by Amy McKinley
Slowly, his hands trailed up the inside of my thigh as he took my lips in a scorching kiss. My core heated in anticipation of where his fingers were headed. As he slipped inside, he moaned, and I writhed helplessly against him.
I felt him watch my reaction, savoring the moment, and my head rocked into the pillow. Back arching, a moan escaped my lips as so many sensations flooded my body.
I gasped, pulling myself from the memory of our first time together and how it had been as if we were made for one another. Making love with Jaxon had been even more than I’d dreamed.
The memory of him, of us, couldn’t be denied any longer. I was ready to grow, to move past the mistakes we’d made. It was time.
12
Jaxon
In the distance, air pushed through a conch shell as someone’s lips vibrated against the natural instrument. The loud, rich cry trumpeted and rose above the wind rustling through palm trees. The beat of a distant drum followed as the sun kissed the ocean in a blaze of red and orange. I leaned against my balcony railing far from but still a part of the sunset ceremony held on the beach until the last rays disappeared.
I was on a conference call with Xander, Jack, and Chris Shaw, another of the Gray Ghost team. There wasn’t a lot I could do on my end, but if an opportunity arose to put an end to the militia group and keep the former and current SEALs safe, I would.
“Your parents got here a few hours ago,” Chris confirmed. “They’re using our phones, so they can’t be tracked with theirs.”
“Thank you,” Xander and I said at the same time. Our parents would be safer in Maine with the Gray Ghost team. I cleared my throat. “Do you have any news on the rest of the former members of Dad’s team?”
“We’ve managed to locate several, and they’re in safe houses,” Jack answered. “The rest are being tracked down, but the simple fact that we don’t have a bead on them is good news.”
Because if they didn’t, then the enemy didn’t either. The four of us talked for another ten or fifteen minutes before hanging up. An enormous weight lifted from my shoulders. The thought of harm coming to my parents was horrible. With their safety established, my hope was that Ty would come through on his end. Xander and I didn’t talk about it much, but we both had assumed the militia group was also a part of the hostage abduction and why our brother was sent to South America on another mission.
Crossing my arms over the railing, I leaned over it to stare at the ocean. Kayla hadn’t been surfing once since she’d been back here. That was something she’d loved to do when the three of us were close. She’d won several competitions. Kieran had been her biggest fan. I wondered if the lack of her brother’s presence was why she wasn’t actively pursuing Pipe.
I hung my head, appalled at the part I’d played in causing her pain. I vowed to do everything in my power to help her. When we were on the island, I would work on helping her rediscover why she loved to surf. Because when she was out there in the ocean, there were very few who could do it better.
The roar of the ocean matched the echo of her spirit as she rode the cresting waves. There was joy in watching her, an innate sense of freedom and synchronicity in the moments as she soared across a wave and it curved over her head.
Kayla
With Jaxon busy talking with his brothers, I slipped into the bathroom. My phone had been vibrating on and off all morning. I knew who it was by the ringtone.
There were several texts in which Roy had threatened to find me and that it was only a matter of time. Of course, he’d worded them carefully, in a way that I couldn’t use against him if I went to the police and filed a restraining order—no doubt he’d had practice at that. There was nothing that stated what he intended to do. It was the same with the voicemails.
My throat tightened as if his hand was around it, squeezing until it was nearly impossible to breathe. I could picture the crazed look in his eyes and conjure the same horror of realizing he would kill me as I had the last time we were together.
But he hadn’t ended my life. Not that time. And given a reprieve, I would fight him with everything I had. When my phone vibrated with another one of his calls, I was ready.
“Hello, Roy.” I kept my voice soft and even.
“I paid a visit to your parents’ house, Kayla. You’ll have to come home sooner or later. And when you do, I’ll have you.”
Bile climbed my throat, and my entire body shook with the horror of him around my parents. I’d left them vulnerable by not saying anything. But deep down, I didn’t think he would harm them. It was me he was after. I forced myself to laugh mockingly. “You’re not very smart. Don’t you think I would have thought that’s the first place you would go? You’ll never find me.”
Something crashed on his end, and I cringed, my fingers tingling from the death grip I had on my phone. I had to keep calm for just a few more seconds. Then I would hang up.
“I’m close, bitch, and when I find you, I’ll drag you home by your hair.”
“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.” I crossed my fingers, hoping like hell I was right and that he’d never looked at Stephanie’s flash drive. “I saw your handiwork on the news the other day, and the thing is, I have Stephanie’s flash drive. If you come anywhere near my family or me, it goes straight to the cops, along with your career.”
I gave him two seconds to respond then hung up and threw my phone into the bedroom, where it bounced on the mattress twice before settling.
It was as I’d hoped. He’d never bothered to look at the drive. I felt like the sands of time were slipping through my fingers. I had to see what she had stored there. Please, Stephanie, have something I can use to put him away for life.
