“Sit down and hold on tight,” Chris said, moving to the wheel.
Layla sat before her legs gave out on her. She felt weak and shaky. Chris brought the powerful engines to life and it occurred to her that they were leaving the island. They had been rescued.
Relief flooded her.
Something zinged past her head.
“Get down,” Chris yelled and threw the boat into reverse.
Layla ducked as more bullets flew overhead. The boat launched forward, nearly tossing her on the floor. She stayed down until they were out of range of the bullets. Then she sat up, fighting dizziness. Wind whipped her hair out of its ponytail. The boat shot across the waves, the wind making her eyes water.
She glanced at Chris, strong hand on the wheel, pushing the boat to its brink. Blood soaked his sleeves, ran down his arm and over his hand that held the wheel. He didn’t seem to notice or care, but she did. If he was hurt enough to lose a lot of blood he could bleed to death, leaving her on her own.
The thought made her stomach clench. Why was it so alarming to imagine life without him? Maybe she had Stockholm syndrome. Even though Chris wasn’t her captor. He was her savior. Her lifeline. How had she become so attached in such a short time? With her past, it was crazy. He would leave her soon. They lived two separate lives. They hadn’t even kissed to see if there was chemistry.
What was she thinking? When had she let go of her mistrust? Or, had she? Was this her emotions spinning out of control because of the situation?
How would she know?
13
Cedar Falls, Michigan
Ellen Wolff sipped her tea, staring across the deep blue lake. She loved her new dock the boys had put in. Lord her Adirondack chairs sitting on the end of the L shape. Today, however, the serene waters didn’t bring her piece. Her boys were all gone. One was missing and the others went to find him. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t worried sick. She’d accepted the dangerous jobs her boys did many years ago. That didn’t mean she stopped worrying. She was a mother. That was her God-given right.
Having lost one son already she refused to lose another. Of all of her boys, Chris was the most rebellious. He’d always been moody and restless. Even as a toddler. He didn’t sit still for long. Always switching from one toy to the next. As a teen he’d been the most daring. He liked to go off on his own, yet, he hated being alone. Always bringing home one woman after another. As a mother, she struggled watching him try to find happiness. She wanted all of her kids to be happy. Quinn, Kell and Nate had found their soulmates and Ellen loved the women they had chosen. She only hoped Chris, Evan and Bailey would find true love one day.
She refused to let herself believe that another one of her sons wouldn’t come home. One had already been taken. She couldn’t suffer another.
No, everything would be just fine. The boys would be home soon with Chris in tow.
Then, maybe, she would sleep again.
* * *
A wave of nausea rolled over Layla. She’d never been seasick before. Right now, she felt ready to pass out.
She gripped the edges of the seat, trying to stop herself from toppling over. Her vision started to blur.
What was wrong with her?
It felt like she was going to—-Everything went black.
* * *
The Florida coast came into view and Chris breathed a sigh of relief. They were almost to safety. He had seen Layla go down a little bit ago, but she was still breathing. She appeared to be sleeping on the floor of the boat, but he knew it was more than that. He had to get her to a hospital asap.
He slowed the boat to coast into the marina. It didn’t take long to tie it off, pick Layla up off the floor and carry her down the deck towards the main building. If felt damn good to be on familiar ground.
He pushed through the front door of the office, startling the woman behind the counter.
“I need an ambulance,” he said.
When the woman got a look at Layla she nodded and picked up the phone. After she hung up, she said, “They’ll be here in ten minutes. Is there anything I can do?”
He shook his head, holding Layla a little closer to his chest. He was responsible for her. But, was that all it was making him hold so tight?
Refusing to let that train of thought run, he waited impatiently for the ambulance.
The woman disappeared into the back room and came back with a bottle of water a stack of wet paper towels. “Here. Maybe this will help.”
He thanked her and pressed the towels to her forehead, dabbing lightly at the dots of perspiration dotted there. She was still warm. Too warm. In truth, it scared the hell out of him. They had been through a lot together. He couldn’t lose her now.
The ambulance pulled up a few minutes later. When the paramedics tried to get him to put Layla on the stretcher, he growled at them. He didn’t want to let her go. He wanted to hold her forever. As ridiculous as that was, he couldn’t deny it.
“Sir, please. Let us help her,” the female EMT urged softly.
Chris relented, knowing there was nothing more he could do for her. With care, he lay her on the stretcher and stepped back so the paramedics could do their work. Once they got her stable, the EMT turned to him.
“I should take a look at that shoulder.”
“Take care of Layla first.”
“If I let you ride with us will you let me treat you?”
How could he say no to that? He had no intentions of letting them take Layla without him.
“Yes,” he said and climbed into the back of the ambulance.
* * *
Quinn stared down at the bodies in the sand. This was the third island they had searched today. Kell had plotted a course from Florida to the Bahamas and they followed the path Chris was supposed to take. When they found derby floating in the ocean from a boat, they had immediately began their search. None of them admitting the sinking feeling they had in their gut.
