Hurricane

by Cherry Adair

  “What did you do with Van Engen?” Ry asked.

  “Secured in one of your storerooms until our helicopter arrives in a few hours. If the prince wants to accompany us as we take Van Engen to Mangalore, we will, of course, accommodate him.”

  Hell, yeah. Arrest his ass, and bloody take him the hell away.

  * * *

  Sunset on the water was always magical, and this evening was no exception. The massive storm seemed to have washed the air clean. The orange-and-raspberry-sorbet-colored sky bled seamlessly into the water surrounding Tesoro Mio in a wash of soft watercolors, making the wavelets look like gentle brushstrokes. Addison inhaled the balmy ocean breeze, which carried with it delicious aromas of barbecued meats and beer.

  She’d missed evenings like this. She and Ry sharing a meal with friends under the stars. Laughing, teasing, going back to their cabin to make love …

  After supervising the table setting—purple place mats, white china, and an amethyst glass bowl filled with fat yellow lemons—Addison walked over to the rail and leaned her elbows on the polished teak to watch the unfurling froth as the hull cut through the water.

  She’d dressed with care in a high-necked, white cotton sundress with wide straps that crisscrossed over a low back, showing off her light tan. The warm breeze wrapped around her bare skin like a soft, diaphanous shawl, and teased strands of loose hair to tickle the back of her neck and shoulders.

  She’d coiled her hair in a simple, just-got-out-of-bed updo. Ry loved her hair up. She shivered, remembering how it felt when he kissed her nape before taking it down. Diamond studs Ry had given her for their first anniversary sparkled in her ears, and trio of diamond and gold tennis bracelets adorned one wrist. If push came to shove, she’d sell every last piece of her jewelry if that would help him.

  She was as nervous as a teenager on a first date with the prospect of talking to Ry again after the emotionally charged exchanges—plural—in the early hours of the morning.

  After returning to her cabin after breakfast to take Peri’s call, she’d remained there until it was time to come up for dinner. There was a lot to digest. Ry. Naveen. Peri’s new information …

  The daylight hours hadn’t been wasted. She’d completed a new blog post, gotten a good handle on the new chapter in the book, and mulled over, and examined, the conversation with Ry.

  Truth be known, it wasn’t Ry she was avoiding. It was Naveen. It was the honorable thing to do to tell him she and Rydell—were what? Not reconciling. Not yet anyway. Sleeping together? None of his business. She settled for talking. Naveen could interpret that however he liked. The bottom line was she’d let him down as gently as possible. She knew his pride would be stung losing her to Rydell twice.

  God. Why the hell was she so worried about hurting Nav’s feeling when it was almost a certainty that he’d been involved with deceiving both herself and Rydell? Hollis was smart, and sneaky, but she didn’t have the tech skills to manipulate the phone. Naveen had denied doing it, but Addison wasn’t sure she believed him. It was a despicable thing to do, if he had been involved. Was he capable of doing that to her? The woman he professed to love and wanted to marry?

  Addison turned her head instinctively when she heard Rydell’s voice. He and the others were gathered around the grill at the far end of the aft deck. Thirty feet separated them, and the wind allowed her to hear snippets of their conversation, easy enough to block out.

  The dive crew and two Coast Guard officers were in the area with the bar, grill, and hot tub with Rydell. Their laughter—his laughter—carried on the breeze, making Addison’s heart pinch with emotion. She wished she could blink away everyone else. Be alone with him.

  He glanced up, and their gazes locked. Her heart fluttered, much as it had when they’d first met. Rydell started to move, but she gave a small shake of her head. She needed a few minutes alone. He nodded, but continued to hold her gaze like a tractor beam. Addison let out the breath she’d been holding. Reprieve for a little while longer.

  Typical Ry, got her like no one else ever had.

  MoMo asked him a question, stealing his attention, and the eye caress connection was broken.

  Naveen wasn’t with the others, she noticed. She was still annoyed at their exchange over breakfast. Yes, under the circumstances, his expectation that she’d say yes to his proposal was logical, so she understood his anger. That said, he had no business manhandling her. She twisted the bracelets on her wrist, worn not only because she loved the bling, but also to cover the faint bruises left by Naveen’s fingers when he’d grabbed her this morning.

