Danger in Paradise (4 page)

* * * * *

Luke hurried back to the Santiagos’ villa. Away from the woman with the big eyes that called to all his protective instincts. Hope had looked terrified, not overheated. Something had happened out there and for whatever reason, she’d lied to him. He’d probably scared the hell out of her, grabbing hold of her like a monk who hadn’t touched a woman in a decade, but something about her called out to his most primitive side. He wanted to stroke and kiss every inch of her body.

As he walked onto the veranda, his cell phone buzzed. “Hi Sonja.”

“Hello Lucas.” Even if his caller ID hadn’t told him who was calling, her soft Afghani accent was unmistakable. Though she’d lived between the Caribbean and the United States for years, she’d never lost that distinctive speech pattern.

“Is everything okay?” he asked immediately.  Sonja rarely checked up on him. Normally when she asked him to do something, she let him do his job. Family friend or not, he wasn’t going to be micromanaged.

“Of course, I’m just checking in to make sure you arrived safely.”

“We got here about an hour ago and she’s already started working.”

“Wonderful…what is she like?”

“She seems to know what she’s doing.”

“Oh.” Her voice had a touch of disappointment.

“She’s who you wanted, right? You haven’t changed your mind?”

“No! I mean, no, of course not. I just wanted to know if…uh…”

Realization slammed into him. “Sonja? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“Well…I thought maybe she might remind you of someone.”

“Shit.” He never cursed around Sonja because he knew she despised it.

“She looks just like Maria, doesn’t she?” Sonja continued, almost breathless.

She did, but he wasn’t ready to confirm it yet. “Is that why you sent me? You
knew
about this?” A head’s up would have been nice.

“I couldn’t come, myself. I was looking for photographers and when I saw her picture on her website I almost had a heart attack. I didn’t trust myself to see her in person. I thought maybe you’d be objective enough—” Her voice broke off into a half-sob and Luke’s heart twisted. “I can’t get my hopes up again after all these years. My heart can’t take it. That’s why I sent you, don’t you understand?” The agony in her voice clawed at his insides.

He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Unfortunately, I do.”

A few moments passed, but he figured she needed to compose herself. Eventually she continued. “Does she look like her? Now that you’ve seen her in person?”

He couldn’t lie to her. Not that it would matter if he did. He’d be bringing Hope to Miami in a week or two, anyway. “There are differences…but yes, she does have some similarities to Maria.” There were a lot more than
similarities
between the two, but he couldn’t bring himself to voice it aloud just yet. He needed to see Hope next to Maria.

Sonja expelled a long sigh. He wasn’t sure if it was out of relief or panic. Maybe it was a bit of both. “Do you think it’s…it’s my Anna?”

“I honestly don’t know.” If he gave her false hope after all these years and he was wrong, he couldn’t live with himself. “Have you told anyone else about her?”

“No. I didn’t want to upset Jose or Maria if it wasn’t necessary. I don’t think poor Jose’s heart would be able to take it. And Maria has dealt with enough over the years.”

For a woman who’d lost her daughter, she’d never given up hope that Anna was alive. She’d had a few breakdowns over the years, and at one point Luke had been sure Sonja and Jose would divorce, but she’d tried her best to raise Maria with a sense of normalcy.

Unlike her, Luke had buried Anna’s ghost a long time ago. Or at least he thought he had until he’d come face to face with Hope. “What are you going to do when I bring her to Miami?”

“I have no idea.” She sighed, the sound heavy and tired.

That’s what he was afraid of. “I’m going to see what information I can dig up, but I’ll call you soon.”

As soon as they disconnected, he dialed another number. He wanted to check in with his FBI contact. Hopefully he’d have news about Hope’s background. His friend, Max Gray, picked up on the third ring. “Gray here.”

“Hey, Max, I was just calling to check—”

“Look, I’m swamped right now. I’ll call you back later.”

Luke paused for a second. He and Max went back about a decade. Before he had a chance to respond, Max hung up.

What the hell was that?
Luke stared at his phone for a second before retreating inside.

In his room, he changed into jogging clothes. Too many questions raced through his head. Maybe if he worked out he’d be able to work out some of his tension. Though, somehow he doubted it.

