He could have missed one.
Oh, for Pete’s sake! No wonder the man can’t make up his mind.
Huh?
You clearly aren’t cut out to be on the run.
Now, there’s something we can agree on.
Don’t you think it’s time to tell him that you have real feelings for him?
Perhaps it was time to fess up.
Jake looked at her oddly, a smile of affection on his mouth. “Arguing with yourself again?”
“Sorry.”
“I find it rather endearing. I only wish…”
“What?”
“That I could listen in.”
She suspected that Jake was teasing her to ease her tension, and in truth, she did feel less anxious. Until the Coast Guard crewman placed a ladder over the side of their vessel and climbed aboard. Then her earlier worry came back so hard her stomach ached.
Jake eased Cassidy close enough to the cockpit to hear the conversation. The Coast Guard officer carried a clipboard, and after writing down the name of their vessel, the captain’s name and the boat’s registration, he looked up, his brows drawn together in a frown. “What are you doing out this far, sir?”
Their captain pulled his cap lower on his forehead. “My guests chartered the boat. They intend to do some fishing in the Bahamas.”
The officer frowned harder. “Most folks fly over and rent a boat on the islands.”
The captain answered with a bit of surliness. “Hey, I just took their money. I didn’t ask their reasons.”
The officer’s attention turned to Jake and Cassidy. Her mouth went dry with fear, and she hoped she wouldn’t have to speak. Jake sat Cassidy on the deck and wrapped her fingers around a teak handhold before leaving her on the deck.
Seeming in no hurry, Jake joined the men in the cockpit. Cassidy admired the ease with which he navigated the maneuver, given the way the boat rose and fell in the swells.
“The lady doesn’t like to fly. Is there a problem, Captain? You assured me all your licenses are in order.”
“They are.”
She should have known Jake would take the offensive. But his reply and manner seemed to put the Coast Guard officer at ease.
The officer shrugged off the implied complaint. “We’re making a safety check. I need to see life preservers, flares, a fire extinguisher—”
“I know the drill,” the captain complained. “We’re not carrying drugs. Search if you like.”
The uniformed man’s eyes twinkled. “Now you know we can’t make a search unless we have reason.”
Actually the captain’s offer was good enough reason, if Cassidy remembered her maritime law correctly. But she didn’t say a word. Her nerves were strung tight enough. If she had to wait through a thorough search, she might start fidgeting.
She suspected the officer knew the law as well as she, probably better. Obviously he wasn’t too concerned about drugs, or he would have accepted the captain’s offer to do a search. Cassidy might have relaxed, but then she realized that the Coast Guard might not really be searching for drugs. They might be searching for a couple on the CIA’s most-wanted list. No, she’d mixed up her agencies. It was the FBI who had a most-wanted list, she recalled from the television show. But the CIA probably had an equivalent list, and she and Jake could be on it.
The captain opened several lockers beneath the seats in the cockpit and gestured to his supplies. “So you’re going to make me drag out the same gear your sister ship checked four weeks ago?”
“Afraid so.” The man looked up from his list at Jake. “While I take care of this, why don’t you two dig out some identification for me.”
At his demand, Cassidy’s heart danced up her throat. Had they been stopped at random? Or was the officer really searching for fugitives?
Oh, please. You aren’t a fugitive.
We might as well be.
Must you exaggerate?
Let’s just hope Jake’s fake IDs are good enough to pass inspection.
I’d say everything Jake has is good enough to pass inspection.
Now who’s exaggerating?
I’m simply stating the truth. After all, we did see the man wet and naked.
As if Cassidy needed that image in her head right now. Jake, all male and very wet, running to rescue her with a gun in his hand. That memory was priceless. And the thought got her through the tense moments where the officer took the fake driver’s licenses from Jake and wrote their names on his forms.
And you are going to explain about the lie. Right?
While Cassidy considered telling Jake the truth, the officer stopped writing. But he wasn’t done. “When do you plan on returning to the States?”
Jake winked at the officer, then grinned at Cassidy with a smile that took her breath away. “Depends on the fishing.”
She wanted to complain that she wasn’t a fish. But Jake’s little jest on her had relaxed the officer. He gave a copy of his paper to the captain, untied the line that kept the boats together and shoved off.
As Cassidy watched the boat move away, thinking the man could check their fake ID and turn around any second, she remained tense, her stomach churning. She was unable to relax until she lost sight of the boat on the horizon.
Jake seemed to notice the moment her tension eased. “You look exhausted. Why don’t we go below and make use of the captain’s bed?”
JAKE EXPECTED TO FALL into the bunk and allow the sea to rock them to sleep. But as he held Cassidy, he was filled with a need so strong he ached to turn to her, capture her lips and take what he’d wanted for so long.
The captain’s cabin had a queen-size bed, shelves crammed full of Robert Ludlum paperbacks and a chart table. Cassidy took a seat on the bed and kicked off her shoes. “Jake, there’s something I have to tell you.”
From her serious expression, he knew she intended for them to have a somber discussion. His stomach clenched. “I’m listening.”
She twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “You remember when I told you how I felt about us? I thought we were just friends?”
