A knife.
A tremor started down her spine. She wouldn’t let him see her fear. She brought her eyes back up to his and he took a step forward. Her throat strained around a scream. Would it do any good? Security would be busy with the power outage, and she doubted any passengers would come to her aid.
She should have called Nate.
“You shut the power off?” she scoffed, her arms extended into the darkness around her. “That’s a bit dramatic, don’t you think? You can put the knife away; you’re not scaring me.”
She turned her shoulder and strode to the sinks, squirting a handful of soap in her palm. She stared at him in the mirror, unable to tear her gaze away. He couldn’t be stupid enough to attack her in the bathroom with hundreds of people outside.
His chin dropped and a low snarl sounded from his mouth. A lock of his dark hair fell in front of his nearly black eye. He charged for her. He grabbed her throat and slammed her against the marble wall. All of the air left her lungs, leaving a deep, burning sensation in its wake. He lowered his face to hers and lifted the knife in front of her face.
“You’re not fooling anyone,” he said through clenched teeth. His voice wavered and his knuckles shook in front of her face. The scent of tobacco and sweat invaded her. His hair was greasy and in desperate need of a good wash. She kept her eyes locked on his, refusing to look at the knife. If she did, her bravado would waver. But the light above them reflected off it, a constant reminder that it was there. He could do a lot of damage with one swipe.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He laughed, the sound derisive. His head tilted back revealing two lines of silver fillings along his teeth. He brought his head back down, his forehead hovered an inch from hers.
“You’re full of shit,” he breathed. His breath swirled around her, though unlike Tony’s and Carlos’s it didn’t bear the heavy scent of alcohol. The stench of rotting garbage or a serious lack of toothpaste clouded her space. Saliva swarmed her mouth and she stifled the urge to gag.
This had to be about Tony. Before his death, Hector hadn’t paid her any mind, though he hadn’t been welcoming either. Tony had been the one whose eyes had lingered and leered on her. This wasn’t Carlos’s style. She’d bet everything she owned that Hector was trying to trap her.
She inched her face closer to his, daring him. “Carlos would be livid if he knew you had done this. Back off, Hector, because I have no qualms with telling him.”
His eyes darkened. “That’s going to be a little hard if you’re dead don’t you think? I could peel back your skin with the flick of my fucking wrist and Carlos wouldn’t miss you.” His eyes moved over her face, assessing her reaction. She kept her mouth pinched and her eyes focused on his forehead. She couldn’t bring herself to look back into his eyes…the coal-like orbs that lacked hesitation.
If she were smart, she’d play along, act the victim, but he was too keen for that. He’d been paying attention for a long time. But he had nothing on her. That was the only thing keeping this whole façade together.
“Don’t worry, puta. I’d rather have some fun with you first.” He moved the knife to her jaw and dragged it down her throat. Her fingers itched to claw his face, take him down, and make him cry like the little bitch he’d just called her. She locked her jaw to prevent her instinct from taking over.
The lights snapped on and Maddie jumped, her hands fluttered between them. Hector’s lips pressed into a thin line and uncertainty clouded his eyes and creased his skin.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, we apologize for the brief power outage. We have everything running smoothly now. Enjoy your evening.”
The bathroom door shook against the lock and knuckles rapped urgently against the door. Hector smirked and stepped away from her, the hand holding the knife extended its index finger. “You are one lucky little cunt, you know that? Not for long, chica. He knows about you now. See you soon.” He slid the knife in his back pocket, unlocked the door, and slipped out. Blood surged through her head, drowning out her hearing. She gripped the side of the sink for support.
He knows about you now.
Maddie swallowed. He could be trying to scare her. What could they possibly have found out? A woman entered the restroom. Maddie tucked her chin and went to the sink to wash her hands. No way in hell she was following him out. The woman stepped in, her eyes wide.
Maddie met her gaze in the mirror. “He went into the wrong restroom.”
The older woman turned up her nose and scowled at Maddie. “And I’m sure he locked the door behind him.”
