Loving a Bad Boy (24 page)

“
Walk away, Cardenas. Get
the fuck outta here and don’t come back. There’s a lot of pussy in
Miami, don’t fuck up.” After a moment or two of stern talking, he
returned to the bedroom intent on following his own
advice.

“
I’m leaving in a couple
of days. I should be in Cat Island before noon if there are no
problems.”

Julio froze.
Cat Island
. Wasn’t that
one of the islands they were exploring for possible alternatives
with the munitions route? No, they were looking at one of the
larger ones in the Caribbean, but with so many small islands with
caves, it made no difference which island she was on. He tamped
down his irritation over the fact she had not informed him of her
trip. Since there was no real reason for her to tell him anything,
other than they had frequent sex, it was just another thing that
pissed him off.

He entered the room, pleased her back was to
him as she talked on the phone. He nearly stumbled at her next
words.

“
I don’t know how he feels
about me coming. I haven’t asked him. But I’m sure you’re right,
he’ll be happy once he sees me.”

A pang of jealousy hit
him.
She was going to see another
man
? How? What? Damn it, who? He stepped
back, grabbed the door handle and closed it with more force than
necessary. He wanted to see the guilt on her face for having sex
with him while belonging to another. He wanted to yell and tell Tex
she was just like all the other women they had met, faithless. He
wanted to shake her for ruining his impressions of her being
special.

She swiveled, smiled, and
held a finger in the air as she continued talking. No guilt, no
anger, and worst, no guile. As her lip curled in a grin, he
exhaled, the tension in his back lifting. It wasn’t like him to get
so riled up so quickly over nothing. He raked his hand through his
hair.
Time to get out of here, get back on
my game.

“
Alright, I just wanted
you to know where I’ll be next month. I’ll call you when I’m
back.”

His mind worked feverishly trying to make
sense of everything. One thing kept returning to the forefront with
a vengeance. “You’re leaving?” He didn’t mean to accuse her of
anything, it just came out that way.

She glanced at him. “Yeah. I’m going home
for a long vacation. It’s been a while and I need to
reconnect.”

“
Reconnect? Reconnect with
who?” He stepped closer, watching her for signs of
deceit.

She shrugged. “Family, friends…” she looked
over her shoulder at him, not making eye contact.

He crossed his arms and stared down at her.
The green monster left a bitter taste on his tongue, but he
wouldn’t kick him out until he got some answers. “So who is it that
don’t know you’re coming?”

“
Huh?” She stood and
pulled her robe over her nakedness. “What?” she asked after the
silence stretched.

“
I heard you on the
phone.”

She chuckled nervously. “I was talking with
my aunt.”

His brow rose. She hadn’t answered his
question and when she bit down on her lip he knew she was fully
aware of that fact.

“
I told her that my daddy
didn’t know I was coming to the Island, because he doesn’t. She’s
older and wants to believe he and I get along, so I let her.” She
shrugged and turned away.

He took a glance at the clock. In ninety
minutes he and Roberto would be on a plane. But with men trashing
her place, he couldn’t allow her to go away without protection.

“
How long you gonna be
gone.”

“
At least a
month.”

“
What?” That threw him.
“What will you be doing a whole month?” He moved closer and spun
her around to face him. Her glassy eyes touched him more than if
she had broken down in tears.

She wrapped her arms around her waist. “I
plan to go a few places,” she muttered.

“
Like where?” he snapped
not liking the affect she had on him.

Her jaw tightened. “I don’t know where yet,”
she snapped.

He wiped his face with his palm. The need to
spank her rode him hard, but she’d only played those games during
sex. “Why are you going to Cat Island?”

Her mouth opened and then closed. She spun
around and walked off.

“
Pam?”

Her shoulders slumped. “I’m going to search
for clues about my mom.”

He frowned. According to his background
check, her mother was dead. How could she not know that? “Okay. Is
she from there?”

“
No. She’s from the
Dominica. The last time I saw her was on Cat Island.”

“
It makes sense to start
there then. How long ago has that been?”

Her shoulders rose and then fell. “Sixteen
years ago. I was nine almost ten when they sent me to the states to
live with my aunt. I’ve heard from him since I left, but not a word
from my mom. I need to find out what happened to her.”

He frowned. None of this made any sense.
“Can’t you ask your dad?”

She snorted. “I don’t talk to him.”

“
Not even to get
information? More flies with honey, that kind of thing.” Puzzled
over the inconsistencies of his report he was tempted to make a
call. It’d take Tex an hour, tops, to unravel this mess. But then
she’d know her mom was dead and he wasn’t sure that short-cut was
the best way for her to find out. It might work better for her to
discover the truth on her own. He moved closer when he heard her
sniffle.

“
No. Maybe. I’ll see when
I get there.”

Julio knew he couldn’t allow her to go on
her own, not until the threat to her was neutralized. Problem was,
Pam was very independent minded. He noticed she hadn’t asked his
opinion, or asked him to go with her. She thought nothing of
high-tailing off for a month to unearth her family secrets. She had
no idea that someone had put out that her mother was dead.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled
her back against his chest. “You going by yourself?” He asked as a
stall tactic while he sifted through his commitments and her quest.
He wasn’t prepared for the surge of jealousy that buffeted him when
she nodded.

Without thought, his arms tightened.
“What?”