“He was here,” Evan said. “There’s a shelter hidden in the tree line. Some makeshift weapons. Supplies. They left in a hurry.”
“Who the hell are these guys?” Quinn wondered, trying to put the pieces together.
Nate rose to his feet from where he’d crouched next to the body of a man with a scar down his cheek. “No identification.”
“Whoever they are they were looking for a fight,” Kell said. “I’m thinking Chris won and took their boat.”
Quinn nodded in agreement. “Which way did he go? Back to the US or down to the Bahamas?”
Nate answered. “We’re in the middle of both countries. I would guess he’d go back to the US”
“I concur,” Evan said. “We should head back to Florida.”
They boarded the rented speedboat and with Nate driving headed for Florida. Quinn called in the bodies for the authorities to take care of. Chris was the only one who could explain what happened. He prayed his brother had left the island in one piece.
* * *
Chris paced the small hospital room, edgy and restless. Layla lay unconscious in the bed, tubes and wires coming from her like tentacles. It had been hours and she still hadn’t awakened. The doctor said they had caught the infection just in time. Much longer and she would have lost the leg. She had become septic. They were treating her with hard core antibiotics, painkillers and corticosteroids for the inflammation.
Seeing her like this haunted him. She’d been strong during their ordeal. Seen things most never did. And she never complained once. Simply asked him to teach her self-defense and he had refused. He regretted it now. There was nothing worse than feeling helpless. He knew because he felt helpless in his brother’s death.
Somehow, he would make it up to her.
While they were stabilizing her, he had contacted her father and put a call out to his brothers. Layla’s father would be here anytime and he still hadn’t heard from his brothers.
Her father had been livid that he hadn’t been called sooner. Didn’t matter that Ch
ris had no means to do so. He didn’t blame the man. This was his daughter who could have been lost forever. It was Chris’s responsibility to protect her and he hadn’t done that.
On emotional overload, he stormed to the door. He never struggled with feelings. Always knew exactly what he wanted. Always had the answers and knew what to do.
Until Layla. She came in and turned his world upside down. There was so much he didn’t know about her and wanted to. He wanted to spend more time getting to know her. For the first time ever, he wanted to date a woman just so he could dig deeper into her psyche and find out who she was.
He didn’t date. He did one-night stands and casual sex. No strings. No commitment. That had always worked for him. He’d been content.
Until Layla.
She was the first woman he’d ever slept with, but didn’t have sex with. And it made him want her even more. She was smart and pretty and strong. A woman worthy of his attention.
What the hell was he thinking?
He reached for the door handle just as the door burst open. Warren Scott charged in, green eyes scanning the room. He pinned Chris with a hard stare.
“What the hell happened?”
Chris told him everything. When he finished Warren raked a hand down his face, looking ten years older.
“I suspected we had a traitor in the company. Some files have been misplaced and money moved.”
Chris saw red. He grabbed Warren by his expensive three-piece suit and slammed him into the wall. “Then why the hell didn’t you warn your daughter? She nearly died.”
He was so pissed he wanted to drive a fist into the man’s tanned face. How could he let Layla go on that trip knowing she might be in danger? What kind of father put work before his own child?
“I didn’t have proof,” Warren said, trying to release Chris’s grip. “I’m not going to overreact on a hunch.”
“Overreact? Are you fucking kidding me? Whoever hired those guys wanted her dead. This wasn’t just a snatch and grab.” He slammed him against the wall again, rattling the door.
“Get your hands off me. I paid you to protect my daughter and you failed.”
His words hit too close to home, driving Chris’s temper to the overflow point. He pulled back his fist.
“Whoa, back off, buddy.”
A hand wrapped around his fist, stopping it midair. Another went around his neck in a chokehold certain to take him down. The voice belonged to Kell. The arm around his neck belonged to Evan and Quinn’s face filled his vision as they forced him off of Warren.
Chris shook them off. “He fucking could have stopped this,” he told his brothers, glaring at Warren Scott. “Layla is suffering because of him. She almost lost her leg. Could have been killed.” He lunged for the man again, but his brothers held him back. Took all three of them to do it.
“You can’t blame this on me,” Warren said, straightening his tie. “I didn’t know it was Layla’s program they were after.”
As if that made it all right? What was wrong with this man? He was no father. He was a bastard.
“Mark my words, I will find out who is behind this. I will have them brought to justice,” Warren promised.
“Not if I get to them first,” Chris growled.
Quinn stepped in between them. He pinned Warren with a hard stare that made most cower in fear. “You,” he said, “Shut the fuck up and go take care of your daughter.” He turned to Chris. “You, come with me.”
Against his will his brothers dragged him from the room. People sent them uncomfortable looks when Chris jerked away from them.
“Outside,” Quinn said pointedly and they all walked out of the emergency room doors.
Once outside Chris let out an explosive breath.
“You okay?” Quinn asked.
