Page 37

NINETEEN

NICOLE

“L ook what you made me do, Nicole.” Bruno’s nasty smile broke out as he proceeded to punish me for not doing what he wanted. “All this pain was your fault.”

My eyes popped open, and my stomach took a violent roll as the memory faded. I tuned in to the spicy smell of his aftershave. Then everything clicked back into place when I felt movement.

“Oh.” I sat up and threw an embarrassed look at the wet spot on Paul’s shoulder where I had apparently fallen asleep. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He grabbed his bag from between his legs. “We knew you’d need the sleep, but we’re here now.”

“Did you sleep?”

“No. I don’t need much sleep.”

“Oh, well, thanks.” I quickly gathered my things. I was embarrassed that he’d probably sat there not moving while I slept on his shoulder, and now I was probably holding them up.

“Must have been some nightmare,” he grunted as he slid over and opened the door. I ignored his comment and finger-brushed my hair before I got out to join the others.

“Morning, Sunshine.” Mark beamed at me. “Fuel up. We need to be sharp.” He tossed me a protein bar.

“Thanks.” I wasted no time and swallowed it down. The calories and the little burst of sugar would perk me up in no time.

Cole went over the plan and where we were to meet Adan’s brother, and one more location if we were to get separated.

It was rather interesting to work with Blackstone.

I thought the other teams I’d worked with were great, but none of them even came close to being as thorough as these guys were.

The way they knew each other’s movements was almost eerie, they always knew exactly where the other guy was.

They really were one big working wheel. I was teamed up with Paul and John again, which I liked.

John and Paul had a special connection, and I noticed John often watched out for Paul.

I tucked that interesting fact away, as I’d noticed a higher degree of stress in Paul compared to the others.

“You see anything, radio it in.” Cole looked around. “Let’s move.”

I noticed Paul slipped on aviator sunglasses and a dark ball hat.

He had a bit of a five o’clock shadow, just enough to darken the skin around his mouth.

He could have walked right by me, and I don’t know if I would recognize him.

Not that I wouldn’t have looked anyway because the man was attractive as sin and carried a level of confidence most didn’t.

That must be a requirement to work on Blackstone.

I huffed a silent laugh. I needed to pay attention to where we were going as we threaded through the tourists.

“Here,” Paul pulled a dress off a stand and handed the shop owner some cash, “put this on.”

I took the white sundress from him and thought how pretty it was. “Why?”

“We need to blend, and you’ve worn that shirt in too many pictures online. We’re one Google search away from your fan club recognizing you.”

“You lookin’ me up?” I teased, but the way he stared at me from behind his shades made my skin heat.

“Give me a second.” I asked the store owner if I could change, and he pointed to a small private area.

The sleeveless cotton dress fit like a glove.

It had buttons down the front and looked clean and crisp.

The bottom of the dress hit mid-thigh, so I snagged a pair of flats from a mannequin.

I wished they were heels, but if I needed to run, I wanted to have a fighting chance.

As I stepped out, I pushed my hair back into a small ponytail and felt like I could play the cruise ship tourist well. “Will this do?”

John slapped Paul’s shoulder with a grin. “Yes.” That was all Paul offered me. I shoved my clothes in my bag. We kept moving through the sea of people who waited for the ferry to get over to the island.

“I’m going to check something out.” John shot off in a different direction, and Paul never broke stride. I wouldn’t ever admit it to Paul, but it was hard to keep up. He had long legs and the endurance of a bull.

Suddenly, someone grabbed my arm and swung me around. “Nicole?” Agustin Ruiz, one of the cousins in the Ruiz family, stared down at me.

I turned to look for Paul, but he’d disappeared, and I was scared he might not have noticed I had stopped.

“Agustin.” I tried not to show how nervous I was to see him again.

He had a reputation, as did a lot of the Cartel, but Agustin had caused a lot of problems between Bruno and me.

“Hi, how are you?” My voice shook, and I was sure he could spot my fear.

“Why are you here?” Shit . I weighed my options if I should lie or tell the truth. “Where’s Bruno?”

“Dead in a ditch somewhere,” I joked. “One can dream.”

“Yes, one can.” His normal smile broke through at the mention of any of the Perez family being killed. “You look fantastic.” He moved closer, and I fought not to step back. “Last I heard, you were in Mexico City.”

