Chapter Twenty-Three
Cash
AS WE WALKED PAST IZAN’S closed door, Sabrina clung to the opposite wall, trying to stay as far away from it as possible. Callie had mentioned when we walked in that he didn’t wish to be disturbed, as he was on a work call. Obviously, it was a lie. So what was he up to? I had a bad feeling about it. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t have come back here, but Sabrina insisted she needed to give her sister the locket. She acted odd about it, like she would never see Lexi again. I wouldn’t let that happen.
With any luck, the team we had on Emerald Isle would find the diamonds and the FBI would take Izan into custody. Sabrina’s nightmare would be over then, and my dream of being with her again would come to an end. It felt like a punch to the gut.
I found it comical that Sabrina’s family had made the engaged couple stay in separate bedrooms. If they only knew the things I’d witnessed while tailing the pair, they would realize how pointless it was. But maybe that’s what good parents did. I wouldn’t know.
“Keep the door open,” I whispered before Sabrina knocked on it.
She wrinkled her nose at me.
“It’s not up for discussion,” I stated flatly. I didn’t think we should be there in the first place. “My priority is to keep you safe,” I reminded her, though according to SPI, it wasn’t my directive. I was breaking every protocol in the book on this mission.
“Fine,” she said with a half-smile, as if my concern pleased her, before she spun around and knocked on the door.
I took a step back, giving myself the best vantage point to monitor Izan’s door and watch over Sabrina.
It didn’t take long for Lexi to open the door. Her eyes lit up when she saw Sabrina, and she immediately pulled her in without giving me a second thought. “Did Mama tell you the seamstress just delivered my dress?” She pointed at what looked to me like an explosion of satin and lace lying across her unkempt bed in her room full of designer furniture with clothes strewn everywhere.
“She mentioned it. It’s beautiful.” Sabrina’s eyes welled with tears as she wrapped her arms around Lexi, holding tightly to her sister and the gift.
Lexi looked surprised by the show of affection and emotion. “You’re not jealous, are you?”
I thought it was in poor taste for Lexi to ask such a question, but it didn’t surprise me after what I’d witnessed of her behavior over the last several days.
“No. Not at all.” Sabrina sniffled. “In fact, I have something for you.” She let go of Lexi and handed her the small box with a gold ribbon tied around it.
Lexi greedily grabbed the box and squealed like she lived for gifts.
It was odd to me how dissimilar the sisters were. Sabrina was all grace and thoughtfulness, and Lexi was self-centered and spoiled. She hadn’t even acknowledged my presence. I think she only cared that she could show off her dress to her older sister.
Lexi quickly untied the ribbon and tossed it aside before eagerly removing the lid of the box to reveal the locket.
“I thought this could be your something old ,” Sabrina mentioned while Lexi pulled the locket out and tossed the box to the side.
“Is this real gold and sterling silver?” Lexi had the audacity to ask while carefully examining the locket, trying to decide if she liked it or not. No words of thanks escaped her pouty red lips.
It was no wonder she found herself in love with such a selfish prick—she was just as greedy as he was. The fact that Sabrina so desperately wanted to save such a person spoke to her character and goodness. She was too good for me. How she didn’t regret knowing me, I couldn’t fathom—and she had no idea what that meant to me. My entire life, I had felt like that was all I was—a regret. My parents rued the day they had me, and every foster family seemed to feel the same way about taking me in.
“Yes,” Sabrina responded, doing her best to keep the bite out of her tone. “But the most important thing is what’s inside. Open it.”
Lexi obeyed and opened the locket.
I think I was more eager to know what was inside than Lexi was. Sabrina hadn’t mentioned it. She’d seemed to want to keep it private.
As Lexi studied the contents, her features softened into a smile.
“It’s the first time I held you,” Sabrina choked out. “I’m whispering in your ear that I will always love and protect you.”
Lexi stared between Sabrina and the locket, and for a moment, all her pretensions slipped away.
It gave me a glimpse into why Sabrina loved her sister so much.
“Lexi, I love you,” Sabrina cried. “I want you to know that I’m always here for you. Even if for some reason you want to call off your wedding, I’d be here for you.”
Lexi’s eyes widened in horror. “Why would you say something like that?”
“I know it’s something that Nana told Mama before she got married. It was to show her love. I just want you to know that you always have a choice and that I have your back.”
Lexi stepped a pace away from Sabrina, acting unsure of her sister’s motives. “That’s not going to happen. I love Soren like Mama loves Daddy.”
“Okay,” Sabrina whispered. “Can I put the locket on you?”