13
Kayla
The only other sound in the condo as I hunkered down in the guest room was Jaxon’s muffled voice as he talked on the phone. With urgency, I dug through my bag until I found my laptop. The room, which was to be mine when my parents moved in, was done in relaxing gray tones with a hint of mauve tinting the white trim. A mix of pink and white shells lined the windowsill to bring more of the outside in. None of it worked to calm my frazzled nerves as I climbed onto the bed and pulled the computer in front of me, impatient for the screen to come to life.
Time was moving too quickly, and all the fine hairs on my body stood on end in anticipation that Roy would find me. I couldn’t stay in the condo forever. I would have to go to my parents’ to help them pack—today.
When it finally booted up, I plugged Stephanie’s flash drive with the Honolulu Star-Advisor logo into the USB slot and opened the drive.
I scrolled through the files, which were organized by date, until I found the last month she’d saved anything. There were several assigned articles that she’d turned in for print… and one she hadn’t. The only reason I knew that was because the title was “A Champion Inside the Ring, but What About Outside?”
With a click on the trackpad, the file opened. I scanned the long article, where she’d documented a brief background then Roy’s rise to fame, his losses in the beginning, the consecutive wins, and finally the fight that had awarded him the championship belt.
Then the article took a dark turn about the champ’s less than stellar behavior outside of the limelight. There had been rumors of abuse and rape, but the one or two who’d come forward had disappeared. The interview consisted of an anonymous source and Stephanie’s testimony. Holy shit. It would go viral if published in the wake of her death, especially since it had been ruled a homicide because of the bruising found on her neck.
I should have taken pictures of my neck and cheek too. The humiliation had been so acute that I’d wanted to pretend it hadn’t happened. The way he’d eroded my self-confidence had blindsided me. It was something I continued to struggle with, to rebuild, despite my bravado.
But no more. If I didn’t do something to stop him, he would do it to another woman. I opened an email, addressed it to the head editor at the Star-Advisor, and gave a summary of what
I’d found of Stephanie’s, saying that I would turn over as evidence to the police but was giving the paper an exclusive too. I scheduled the email to send in two days. If something happened to me, it would still get into the right hands.
I set my computer aside. The condo was quiet. Jaxon must have been off the phone. Not wanting to deal with any more of Roy’s calls or texts, I left my cell on my bed and went in search of Jaxon.
He was in the living room with a glass of amber liquid, probably whiskey. I sat next to him, hoping to ease into my difficult story. “How’d it go with your brothers?”
“As well as expected. With our parents safe, I was able to convince Xander to stay on his honeymoon. They’ll move to another location, making sure not to use social media or credit cards. At least not his.”
“That’s good.” I took a deep breath and met his concerned gaze. “I’m ready to tell you everything.”
He didn’t say anything, just waited for me to continue.
With as much detail as I could manage, I recounted how Roy and I had dated, and told him the little things that had been easy to make excuses for because I hadn’t wanted to admit it was happening. Violence wasn’t something I’d experienced. It was as if it wasn’t quite real. But he’d made it very much so.
“The day I left, we fought, and he struck me so hard that I went down to the floor. He followed.” I waved to my neck. “I thought I was going to die, had even lost consciousness. When he went out, not long after, I packed everything I owned and took off.”
Jaxon drew me to him. Barely leashed violence radiated from him in that quiet, controlled way he had. But with him, I would never be afraid—he’d only ever protected me.
“Has he been calling, texting?” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head.
“Yes. Tonight, I answered and returned his threat with one of my own.”
His hand stilled, and it was as if the room paused with him. “Tell me.”
I twisted so my side was against his and drew my knees up. His arms still encircled me, keeping the darkness at bay. “I found a company flash drive at Roy’s and took it with me. Tonight, I finally looked at it. Stephanie was a reporter at the same paper as me and had written an article about Roy.”
“Does the article point to him as a suspect?”
“It does.”
“You know we need to take that into the station and put a warrant out for his arrest.”
“I do. I should have opened it sooner. I wish I had. There’s another thing. He said he’s watching my parents’ house.”
Jax swore, and some of the weight I’d carried siphoned away. He would help. I didn’t know why I’d been so ashamed, so stubborn, and not confided in him immediately.
“I’ll call dispatch and see if I can get someone stationed in from of their home or increase the patrols, at the very least. And Kayla?” He waited, and I knew it was for me to take in his tone’s seriousness before he continued. “Please don’t leave the condo unless we’re together. I can’t risk anything happening to you.”
I sunk my teeth into my bottom lip. I couldn’t make that promise, but I was scared enough to take what he asked of me into consideration. He needed to know what else I’d planned. “I copied the article onto my computer and also scheduled an email to go to the paper for them to print it in two days.”
“Let’s go get it logged in as evidence, then.”
His muscles tensed to stand, but I splayed my hand against his chest, freezing him in place. “Not tonight. Let’s take care of it tomorrow.”
Heat raced up my arm where my fingers lay over his heart then spread like wildfire. When I tilted my head so that our gazes met, I dropped the shields I’d been hiding behind and let him see the burning need I had for him, which I’d futilely tried to fight.
He reacted instantly, and his pupils expanded. When his arms loosened, I had a moment of insecurity.
