the missing guest.”

  “Probably. What time is it?”

  He checked his watch. “Seven thirty. I didn’t realize it had gotten that late.”

  “Time flies when you’re having fun,” she teased.

  “Let’s see what’s going on. If everything checks out, we can head back here and shut out the world.”

  Chapter 10

  Marissa slipped on her shoes and looked up from the big walk-in closet where she was standing to see Justin with their guns laid out on the bed.

  “Checking everything over again?” she asked.

  “A habit I’ll probably never break.”

  “That’s good, because it’s one of those habits that saves lives. Are you finished?”

  He nodded and handed her the Glock, the H&K, and extra ammo for both. “Get that purse you took to the beach and put all of this in it. I’ll be ecstatic if we don’t need them.”

  “Me, too.” She put everything in the cloth bag and put the strap over her shoulder. “I learned in London it’s always best to be suspicious.”

  “Right. Besides, Avery hasn’t called back yet with info on Maes’s whereabouts or anything else on Joubert, and I don’t like the way my neck itches. I think we need to suspect everyone and everything right now. I should have insisted she send the chopper back for us earlier today.”

  “And if Joubert turns out to be just what he looks like, a millionaire who recovered enough to join his friends?” She shook her head. “I could end up being shuttled off to another place where Maes might find me. We don’t know where to go, Justin, because we don’t know where he is. At least here we are in a controlled situation.”

  He nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”

  He shoved the M&P in the waistband of his slacks at the small of his back, and stuck what he called his utility tool—a jackknife with other attachments that he swore were magic—into his pocket. After one last look around, he set the alarm and locked the door behind them. Then they set off on the long, twisting path to the main building.

  “It seems really quiet.” Marissa glanced at Justin as they walked. “Don’t you think so? Although I suppose no one is walking around because they’re all at the dinner, but still…”

  “Yeah.” He stopped and looked around. “You’d think at least some of the staff would be out and about.”

  Marissa shivered, but not from any cold. “My nerve endings are sending me messages. Are yours?”

  “Somewhat. Let’s just be careful on our way to the building. And if everything looks okay, I’d like to check in with Walt before we eat. Is that okay with you? We can see if the new guest has joined everyone for dinner.”

  “Assuming he’s changed this fast. The brochure indicated people dress more formally for Saturday night dinner.”

  Justin nodded. “If he isn’t in the restaurant yet, let’s hang around and check him out when he comes down in the elevator. I’m not one of those people who thinks the unexpected should be ignored.”

  She grimaced. “Tell me about it.”

  They had reached the big area in front of the main building. Marissa stood next to Justin, cloaked by all the foliage at the end of the path, and looked around, puzzled.

  “Where is everyone? Justin, something’s wrong. Every resort has people wandering around in the evening.”

  Justin scanned the area. “How likely is it that no one—not one single guest or employee—is visible and moving?”

  “There should at least be one of the security guards patrolling.” Marissa looked at Justin. “Right?”

  “Right.” He frowned. “The brochure says there are four on duty at all times. We haven’t seen one. And I know Walt has his guards doing a walk-around every evening, just in case one of the guests gets into a hassle or a strange boat tries to dock here.”

  A chill slithered along her spine. “Let’s check at the front desk. And I know I don’t need to tell you to be very careful.”

  The lobby of Rosewood was a high-ceilinged rotunda, with short hallways branching off to elevators, various resort amenities, and the elaborate restaurant Sunset. They started toward the building entrance, toward the big glass doors, but Justin stopped and held out a hand to stop Marissa from going any farther. He stepped behind some thick plants and tugged her with him.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Stay here. Something’s wrong. There’s no one in the lobby, not even behind the registration desk, an
d there’s always someone there. The spa and shop are closed, right?”

  Marissa nodded. “The spa closes at six, the shop at seven.

  “I think those employees are going to consider themselves lucky.” Justin shook his head. “I don’t like this. Something doesn’t smell right.”

  She had to agree with him. The same trickle of fear that had raced up and down her back that last week in London was teasing at her again. Her stomach knotted, and she had to ease out a breath to relax it.

  “Come on. There has to be a side door. Let’s find it.”

  Before they could move forward, however, they heard a sharp sound that was familiar to both of them.

  “That’s a gun shot,” she whispered.

  “It fucking damn sure is. I knew there was a reason for my itchy feeling.”

  “Mine, too.”

  “Come on.” He took her hand. “Let’s find that side entrance. Everyone is in Sunset, or almost everyone. They can’t see us if we approach from the other side of the building.”

  Justin pulled out his S&W and Marissa took her Glock out of her drawstring purse. They both checked their guns one last time to make sure a bullet was chambered. Then they moved around to the far side of the building and the entrance from the outdoor bar and the Bistro.

  “Well, at least there are no dead bodies here,” Justin said as they cleared the covered porch and the Bistro itself. “I don’t see any servers.”

  “God.” Marissa blew out a breath. “I hope no one decided to go investigate what that noise was.”

  “I don’t think it came from the lobby. It didn’t sound that close.”

  “The restaurant? You think it came from there?”

  He nodded. “That’s my guess.”

  “That could mean that—”

  “Joubert is not the harmless person everyone thinks he is. Come on.”

  They made their way quietly through the Bistro, eased into the empty lobby area and moved toward the registration desk. The first hallway they passed was clear and the other was on the far side of the rotunda and led to the restaurant. Faint sounds drifted out to them but no more shots.