“
A few months ago, I hired
an investigator, Mike. He hit a dead end but told me that he’d help
me again if I found any new clues. I’m thinking about taking him
along.”

“
No.” the word flew out of
his mouth before he could check it.

“
What?” she half turned
and looked up at him.

“
The idea of you with some
guy for a month, or a day, doesn’t sit well with me,” he said
plainly.

Wide eyed she stared at him, surprised.
“Oh.”

“
I told you if you needed
help to come to me. I promised to help you.” He tried to gentle his
tone but he was aggravated that she’d actually thought he would
allow her to go off with another guy.

She brightened. “That’s right. I forgot. I’m
leaving in two days, will that be enough time?”

“
Let me get to work on it.
Where did you plan to stay?” Not that it mattered, she’d be under
his protection with his men.

“
I rented a hotel
room.”

“
Will it be okay if I rent
a house? You’ll have your own room. But I’ll need space for the
team.”

Her brow furrowed. “Team? How many people
are you talking about?”

“
At least five.” He waved
down her next comment. “Let me handle this. Problem solving is a
big part of my job.” After releasing her, he picked up his pants
and stepped into them. “I’m going to be out of town for two days.
When I return, I’ll have things set up for the Bahamas trip. Be
packed and have your notes organized by dates.” He picked up his
shirt and slid an arm into it.

She frowned deeply, lines spread across her
forehead, a sure sign she was about to become stubborn. “I can stay
at the hotel.”

Julio was ready for her. “You can. But do we
want the information split like that? You’ll be making people
choose who they trust to talk to. If we’re in the same place they
don’t have to make that choice.” He slipped on his shoes. Besides,
I want you close to me.” He bent down and captured her lips.

“
Okay?” he asked in a
husky voice against her soft lips.

“
Okay,” she murmured,
“you’re the expert.”

“
That’s true. Have I told
you how much I’m going to miss you?”

Her eyes darkened as their gazes locked. For
a moment neither of them spoke. “She bit back a grin. “Not in the
last ten minutes.”

He leaned forward. “I need to fix that
then.” His lips slanted over her mouth as he kissed her deeply.

Chapter 15

Crystalline clear blue water shimmered
below. Pam stared at the comforting view a few moments longer
before reclining in her seat aboard the small private jet. Soon she
would be home. Then the shit would definitely hit the fan. Closing
her eyes, she counted backwards to ten to slow down and drown out
the sound of her pounding heart.

“
Why are you so nervous?”
Tex asked from his seat across from her.

“
I’m not,” she said after
a period of silence. Her pointed stare dared him to challenge her
statement. She’d been happy when Julio told her Tex would be one of
the team members. It helped soften the blow that he wouldn’t be
making this trip, although he planned to come within the next few
days to check on their progress.

His brow rose, but he didn’t push the issue.
“Pretty.” He nodded out the window toward the water.

“
Yeah, it is. Always has
been.” She leaned back in her chair without looking. Bundles of
nerves jumped around in her stomach at the thought of facing family
she hadn’t seen in years. What would they say? How would they
receive her? She pushed aside her fear. All she wanted was answers
to her questions. They didn’t have to like her for that.

Tex shook her shoulder. “Hey, seriously. You
okay? You don’t look good.” His long torso stretched across the
small aisle, and his eyes held a wealth of concern. Pity they were
the wrong eyes. Already she missed Julio’s calming influence.

She released her breath. Relax, ease up.
Muscles unclenched one at a time throughout her body. Slowly, she
released her anxiety, and found her favorite point of focus, Julio.
The past few days she discovered he was a great listener with a
can-do attitude. He’d impressed upon her the need to seek a
probable solution for any problem she encountered. She didn’t have
much practice with that mindset but had been employing it lately
when it came to tracking down information about her mom.

She covered Tex’s hand with her own while
offering a small smile. “I’m good. Just haven’t been home in a
while, hope everybody remembers me.”

He squeezed her shoulder before leaning
back, still holding her eyes. “Don’t worry ‘bout it. Time enough
when you get there. Enjoy the break from phones and other annoying
influences,” he said with a sarcastic smile, referring to the loud
disagreement she and Julio'd had regarding this trip.

She took the bait. “Your boss is full of
shit.”

Tex grinned. “He’s full of something.”

She pinned him with a glare. “What’s that
supposed to mean?” Pam had insisted Julio make this trip, in her
mind he’d promised he would. He sidestepped her demand by making
demands of his own. She was to stay in the house he rented. Take
someone with her at all times when she made her inquiries. Keep her
gun handy and use it if she felt threatened. For all his demands,
he made one thing clear, nothing was to happen to her. It was hard
to argue after he pummeled that warning into the heads of every
member of the team.

Tex shrugged and replaced his sunglasses on
his face, depriving her of the ability to read him better. “Just
what I said.”

She waved his comment aside. “Just make sure
I don’t get hurt,” she mocked imitating Julio’s voice.

Tex grinned but didn’t speak.

She settled back in the seat and looked out
the window. After months of hiring others to look for her mom, she
was going to do it herself. She glanced at the men on the plane and
amended her thought. Not all by herself. But she’d be able to see
the faces of those giving or refusing to give information about the
woman who gave birth to her. No matter what happened, she was
grateful to have Tex and his guys along. They had a lot of
resources and may be able to discover more than she already
knew.