Danger in Paradise (11 page)

* * * * *

Luke lay staring at the ceiling. Still asleep, Hope curled up against the length of his body. She hadn’t moved much in the past thirty minutes he’d been awake. Neither had he, but only because he didn’t want to wake her. They hadn’t left the bed the day before except to eat and that had only been at her insistence. He could have stayed there all day and been satisfied. A few hours before dawn she’d finally collapsed, but he couldn’t seem to find any peace in sleep. His thoughts were too occupied with Hope. Way too occupied.

He’d always enjoyed sex as much as the next guy, but if a woman wasn’t available, his fist was fine. Now, he couldn’t imagine fucking—making love—to anyone but Hope. He shook his head. Since when did he think of it as making love anyway?

It was the third day they’d been in hiding and he wanted to call his partner, but figured letting Hope sleep in couldn’t hurt. He’d worn her out and she deserved her rest.

When she threw a silky leg over his waist, he groaned. Maybe he wouldn’t let her sleep. He traced a finger up and down her spine, savoring the satiny feel of her back. After a few minutes of his stroking, she opened her eyes and looked up at him, a tiny smile tugging at her lips.

“How long have you been awake?” she murmured as she shifted onto her back.

He propped up on one elbow and stretched out next to her, enjoying the view of her perfect breasts and tanned body. “Not long.”

She smiled, now more awake, and pulled him so that he was fully on top of her. He wouldn’t have thought it possible she’d want more, but the woman was insatiable. His cock lengthened against her slick folds, but he didn’t penetrate her.

 
“Tell me about this.” He traced a finger over the webbed scar on her shoulder.

Immediately, she shut down. Before she even moved, it was as if she was physically pulling away from him. Then she did just that. Shifting out of his embrace, she sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. When she reached for one of his shirts he grabbed her around her waist and pulled her back against him. Her body was curved into his chest, her smooth back against his much rougher body. She didn’t try to fight him, but her entire body was pulled tight. After what they’d shared last night he couldn’t let her put distance between them.

“Why can’t I ask questions?” he murmured against her ear.

A light shudder rolled through her, but her back was still ramrod straight. So he waited until finally she slumped against him. “You can ask all the questions you want, I just might not answer them,” she said softly.

“So you’ll share your body with me, but you won’t answer a simple question?” His jaw clenched but he tried to keep the heat out of his voice.

She shook her head, and her dark hair tickled his face. “I’d rather not answer than lie to you.”

Sighing, he moved back so they could face each other. How could he argue with that? When she turned around, he dropped a kiss on her forehead. “I guess I can live with that.”
For now anyway.

“Good.” Relief instantly flooded her expression. Without pause, she leaned forward and brushed her lips over his.

His cock, which hadn’t gone down any, felt as if it hardened even more. Her delicate fingers clutched on to his shoulders as she straddled him. As her tongue danced against his in an erotic frenzy, he knew he’d let practically anything go if she kissed him like this. How sad was that?

When the buzz of his phone interrupted them, she smiled against his lips and fell back against the pillow with a groan. “You better answer that.”

He wanted to argue, but she was right. The number wasn’t familiar, but the area code was from the Virginia/DC area so he flipped the cell open. “Yeah?” He didn’t answer with his name intentionally.

“You’re free to return to Miami now,” an unfamiliar voice said.

“What?”

“Turn on the news.”

The line disconnected before he could ask anything.

“Who was that?” He was disappointed to find Hope had put on a long T-shirt.

“I don’t know.” Luke grabbed the remote and turned on the television. After flipping through a few local channels, he found the world news.

“What are you doing?” Hope scooted up to the edge of the bed and sat next to him, her thigh pressing against his.

“I’m not sure yet…” He turned up the volume when a video of Richard Taylor flashed on screen.

Two men in suits were putting a handcuffed Taylor into a dark car. Photographers snapped pictures and journalists shouted out questions, but he kept his head down and never responded. A byline ran across the bottom of the screen.
Biotech mogul arrested on suspicion of espionage, tax fraud, and human trafficking.

“Holy crap,” Hope muttered.

“My thoughts, exactly.” He rubbed a hand over his face. This was a good thing. In his head he knew that. They needed to get back to civilization, but now he’d have to tell Hope the truth about his suspicions.

For several minutes, neither spoke as they watched the screen in fascination.

“What do you think he’s going to do when he finds out I’m still alive?” she asked suddenly.

“Believe me, you’re the least of his worries. Espionage is a capital offense.”