“As if I could forget.”
“I lied.”
He met her eyes and saw regret there, but it didn’t ease the ache in his heart. “Why did you lie?”
“I lied to myself because I knew it was the one thing that would keep us apart. Back then, I’d feared becoming involved. I feared passion might stop me from attending college and law school the way it had my mother. I was determined not to become emotionally involved with anyone.” She let out a long sigh. “While my father encouraged me to think this way, I went along with him—especially since I knew you dreamed of having a family, the wife staying home with the kids, and I wanted a career.”
“You should have told me the truth.” He paused, scowling over what she’d just told him. “So you lied to me about your feelings—”
“To keep you at a distance.”
“But you’re all grown-up now.” He didn’t bother to keep the hurt from his tone.
“I still don’t want to give up a career I find fulfilling. Besides, I don’t want to hurt you again.”
“And you’re sure about your feelings now?”
“I like you. I care for you. I want to make love with you, see what we have together.”
She wasn’t saying she loved him, but Jake took what he could get. Just knowing that she cared for him made it impossible for him to resist her. Maybe he would have been stronger and could have waited longer if they weren’t together every minute of the day. But his resistance was shattered. It was only a matter of time until he accepted what she offered, consequences be damned.
However, this boat was neither the time nor the place. They should reach Nassau soon, and he didn’t want to hurry their first time together. While the rolling seas under them might be fun, he’d rather not be thrown out of the bunk the first time they made love.
Jake lay down and cuddled her against his side, let her use his shoulder for a pillow
and enjoyed the simple pleasure of holding her in his arms. Physically she fit him perfectly, her shoulder nestled against his chest, her leg bent and thrown over his thigh, her gorgeous hair tickling his neck.
However, it was the emotional fit that concerned him, since there was nothing simple about the feelings she evoked. He didn’t know if he could make love to her and then have her leave him again. While she wouldn’t deliberately cause him pain, she might not want what he did. Permanence. But he’d never find out unless he took the first step.
Jake knew her well enough to take her word that she cared for him. While he preferred to think that her ability to fall asleep almost immediately was due to her trust in his skills to protect her rather than sheer exhaustion, he’d always had her trust. She’d always liked him. He wanted more.
In some ways he preferred to go on as they had, not risk his battered heart. Right now, he could still fantasize that they might be perfect together. Just like after he bought a lottery ticket, he could dream of winning. But once those numbers were drawn, the dream ended. Reality hit. And where Cassidy was concerned, dreaming might be preferable to the reality of rejection.
Jake didn’t have long to dwell on their situation. He could feel the giant swells change to a hard chop and suspected they were approaching the shore. Gently he woke Cassidy and together they climbed topside.
The Bahamas were low and flat. The turquoise water and sandy white beaches beckoned in every direction. Within half an hour they’d docked in Nassau and said goodbye to the captain. It took two more hours to clear customs in the harbor before Jake hailed a taxi and headed straight for the airport.
“I’m sorry, sir,” the airline representative told him, “we have no available seats to London today.”
Cassidy’s face fell and wearily she shifted her backpack to the counter. “What do you suggest?”
Jake had already learned there were no direct flights from the Bahamas to Istanbul. They’d have to switch planes in Europe. And this was the fourth airline he’d tried in the past hour.
He set his gear by his feet. “How about Paris? Or Amsterdam?”
“We’re booked.” The woman checked her computer terminal. “I’ve two first-class seats on a flight to Frankfurt tomorrow morning. Will that do?”
“Sure.” Jake paid cash for the tickets, and he and Cassidy headed to the baggage-claim area where they could arrange for ground transportation to a hotel.
Jake studied a bank of advertisements, each with a direct line to a particular hotel. He wanted something nice, someplace out-of-the-way and not too fancy. Somewhere they’d blend in without anyone noticing them.
“How about this one?” Cassidy pointed to a picture of private bungalows that lined a pristine beach-front.
“Looks good.” Jake picked up the phone below the picture and was automatically connected.
They lucked out, since the hotel had had a last-minute cancellation. Jake didn’t feel like waiting for the limo to drive out to the airport to pick them up, so he rented a car, putting down a huge cash deposit, instead of using a credit card. He knew he’d made the right decision when he saw the traffic.
Cassidy looked around, her eyes bright with interest. “I hate to sound like a complaining American tourist, but this island could really use a few more roads.”
“It should be better once we get out of town.”
Jake paid attention to his driving, but he was much more interested in Cassidy than taking in the sights. The short nap had refreshed her. She’d tied her hair into a pony-tail, applied sunscreen to her face and eagerly looked around from behind dark sunglasses.
Although Jake had been annoyed over their flight delay, he now saw certain advantages to an overnight stop. A shower followed by a midday nap, an afternoon swim, a romantic dinner. Dancing. After-dinner cocktails in the moonlight.
“Jake?”
“Yeah?”
“What are you thinking?”
“Why?”
“You have the strangest expression.”
“Really.”
“Like you are up to something.”
Her perceptiveness didn’t bother him, although he had no intention of telling her his thoughts. Instead, he reached over and took her hand. “A rest will do us good.”
