Danger in Paradise (18 page)

* * * * *

Hope turned up the volume to her iPod and sank deeper into the tub. After seven hours of filling out forms and answering the same questions twenty different ways, she could finally relax. Everyone was at the Santiagos’ house, including Mac. Hell, even Jose was on his way back. Sonja was preparing enchiladas, but had told Hope to take her time getting ready.

That was exactly what she was doing. She definitely wasn’t staying in the room they’d put her in before. The police wanted to blame the spray paint and break in on Patrick, but since he was dead, they’d never have the answers they wanted. The cops were too busy trying to figure out who had killed their suspect with one shot and gotten away from a crowded marina completely unseen. That kind of maneuvering took some serious skill. A serious sniper with perfect accuracy.

At least the house was secure. Luke had upped the security three-fold, and with Mac there, Hope wasn’t too worried. The massaging jets of the tub and soothing scent of vanilla was enough to make her fall asleep, so she pulled the drain plug and got out. Drowning wasn’t on her agenda today. After changing into comfortable yoga-style pants and a pullover sweatshirt, she went in search of Luke. She wanted to talk to him before facing everyone else.

Luke had been trying to get her alone ever since returning to the house, but she’d managed to avoid him.

Even though she was in an upstairs bedroom, he’d stayed in the same room as before, probably because he knew she needed space. After walking down the stairs, she knocked once on his door, but secretly hoped he wouldn’t be there.

No such luck. It opened seconds later.

“Hey. Can we talk?” The words came out in a rush.

He nodded and stepped back, letting her in. She had a sense of déjà vu from the night before, but ignored the memories. At least he was wearing clothes tonight.

Breaking things off with him was the easiest thing to do. She had to do it now before she fell too hard for him. Well, harder than she already had.

“I’m glad you stopped by. I wanted to apologize and explain what I did.” He reached out to touch her arm, but she moved out of his reach.

If he touched her, she’d lose her train of thought and purpose. “I understand why you did it.”

He let out a huge sigh. “You do? From the way you acted earlier, I thought—”

She cut him off. “I said I understood
why
, what I don’t understand is why you didn’t tell me. Did you think I’d be adverse to actions taken for
my
safety?”

“I didn’t want to take the chance you’d say no. I’m so used to Maria, and—”

“I’m not her. Something you should know by now. She’s stubborn just to be stubborn. This isn’t about her, though. It’s about you, and the way you view me.”

“Hope, I couldn’t stand the thought of anything happening to you.” He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets.

She wanted to reach out and touch him. Anything to take away that pained look in his dark eyes. But she didn’t. If she did, she’d crumble and wouldn’t be able to finish what she needed to say. “I know we’ll be involved in each other’s lives from now on. It’s inevitable. You provide their security and Sonja told me your parents are coming to visit next month so I assume you’ll be here, too.” Hope was leaving in the morning. Sonja and Maria were going to visit in a week or two and she planned to come back in a month to meet some of their friends. They were going to take her immersion into their lives a lot slower.

For the time being, she couldn’t be in Miami another day. Too much had happened and she didn’t exactly feel safe. More than anything, she missed her home, her friends, her small condo. She even missed Frank’s cooking.

“What are you saying?” His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

“I want things to end on good terms with us. If we’re going to see each other occasionally, I don’t want…awkwardness.” In her heart she knew there might always be a little discomfort between them, but they were both adults. They could handle it.

“So you want to pretend nothing ever happened between us?” His words came out as a growl.

“I’m not saying that. Not exactly…jeez Luke, you never once mentioned your suspicions about my identity, you
stole
my DNA, and then you planted tracking devices in my shoes! I don’t trust you, plain and simple. I don’t know another way to say it. This could never work between us. Our relationship is too unbalanced with no trust. Maybe if you had asked me about at least one of those things, I’d feel differently right now. I like that you’re protective of me but I don’t want to be viewed as someone you think needs protecting all the time. I’m capable of making smart decisions. If you’d told me about the tracking devices I think I would have been okay with it—now we’ll never know.” She threw her hands up in the air, unsure how to continue. She didn’t do relationships well and was unaccustomed to fighting or breaking up with anyone. This whole situation made her entire body tense.

“I don’t know what to say. I am sorry.” He stared at her with that dark, penetrating gaze, but she had no clue what he was thinking. Maybe he was relieved she’d ended it. She shifted from one foot to the other, waiting for more of a response that never came.

He was sorry but was that it?

Finally, she left.

He didn’t try to stop her.

That’s a good thing
, she told herself. So why did she feel so lousy he hadn’t even fought for her?

* * * * *

Luke rubbed a hand over his face as he sat on the edge of the bed. Everything Hope said was true. He couldn’t defend himself. Hell, he didn’t want to. He just wanted to take her in his arms and refuse to let her go. Yeah, he was sure that would go over real well.

What he’d done had been a little underhanded, but what if she’d said no? His gut roiled at the thought. Thankfully she’d been able to defend herself—quite capably judging from the way Taylor had looked before he’d been killed—but what if she hadn’t, and he hadn’t had a way to get to her?