Another byline ran across the screen stating that his son had disappeared, but was also wanted on suspicion of human trafficking. Next to him, Hope shivered but didn’t comment.

He reached out to pull her close when his phone buzzed again.

“Have you seen the news?” His partner asked before he could say hello.

“Sure did.”

“I assume you’re coming back to Miami now?”

“I need to work some things out, but yeah. I’ll be in touch. Oh, one more thing. Have you talked to Maria lately?”

“Yeah, why?”

“She’s called me a few times, but I obviously haven’t called back. You haven’t said anything to her about what’s going on, have you?”

“No. Why would I?” His partner’s voice was suddenly heated.

“Uh, it was just a question.”

He glanced at Hope, who wasn’t paying any attention to him as she still stared at the television.

“Sorry man, I know. I’m just tense,” Kyle said.

“What’s going on?”

Kyle sighed. “Nothing I can’t handle. There have been some strange things going on at the main plant in Costa Rica. Eduardo’s been checking in and keeping me updated, but I can’t shake the feeling that something’s off. I’m thinking this might be an inside job.”

Eduardo was one of the new guys they’d hired and so far he was more than capable. Still, Kyle should have told him they were having problems. Lately Kyle had seemed distracted and Luke couldn’t figure out what was going on with his partner.

“Why didn’t you mention anything?”

“You’ve got a lot on your plate right now and I didn’t want to bother you with something as trivial as missing shipments. If it gets worse, I’ll let you know.”

“All right. We’ll be in town tonight. If I need anything I’ll call you.”

As soon as they disconnected, Hope glanced over. “Who was that and where will we be tonight?”

He shook his head and chuckled. She’d obviously been paying more attention than he’d thought. “That was my partner and if we can get a flight out, we’ll be in Miami tonight.”

She pursed her lips into a thin line. “We will?”

“Even with Taylor in jail, I don’t think it’s smart for you to go home. Come to Miami for a few days…please. I’m in the security business and I guarantee I can protect you better than anyone.” He couldn’t force her to come with him and he knew Sonja didn’t care about the job anyway. Hope had been hired because of her face.

“Okay.” She shook her head and took a few steps toward the doorway. “I’ll go pack, then.”

She turned on her heel and even though he wanted to stop her and kiss her until neither one of them could think straight, he knew he couldn’t. He had too many phone calls to make and too much to do.

* * * * *

Hope dialed Mac for the tenth time, then threw her phone in her purse. It kept going straight to voicemail and that wasn’t like him. Because of her crazy schedule, he normally had his phone attached to his hip. She prayed he hadn’t done anything stupid. Mac kept his promises, but she knew how he could get when he was angry enough. Pushing aside her worry, she scanned the room one more time before hauling her bag out to the kitchen. Wrapping her arms around her body, she stared out the window, prepping herself for their trip.

True to his word, Luke had chartered a private plane for them straight to Miami. She was a little nervous about meeting Sonja Santiago since most of her gear had been left behind in Cuba. Luke assured her that he’d had it taken care of and everything had been shipped directly to the Santiagos’ home, but what if it hadn’t been packaged right? If word got out that she’d screwed up a big job it could ruin her reputation and repeat business. And what if…?

She stopped herself. There wasn’t anything she could do about it now.

“You ready?” Luke’s voice cut into her thoughts.

She turned around from staring out the window to meet his dark gaze. “Yes.” As ready as she’d ever be.

He grabbed her bags, so she followed him in silence. He didn’t seem to want to talk and that was fine with her.

All day Luke had been on the phone and she hadn’t been able to contact the one person she needed. On top of that, she was annoyed with herself. Even though she’d sworn she only wanted to have a physical relationship with him, she couldn’t deny her growing feelings.

And he hadn’t so much as hinted at what he thought or wanted.

Men.

Patrick Taylor paced back and forth in the dingy motel room he was staying in right outside of Coconut Grove. It smelled of vomit and old Chinese food, but he had no choice other than to stay there. He couldn’t use his credit cards anywhere, and if he attempted to touch his known bank accounts, the FBI would find him. Sure, he had a lot of extra cash, but he was pretty sure the Feds were watching for him. No one in their right mind would expect him to stay in a dump like this. Even if he could use his cards he wouldn’t try to stay anywhere above a two-star rating. This place probably ranked half a star.

His father was in jail, the FBI was looking for him, and he was ninety-nine percent sure that bitch was still alive. Considering the man who was supposed to kill her was an undercover FBI agent, he’d bet his trust fund she was still breathing.

The phone in the room rang twice, then stopped. Ten seconds later it rang again, so he picked it up immediately. “Yeah?”

