Page 113 of Pervade Montego Bay

“She’s staying here tonight,” said Louis.

James gave him a curious look.

“She’ll be safe here,” I said. “You and I are taking a short trip, James.”

He glanced at his watch. “Where?”

The sound of helicopter blades cutting through the air had him pinning a glare on me.

“I’ll brief you on the way,” I told him.

Within five minutes, I’d kissed Emily goodnight in one of the guest bedrooms and had escorted James out to the helicopter, which sat at the edge of the garden.

I secured the backpack I’d brought in the seat beside mine as the helicopter flew us away from Louis’ estate.

James pointed to my rucksack. “What’s in there?”

“Stuff we’ll need,” I answered, being deliberately vague.

“What the fuck is going on?”

“We’re going to change a life.”

“Brief me.”

“I’ll brief you on the ground.” I tapped my earpiece hinting I wanted to keep this covert.

With the dark blue ocean on our left we flew low over the coast. I was glad for the thrum of caffeine buzzing through my veins.

James’ jaw was tense as he tried to figure out where we were going. He looked exhausted, which I’d use to my advantage later.

“Do you trust me, James?”

“Usually.”

His gut was probably telling him something was off. There was no way I could share the fact that his instincts were right. I needed him compliant.

Within twenty minutes, our helicopter set down at the deserted entry point to Dunn’s River Falls. During the day this area was full of tourists and locals eager to make their way up the pathway to the spectacular waterfall. At 2:00 A.M., we were the only ones hiking up the trail. I fished a flashlight out of my sack and then flung the backpack behind me, pulling my arms through it.

James pointed to his tuxedo. “We’re not exactly dressed for this.”

“It’s only a twenty-minute walk over there.”As he well knew.

“Are we meeting someone?”

The helicopter lifted off and we shielded our faces from the spray of debris. It banked left over the tall palm trees.

James kept the chopper in his sights until it disappeared. “I’m not taking another step until you tell me what’s going on.”

I hurried over to the trailhead while ignoring his grumbling, which was understandable considering we were in the middle of nowhere and we should have passed out in bed an hour ago.

The familiar sound of frogs singing filled the warm night air. My flashlight lit the pathway, clear from the usual endless visitors who’d crowd it during the day.

I trudged forward with a sense of grief. I didn’t want to do this…didn’t want to put James through any more pain.

“Xavier!” The fact he wasn’t breathless was proof of his fitness.

Up ahead there was a vast rock formation with a foaming river tumbling over its side. A full moon illuminated the picturesque setting. I breathed in the cooler fresh air, easily lulled by the rush of the waterfall that cascaded into the silvery pool of water several yards ahead.