Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Cara woke up in the darkness. The silence of the room was unnerving. Coop’s arm was draped across her chest. The heavy feel of his touch would comfort anyone else, not Cara. Not in that moment. Something was wrong. She could feel it deep down into her bones.
Shadows danced across the ceiling, playing tricks on her mind as her heart raced.
“Coop,” she whispered into the darkness.
Coop stirred. His hold on her tightened.
“Cooper,” she said louder, with a little nudge.
He blinked his tired eyes open. “It’s still dark out, Cara. Go back to sleep.”
“Something’s wrong,” she whispered, afraid even mumbling the words would make them true.
Coop lifted his arm and ran his hand across his face. “What is it?”
“I don’t know.” She flicked the switch on the bedside lamp. The room was empty. She and Coop sat up in the bed. The covers lay at their waists. They both glanced around the room.
“Our stuff.” Cara pointed to where their suitcases had once lain. The spot was now empty.
Coop slid his hand beneath his pillow and produced a gun she hadn’t realized he’d hidden. He slipped from the bed. The barrel of the gun pointed at the ground. He was a vision, all six feet two of tanned nakedness, giving the word commando a dual meaning.
Cara lifted the covers to her chest and pulled them from the bed as she rose. She was afraid to breathe, afraid to move. Whoever had taken their things had to have done it while they’d slept. Fear coiled in her veins, tightening like a ball made from rubber bands about to burst.
“They were here when we got back, weren’t they?” Cara asked as Cooper flicked on the light switch in the bathroom and yanked the shower curtain back.
“Yeah, and I had flipped the extra lock on the door.”
He lowered his gun as he re-entered the room. His jaw clenched tightly as anger claimed the features on his face. He stalked to the front door and yanked it open, disappearing outside and then returning.
“Anything?”
“No.” He let out a long breath. “Whoever was in here is gone.”
Cara’s body heated, and she clutched the sheet tighter. “Coop. You know what this means?”
Coop ran his hand over his neck. “Yep. Someone was in here when we got back from dinner.”
“Oh my God.” Her hand flew to cover her mouth. “They were in here when we…”
Coop stormed to the phone and picked up the receiver. He punched in some numbers and demanded security before slamming the phone back in place.
“You realize we’re both naked? No clothes and you’re going to let them in here?”
Coop grabbed the blanket from the bed and wrapped her into it like a guy wrapping a Christmas present.
He told her to hold one end and twirl into him, cocooning her into the fabric.
She was two seconds away from busting free.
Not because of the confining weight, but from her temper, which was about to burst free.
Some no-good, low-life, son of a bitch had been in their room and witnessed everything. Every moan, every scream, every smack of their bodies as they’d had sex. Coop wasn’t going to need a gun if he found the bastard. She’d scratch out his eyes and tear off his ears to undo what he’d stolen.
She struggled against the heavy weight as he disappeared into the bathroom and walked out, with a beach towel covering the important parts that she’d gotten to know extremely well only hours before.
Cara wobbled to the bedside phone. She struggled to free her arm and lifted the receiver.
There was only one person on the island that could help her.
She dialed the front desk. “Connect me to room 259.”
Coop held the door open for Phillip to enter with two guards trailing behind him. Phillip held her gaze as Cara spoke into the phone.
“Hi, Aunt Betty, it’s Cara. I need a favor. I need you to bring me some clothes. We’re in the honeymoon cabana.”
“What happened to your clothes, Cara?”
Cara turned away from the crowd and lowered her voice. “We were robbed. They took everything. Can you stop by the gift shop and get something for Coop to wear too?”
“Sure. What size is he?”
Cara covered the phone. “Coop, what size do you wear?”
“Thirty-six long.”
“He’s a thirty-six long. We need everything. We’re both naked as the day we were born.”
Aunt Betty’s laughter rang out, and Cara held the phone away from her ear.
“This isn’t funny, Aunt Betty. Someone violated us.”
“I know. I’m sorry. Please tell me you at least got some of his swimmers.”
Cara clenched her eyes closed, tightening the grip of the phone in her hand. “It’s not like that. Just come and hurry.” Cara glanced over her shoulder. “There are security men in the room. I’m not sure how much more I can handle before I really lose my shit.”
“Okay, okay, give me ten minutes.”