“I think I’ve got what you want,” the familiar, scratchy voice said.

“Good.” Patrick savored the small moment of relief he experienced because he knew it wouldn’t last.

“It’s gonna cost you.”

What else was new? “My lawyer has already wired half your fee. You’ll get the rest when I get what I want.”

There was a long pause. This was normally how they worked, but he wasn’t in a position to bargain. If the other man demanded full payment now, he’d have to give it to him.

“Fine. The man she was with chartered a plane out of the Bahamas today. They should be in Miami soon and I know where he lives.”

The address he rattled off was an exclusive condo community right on South Beach. Before Patrick could voice his concern, the other man continued.

“Don’t bother trying to get to her there. This guy is in the protection business and even though I couldn’t find out much about him, his building has some of the best security in the industry.”

“I’m not stupid.” Patrick rolled his eyes. Getting her alone was the only thing he’d consider.

The other man snorted, but Patrick couldn’t afford to show his annoyance.

“I’ll be in contact in a few days,” Patrick said.

“Don’t forget, in one week your window of opportunity closes.”

“I haven’t forgot.”

The line went dead and Patrick cursed as he poured another scotch. He hadn’t forgotten anything. He had to get out of the country and his way out was only available for a week. Hell, he would leave right now if it wasn’t for
her
. Everything else he was dealing with paled in comparison to having a live witness. She was the only real threat in his life. One he thought had disappeared years ago.

He put on a dark ball cap, grabbed another drink for the road and headed out. As a precaution, he flipped the door sign to read do not disturb. He didn’t have anything worth stealing except his computer, and he couldn’t risk that falling into the wrong hands.

* * * * *

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay at a hotel?” Hope asked for the second time since they’d landed in Miami.

“No. I’m not letting you out of my sight, so please drop it,” Luke said as he steered his truck into the secure parking garage of his private building.

She wrapped her arms around herself. “I know that. I was just thinking we could both stay at a hotel. I don’t want to put you out or be an inconvenience.”

“It’s not a problem.” He put the car in park and jumped out. Ever since she’d found out it was safe to return to the States, she’d been quiet. Unusually so. He didn’t know how to pull her back out of her shell. He’d expected that once they slept together she’d be more at ease around him, but if anything she’d pulled further away from him.

She walked around to the back of his truck and tugged out one of the smaller bags. Under her breath, she mumbled something about him being stubborn.

He’d been called worse.

He shook his head, but didn’t comment as they walked toward the elevators. The only sound in the garage was the snapping of her flip-flops against the cement. Once they reached the elevators, he typed in the fifteen digit code.

“No wonder you wanted to stay here,” Hope said as they stepped inside.

He adjusted one of the bags over his shoulder. “Are you hungry?” Maybe that would get her talking.

Her eyes lit up and she half-smiled. “Starving.”

“How about I order Chinese? Unless you’d like something different.” The elevator halted at the top floor. He got out first as a precaution. Since he owned the entire floor, he hadn’t expected to see anyone, but he relaxed slightly at the empty corridor.

“Chinese or pizza works for me.” She trailed behind him. “Wait a minute, is this whole floor just you?” Her eyes widened.

The elevator opened into a big foyer-type area and there was only one door so it was a good guess he owned everything. He cleared his throat, suddenly embarrassed, but he didn’t know why it should bother her. “Yeah.”

“Oh.” The way she said it tore at his insides.

She shifted from foot to foot as he opened the door and he wished he could figure out what was going on in that pretty head of hers. The expression on her face told him she’d rather be anywhere but there. Which really sucked since he didn’t want to be anywhere but with her.

He held open the door for her and she eyed him warily as she passed by.

“Where should I put my stuff?”

“Follow me.” He led her to the guest room closest to his.

His condo was sparse and he’d never cared before. Now he wished he’d done something to make it look like more than a cold hotel. The guest room with its adjoining bathroom had a queen-size bed, a nightstand with a lamp and not much else. The floor was tile, and when he saw her expression, he realized just how sterile the room actually was.

She cleared her throat and looked pointedly at the bag he still held.

“Oh, right. Here.” He dropped the bag at the end of the bed. The thud echoed loudly against the tile. “I’ll order food and meet you out in the living room in a while.”

“Thanks.” She nodded and clutched her purse against her stomach.

Sighing, he closed the door behind him and leaned against it. What had happened to distance her so much in the past day? It seemed like once they’d left the Caribbean she put that damn wall back up again. It shredded his insides. If she thought she could erect barriers between them after the connection they’d made she was out of her damn mind.