The risk of losing her again was worse than the risk of her hating him. At least she was alive. The sad part was, he’d do things exactly the same way if given the opportunity. Right or wrong, he didn’t know. The only thing he knew was Hope was alive and safe.

That’s all that mattered.

The buzzing of his phone on the nightstand broke him out of his thoughts. Sighing, he retrieved it. When he saw the number, he flipped open his cell immediately. “Tell me you have good news.”

“I don’t know what I’ve got. All of the fingerprints from the room are from family members or employees.” His friend Morgan had done him a huge favor and pushed their break-in case to the front of the line.

Disappointment sat in his gut like a lead weight. “Shit,” he muttered.

“Not so fast. Jonas Ramirez’s fingerprints were also in the room. I thought it was odd since he’s the—”

“Gardener.” Luke finished for him. His thoughts were already kicking into overdrive. Jonas had no business being in the house. Not that any of his guys would blink twice if he was. The man had been with the family for over four decades. Hell, he was practically invisible.

“Thanks for the info. I’ll call you back.” He disconnected before he received a response.

Jonas Ramirez had been with the family long before the girls had been born. If Luke remembered correctly, he was set to retire next month. He sprinted up the stairs and knocked once on Maria’s door before opening.

“God, Luke! Wait for a response!” Maria looked over from the mirror where she was applying mascara.

Something had been bothering him for days and he had to figure it out before confronting Jonas. He shut the door behind him and opened Maria’s closet.

“Maria, why are these shoes covered in dirt and clay?” He picked up a ratty pair of tennis shoes. Maria worked out at the gym and she would never leave the house wearing something like this. It wasn’t her style.

“None of your business,” she snapped. Like lightning, she was across the room, snatching the shoes away.

“This is me you’re talking to. What the hell is going on? I know I’m not crazy. The other day when I told you about the security system being disabled at the greenhouse, you looked guilty about something.”

Her jaw clenched and for a second he thought she was going to tell him to pound sand, but she took a seat on the edge of her bed. The shoes dropped, spreading dirt particles all over the cream-colored carpet. She didn’t seem to notice or care. When her pale blue eyes met his, a knife twisted in his stomach. If she’d had anything to do with Hope’s harassment, all his belief in humanity was gone.

“The first couple times we met in the greenhouse I ruined two pairs of satin Manolo’s so I started wearing those God-awful tennis shoes. I found them in Lydia’s cleaning closet. We’ve been so careful. Every time we leave we reset the alarm, but maybe I forgot. Last time we were in such a rush, maybe I…” Her voice cracked, but she continued. “If it was me who forgot to set the alarm, it was an accident, I swear. I’ll never forgive myself if I did.”

Now she wasn’t making any sense. “What are you talking about?”

“Isn’t that what you’re asking about?” Her eyes widened and tears threatened to spill over.

He ignored her question. “Who’s ‘we’ and why have you been using the greenhouse?”

Splashes of red flared across her cheeks. “Kyle and I have been using the greenhouse to…you know. Not a lot, just a few times. Usually we meet at his place, but sometimes, we can’t wait so…oh my God, I can’t believe I’m telling you this.”

Luke wouldn’t have thought it possible, but her face turned an even darker shade of crimson. She groaned and covered her face with both hands.

“This is so embarrassing,” she mumbled.

It was as if someone had poured a bucket of ice over him. “You and Kyle are seeing each other? Kyle, as in Kyle Vargas, my partner?”

She nodded, looking absolutely miserable. “Please don’t tell anyone.”

That’s why she’d been using the greenhouse? He wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or horrified. He shook his head and chuckled. “I’ll talk to you about this later. Try and stay out of trouble for the next hour.”

She tossed a throw pillow at him as he left the room. Kyle and Maria? He couldn’t believe it. Shaking his head, he descended the stairs. Now that Maria was definitely off his list of suspects, he hated what he had to do.

If he was right, a lifelong employee had caused unspeakable pain and anguish to people he considered family. If he was wrong, he was accusing a sixty-year-old man of a horrendous crime.

 
“Marcus, have you seen Jonas?” Luke found Marcus in the kitchen drinking coffee with Mac. He kept his question nonchalant, not wanting to alert anyone.

Marcus shook his head and shrugged. “Try the greenhouse. I thought I saw a light on.”

Luke glanced at his watch. It was after eight. Too late to still be working.

“Is everything all right?” Mac asked.

Luke nodded. “Fine…hey, any more news on who shot Patrick Taylor?” He tried to keep his question casual, but doubted Mac was fooled.

“No. The police have no leads, but I doubt they’ll be keeping me updated. I didn’t even know the guy.” The other man didn’t flinch at the question, but in his gut Luke knew Mac had been behind it. Just as sure as he knew the sun would rise in the morning, he knew without a doubt Mac had hired someone. Probably an old Navy buddy.