“Come here.” His voice was low and husky. Then his large hands grasped my hips, and when he lifted me, I straddled him. My hands rested against his broad shoulders, and I felt the power I had in that position.
I couldn’t wait for him and pressed my lips to his, teasing. The connection between us sparked. Fiery need turned demanding. Our tongues tangled. His hands slipped from my hips to my back, and he drew me closer, so there was no space between us. Our kiss raged almost out of control until he slowed the pace then rested his forehead against mine.
“Kayla.” My heart fluttered at how he said my name as if it was a prayer.
I could have lost myself in him with one touch of his hand.
“Sleep with me tonight. Let me hold you.” I nodded, and he stood, lifting me with him in one powerful motion. Lying in his arms was where I wanted to be.
14
Kayla
Morning came quickly, with bright rays shining through the windows Jaxon and I had left open. I moved through the kitchen in a cloud of happiness. The day promised clear skies. The waves called to me, but surfing would have to wait. That was something I wanted to do with Jaxon once I resolved the mess with Roy. Then there was my parents’ move.
We had a lot going on.
The night before, I’d slept in Jaxon’s bed, and I’d even woken in his arms. But that was as far as we’d taken things, and I was glad for it. I wanted to be with him, but I’d been vulnerable after sharing the details of my final minutes with Roy. Jaxon understood. Instead of using our intense connection to take things further, he’d comforted me, which I’d needed most. We were in the beginning stages of a relationship, something I’d always wanted with him but never allowed myself after Kieran.
After Jaxon had a cup of coffee with me, he went to work. It was his last week. We hadn’t talked in depth about what would happen to us when he moved. I knew we would, though. Things were moving quickly, but we had so much history that it felt natural for us.
Jaxon and I had switched cars because Roy knew what I drove. I wasn’t supposed to go to my parents’ house alone. I spread strawberry jelly on a piece of toast and took a bite. I never promised to stay here. I planned to stop at the hardware store to get a smaller roller for the bathroom, which was close to the Coffee Hut, which was a bonus. I could get a mocha latte.
After a glance at the time to make sure the hardware store was open, I put my hair in a ponytail, grabbed my largest pair of sunglasses and my purse, and headed out. Once I was on the street in Jaxon’s Escalade with the windows down, my outlook on the day rose considerably, and the worry over Roy retreated to the far recesses of my mind.
It didn’t take terribly long to get to the street to buy the painting roller and pop into the Coffee Hut, my reward for shopping in a hardware store. I would have liked to have left that little chore to Jax, since I avoided those stores as much as I could. The smell was weird, some combination of pine sawdust, rubber, and cleaning products. No thanks.
By some miracle, I found a parking spot only two blocks away. Once out of the car, I merged with the morning sidewalk crowd making their way to work or the shops. I was in and out of the store in under fifteen minutes. With my purchase in hand, I walked the short distance to get my reward, practically salivating for the treat.
The bag crinkled against the door handle as I pushed it open and stepped inside. The scent of rich coffee beans infused the inviting space. It was a popular place that many of the people I’d grown up with frequented. I loved everything about the atmosphere, from the dark-wood ceiling and brick feature walls to the soft lighting and relaxed vibe.
Most of the tables were taken, which was fine. I planned to get my heaven-in-a-cup to go. I placed my order then went to wait by the live-wood counter off to the side.
“Kayla?”
I turned toward the vaguely familiar voice and froze for a brief moment at the sight of a beautiful pregnant woman. “Leslie? Oh, wow, you look great! And”—I motioned with my hand toward her basketball of a stomach—“When did this happen?” Does my brother somehow know? Is that why he keeps appearing?
She grinned. She’d always had the best smile—she glowed—and I couldn’t help but feel happy along with her. But inside, I was shaken. I hadn’t seen her since the accident.
“This happened seven months ago. My husband and I live an hour away but are here to spend some time with my parents before the baby’s born.”
“Well, congratulations. I’m so happy for you.” And I meant it.
“Thanks.” They called her order, and she left my side for a second to get her tea then returned. “Did you go to Kieran’s bonfire?” Her eyes misted, and there was a slight tremble to her bottom lip, but she hid it by taking a sip of her drink.
So many emotions washed over me in a tidal wave. “I did. It had been a while. I was surprised by how many people there were.”
She shrugged. “I’m not. Kieran was… everything. If you didn’t know him, you wanted to. If you did, he was someone you looked up to, loyal, an inspiration. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss him. He was my best friend and the love of my life.” Her gaze darted to the side then back. “I don’t mean that I don’t love my husband. I do. He’s incredible, and I’m very happy. I just wanted you to know—”
“It’s okay.” I put my hand on her arm to stop her. “I understand. I was there, remember?”
“Yeah.” She inhaled a long breath, and pain flashed across her features before she smoothed her hand over her stomach. “This would have been Kieran and me. That night…” She took a moment to gain control of her shaky voice while I waited patiently. “The night of the accident, I lost my entire world. I was pregnant, and we were going…” She choked on a sob, and I wrapped my arms around her while her confession screamed inside my head.