  Ry had grabbed her, too, yet he hadn’t left a mark on her. Not on her skin anyway.

  They’d be in the Maldives in the morning. Like it or not, Naveen would disembark with the others. It would be a relief to have him gone. Guilty or not, he was guilty by association. She’d never look at him the same way ever again.

  As for Rydell—they were good. Okay, not good, but considerably better than they’d been twenty-four hours ago. There was more to say, more to tell, more to heal. That required time, more specifically time alone. Something they wouldn’t get in the next few weeks as Ry tried to retrieve a treasure that could mean the difference between saving his company and losing everything to his archenemies, the Cutters.

  She knew him. He wouldn’t lie down without doing everything in his power to win. And she’d do anything she could to help him. Whether he asked for or wanted her help was beside the point. She was here. She was damn well going to figure out a way to help.

  “Hey.” Kevin walked over to stand beside her. Short strands of her yellow-blond hair ruffled in the breeze as she inhaled deeply. Like Addison she was barefoot. Wearing a fire-engine-red bikini top and frayed denim shorts, she looked as wholesome as the girl next door.

  This was the first time since the dive crew had boarded in Mangalore that they’d had a chance to be alone. More, Addison admitted, because she’d spent a lot of her time alone in her cabin instead of socializing.

  “Are you having a private moment communing with nature,” Kevin asked, “or can I join you?”

  “I’d love for you to join me. We can commune together.”

  Letting out a small sigh, the blonde leaned her elbows on the railing beside her and looked across the water before turning her head to face her. “Can I just say one thing and then change the subject?”

  Bracing herself, Addy said, “Anything.”

  Cheeks flushed with high emotion, Kevin’s eyes glittered with uncharacteristic moisture. Kev was tough. It was rare for her to show girlie emotion. Seeing her friend with tears in her eyes made Addy tear up, too.

  “I missed you, Addy,” Kevin said, voice thick. “I wanted to be there for you. I understood why you shut me—everyone—out, but God I missed you. I ached for your pain. I wished you’d let me in. But what was then isn’t now. Can we be friends again?”

  “Yes. Please.” Addison gathered her friend in her arms and hugged her so tightly, Kevin squeaked out a laugh. Putting Kev away from her, Addison choked back tears. “I missed you like hell. I’m sorry I shut you out. I missed you, too.”

  “Understood and forgiven,” Kevin said, blinking rapidly, making the tears on her pale lashes twinkle like tiny diamonds. “I’m sorry about Sophie, Addy. My heart broke, too. I miss your beautiful baby girl more than I can say. I’m so, so, so damn sorry for your loss.” Clearing her throat, she straightened her shoulders. “Okay. Subject change. Let’s talk hardheaded men, and the women who want to jump their bones.”

  Addison laughed, letting the past year dissolve and slipping back to the time when she and Kevin had been friends and confidantes. “My mind boggles at your determination and fortitude in continuing to resist that gorgeous Italian,” Addison said. “That man is so in love with you, his heart is in his eyes whenever he looks at you.”

  “I meant you and Ry, and frankly, aside from the gorgeous-Italian part of it, your statement applies to him. How can you resist him?�
��

  “Oh,” Addison said, fire in her cheeks. “Well—”

  “Hmm.” Kev narrowed her eyes as she studied Addy. “So there is a reason why Ry’s in a better mood today, isn’t there?”

  She couldn’t help but smile. God, she’d missed having a friend to talk to. Peri and Callie were her BFFs, but she rarely saw them, and talking on the phone wasn’t the same as talking face-to-face. She and Kevin had hit it off the moment they met. Fortunate, because the older woman was one of Ry’s closest friends.

  Shifting the subject, not wanting to delve too deeply into the uncertainties she and Ry faced despite their night together, Addy said, “What’s going on between you and Georgeo? Why haven’t you given him his happily-ever-after?”

  The older woman scowled. On her it just looked adorable. “He loves children. I’m fifty.”