Taylor had died on impact. One shot to the head and he’d gone down. The forensics gauged the shot had come from about seven hundred yards. It certainly wasn’t impossible—the best snipers in the world could take someone out at two thousand plus yards—but it was still impressive considering the man had been surrounded by people.

Luke would bet a year’s salary Mac had hired someone. If Mac hadn’t been with Sonja the whole time, he might have been a suspect. Not that Luke cared who had done it. He couldn’t prove it, and even if he could, he wouldn’t. He sure as hell wasn’t sorry that bastard was dead.

“Where is everyone?”

Both men nodded toward the direction of the back of the house. “Out on the lanai. Sonja cooked enchiladas. Better hurry before they’re all gone,” Marcus said.

Luke grunted and exited the kitchen. He knew Marcus had been in the Navy so maybe that’s why he and Mac were talking. The other man’s presence shouldn’t bother him, but it did. It didn’t take Freud for him to figure out why. Mac was the reigning male force in Hope’s life, and though Luke wouldn’t admit it aloud, he hated that. Childish? Probably. He just didn’t care.

After saying hello to the women, he continued his trek across the expansive yard. Sure enough, a dim light shone through the glass.

“Anyone here?” he shouted upon entry. He also pulled his gun out. If Jonas was behind the destruction to Hope’s room, he couldn’t afford to take a chance.

“I’m in the back,” Jonas’s shaky voice called out.

Flowers and plant leaves brushed Luke’s arms as he walked down one of the aisles. Seconds later, he found Jonas bent over a pot, clipping green leaves off some sort of plant. The man looked up when he heard him approach, and his eyes widened when he saw the gun.

“Is everything all right?” Jonas glanced around, his eyes darting nervously at anywhere but Luke.

“You tell me.” Luke’s voice was a sharp razor’s edge. He hated doing this. Hated doubting someone he’d known for years.

“How did you know?” His voice was barely above a whisper.

Shit. There was his answer. It was like someone punched him in the gut. “I didn’t until just now.”

Jonas wiped his gnarled, dirty hands on equally filthy cargo-style pants.

“Why’d you do it?” Luke sheathed his gun. The only weapon the old man had was clippers but he wasn’t fast enough to do any damage even if he wanted to.

Jonas leaned against his work table, then collapsed onto a rickety wooden stool. The small seat creaked under his weight. “It wasn’t supposed to happen the way it did.” He sighed and held his face in his hands, streaking himself with dirt.

“What was supposed to happen?”

Jonas looked up, his dark eyes wet with unshed tears. “Sherri and I took her. It was only supposed to be for a couple days. They’d pay the ransom and then we’d be rich. Simple.” He coughed and wiped away a few stray tears. “But Sherri left. I always knew she wanted kids, but I never thought…” His voice trailed off and Luke guessed the older man was barely aware of his existence.

“Who the hell is Sherri? Did she work with you?” Luke had been a kid himself back when Hope had been taken, but he didn’t remember anyone by that name working for the Santiagos’.

The older man’s eyes focused on him. “She didn’t work with me, she was my fiancé. That money was going to set us up for life. We’d always talked about sailing around the world. I never wanted kids and I thought she’d get over…” He trailed off again as he focused on the ground.

Luke didn’t respond. It was hard to have any sort of empathy for a man who’d stolen an innocent little girl. Ripped her from her family and nearly torn them apart in their grief.

“What happens now?” he asked.

“That’s not for me to decide.” Luke motioned with his hand for Jonas to stand. He really hoped the old man didn’t try to run. For now, he’d take him down to the police station. Luke had no clue what the statute of limitations was for kidnapping, if there even was one. Especially for a crime that had happened out of the country. Maybe they’d extradite him. Either way, it wasn’t going to be Luke’s problem. The court system could decide Jonas’s fate.

Jonas stood on shaky legs. “I can’t go to jail…I’m too old.”

Luke took him by the arm, but the man fell to his knees. “Come on. I don’t have time for this.”

Jonas’s face had turned a muted gray. Under the dim light, he looked as if death was staring him in the face. Maybe it was. He clutched his chest and gasped for breath.

“Aww shit, not now.” Luke pulled out his phone and radioed Marcus. “I think Jonas is having a heart attack. Call 911.”

Jonas gasped a few more times, then fell back into the dirt. Luke checked his vitals and pounded on his chest. After a few minutes, Jonas sucked in a deep, strong breath.

“You’re not getting away that easily,” Luke muttered.

Jonas didn’t respond. He laid his head back on the dirt floor and closed his eyes.  But at least he was breathing.

When the ambulance took Jonas away, Luke held his tongue. He’d already called the police and they were going to post a guard outside Jonas’s hospital room. Luke would tell Sonja in the morning and let her decide what to do with the knowledge of Jonas’s betrayal. Hope had had enough happen to her in the past week to last a lifetime. He didn’t want to put a damper on her spirits now.

Any more bad news could wait until later. Much later.

It wasn’t as if the old man was going anywhere.