Not completely. Actually, he felt like a damn mess. He’d never worried about anyone like he worried for Layla. The thought of her not waking up scared him and he didn’t like feeling so vulnerable. He’d never felt like this before.
“What the hell happened?” Nate asked.
Chris told them the details, leaving out his feelings for Layla. They hadn’t even kissed. He doubted she knew they even slept so closely together. The woman slept like the dead.
“Jesus,” Evan said, raking a hand through his hair. “That’s a lot of planning and money for a computer program.”
“I have to find the bastard responsible,” Chris said. “I can’t let this go.”
His brothers exchanged glances. Quinn spoke first.
“It’s not your job anymore.”
That only made Chris’s temper rise again. “The hell it’s not.” He knew Quinn was right, but he owed Layla. And himself.
Quinn’s eyes narrowed as he studied him for a moment, saying nothing. Chris hated it when he did that. Meant Quinn was mentally putting the pieces together and he was rarely off target.
“You fell for her,” Quinn said. It wasn’t a question.
Chris clenched his jaw. Leave it to Quinn to figure shit out. He wasn’t ready to talk about that. Didn’t know what to do with his feelings.
“Holy shit,” Kell said.
“I never thought I’d see the day,” Evan murmured.
“Shut up,” Chris snapped. Lame, but he had no defense to deny it with. Somehow, he’d fallen for Layla. Hard.
Quinn stepped in. “Back off,” he told his brothers. “Give him a minute to come to terms.”
Come to terms. Yeah, he’d fallen hard and fast and he never wanted to leave Layla’s side again. Even now he felt as if a piece of him was missing. It was damn uncomfortable considering he’d never even slept with the woman. Somehow, he knew when they did it would be explosive.
Not if. When.
A sudden calm came over him. He had done more than fallen for Layla. He’d fallen in love with her. And he had no intentions of letting her go.
14
Layla opened her eyes slowly, expecting to see leaves and sticks surrounding her and Chris beside her. She’d had the nicest dreams about him. They had confessed their love to each other and made love. She’d been a whole woman again. No qualms, no distrust. It had been wonderful.
But she didn’t expect a man like Chris to settle down with one woman. Men like him played the field. They weren’t the marrying type.
Instead of green leaves she saw white walls. Machines. IVs connected to her arms. Something in her nose blowing soft air that smelled funny.
A hospital? Realization hit fast. She was in a hospital. Not on the island. Not stranded.
Someone moved into her line of vision. Chris?
Eager to see and talk to him she opened her mouth to greet him, then closed it when she saw her father standing there.
“Dad,” she said, not sure how much he knew or how he would react when she told him there was a traitor in the company. He wouldn’t take it well. He valued loyalty.
“You’re awake,” he said, his tone relieved. “You gave me quite a scare.”
“How long have I been here?”
“Two days.”
Her brows flew up. “Two days?”
“Yes,. You had gone septic from the wound on your leg. Don’t worry, they were able to save it. You’re going to be just fine.”
She searched the room for Chris. Disappointed when she didn’t see him. His job was over, he didn’t owe her anything. Why would he stick around? She’d treated him like he had the plague every time he went to touch her.
God, she was such a fool for pushing him away. He could have been the best thing to ever happen to her.
“Are you looking for your bodyguard?”
Her cheeks flushed. “He was shot. I just wanted to see if he was all right.”
Her father covered her hand with his. “He’s fine. He left late last night.”
She didn’t show the pain that knifed through her heart at those words. “Right,” she nearly choked. “His job is over with.”
“Yes. He was well compensated for his inju
ries.”
Her mouth dropped in horror. “You paid him off?”
Her father looked surprised. “I paid him what he earned. He did save your life.”
Yes, he did, and she would never get the chance to thank him. Or tell him how she felt.
Sadness filled her, making her suddenly very tired.
Her father shifted from one foot to the other. She had never seen him ill at ease. What was up?
“I owe you an apology,” he said quietly. “I hope you can forgive me for not following up on my hunch about a mole in the company before things got out of control.”
Her father was asking her forgiveness? He never did that. His actions were always warranted.
“You knew?” She asked.
“Not that it was your program they wanted or that you were the target. But I knew there might have been a security breach.”
Her mind raced. He could have prevented this. But, if he had, she never would have met Chris so she couldn’t be mad at him. Especially when he was being so honest and forthcoming. She kind of liked the more vulnerable side of him. Made him more human.
She squeezed his hand. “It’s okay, Dad. I don’t blame you. You couldn’t have known this was going to happen.”
His face relaxed, making her realize how worried he’d been about her reaction. Maybe he cared for her more than she thought and simply didn’t know how to express it. Maybe she was a bit like him in that regard. And if she’d spoken up maybe she wouldn’t have missed her chance at love.
Suddenly, she needed her dad. Not just a father, but a dad. Tears filled her eyes and she blurted out, “I love him, Dad. And I never got the chance to tell him.”
Necessary Risk: Wolff Securities Book 4 Page 7