“I was.” I tucked a piece of hair back in place, needing something to do. “You know me, I don’t spend a lot of time in one place. That’s not how you chase stories.” Where the hell were the others?

“I have my boat here, so I can give you a lift.”

“No, I’m good. I’m here with some people.” I kicked myself for speaking without thinking and saw his face harden. I forgot who I was dealing with. These men and their egos, they hated the word no .

“It wasn’t a question.” He reached up and ran his fingers down my cheek, and I looked away and forced myself not to brush off his touch. Something firm and warm touched my back, then a hand settled on my hip. Finally .

“Step back,” Paul ordered over my head, “and carry on with your day.”

Agustin’s face scrunched, and I felt my stomach bottom out. “Who the hell are you?”

Paul’s chest vibrated against my back as he grunted. “I won’t repeat myself.”

“She’s with me.” Agustin wasn’t about to back down; our shared history with Bruno had proven that. “Let her go.” I kept my mouth pressed in a firm line so I wouldn’t say anything. “There’s plenty of bitches you can have, but this one is mine.”

“What did you call me?” I snapped and tried to jump forward, but Paul’s hand kept me firmly against him.

Agustin reached for me, but Paul quickly and smoothly grabbed his hand and snapped it backward. He dropped to his knees with a yelp, then Paul kicked his leg, and he jerked in pain.

Paul took my hand, and I had to run to keep up with him.

“You just have friends everywhere.” He snickered over his shoulder.

“Not by choice,” I shot back as we raced to distance ourselves from Agustin and whoever he might have with him.

John came into view. He held his phone to his ear as we fell into step.

John picked up the pace, and I was soon winded.

These guys were crazy fit. We finally slowed as we approached the meeting point.

I saw a speedboat and watched Cole shake hands with who I assumed was Adan’s brother.

We all began to hurry on board. Paul jumped in first then swung around and lifted me off the dock and onto the boat before I could react.

The engine roared to life, and I grabbed his shoulders to stabilize myself.

I silently moaned when I remembered the last time I was in this position.

This time we weren’t in the water, and his hands on me seared hot.

He felt it, too, because when he lowered me, he dragged me down the full length of his front.

“Sit.” He pointed, and I rolled my eyes at how quickly he changed moods. I sat, and as the boat swung away from the dock, he plunked down next to me.

“The Ruiz family’s here,” Paul told the others.

“Damage?” Cole asked.

“Just one of ’em. Hand and knee.”

“Copy that.”

The speedboat didn’t offer much protection from the chilly sea spray.

It was a warm day, but out in the open water, the temperature dropped.

The engines screamed as they beat through the choppy water, and I did whatever I could to hang on.

Mark grinned at me, totally at ease, and held out the bag of beef jerky.

When I shook my head, he dug into it like he hadn’t eaten in days.

Mike drove the boat while Cole and Keith studied a map.

Paul and John seemed to be in some kind of conversation but spoke in French.

To me, it sounded personal, so I turned away to give them privacy.

“Here.” Paul tugged his deep green hoodie over his head and handed it to me. I appreciated that he’d noticed I was cold.

“Won’t you be cold?” I had to ask, but he shook his head and said something to John in French.

“Thanks, then.” I plunged my frozen arms through the sleeves and pulled it on.

I was instantly engulfed with his scent, and his leftover body heat felt like heaven.

I crossed my bare legs and wished my bag was closer so I could change back into my pants.

A wave hit the side of the boat, and I felt like I was about to fly over the side, only to have Paul’s hand automatically reach out to push down on my legs to keep me in place.

Sweet hell, that scared me! Paul didn’t even glance up.

How do these guys stay so agile? I grabbed his arm and used him as an anchor and wiggled closer, not caring how I looked.

Besides, he radiated heat, and I wanted some.

He didn’t seem to mind as I tucked myself to his side.

I figured it was the safest place for me.

“I think I saw Jesus with that last wave.” I yelped as another one hit. “He’s determined to get me.”

“You’re not going anywhere.” He chuckled at my comment then leaned back with his feet out.

I was very aware of the tight grip he had on my thigh.

I missed being held by someone, even if it was just to keep me from plunging to my death.

I figured simply having someone who cared about me was enough in that moment.

He turned his head to me. “What’s your history with Agustin Ruiz?”