  “I’ve heard the same song,” she reminded her friend cheerfully. “And every verse, since we first met.” Right after Addison had started dating Rydell. “You’re not too old to adopt if that’s what you want.”

  “He’s a child.”

  Amused, Addison cocked a brow. “He’s thirty-seven.”

  “He should find a woman young enough to start a life with.”

  “He’s found the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with. Thirteen years is nothing when two people love each other.”

  “It’s not love. We have sex. Correction. Had sex. Plenty of it. That’s over.” Kevin pulled a face. “He said that wasn’t the role he wanted, and now he keeps saying no until I say yes.” She shrugged. “He’s made his choice.”

  “Yes. To make an honest woman of you.”

  “Not gonna happen. Enough about me. Have you and Ry made up? I never did understand how a couple so perfect for each other—so much in love—could be married one day and divorced the next.”

  The sky was slowly turning mauve and delicate shades of lavender, and the calm water looked like rippled, deep-purple silk with a thin streak of apricot on the horizon. They focused on the sunset as Addy told her what she and Ry were now assuming—that her mother had orchestrated the rift.

  “That’s why Ry was shocked speechless when I spoke to him months later. I couldn’t comprehend why you didn’t tell him. I felt so bad for him that day, Addy. Hearing that his baby had died, and had died three months earlier, gutted him.”

  “I know.” Her mouth was dry, and her heart hurt. A physical ache that would probably be with her for the rest of her life. “We talked last night.”

  “My God. I hate that bitch. What does Hollis have to say for herself? Not that there’s any excuse for what she did. Damn it, damn it, fucking damn her to hell. She always did want you and the prince together, didn’t she?”

  Addison nodded. “If she can’t have a title, the next best thing would be her daughter being a princess.” Addison grimaced. “That’ll never happen.”

  “Have you shared the happy news with Ry?”

  Addison smiled. “I think after last night, he pretty much got the memo.”

  “I adore you, Addison D’Marco Case. You were always good for each other. Now, what are we going to do about the Queen Bitch of the Universe?”

  “First I want to make absolutely sure she was the perpetrator. Then we’ll have a little chat. Then I’ll never speak to her again.”

  “You are way too fucking nice! I want to cut that bitch!”

  “You’ll have to stand in line.” Addison lifted her head, her attention caught by a man’s deep, throaty laugh. She cast a look across at the group laughing and joking with Ry. He looked so carefree, so happy in the moment.

  Were his friends aware of his dire financial situation? He hadn’t confided his monetary difficulties to her, but had he told them? Or were they, too, in the dark about the urgency and need to find this silver, and find it quickly?

  “You know about Sea Dragon, right?” Kevin pushed her bangs off her face as the wind played with her hair. “Shit, poor, Ry. Last year must’ve been the worst year of his life. First Sophie, then you divorcing him, then getting his ship hijacked. Bam. Bam. Bam.”

  She waited to see if Kev would give a hint that she knew. Instead, Kev continued, “He’s one tough hombre. He’d managed to weather each storm with his usual hard-assness. Even shattered and bloody, he keeps on going. I don’t know how the hell he does it.”

  Either Kevin was keeping whatever he’d told her confidential, or Rydell hadn’t told her about his legal crap with the Cutters. He had always kept everything close to the chest; he wasn’t a man who typically shared his worries or his burdens. Yet at one time he’d shared everything with her. Big and small, they’d talked. Communicated. In bed, and out of bed, their lives had been entwined. While others had been kept out of the loop, she’d always been in.

  Being a part of Ry’s life was like sharing secrets with a trusted friend. He’d only revealed his true self, the man of depth, compassion, and emotion, the man guided by the legacy left by his father, to her.

  She suspected the only reason he’d told his sister of his financial troubles was because she was an integral part of Case Enterprises and therefore had to be kept in the loop. Her finances were impacted by this, too. With the information Peri had provided, Addy felt as though a giant time bomb was strapped to the ship, counting down the minutes. And if she felt that way, she could only imagine how Ry felt.

  She felt his eyes on her, and even though she tried to resist, she turned her head. His smile sent a bolt of fiery lightning speeding through her veins. She looked away.

