Chapter 39
Britt was too quiet.
Lachlan settled deeper onto the daybed, one ankle resting over his knee. The scent of salt and night-blooming jasmine drifted on the breeze. A cold Felipe beer sweated in his grip. He took a long pull on the bottle as he stared at her, wondering what was going through that beautiful head of hers.
She curled her bare feet underneath her, staring down the cliffside at the moonlight dancing across the Caribbean waters. Gentle waves lapped rhythmically against the shore, a soft percussion accompanied by the nighttime symphony of tropical insects and distant tree frogs.
He should’ve dodged her question. If he had, they’d be making love under the moonlight right now instead of sitting in tense silence.
Despite everything they’d been through, he still hadn’t learned.
Sometimes, it was better to keep things from Britt for her own good.
This was one of those times, but damn if he couldn’t force himself to hold back from her.
He loved and respected her too much to do that, even if it was likely a better move.
Filling her in on every detail of Stingray’s plan to get him in and out of a meeting with Alejandro had been too much for her.
“What are you thinking?” Lachlan asked, desperate to break the uncomfortable silence.
“I’m not upset with you if that’s what you’re wondering,” Her voice carried a wistfulness that tugged at something deep in Lachlan's chest. She turned to look at him. The pure devotion reflected in her dark brown gaze soothed his angst. “I know you’re doing everything you can to protect me.”
“But you’re worried.” Lachlan reached for a strand of her hair, twisting it around his finger.
“I don’t want to lose you.”
Lachlan laughed, then pressed his forehead against hers. “You won’t. I just got you back. I’m not fucking that up by getting myself killed.”
“You better not,” Britt said as she grabbed his beer bottle and took a sip.
She exhaled slowly, her shoulders relaxing as she tilted her head toward the sky.
“All of this could be over in two days. We could actually have a normal life. Well, as normal as being with a woman who’s lost most of her memories can be. ”
He reached for her hand, his thumb tracing circles on her skin. "I want that for us. For Paloma. A real shot at normal."
“What was normal like for us before?” Britt asked.
It was a question he didn’t want to answer. He’d much rather her remember their past and understand why they chose the life they did than hear about it secondhand.
“We never had normal, Britt,” Lachlan said.
It was the best answer he could give her.
“But we had a good life filled with love and a daughter that was the center of our world. We were happy.” As he spoke the reassuring words, something caught his attention.
A subtle disturbance in the water's rhythm—a pattern disruption almost imperceptible to the untrained eye.
Where the moonlight reflected off the gentle swells, something was moving against the natural flow.
His body tensed instinctively, muscles coiling like springs ready to release.
“Because of Quattro …” Her words trailed off. “Lachlan.”
Another ripple. Subtle. The wrong shape. The wrong movement. Not natural.
He reached for his phone and texted the King Security Team.
Lachlan
status of NE perimeter checks?
King Security
Dealing with breach on SW side. Guards redirected. Vandals threatening fire to coffee fields. Is there an issue?
He studied the water, cataloging the familiar currents, the way the tide pulled in lazy swells, looking for the signs he’d seen before. But there was nothing. The breeze picked up, blowing the sheer curtains surrounding the daybed. Britt stared at him, watching and waiting. He relaxed and typed.
Lachlan
No issue.
Tossing his phone on the daybed, he turned to Britt and pulled her into his arms.
“What did you see?” She asked, glancing back down at the water.
“The most beautiful woman in the world,” Lachlan said, sliding a finger along the curves of her face.
That got her attention. She pressed against him, wrapping him with her warmth.
He refused to pinch himself because if this wasn’t real, he didn’t want to know.
Britt nibbled on his neck, then kissed down to his collarbone.
He got back to how he’d wanted to end the evening.
His hands slipped beneath her shirt, caressing her back.
He tilted his head to give her better access to his chest—
And that’s when the movements caught his eye.
Again.
Silhouettes emerged from the dark expanse of water—small, deliberate shapes moving in formation, barely disturbing the surface.
Most people wouldn't notice them. But Lachlan's eyes, trained by thousands of hours in the cockpit, caught the subtle disturbance—just as they'd spotted enemy movements from the air countless times before.
He froze, ice slithering through his veins.
Gripping Britt’s waist, he lifted her away.
“What’s wrong?” Britt asked, searching his face.
"Get inside. Now."
“Why?” Britt asked, then turned in the direction of his gaze. Her breath hitched. She saw them, too.
The figures were too away. They would be at their home in ten minutes.
Another ten to get to the Stingray Compound.
If they were after the King Family, they’d grossly underestimated their location as the family’s main house was an hour away by foot.
And from the looks of their coordinated movements, these men hadn’t made any miscalculations.
Britt scrambled away, swiftly entering the house with him close behind her.
Their footsteps were silent on the polished hardwood floor.
Lachlan locked the sliding glass door behind them and immediately crossed to the landscape painting that concealed the security panel.
He activated the system with a quick scan of his palm, the screen glowing to life.
His fingers flew across the keypad, bringing up camera feeds from around the property on the hidden screen.
What he saw made his stomach tighten.
Infrared feeds flared in shades of red and orange, tracking heat signatures dotting the water. Seven figures. He cycled to the next screen. Zoomed in. Heavily armed. Next-generation assault rivals. Night vision equipment. Closing the distance to the beach.
Britt reached a hand toward the screen, then turned to him. “It’s Quattro. Don’t ask me how I know. I just … know. We have to get out of here.”