Page 12

K age

“This is a fucking disaster,” I growled into the phone.

In more than one way.

What the fuck was wrong with me? The moment I’d seen Juliette without any clothes on, I’d almost reacted in a way that would have gotten me court-martialed if still in the service. Even now, if I considered laying a finger on her, I’d have both Gray and her father breathing down my neck.

It didn’t matter she was of age, certainly capable of making her own decisions.

They’d consider me bad for her.

The ugly truth was right there.

I wasn’t good for anybody, especially the prized possession of a powerful man.

I’d done my homework on Randolph Carver.

I’d seen the photographs in the various financial magazines and inside lavish parties.

Always with a different woman on his arm.

I’d also seen pictures of his daughter by his side at several charity events, but she looked entirely different standing in only a towel and wet hair.

Why the fuck was my cock twitching?

“We’ll figure it out, Kage,” Gray sighed.

“It would seem the goddamn police could be on the take. I don’t appreciate being ambushed.”

“I get it. Okay? I’m sorry about that. I had no way of knowing. I’ll get another plane down there, but it needs to wait.”

Yeah, I’d been none too nice from the moment he’d answered the phone. I’d gotten voicemail the first time, spouting off enough details he knew the mission had been botched, but not enough give away where we were hiding.

At this point, I didn’t trust anyone.

“No, you won’t.”

“What the hell are you thinking of doing?”

“I’ll handle the extraction myself. What the fuck do you mean it needs to wait?”

His heavy sighs were getting on my nerves. “I received word from the Bermudan police that there’s some heightened gang activity. At least that’s what they’re calling it. Don’t say it. Could be a ploy.”

“Yeah, it could be. If we take the news at face value, the island is inundated with soldiers searching for us.”

“Exactly. You need to lay low for a couple days. Let me make the arrangements.”

“In case you haven’t figured it out, someone talked. Either they were bought off or simply dirty all along. That much I don’t know and don’t give a shit. That’s for you to figure out. My mission is to bring Ms. Carver home safely and that’s what I’m going to do. But I will do it my way.”

“Jesus Christ, Kage. That’s what almost got you killed on more than one occasion. You’re a fucking hot-dogger, completely unconventional.” I was standing outside the front door on the small landing, staring out at the jungle surrounding the building. At this point, I was grateful for the cover.

“You could have picked someone else for the job, Gray. That would have been fine by me. But you chose me. And do you want to know why? For the exact reasons you just mentioned. Now, I know you pretty well, Gray. You’re hiding something about this mission.

I can feel it. It burns my throat raw. Your reasons why you kept whatever it is you’re hiding from me don’t matter.

I have a woman whose life is at stake stuck with me in a goddamn Bermuda hotel with soldiers from an undisclosed location bearing down on us.

I am absolutely going to do what I need to do to get us the fuck out of here. ”

His long silence was typical, but I didn’t care.

“Do what you need to do, Kage. I trust you. You’re right. You’re the only man capable of pulling this off. Let me see what else I can find out. I’m your only contact and no one else will know.”

“Including her fucking father.”

“He’ll be pissed, but I’ll handle him.”

“I don’t like what I read about Mr. Carver.”

Gray snorted. “Take a number. What don’t you like?”

“The kind of business he’s involved in could easily take him down another path.

” While he’d diversified over the years, the fact he was heavily involved in communications meant for the military remained in the back of my mind.

A lot of people walked in shades of gray.

A lot of people used one business to launder for another as well.

With the kind of people Randolph Carver was potentially doing business with, certain bribes could be difficult to ignore.

“Yeah, I thought of that. I’m searching his business associates to see if there’s any connection we haven’t thought about.”

“Again, that would have been decent of you to share with me prior to me taking the job.”

“By now, you know that the timing really was an issue.”

“Fine. What’s done is done. But this isn’t going to be my burial ground.”

“We’ll talk tomorrow, Kage. I’ll get some answers.”

Yeah, tomorrow. If we lived that fucking long. After ending the call, I almost cracked the phone from the force used as I held it to my forehead.

“Trouble in paradise?”

Her voice was much softer than before, too sultry for my tastes. I rubbed my eyes as Tank trotted toward me.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” I answered her.

“I have a feeling you can handle almost anything.”

