Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
God, the sun feels good as I stretch out on the lounge chair by the pool. The island birds chatter in the afternoon heat. This is a tropical heaven.
But it’s not my heaven any longer. I’m going to miss this place. I’m lucky in a way that the storms granted me one more day of soaking it up. Life on the island isn’t the priority any more.
While Wolf’s showering and we wait for lunch, I can’t resist slipping out the door to the poolside patio to lay in the midday rays.
So I might be slightly defying his order to stay in place.
But only slightly. I can take care of myself—I’m not totally helpless.
Plus, I won’t be far away from him and we’re inside the hotel compound.
It’s all good.
The pool filter gurgles softly as the palms whisper in the breeze. For a few minutes, it’s perfect.
Then something makes the hair on my arms rise. There’s no way I can ignore the sensation. I stretch and blink my eyes open.
Holy shit!
“Don’t move.”
In front of my face is the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen. Dark, evil eyes are staring down at me through the slit of a black knit mask.
I open my mouth to scream, but the man slaps a piece of duct tape over my lower face. Yuck! It tastes terrible.
I throw an elbow, but he blocks it. Same with a violent knee I try to annihilate his gonads with. He got the jump on me and quickly subdued me.
With brutal hands, he drags me off the lounger and tosses me over his shoulder like I’m just a rag doll. Kicking and twisting, I do my best to get away. I know what to do. I’ve been trained. But it’s like pounding on a brick wall.
Suddenly, I realize he’s not alone. Another man in all black falls in step behind us. Their tactical boots are perfectly silent on the veranda tile as they move along in the shadows.
After a minute of futile struggling, I give up.
I know where they’re taking me. And I know who I’m going to be dealing with when I get there.
Aston Pembroke. The man who fathered me and thinks he runs my life as well as every other life on this island.
Less than ten minutes later, I’m standing in front of a giant teak wood desk. My father’s. In the middle of his gigantic office. But the man behind it is not my father.
I curse through the tape. My father’s right hand man, Wilton Hampstead, rolls his eyes with his usual theatrics. “I should have them leave it on you, but your grandmother would put some kind of hex on me if I did.” He motions to the giant asshole that taped my mouth in the first place.
With a dark laugh, the guard yanks the tape off.
Jesus!
I grab my lower lip. The thing is now furiously plumping up like I paid for a filler job. “Owe! You son of a bitch. Try sticking that tape on your own face and see how you like it.”
I can’t see his grin, but Roberto’s eyes, eyes that I now recognize, are laughing. Roberto’s always been a jerk. But he’s never laid a hand on me. Something’s definitely up.
I glare at the man. Laugh all you want. I’ll get my revenge one day.
Visions of ripping the hair off his balls with duct tape in the same ruthless fashion gives me immense satisfaction. But unfortunately, it does nothing to dim my anger.
I turn my rage toward Wilton, who’s idly thumbing through a golf magazine. “Why am I here?”
Over the top of his frameless glasses, he says, “Because you’ve disgraced your father for the last time.”
This makes my anger shoot higher than the stupid fence around this compound. “How’s that?”
“By marrying some lowlife, then slinking away.”
If I could shoot daggers out of my face right now, he’d be pinned against the wall by his stupid pink polo shirt and blue Bermuda shorts.
“Where’s my father?”
“Busy, doing King stuff.”
I’m about to yell at the man when a guard skids into the office, nearly face planting on the area rug. His eyes are on fire with panic. “Sir. Sir! Excuse me. Two men have entered the compound by jumping the fence.”
Wilton slumps in my father’s chair. It makes him look so much like a pink slug that I almost grin. He huffs, “This just keeps getting better.” He eyes the guard like a moody child. “Can’t you stop them?”
“No! Not me.” The guard squeaks.
“Yes, you. Aren’t you paid to be a guard?”
“I-uh, these men look like they might be dangerous.”
Shaking his head, Wilton rises, he opens the desk drawer to his right and pulls out a pistol. “Pfft. Dangerous. I’ll show you dangerous.” He waves the gun around, looking completely incompetent.
Panic freezes my blood solid. “ No! There’s no need for that. I’m sure it’s just Wolf, my husband, coming for me. We can talk about this like adults. Please.”
Scowling, Wilton puffs up his chest. It’s a pathetic display. “I’ll just take care of this marriage problem, once and for all, and we’ll be done with your nonsense. Roberto, take her away. Make sure she’s locked up tight. Arnold, you come with me.”
With my heart spasming in my chest, I gasp. “What’s wrong with you? You’re acting like a barbarian!”
He glares at me and nods his chin toward Roberto. “Young lady, I’ll deal with you later.”
Roberto grabs my arm and drags me away. This time, I fill the air with curses, but I’m still no match for his strength. My bare feet scuff along the floor as the brute manhandles me. “Why are you doing this? Where’s my father? Wilton’s completely unhinged. Let me go!”
The man grunts and forces me down the hallway toward the rear of the estate.
“Roberto, listen, please. Something’s wrong! Wilton’s never threatened to shoot anyone. My father would never condone this.”
“You’ve never caused the King a headache like this one.” He shoves me into one of the guest rooms.
“Wait! Please.”
“Go! In the bathroom.”
I twist against his hold but he shoves me in front of him, causing me to stumble against the wall. He snaps, “Quit with the hysterics and get—”
Thunk! Roberto’s hands suddenly drop away.
When I spin around, Roberto’s sprawled on the floor and Wolf’s scowling down at his prone form. His pistol is held up in his right hand like a hammer. “I should snap the fuckwad’s arms off for pushing a small woman around like that.”
Wolf turns his dangerous expression on me. “How did they grab you?”
“It’s my fault. I went onto the patio for some fresh air while you were in the shower. It was just for a minute…”
A pained expression crosses his handsome face. “Jesus, Kate. You can’t be doing that shit.” He reaches for me and I throw myself around Wolf’s waist. Tears blur my vision as I hug my rescuer. “Thank you for not killing him. But thank you more for rescuing me.”
His arm pulls tight around me “You’re welcome. You didn’t think I’d leave you, did you? You’re my wife now. Even if you are a mess.”
I press my eyes shut as I lean into him. “I’m sorry. I know that, but thank you. I mean that. I’ll try not to cause any more trouble.”
A low rumbly laugh builds in his chest. “You should have seen your face when you realized he was knocked out. Come on, let’s get out of this place.”
“How did I look?”
“Victorious.”
I shrug. “Well, I sort of am, by proxy. And Wolf, we shouldn’t go out there, my father’s assistant has got a gun.”
“Not anymore, he doesn’t.”
“Did you take care of that too?”
“We did. Your Nan helped us.”
I take a deep breath. “Okay. Wow. That’s amazing. I guess when I picked Agile Security and Rescue, I picked well.”
He tucks his knuckle under my chin and raises my face toward his. “As crazy as this sounds, I’m glad you did, lass. I hate to be bored, and since the minute you careened across that runway, it’s been non-stop.”
Then he kisses me swiftly. With all the talent he demonstrated back on the plane. In an instant, I’m all hot and slippery. I squeeze my thighs together and pray I can survive not only this island, but what the man does to me with the slightest touch.