As he left his room, the buzz of his phone stopped him. He didn’t know the number, but recognized the area code. “This is Luke.”

“It’s Max.” His voice was low, almost a whisper.

“Man, what the hell is going on?”

“Listen, I don’t have long, I’m calling from a payphone if you can believe that. Whatever you’ve gotten yourself into, keep me out of it.” A horn blasted in the background.

“What?”

“That girl you wanted me to check out, Hope Jennings, well forget about it.” Though Max’s voice was low, Luke didn’t miss the anxiety.

“Why?”

“About an hour after I started digging, the Deputy Director himself strolled into my cubicle.”

“What?” An icy fist clasped around his heart.

“The only thing I managed to find out is that Mac Jennings was a SEAL in ’Nam and he’s got friends in high places. Really high. And not just with the bureau. If you’ve got contacts with the CIA, be careful who you ask. I’ve got to go.” His friend disconnected again.

Luke frowned at his silent cell phone. One thing he was sure of, one way or another, he was going to find out who the hell Mac and Hope Jennings were. He’d expected roadblocks, but this wasn’t even in the realm of what he thought he’d be up against.

Which only intrigued him more.

Maybe he’d go straight to the source and just ask Hope. He snorted as the thought instantly dissipated. If he did that, she was likely to split. Hell, there was no likely about it. She would. Then he’d never get his answers. And the Santiagos would never know the truth. More than anything their family deserved closure about their missing daughter. And if it turned out Hope was her… Luke wouldn’t let himself go there. Not yet.

Hope spent the next couple of hours walking the main grounds and the private beach, snapping shots from every angle possible. She doubted she’d need a full two weeks to photograph everything, but she wanted a solid week so she could shoot at different times during the day.

As she walked across the backyard she noticed Luke standing on a small balcony.
Without a shirt.
He was on his cell phone and so engrossed in his conversation he wasn’t aware of her presence. She studied his lean form and flat, muscular profile. He was in good shape, but she doubted he frequented gyms. He didn’t seem the type. No, he probably got his exercise outside…or maybe in the bedroom.

Her stomach clenched as the random thought of tangled sheets and their sweaty bodies intertwined made its way to the forefront of her brain. On impulse she took a few covert shots of him. With his structured face and defined body, the man was extremely photogenic.

That wasn’t why she’d taken the pictures though, and she knew it.

Sighing, she put the lens cap back on her trusty Nikon and went inside. She heard singing from somewhere as she worked her way through the house, trying to find where her room was. As she walked down a long tiled hallway, she couldn’t help but notice how bare everything was. Sure, the house was nicely decorated, but there were no pictures or mementos anywhere.

 
Her sandals clicked along the floor until she found the source of the singing. A petite, dark-skinned woman was shaking her hips and moving around the kitchen as she cooked and sang. Hope paused in the archway for a moment, not wanting to disturb her. The woman in the ankle length dress had to be in her late sixties, but she danced around the kitchen with graceful ease.

Hope stepped onto the mosaic tile and cleared her throat, meaning to ask for directions to her room. When the woman turned from the stove, Hope smiled and walked toward her. “Hi, I’m Hope. I’m staying here with Luke.”

The woman’s face faded to an ashen gray. She then crossed herself, and grabbed one of Hope’s hands. She started mumbling something indiscernible and her grip tightened.

Hope took a step back and tried to wrench free. What was it with strangers who thought it was okay to just touch her?

“Zara.”

Luke’s deep voice caused Hope to jump.  She hadn’t even heard him enter the room. The woman dropped her hand as he said something in a language Hope couldn’t understand. Hope quickly shifted away to stand by Luke.

“I think she’s confused,” she murmured just low enough for him to hear.

He stepped in front of her, half blocking her from the other woman.

“Dinner will be ready in a couple hours. Do you want to freshen up?” Luke asked in equally quiet tones.

She nodded and glanced back and forth between the other woman and Luke. “Is she okay?”

He nodded, but she didn’t miss the strain in his dark eyes. “She’s fine.”

Out of natural curiosity Hope wanted to question further, but realized it wasn’t her place. She was hired to do a job, nothing more. “Where’s my room?”

“Make a left out of here. At the end of the hallway you’ll see a winding staircase. Your room is the second door on the left.”