Lexi held up the locket and looked at it as if it frightened her. Or maybe it had never crossed her mind there was any other choice but to marry Soren. Either way, she shook her head. “I’ll wear it later.”
“But—” Sabrina said.
I didn’t get to hear the rest, as Izan opened his door and my phone started buzzing repeatedly and furiously in my pocket. I knew it was Ivy and that something wasn’t right.
Izan stepped out into the hall and glared at me, his eyes filled with both fear and an insidious desire to cause harm.
I moved my hand to give myself quick access to my sidearm if I needed it. I would hate to kill him in the Belles’ home and in front of Sabrina, but I would if I had to. However, my first thought was to get Sabrina out of there as fast as I could. I needed to talk to Ivy and see what had happened. No doubt she had some answers.
“Sabrina, we need to leave or we’re going to be late for our reservations ,” I said calmly and naturally, hoping not to give Izan any reason to act on his twisted desire. He still seemed to fear me more than anything else, and I would use that to my advantage.
Thankfully, Sabrina was intuitive and turned to give me a meaningful look.
I smiled, hoping she would understand.
“Oh, yes, our reservations .”
Once I was sure Sabrina understood what was going on, I turned my attention back to Izan while Sabrina said goodbye to her sister.
“I love you, Lexi.” Sabrina’s voice filled with emotion as she said, “I’ll see you later. I hope you love the locket. It would mean the world to me if you wore it.”
Not surprisingly, Lexi said nothing.
Izan continued his staring contest with me. Knowing that part of him was afraid of me, I shot him a menacing smile, not flinching. Even though I was in the dark about what had just happened, the worst thing I could do was let him know that. My confidence had him shifting his feet.
As soon as Sabrina walked out of Lexi’s room, I grabbed her hand and led her to the opposite side of Izan, all while keeping my free hand ready to pull my weapon.
Sabrina gripped my hand when she realized we had company.
I brushed her skin with my thumb to let her know everything would be okay. The urge to just shoot Izan welled inside me as we approached him.
The coward slunk back into his room and slammed the door before we passed him.
That was my cue to get out of there as quickly as possible. Ivy was relentlessly calling me, and I needed to know what was going on.
Sabrina clung to me as we hurried to the door.
Callie came out of the kitchen. “You aren’t leaving already, are you?”
“Sorry, Mama, we have reservations.”
“Right. That’s what your daddy and I used to say.” She laughed.
I wished we were only making excuses to be alone so we could get wrapped up in each other.
Sabrina and I uneasily laughed and waved as we flew out the door, saying our goodbyes.
Once we were a decent distance away from the house, we jogged in the dark down to the dock that had several paddleboats secured to it. The gentle waves had them knocking into each other, disturbing the otherwise serene scene.
“What’s wrong?” Sabrina asked, out of breath.
There was no time to respond to her other than to say, “I need you to stay quiet. Please,” I added. The last thing I needed right now was for Ivy to know that Sabrina was fully aware of who I was. I pulled out my phone and answered Ivy’s call, all while continually monitoring our surroundings, just in case Izan made an appearance.
“Bloody hell, where have you been?” Ivy berated me. “You’ve really screwed the pooch this time.”
“What does Izan know? Has my cover been blown?”
“You are aware of his actions?” she asked, surprised.
“All I know is he’s more than worried about me. What has he done?”
“Let’s see,” she said, annoyed. “For starters, he’s been searching for you on the dark web. Do you know how incredibly difficult it is for me to scrub information from that vile place?”
“Did he find anything?” I didn’t care how difficult it was for her. It was her job.
“Are you questioning my skills?”
“Just answer the question.”
“No, darling, but you’re done there. Izan is too suspicious of you now. I’m sending in—”
“The hell you are,” I refused to let her finish her sentence. “I’m not leaving here until we find the diamonds and take Izan down.”
“That’s not your call, love. You’ve obviously let your personal feelings make you careless. As soon as I tell the director what’s happened, you won’t have a choice. Pack your bags.”
I swallowed hard, staring at Sabrina shivering in the cool night, begging me with her eyes not to leave her. “Don’t tell Hugh,” I pleaded like I never had before, not even as a child afraid of his father’s belt.
“Are you asking me to cover for you?” She laughed maniacally. “Have you lost the plot? Why should I stick my neck out for you?”
“You shouldn’t but ... but ...” Fear like no other filled me. My only chance to change Ivy’s mind was to tell her the no-holds-barred truth, and even then, it was a long shot. But the thought of leaving Sabrina now when I’d placed her in more danger than ever sickened me. I could never live with myself if something happened to her, and I was willing to do anything, even if that meant admitting the truth to myself and Sabrina.