Disgust burned the lining of her stomach. She moved away from the sink and brushed past the woman as she exited the restroom. She needed to get a hold of Nate and—
Her chest collided with something solid and she staggered back. Her breath sucked in and she braced herself for attack. Firm hands grasped her shoulders and instinctively she pulled away and her back bumped against the wall.
“Hey.” Nate’s sharp voice broke through her fog. Her eyes lifted to his face and her muscles went lax. She should have known he’d come looking for her. “What the hell happened? I’ve been messaging your phone.”
Her eyes swung around the room wildly. He shouldn’t be talking to her. If Hector was still lingering around, their cover would be blown. She swallowed and met his hard stare. Sweat collected at his brow and his shoulders bunched with tension. His eyebrows hung low over his eyes, the sexy smolder he normally surveyed her with now hidden beneath a shroud of suspicion.
She sighed and her fingers smoothed her hair behind her ear. “Hector just cornered me in the bathroom. But I’m fine.”
Nate’s jaw moved in a back and forth motion. She winced, imagining his teeth grinding together. A red tint crept up the neckline of his shirt and his hands clenched into fists. “Where is he?”
“He’s gone, Nate.” She settled her hand on his forearm. Heat radiated beneath his skin and she yanked her hand away as if it had burned her. She shouldn’t be talking to him and she definitely shouldn’t be touching him. But with him in such close proximity, her body gravitated to his like metal to a magnet. If anyone saw them huddled against the wall near the bathroom… she craned her neck around the wide expansion of his chest. No one paid any attention to them.
“Damn it to hell and back. I knew something was up. If he goes out tonight, can you call me? I need to know what happened.” His fingers opened and closed at his sides, and her skin grew cold. He was restraining himself from touching her, and it was taking all of her self-control not to throw herself into his arms.
She nodded and rolled her lips in. His knuckles brushed over hers and her hand snagged his, soaking in his heat. His eyes collided with hers and his mouth parted.
“Be careful, something is off. I can feel it.”
She squeezed his hand and then let go. “I know.”
“Ashley’s here. She didn’t see you go in the bathroom and called me in a panic. I’ll have her follow you up to your room when you go up, okay?”
Her tongue moved, but she couldn’t find the strength to speak. Her body ached for him, but she couldn’t have him.
“Okay,” she said softly. He flashed her a tense smile and moved past her and into the men’s room.
Her back stuck to the wall as if it had been superglued. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was safe… for now.
Chapter 17
Warning swelled in his stomach. His gut screamed at him that the shit was going to hit the fan. Normally, he’d pull out. But how the fuck could he do that? They were in over their heads. He wanted nothing more than to drag Maddie off this ship and away from Carlos and Hector, but he couldn’t do that.
He cracked his knuckles and paced the bedroom floor. If Hector had cornered Maddie, it was because he suspected her. When they’d left earlier, Nate had c
arefully put back the audio bug and ensured he placed everything back the way it was. Nothing should have tipped them off.
Dread crept over him like black sticky tar. If they were suspicious, they could have planted their own audio bugs to listen in on Maddie.
He tunneled his hand through his hair. Jesus Christ, why hadn’t he thought of that? It wasn’t like him to miss details and not think several steps ahead—but he’d dropped the fucking ball because he’d been too busy making love to Maddie.
Making love. Shit. That was deep.
He tore his mind away from Maddie. He had to go back to their room and do a sweep. He went to the nightstand next to the bed and pulled out his earpiece. It was late, but Dylan would still have his earpiece in while Ashley was keeping watch over Maddie.
“Dude, you there?” he asked into the mic at his collar. He pressed the earbud into his ear and moved toward the door.
“Yo, what’s up?”
“I have to sneak across the hall into Carlos’s suite. Let Ashley know and I need you to cover me.”
A beat passed. “Man, are you crazy? Ashley’s got eyes on Maddie. No one knows where Carlos or Hector are.”