“Thank you,” Cara whispered and hung up the phone.
Cara lumbered out the front door and plopped down in a patio chair. The ocean breeze did little to cool her heated skin. Her mind raced as she remembered everything they’d done in the room.
“I want footage from every camera within a mile of this room, and I want it ready for my review.” Cooper's voice rose as he spoke. “I don’t care if I have to search every damn inch of your hotel. You can bet your ass I’m going to find out who’s responsible.”
“Agent Cruz, we’re doing the best we can.”
“It’s not good enough. Call the police and get their forensic team out here. I want the entire room dusted for prints.” His angry voice grew louder before he stomped outside and squeezed his neck.
She’d expected to wake up and deal with awkward, but nothing could have prepared her for this. Calming words eluded her. She was of no help to him. They’d get through this like everything else.
“Cara, we’re going to find this guy.” He meant what he said. She could hear the conviction in his voice.
“I know.” She rose, shifting the blanket. “I’m going to help, just like I found the missing speaker.”
“No.” Coop’s jaw ticked. “Touching people wears you out, and there are God knows how many people here, including those swingers. Do you really want to see what they’ve been up to?”
“Coop,” she said as she approached him. “We might not have a choice if the security cameras are still down.” She gestured to the room. “We might get lucky and get prints, but if the police haven’t found this person yet, chances are he’s not leaving any evidence behind.”
Coop rested his palms on where her shoulders would be if she wasn’t swaddled in the blanket. “It's just clothing, Cara. Tomorrow you go back with Aunt Betty, and I’ll stay and catch this guy.”
“It’s more than that, Coop.” She held his gaze. “That person violated me. Violated us. I can’t just walk away when I can help you catch him.”
“She’s right, and you know it, Cruz,” Aunt Betty announced as she approached. She tossed Coop one of the bags she was carrying and handed Cara the other. “Cara, go get dressed while I talk to Cruz.”
Coop dug through the bag and pulled a bathing suit from the bag. He ripped the tag off. “I’ll pay you back for this.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Coop turned around, slid the shorts beneath his towel, and buttoned it before dropping the towel on the table.
He sorted through the shirts and picked one of the flowered shirts that looked like it had been designed for an eighty-year-old.
Beggars couldn’t be choosers, and right now, he had squat. Neither of them did.
“It’s true that touching people zaps her energy. Her ability can be a pain in the ass, not to mention making her lonely, but you already knew that.”
Betty raised a brow in challenge.
Coop crossed his arms over his chest. “You know she can’t read me.”
“I know.” Aunt Betty smiled. “You two needed each other more than you even realized.”
“So you’ve said.” He dropped his arms to his side.
“Cara’s a Thatcher. We never take the easy route. It’s encoded in our DNA. It was better letting her figure it out on her own. I just gave her a little shove to send her into your chaos.”
Coop ran his hand over his head. “She kicked me out of her office.”
Betty patted his shoulder. “You aren’t the first, and I’m sure you won’t be the last. But just like she could help you then, she can help you now. She’s not afraid of her gift. She just chooses to avoid using it, but when she uses it wisely, she can accomplish more.”
“And how do you suppose I do that?” Cara asked, walking out of the cabana in Daisy Duke short shorts and a tank top that hugged every one of her curves. Thank God for Aunt Betty.
Phillip followed behind Cara, interrupting their conversation.
“I’ve called it in and the forensic team will be here in just a bit.
It might be a good idea if you two steer clear of the crime scene.
Call your banks or whatever you have to do, cancel any credit cards and deal with the missing items. Of course, the resort will work with you to replace what you need for the remainder of your stay. ”
“Thanks for your help.” Cooper shook Phillip’s hand. Phillip smiled at Cara and gave a little nod of his head.
Phillip cleared his throat and held Cara’s gaze. “Cara, can I speak to you privately.”
Privately? Cara had the deer in the headlights look as she held Coop’s gaze. “Uh, sure.”
Phillip gestured toward the beach and waited for Cara to lead the way.
Coop should have stopped her. Phillip shouldn’t have anything to say to her that he couldn’t say in front of the others.
Coop started to follow, but Betty grabbed his arm and shook her head.
“She can handle herself. You’re both just pretending, remember? ”
Knots twisted in Cooper’s gut as he watched Phillip and Cara stroll toward the water’s edge.