My thoughts drifted to my past, which wasn’t a good thing to occur when I was on a job. I’d almost lost myself in a bottle instead of hunting down an enemy. The reasons hadn’t mattered. My shattered soul hadn’t bothered anyone. “Not everything.”

The awkwardness between us was a decent defense mechanism. I didn’t need to get too close to her even in conversation. That’s what often got people killed.

“By the way, I think Tank needs to go to the bathroom.”

I almost laughed. Her fear and dislike of dogs was palpable, but she was paying attention to his bathroom needs. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Thank you for buying the clothes and shoes. And the food. I appreciate it.”

The angst in her tone yanked at my heart.

I hated that more than I wanted to admit to anyone.

I turned to face her, shocked how damn good she looked in the stupid clothes I’d grabbed.

They’d been the first things I’d seen. She was fresh faced, no dirt, her long hair no longer matted.

In the dim light created by dense foliage, she appeared so damn young and vulnerable.

I was immediately thrown, forcing myself to look away.

“You’re bleeding. I need to look at your injuries.” I nodded to her knee.

I wasn’t surprised her sigh reflected the same frustration Gray had felt. “No big deal. I can do it. You’re busy.”

“I’m finished for now. I’ll need to make a few phone calls later so we can plan on getting out of here. Let me take Tank to the woods and I’ll be right back. I’m medically trained.”

“Is there anything you can’t do?”

As I looked at her, I could tell she had no better clue how to deal with me than I did with her. What I knew was that we weren’t going to be friends and certainly wouldn’t cross any other line. She was nothing more than a client I needed to protect at this point.

“I’ll be right back.” Tank didn’t waste any time, but it allowed me to ensure we weren’t about to be compromised. So far, the older man at the desk had kept his word. I’d pay him handsomely for it.

When I walked back inside, I found her staring at herself in the bathroom mirror.

“You don’t like me,” she said as soon as I walked in. She’d already grabbed the bag with the first aid items. I’d been lucky to find them, the shops in close proximity created for tourists, not locals.

“I don’t know you, Juliette.”

“That doesn’t mean you didn’t determine the kind of person I was from the first moment you laid eyes on me. Since you’re so damn good at everything you do, I’m certain you spent some time researching my family.”

“I did. Plus, your godfather told me what you both do for a living.” I pointed to the counter and she gave me a hard look reflected in the mirror. At least she finally hopped up on the edge.

“Let me guess. You’re making fun of me.”

“Not my place to make fun of anyone.”

Her look remained hard as I pulled out a few things.

“Don’t believe everything you read on social media. I’m not like my father.”

“And exactly what is your father like?”

“A man determined to run the lives of everyone he knows.”

I opened the hydrogen peroxide and pulled out a cloth, surprised but not shocked hearing her admittance. They were obviously two entirely different people. “Does that include you?”

She laughed bitterly. “Since the day my mother died, he’s been my greatest supporter and a smothering influence. And he hates what I do with a passion. He still thinks I’m a teenager requiring guidance.”

“Instead of a grown woman capable of making her own decisions.”

“At least you noticed.” She was teasing me. That was easy to detect.

I lifted my gaze. “This might sting.”

“I’m a big girl. I can handle it.” She winced slightly when I pressed the cloth against her knee.

There was no reason for or desire to get into a battle of wills. I was careful in my actions, feeling the weight of her heated gaze. Being this close was uncomfortable, the touch of her skin searing mine. “Did the men holding you say anything to you? You mentioned an auction.”

“One of the men who spoke English mentioned it and that I wasn’t supposed to be damaged. Some of the soldiers were foreign. A language I couldn’t understand, but maybe Middle Eastern. How they acted didn’t seem to make sense.”

I lifted my gaze briefly.

“You know, in abduction 101. It was as if they were playing a role, not obeying orders. I know that sounds crazy. Do you know why this happened? I mean if it wasn’t for ransom then why go to all the trouble of breaking into my condo?

There are plenty of beautiful women on the island. They had their pick.”

What she said didn’t sound crazy. But it was troubling. What if the kidnappers were attempting to lay the blame on someone else? It had been proven successful in other crimes.

“That’s a very good question and one I intend on discovering the answer to. Maybe this has nothing to do with your father.”

“Maybe,” she said and cocked her head as I pulled out an oversized bandage.

“Or it has everything to do with him and the business that he’s in.”