Chapter 21
Juniper
“For a small woman, you cause much trouble, da?”
I try to squeeze past but Zasha plants his arm across the doorway.
“Why are you watching my dick? Looking for a new owner? Checking the merchandise? You’d love being mine.” He hitches up the waistband of his shorts, though the fly is open, so his erection is obvious. Guess his friend didn’t finish him off.
I’d love to knee him in the balls, this man with the chunky, rectangular body, legs like pillars, and abundant hair on those muscles, but I suspect he would backhand me into the wall.
“I’m not looking.” Short, sweet answer. I narrow my eyes, purse my lips then cannot stop my motor mouth from running. “The merchandise is lacking anyway, sweetheart.”
Calling a man who sees himself as macho, sweetheart, it hits the emasculation spot.
For a moment I fear he’s going to get angry, but he instead laughs, wipes his mouth then heaves himself upright and grabs for my shoulder.
Where the fuck are Mr. Loxland or Tomás? I angle backward, having seen the move coming, but I’m not fast enough.
“Hehe. I need a sample of you to…” With my shoulder caught, he grabs my breast and starts to squeeze. “Nice—”
“Sir, you will release this woman. You’re violating the rules of the fraternity.”
It’s Shawn. I see him past Zasha. Yes! My heart does a gleeful leap.
“I am? Tsk. I am bad man?” Zasha keeps his hold a few more seconds before he lets go. He scalds me with a glare full of malice that says he isn’t done yet.
After that last burst of pain, as he releases my breast, I gasp then retreat a step. What does he know? He cannot know much? Only my name and that I was a friend of Riley—assuming this is about her and my crusade for justice.
Scratch justice, I know what I want—his balls and his heart, minced, if he is who I think he is.
The man walks away while Shawn remains near the doorway, watching, then turns and gestures for me to come out. “He is gone, girl.”
“Thanks, Shawn.” I stop beside him. “He was being overbearing.”
“Just being a dick. This fraternity has a lot of those. No worries, as you Aussies say. I was doing my job.”
“Yeah. I’m still very grateful.” Mr. Loxland is coming now, his expression worried. Tomás jogs up behind him.
“If he bothers you again, please inform security.” I’m about to walk away when he lowers his voice and says, “Wait. I am worried about other things also. To do with you and those who pay for all this.”
Karsten? Higher-ups? I wait for more. He’s looking out over the hall then his hand is on my back as he leans in, as if to check on my welfare.
“Tell me where you’re staying so I can get a message to you.”
My mind takes a second to catch up. Not email. Not phone. He doesn’t want it on the internet or a phone. “Room nineteen, and the hotel is Dragon Sands.” The island is small, and Karsten would know this anyway, as would almost anyone nosey, so this seems legit.
“Thanks. You have a good day, Miss Skye.”
My men arrive as he’s leaving. They start to both talk at once, but someone else is behind me looking to exit the restroom.
“I’ll tell you everything in a minute.” I move out into the swimming pool area, with them on either side.
I’m still trying to figure out what happened—did Zasha give any indication he was the rapist and knew more than he should?
Not that I can recall. He might only be a man who thinks staring at his dick is a come-on, a kind of flirting…
which, I guess could be, normally? I almost cackle out loud at that thought. This fraternity is corrupting me.
“What happened?” Mr. Loxland asks, when we find a set of sofas with a low, square timber table in the center.
I arrange the sarong around me and under me, since the bikini bottoms are still AWOL.
“Are you okay?” Tomás takes my hand, places it on his thigh while still holding it. “That was Morosova.”
“I am…okay. Yes, that was Zasha Morosova, and he was being pushy and no, I don’t know if he’s involved still. He’s not a nice person. Aggressive.” I look around. “That guard, Shawn, came to my rescue.”
“We saw him.” Mr. Loxland nods. “You needed him to get rid of Morosova?”
“Yes, I did.” I purse my lips, remembering the sticky situation then check no one is near enough to hear what I say next.
“I wasn’t sure what to do, and if you’re wondering, Morosova said nothing incriminating.
Shawn asked for our hotel address. He said he has something to tell me about other things.
” I’m tempted to make air quotes but restrain myself.
“He didn’t want email addresses or phone numbers so he might drop off a note or come in person? ”
Tomás squeezes my hand. “He’s a guard and would be under strict rules about not engaging with guests more than necessary.”
“I don’t know what this is, except it’s to do with whoever pays for all this.” I do a sweeping eye roll across the surroundings. “Maybe his boss?”
“Does that make sense?” Tomás looks to Loxland who shrugs.
“When is he doing this? Because I’m going to suggest we have lunch here, and after that I have Margaret bringing Lucy to us at the hotel.”
“Lucy?” I pop up straight. “I’ve no idea when or if the guard will contact us. But the dog? You’ve brought her over?”
“Sure. Can’t leave my dog alone with just one of you sitters for a whole week.” He smiles. “Figured you liked her, and yeah, we can take her down the beach, throw a few balls before she has to return on the ferry.”
“Before we get too comfortable and forget what Morosova did, how he cornered you.” Tomás nods at me.
“I’m concerned. If what Shawn said is true, and if connected to what happened to your friend, we might not be safe here.
It’s one thing to be searching for a couple of men.
It’s much more dangerous if there is an upper level of involvement. ”
“Like Karsten?” Mr. Loxland says quietly, leaning in.
“Maybe.”
Oh my.
“Later then. No more discussion here. Let’s lunch and go.”
Have I dug up some complicated conspiracy? I sure hope not.