“Where’s your room?”

His eyebrows lifted slightly, but he answered neutrally. “Third door on the left. Next to yours.”

She found it just as he’d said. Her room was also tiled, like the rest of the house, in a basic taupe color, but maroon and gold throw rugs brightened the floor. Her bags were on the bench at the foot of the queen-size poster bed so she grabbed what she needed and headed for the bathroom.

Over dinner she planned to find out anything she could about Luke Romanov. It wasn’t any one thing in particular, but she knew he was keeping something from her.

And she didn’t like it one bit. She knew it was the control freak inside her and that she should just do her job, get paid and go home, but that so wasn’t going to happen.

* * * * *

Luke stared out the high windows of the dining room as he waited for Hope. He’d wanted to have a more intimate atmosphere for dinner, but Zara had insisted they eat in the formal dining area. He’d conceded because she’d threatened him with an infertility curse. Not that he actually believed in that stuff, but still, he wasn’t taking any chances. Thank God the woman barely spoke English. When he’d walked in to the kitchen earlier and heard her mumbling in Creole to Hope that she was a miracle, his heart had sped up.

Then reality sank in and he’d realized Hope couldn’t understand her.

“Is this where we’re eating?” Hope’s soft voice jarred him out of his thoughts.

He turned around and sucked in a breath. The light streaming in from the windows flickered off the chandelier, illuminating her delicate features. She wore a simple green sleeveless dress that fell right at her ankles. It wasn’t tight, but when she moved, the soft material swayed against her body, revealing the lean lines of her body. It took him a moment for it to register that she’d asked him something. “I’m sorry what?”

She smoothed down her dress self-consciously. “I asked if I should sit.”

“Yes, sorry. Normally it’s not so formal, but you’re a guest so Zara wanted to do something big.” He led her to the end of the cherry wood rectangular table and sat directly across from her.

Luke shot Zara a warning look as she entered carrying two covered dishes. He’d had a talk with her about Hope. He didn’t want her gushing all over her again. Not until he figured out a few things. 

Hope moved to help Zara, but he cleared his throat, and she stopped. “Don’t, she’ll be offended.”

She remained immobile, but he could tell she felt uncomfortable. After two more trips, the table was full of rice, beans, empanadas, and everything else Anna had liked as a child.
Subtle.
Zara threw him a haughty glare before returning to the kitchen. He couldn’t blame her for being pissed at him, but he couldn’t have her spooking Hope.

“Those are
maduros
.” He pointed to one of the smaller dishes.

She smiled and scooped some on her plate. “I know. They’re my favorite.”

“You speak Spanish?” He tried to keep his tone casual.

“A little. I’m not fluent, but enough to get by.” She took a bite and he nearly forgot to breathe at the pure pleasure that played across her features. She let out a sigh and when her tongue flicked out over her bottom lip, his entire body tensed in anticipation. He could watch her eat all day.

“What about you?” she asked after she swallowed.

He nodded, but didn’t further elaborate.

“What else do you speak?” she prodded.

“Why do you assume I speak more languages?”

She lifted her eyebrows and took another bite.

“Okay, I also speak Russian and a little Creole.”

“And that’s what Zara was speaking earlier?” She motioned toward the kitchen entrance with her hand.

He nodded and started to ask another question but she beat him to it. “So how is it that you’re friends with the Santiagos?”

“My parents introduced Sonja to Jose.”

She nodded and asked another question. “How is it that Zara works here full time when they rarely come here?”

“She doesn’t. She lives in Jamaica on their main estate. She just came here to get the house ready, but she’ll be leaving in the morning.”

Hope squirmed in her seat and Luke could practically see the gears turning in her head. He guessed she was trying to think of more questions to ask in an effort to avoid answering his.

If this had been any other woman he would have used his charm to get answers from her. Unfortunately he couldn’t do that. Not if there was a chance she was Anna.

“Why did you go into security?” Her question was casual, but an underlying current of something he couldn’t define passed between them. As if she was testing him.

“Because the world needs it. I’ll never be out of a job.”

“But you don’t just do security do you?”

“What?”