  Kevin fanned her face with her hand. “Whew. If Ry saw how you look at him he’d come over here, toss you over his shoulder, and carry you off like a caveman.”

  He had seen her. And his look said he wanted to do just that. “I’d let him,” Addison said softly, bringing her attention back to her friend.

  “Thank God. You still love him.”

  With my entire heart. “There’s still a lot that we have to talk about, a lot to deal with.”

  “Well, pull the Band-Aid off and get it done. You’re not getting any younger, you know.”

  Addison grinned. “Talking about lustful stares, don’t look now, but Georgeo is watching you like Simba eyeing his next meal.”

  “He’s welcome to carry me to his cave. Anytime.” Kevin shot the Italian a sultry glance. He looked away. Poor guy. “It’s not my fault the man has blue balls. All he has to do is agree to my terms.”

  “No middle ground?”

  “My way or the highway.”

  Grinning, Addison shook her head. “That’s tricky to do when you both work aboard a ship. You’re a hard nut, Kevin Hill.”

  “I’m not the one suffering,” she said airily.

  “Aren’t you? I see the way you look at him, Kev.”

  The older woman pushed off the rail. “Let’s see who breaks first. Coming?”

  Addison shook her head, suddenly reluctant to become a part of the group. Too many conflicting emotions were still swirling as she thought of Ry, Naveen, and her mother. “In a sec. Go ahead.”

  With an airy backhanded wave and a sway to her hips, Kev strolled across the deck, attention fixed on her quarry. Addison observed Georgeo’s tight expression, as if he couldn’t drag his eyes away. It would be interesting to see just which of them would gain the upper hand. Addison’s money was on Georgeo.

  As if drawn by a magnet, her gaze swung left to fix on Rydell. Bare-chested, laughing, beer in hand, dark hair drifting around his shoulders in the warm breeze blowing off the water. His tanned skin looked bronzed in the waning light, and he appeared as strong and invincible as Hercules.

  She’d seen him naked—physically and emotionally—and bowed in Sophie’s room this morning. Shoulders heaving with the choking sound of his sobs.

  Addison turned around, facing the open water. Her knuckles turned white on the rail as the pressure in her chest built.

  He wasn’t invincible.

  Like other mortals, he bled and worried. A
nd she now knew that he grieved, deeply and profoundly, like everyone else. He was just a master at masking wounds so no one saw his vulnerability. He had his pride, too. He wouldn’t give a shit how other people saw him, but weakness wasn’t in his DNA, and therefore any sign of it would be considered a failure to him.

  So many people depended on him. He wouldn’t want to let anyone down. Worries didn’t create anxiety for him. They created action. He was a man who always had clear goals in mind. He was a man who usually met each goal head-on.

  Life was intervening, though, teaching him the helplessness that came with facing reality.

  The shit side of life had taken away his precious daughter, and the shit wasn’t done with him yet.

  On top of Sophie’s death, if he lost his company, if he was financially ruined and lived to see the Cutters revel in their victory over him, taking everything his family had sacrificed and built—oh, God. Addy didn’t know how he’d get through it.

  Please God, don’t give him more than he can handle.

  She caught her breath and reminded herself that this was Rydell Case she was worrying about. He could handle anything. He’d find a way, come fiery hell or the highest water.

  Sixteen

  A man’s possessive arm slid around her waist. Addison stiffened at the scent of Versace Eros cologne. Naveen, not Ry.

  “You smell as good as you look, darling,” he murmured against her hair.

  As if nothing happened this morning? Trapped by the railing and his body, she took a step to the side and glanced over his shoulder. Jax, his pistol still visible, had been pretending great interest in rearranging salads on the buffet; now he looked up, alert to danger. She gave a slight shake of her head. She was in no danger from Naveen. Especially with everyone else nearby.

  The killer was secure in the storeroom. Jax didn’t need to be stuck to her like a shadow, but the security guys had been instructed by Ry to stick with her until Van Engen was taken away by the Coast Guard first thing tomorrow morning, and he was doing his job.