Irritation vibrated over his nerve endings and he bit his tongue. “Why the fuck aren’t you watching them?”
“Because you had me on standby tonight. Ashley was watching Carlos and Maddie before her friend came along. I wouldn’t even know where to look for him.”
Goddammit. It was slip-ups like this that could turn the entire thing into a shit fest.
He had no choice. If Carlos had listened in on Maddie, he needed to know about it. Her life would be in jeopardy even more than it already was.
“Can it wait until tomorrow? Everyone will be gone again for—”
“No. It can’t wait.” He shoved his feet in his shoes and parted the door. “Stay tuned. I might need you.”
“Fuck, bro. This is too risky,” Dylan rasped.
He eased out the door, took three steps across the hall, and shoved the key into Carlos’s door. He was almost positive the suite was empty, but he closed the door softly and inched his way into the room. His breath expanded in his lungs, demanding to be released, but he didn’t dare. He moved on the balls of his feet across the turquoise hallway runner. He pulled his Glock out and kept it low.
“Don’t expect me to come bail your ass out. I’m busy,” Dylan continued.
“Yeah, yeah. God forbid I interrupt you with actual work.” Dark shadows shrouded the room and silence hung in the air. He pulled his earpiece out and strained his hearing. Still nothing. No running water or TV reached him either. He shoved the device back into his ear and Dylan’s ranting continued.
“If you get shot, you’re on your own. And for your information, I am working.”
Nate shook his head with irritation. Damn, he had the most annoying friends sometimes.
His gaze landed on the gold chain hanging next to the door. If he latched it, it would buy him more time in the event someone came in. On the flip side, they’d know someone was in the suite because it could only be chained from the inside.
Best to wing it. Worst-case scenario, he’d sleep on the balcony.
He shuddered at the thought. No way in hell he wanted to be suspended over the ocean.
“I’ll remember that, bro.” Nate sang softly into the mic at his collar. “Now will you shut the fuck up so I can hear if someone comes in?” He skimmed his hand beneath the wooden table and made his way toward the bedroom. Chances were that would be the first place they would plant something.
Maddie and Carlos’s room was the mirror image of his. While a lot of the décor pieces throughout the unit matched the ones in his suite, the master bedroom was different. Pewter and mauve accented the space, giving it a soft, welcoming feel. The bedding was the shade of plums, with enough grey-toned pillows to smother a giant. If there were a bug in here he’d find it. His feet scuffed across the freshly vacuumed area rug. He reached the head of the bed and ran his fingers along the groove behind the headboard, and then went to the nightstand and lamp. Nothing. He moved to the other side and did the same, but his finger didn’t even pick up a speck of dust.
Dylan breathed softly in his ear and Nate gritted his teeth against the sound. “Can you not do that?”
A beat passed. “What?”
“Breathe in my fucking ear. No offense, but not a sound I want in my head.”
Dylan chuckled. “Yeah, you’d rather have Maddie’s breath in your ear.”
“No fucking shit,” Nate snarled but his mouth hitched up in a smile and his dick twitched in his pants. Damn, he couldn’t wait to be alone with her without this case hanging over their heads.
He brushed his hands along the bedframe and then went to the closet. Dylan crunched in his ear. “Now you’re eating? Please, dude. Shut the hell up. I need to hear if someone comes in and you’re a major distraction.”
“Hey, I didn’t know we were on a mission. I’m tired and starving.”
“Shh,” he hissed. It took all of his willpower not to race down to the suite below his feet and strangle the moron. Dylan grunted, but the chewing stopped.
Nate slid the mirrored closet door open and his gaze raked over the nicely hung clothes. Maddie’s clothes were closest to him, folded neatly in little shelves. His eyes lowered to a set of drawers and he yanked them open. At least a dozen black, white, and pastel-colored panties filled the drawer. His fingers grew damp on the knob and the front of his pants stretched against his groin.