“Sorry, I’m not trying to be nosy. I told you I had Mac run your information and he mentioned that you also worked with an organization in Miami that searches for missing children. I was just curious why. It’s…it’s an odd thing to do unless you’ve lost someone and Mac said you hadn’t.” Those exotic bluish-gray eyes stared at him in open curiosity.

Well, it certainly wasn’t for the money. All his work was pro bono. He donated about a month of his time every year and whatever resources he could the rest of the year. “Because I can.” This was supposed to be about her. How had she managed to turn the tables on him?

Despite the burning need to fire personal questions at her, he decided to keep things neutral. For the moment anyway. “How did you end up working as a photographer?”

The movement was faint, but she leaned back, slightly relaxing in her seat. “After two years of college I realized it wasn’t for me so I signed up for cosmetology school. That
definitely
wasn’t my thing.”

“Cosmetology school?” Somehow he couldn’t see her styling hair and doing nails.

A small smile tugged at her lips. “Yeah. The first time I had an ‘accident’, I got a warning, but the second time I screwed up, they kicked me out.”

“What exactly did you do?”

Laughter danced in her eyes as she answered. “The first time I burned off a girl’s hair.”

“What?”

“Not all of it. In my defense she didn’t tell me that she’d had it colored a couple days before coming in to see me. She wanted the color changed, but didn’t realize she had to wait.”

“How did you get kicked out?”

She cleared her throat and her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. “I started a little fire.”

“Shit.”

“Exactly. And this time, it was definitely my fault. I left a hot hair straightener on a towel. It was just supposed to be for a second, but I got a phone call and forgot about it. I don’t think I would have lasted much longer anyway.”

He knew he should be drilling her for answers about her father, but he found himself smiling as she opened up to him. “That’s impressive.”

She chuckled and speared a piece of chicken with her fork. “That’s exactly what Mac said.” Before taking a bite she asked, “What about you? Ever burn a building down?”

“Nothing like what you did, but I did cause a small explosion in my high school chemistry class. I was grounded for a month after that one. Almost missed prom because of that one.” It wasn’t in his nature to open up to strangers, but he knew the only way to gain her trust was to do just that. And he found he liked her knowing more about him too.

Hope chuckled under her breath and shook her head. “At least you made it to prom.”

“You didn’t go to yours?” It was hard to imagine her not having
multiple
offers.

“No. I broke my leg two days before.”

“How?”

“I was at a friend’s house and someone got the bright idea that we could jump off the roof into the pool. After this guy Jimmy Carver made it, I tried it.”  She shuddered as she scooped rice onto her fork. “My dad was really pissed over that. But since I missed prom and I couldn’t go diving for a couple months, he figured that was punishment enough.”

“So how’d you end up in photography?”

She shrugged. “I sort of fell into it. Diving and swimming are like breathing to me. After I got kicked out of cosmetology school, I signed up for a couple photography classes and something clicked.”

“You’re obviously doing something right. I’ve seen your portfolio and it’s impressive.”

Her cheeks reddened at his words, but she didn’t respond.

Since they’d been talking about safe subjects she’d been relaxed. Open with him even. Luke decided to risk asking a more personal question. “Why do you call your dad Mac?”

For a split second some indiscernible emotion flashed in her eyes, but she recovered quickly with a casual shrug. “Everyone calls him that.”

Okay, not exactly a straight answer. He’d try another angle. “For someone who just owns a couple restaurants, he certainly seems to have a lot of contacts.”

“What do you mean?” She took another bit of food.

“He’d have to know certain people to run my information and get actual answers. How’s that possible?”

She cleared her throat. “He was in the Navy.” The words were said so absolutely, as if that should explain everything.

Which, in a way it did. If her father had been a lifer, then he’d have had to make some serious contacts. So, he didn’t push the issue. He’d wait until the time was right.

With her fork, she shoved her food around her half empty plate. Great, now he’d made her lose her appetite. The opposite of what he wanted to do. “Do you feel like taking a walk on the beach after dinner?”

Their gazes collided and for a moment, he thought she’d say yes.

“I’m pretty beat, but maybe tomorrow. I want to get up early anyway and get some morning photos.” She stood uncertainly. “Should I leave this stuff or…”

“It’s fine.” He put his fork down as she left and rubbed a hand over his face. This wasn’t going at all as he’d planned.