“But what, darling?” Ivy mocked me, reveling in my pain and demanding I tell her the truth, even though she’d probably already guessed.
“Please, give me time to fix this,” I breathed out, all my defenses down. “I can’t leave Sabrina until she’s safe. I love her.”
Sabrina’s hands flew to her mouth as she gazed dumbfoundedly at me.
“Well, well, this might change things,” Ivy delighted in my admission. “I do fancy a good love story, even if I know there won’t be a happy ending. Remember, you can’t keep the girl, mate.”
“I know, but I can keep her safe if you give me the time. From what you’ve told me, Izan doesn’t know who I am or who I work for. He probably thinks I have ties to organized crime or the terrorists who want his head. This might work to our advantage—make him play his hand to move or secure the diamonds.” I still wasn’t sure where he was keeping them. Tomorrow we would know more.
“Mmm,” Ivy considered.
Meanwhile, Sabrina tiptoed to my side and wrapped her arms around my waist, our emotions heavy in the air.
I clung to Sabrina. “Ivy, please.”
“Fine, love. But you owe me, and I will deny any involvement in this. It’s your arse on the line, not mine.”
I had no doubt Ivy would make me pay, but protecting Sabrina was worth any cost. “I will take full responsibility.” Damn emotions.
“Agents Todd and Randall just checked into the resort; do not have any contact with them. Let’s try not to blow their cover, shall we?” Ivy scolded. “I’ll keep you posted on what our team on Emerald Isle finds out. And ... be sure to start thinking with your head and not your—”
“Got it,” I snapped, cutting her off. “And, Ivy, thank you.”
“Just find me those damn diamonds. Love you, darling.” She hung up.
I shoved my phone in my pocket and enveloped Sabrina in my arms, not knowing what else I could do. I’d blown the biggest cover of my life, and I wasn’t referring to my role as an agent.
Sabrina trembled against me, not saying a word.
I was grateful for her silence because I had zero clue what to say to her. I’d just handed her a heart I didn’t even know I had before she’d come into my life, knowing full well I could break hers again.
That silence followed us into the rest of the evening and into the night. Sabrina didn’t even question staying the night in my cabin. She took the couch, and I took the floor, but there was no sleeping as our emotions played palpably between us. Sabrina tossed and turned, sighing, while I stared up at the ceiling, wondering what the hell I had done.
After what seemed like hours, Sabrina whispered, “Will you hold me?”
She didn’t have to ask me twice. I jumped off the sleeping bag and took her invitation. Sabrina lifted the blanket she was under, and I lay next to her. As soon as we situated ourselves to both fit on the couch, she immediately snuggled against me in her flannel-clad body. Our breaths slowed and synced as her warm fingers danced across my bare chest.
“Cash, did you mean what you said on the dock? Do you love me?” she squeaked out, as if afraid of my answer.
If she only knew how much I’d feared that question. I stalled by tangling my fingers in her hair and lifting her face to meet my lips. I longed to devour her, but only our lips stayed pressed together, bleeding our thoughts and emotions into them.
Sabrina’s kiss lent me the courage to say what she deserved to know. “Yes, I love you,” I whispered.
Tears trickled down her cheeks, wetting my lips and giving me a taste of her salty sweetness.
“I think you know how I feel about you,” Sabrina replied. “You stopped me from saying it the last night we were together in Bordeaux while we danced at that street fair. Do you remember?”
I nodded, remembering every second of that night, from how beautiful she looked in her red sundress, to how her body contoured against mine as we swayed to the rhythm of the sensual song, to how much I hated myself, knowing I was going to leave and hurt her. I knew then she would only hate me more if I let her tell me how she felt, so I’d kissed her to silence her.
“Do you want me to tell you now?” she earnestly asked.
“I do,” I admitted against my better judgment. “But I don’t want you to hate me when this is all over. My life isn’t my own.”
“Then let me own your heart.”
“It’s yours if you want it.” It was all I had to offer her.
“I love you.” She smiled through her tears. “Even though I don’t even know your real name. Am I crazy?”
“Yes.” She had no business falling in love with me. It was a terrible decision on her part, but I was glad about it. No one had ever loved me before.
“Maybe you should tell me your real name,” she coyly suggested.
SPI had labeled that information as classified until the time I was no longer in their service, though that seemed like a poor excuse, given what I’d already divulged to her. Yet it didn’t feel right telling her. At least not now. “If ever my life is my own again, I will. Just beware, you may not love him—or even like him.” I knew I hadn’t.
“Okay. For now, I will love you .”
For now, it was more than I deserved or had any right to hope for.