He shut the drawer with a soft click. He didn’t need this right now. What he needed was to clear the place. He moved to Carlos’s side of the closet. He probably wouldn’t leave a bug where Maddie would spot it. His fingers grazed beneath the shelves, a device could be hidden in any crevice.
Huh. Maybe he was getting paranoid. That didn’t surprise him one bit. Where Maddie was concerned, he didn’t fire on all four cylinders. He dropped to one knee and peered down the side of the closet organizer. Clean.
Pulling away, he moved to get to his feet, but his eye caught a flash of black at the back of the closet. His brow furrowed. He parted Carlos’s pressed dress pants and stretched his hand to the back of the closet. His fist closed around a strap and he dragged out a heavy duffle bag.
What the hell?
Their suitcases lined the top shelf of the closet. Why would there be a full bag hidden? He tore open the zipper and the muscles in his neck clenched. Jesus. He lowered his hand into to bag and pulled out a bundle of crisp hundred dollar bills. He snorted. All this time they’d been searching for an electronic exchange of money and Carlos had had it on the ship the whole fucking time. Another glance in the bag showed dozens more bundles. He rummaged through them, doing a rough count. Three million dollars sat inches from his knees.
Never in his life had he been this close to that kind of money and he wanted to bleach his skin as if a flesh-eating disease had crawled on it. He tossed it back in the bag and zipped it shut. A soft click sounded. He froze. The hair on the back of his neck stood at attention. Voices flooded down the hall to his ears and the front door of the suite snapped shut.
“Shut up, Hector. I’ll tell her to come to the room now and get to the bottom of it.”
Fuck. Carlos and Hector were here.
“Get to the bottom of it? She’s lying to you!”
“And I will deal with it.” Carlos’s voice shook with menace, the vibration reached Nate’s bones, chilling him. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Sweat broke out on his temples, cooling his skin. He didn’t give a damn if they caught him. His fear wasn’t for him. They had to be talking about Maddie. He returned the bag to the back of the closet and pushed the closet doors back in place. His pulse drummed in his ears.
His feet were rooted to the carpet, and indecision rippled through him. There was no way out. He couldn’t get caught. They’d
piece things together and it would only endanger Maddie more. But what the hell did they want to talk to her about? He leaned forward in time to catch Hector’s tall, brooding form follow Carlos into the office.
His teeth sunk into his tongue. They’d left the office door open. Carlos’s slender arm hung in view, his back facing the door. If he tried to make a break for the front door, they would catch him. But what other option did he have? He couldn’t exactly hide under the damn bed.
He pressed his back against the wall next to the closet and closed his eyes. His breath came in smooth shallow puffs through his nose. He was six-foot two and two hundred and twenty fucking pounds. Where the hell could he hide?
The curtain at the patio door fluttered open, beckoning him. He squeezed his eyes tight. Oh, hell no.
“Everything okay, bro? You’re making some funny sounds.”
For once, Nate was grateful for Dylan’s voice. “They’re in the suite. Carlos and Hector. I need to get out.” His jaw worked as his gaze went back to the patio door. Dylan’s suite was directly below Carlos’s and his stomach coiled at what he would have to do.
“Sonofabitch,” he growled. His anxiety radiated through the phone, matching Nate’s. “Okay, are you still in the master bedroom?”
“Yeah.” It came out as a grunt, barely above a whisper. Carlos’s voice carried down the hall, his tone curt and demanding, but his words muffled. He was bringing Maddie into a damn trap. What did Hector have on her?
It had to be something incriminating. Damn it to hell and back. Had he fucked up? He needed to know what Carlos wanted to talk to Maddie about—but he couldn’t stay in the suite. He pressed his head into the back of the wall and inhaled through his nose. He had no choice. A glance into the office showed Carlos’s back facing him. He pushed away from the wall and skirted across the room to the balcony.
“I’m going to have to escape through the balcony. There’s no way I can make it to the door.” His throat closed on the words. All he wanted was to be back on land. If he ended up back in the unrelenting waves, he’d have a fucking heart attack.
Exposed Page 15