She peered at him over the top of her sunglasses, her voice provocative. “Is that what you want to do? Rest?”
“Among other things,” he replied mildly.
“Be more specific.”
“I want to take a cool shower.”
“That sounds good,” she murmured as she fiddled with the car’s inadequate air-conditioning in a futile attempt to squeeze a few more degrees of cold air out. “What else?”
“I thought we’d just relax. Play it by ear.” He kept checking the rearview mirror for a tail, a habit now, but didn’t spot anyone.
Cassidy noticed. “You think we’ve been spotted?”
Jake shrugged. “I hope not.”
“Good.” She leaned back, satisfied, and crossed one leg over the other. “This is one time I don’t want to be interrupted.”
Jake didn’t ask her why. His imagination was already going wild. Was she deliberately making everything sound sexy? Or did it just sound that way to a mind already inflamed with need?
He tried to switch the topic to a more neutral subject. “You ever been here before?”
She shook her head. “What about you?”
“I flew over once for a case. My client wanted me to find the assets her husband had hidden in a bank.”
“I thought the banks here are secretive.”
“They are. I simply followed the man and photographed a copy of his bank statement, which he carelessly left where I could find it.”
Cassidy grinned. “Remind me not to try to hide more secrets from you.”
“You have more secrets?” The thought intrigued him. “What kind? You have a hidden bank account? You’re secretly a billionaire?”
She laughed. “If I told you, they wouldn’t be secrets.”
CASSIDY RELAXED in the seat next to Jake. Although she looked forward to a shower and a nap, she was enjoying the scenery. In the Bahamas, the pace was slower even than Florida’s. Natives waved to one another and happy children played in the neighborhood streets.
As Jake left the traffic behind, the homes became grander, the landscaping more elaborate. Rain clouds moved in from the ocean. They passed bougainvillea in bloom, swaying palm trees, as well as many other plants she couldn’t identify. Tension after the long harrowing night had left her tired, but grateful to be alive.
Jake drove around a long winding bend, and she glimpsed the picture-postcard bungalows from the advertisement at the airport. A wide beach and gentle waves were the backdrop for a dozen cozy cottages that nestled on the sand about a hundred yards beyond the high-water mark.
“The place looks deserted,” Cassidy murmured. Gulls flew overhead, but she didn’t see anyone on the beach. No one at the oceanside pool. No cleaning people. No tourists. Yet the parking lot was full to capacity. Were they all hiding from the storm about to break? “Is it siesta time?”
Jake drove right past the resort as thunderclouds moved in. “There’s a van in the parking lot. And two men wearing headsets.”
Fear came rushing back and her stomach churned with acid. “They’re waiting for us?”
“Looks like it. I don’t want to stay around and find out for sure.”
“But how could they have known? We even used fake names.”
“The CIA has resources you and I can only guess at. Once we didn’t show at the airports, it wouldn’t have been hard to check which fishing boats were hired by a couple fitting our descriptions.”
“Okay. I can buy that, but how could they know which hotel we picked?”
Jake shrugged and turned on the windshield wipers as a light rain showered them. “Maybe they tapped the phone lines, listening for last-minute reservations.”
“That’s illegal. And
I’m not even sure it’s possible.”
“It’s possible, all right.” Jake’s tone possessed a grim edge that made her realize the severity of their situation.
Nassau was a small island. There was only one airport, and now that they were known to be on the island, they’d have a difficult time leaving.
Jake drove another five miles, the storm worsening. “I don’t think they spotted us. It’s likely they have several hotels staked out.”
“So where do we hide?”
Jake pulled into a condominium complex and parked so the car couldn’t be seen from the highway. “We need to find a place they won’t think to search, at least until tomorrow.”
They sprinted through the rain into a medium-size building. Families, retirees and tourists, mostly Americans, but some Europeans and natives, too, were hurrying from the beach and pool to avoid the storm. While Cassidy knew they melted right into the group, she had difficulty staying calm. She had to fight the urge to look over her shoulder every few seconds.
Jake took her hand and guided her toward the building manager’s office. A tall brown-skinned man with a bald head and two diamonds in his left ear greeted them with a cheerful smile. “And what can I do for you good folks today?”
“We were thinking about leasing a two-bedroom condo with an oceanfront view.” Jake shook the man’s hand. “I’m Richard Latham and this is my wife, Marie. Do you have anything available?”
The man shook his head. “We have nothing for long-term lease. However I’ve a sublet ready to go. How soon would you be wanting the place?”
“Can we take a look first?” Jake asked, and Cassidy wondered why he was being so picky. Then she realized that no one would sublet a condominium without looking it over. She bit her lip to hide her nervousness, glad Jake always thought so clearly.
The condo was a corner unit with a lovely balcony, a furnished living room and bedroom with a spectacular glass-walled shower in the bathroom. After a quick inspection, Jake told the man he’d like to sublet on a month-to-month basis. He paid for the first month, included a security deposit up front, and the place was theirs.
After they moved their things from the car to the condo in the rain, Cassidy let Jake claim the shower first. She wanted to wash the grime of travel off her hair and skin, but she wanted to take her time.
The Hidden Years Page 15
