CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The Pacific wasn’t meant for swimming, but the sun was out and brutal, so they’d each changed into their swimsuits. Talk about mistakes, Miller walking around in a bikini made it hard to keep his mind on the task at hand.
They’d gotten a late start that morning after their shower, and it was early afternoon when they finally reached the Triangle Islands. There was a reason Aguas Mortales wasn’t a tourist attraction. Getting to it wasn’t convenient, and getting on the island was even less convenient. The tour boats wouldn’t risk the chance of having their hulls ripped to shreds by the rocks, or letting a group of people off to roam aimlessly on an island with an active volcano and uncharted territory.
“I keep waiting for the afternoon rain,” Miller said. “It’s hot today.”
She was wearing the red triangle bikini and had one of the silky floral sarongs they’d found at the market tied at her waist.
“The rain will be here soon,” he said. “You can smell it.”
It had taken almost two hours to circle the three islands so he could determine the best point of entry. There really wasn’t one. He finally decided their best bet was to anchor out a little ways and use the Zodiac attached beneath the yacht to make their way toward shore.
The Triangle Islands were a group of three, and a narrow canal ran between each of them, flowing toward the middle where the three islands met. He could’ve anchored on the middle island, where the shore was a little deeper and the rocks weren’t as prevalent, but it would’ve added an extra day to their hike, and they were already running short.
He was surprised they hadn’t been tracked down already. Elaine had been compiling the alerts that other boats were being boarded and searched at will. And extra security measures had been set up at all the resorts, so passports were checked again and each new visitor went through a checkpoint, with an extra umbrella drink in hand for the inconvenience.
He’d calculated it would take several hours to walk to the Corazón Roto, and from there they’d have to try and retrace Justin’s steps. Finding and extracting Justin and somehow taking Cordova out of the game so Miller was safe in her own home was the mission. He still wasn’t a hundred percent sure that they’d be successful at either of them. The thought of Miller having to go into hiding if they didn’t succeed didn’t sit well with him.
Elias couldn’t have cared less about treasure, but he’d also promised Miller he’d help her find the wreckage of her parents’ plane. It could be an impossible task. But he wouldn’t quit until his promise had been fulfilled. She deserved some peace in her life. However he could bring it to her.
“They must be slacking,” he said, looking through his binoculars.
“What’s that?” she asked, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.
“Cordova’s men,” he said. “Cartel business must be down. I’ve had Elaine compiling numbers to see what our potential fallout is and the probability that we can fight our way out of this if we have to.”
“I’d imagine that probability is pretty small since there are likely more than two of them.”
Elias snorted out an offended breath and looked at her incredulously. “Lady, I’ve taken out a twenty-man team by myself, and they never even knew I was there.”
“Okay, okay,” she said, hands raised. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bruise your ego.”
“You’ve bruised a lot of things on me, darling, but my ego hasn’t been one of them.”
She rolled her eyes and he looked back through the binoculars with a smile on his face.
“It’s taken them longer than I thought to track us down to search us. That’s a sign in our favor.”
“They’ve found us?” she asked, a flash of fear in her eyes.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” he said. “A cutter is heading straight for us.”
“Am I supposed to know what that is?” she asked, exasperated.
“It’s a boat. A fast one. Typically used by the Coast Guard or law enforcement. And cartels apparently.”
“You think they’ll recognize me?”
“Not if you keep that bikini on,” he told her. “The force is with you, young Jedi.”
“I’m so proud of you for the reference,” she said. “But I can’t believe you’d suggest I’d use my body to get out of this.”
“I’m not a fan of it myself. I’ve become rather attached to it. But do you have any better ideas?”
“Other than shooting them all and dumping them overboard?”
“Funny,” he said. “I’m glad you can keep your sense of humor.” He watched as she slicked on some gloss that made her lips look poutier, and then she plumped up her breasts in the tiny bikini. “Let’s not go too overboard,” he told her. “I’d really rather not have to shoot anyone and dump them in the ocean. It’s more of a pain in the ass than you’d think.”
“Everything involves red tape nowadays,” she said dryly.
He hooted out a laugh. He’d missed her sarcasm and dry humor like crazy.
“Elaine,” he said. “Suppress all classified systems on board. Lock down weapons closet, and power down until only my voice command reactivates the systems.”
Complying . . . Stay safe and kick ass.
Miller snorted out a laugh, and Elias grinned as Elaine did as he asked. “Hopefully, it won’t come to that.”
“What do you think they want?” Miller asked.
“I think it’s probably an introductory call,” he said. “They’re going to be curious about the people using this craft. Be polite.”
“I’m always polite,” she said automatically.
He arched a brow and she rolled her eyes. “I can be polite when I need to be,” she corrected.
“That’s more like it,” he said. “It’s probably best to just stay silent. This isn’t a culture where men want women to speak unless they’re spoken to directly. And he’s probably not going to be able to form coherent sentences anyway.”
Elias had experience with the kind of men on the cutter. They were dressed as a kind of law enforcement official, but they were bought men—mercenaries—owned by the Black Widow. They’d expect a bribe, and Elias was prepared to give them one. He’d already prepared an envelope of cash, expecting this visit the day before.
“Ahoy, Debido del Diablo,” one of the men called out—the one who appeared to be in charge. The others held machine guns at ease with one hand and the strap of the cutter for balance with the other.
Elias answered in English, laying on a heavy Australian accent since their passports gave them that origin. It was best if they didn’t find out he spoke the language like a native to the islands. It is always interesting to discover what people will say then they think you can’t understand.
“We can board?” the man asked, his accent thick. The look on his face made it clear the question wasn’t really meant to be answered. And then his eyes went to Miller and Elias saw red. He looked her up and down like a piece of meat. Like they’d planned. And the man was all but salivating as he took in her every curve. Elias hadn’t expected it to bother him as much as it did.
“Sure, mate,” Elias said. “My wife and I were just about to anchor for the evening. It’s a romantic spot. This is our anniversary trip, and my boss was generous enough to offer his boat.”
Reminding him of the man who owned the boat seemed to be the right tactic, because he became a little friendlier.
“Congratulations, señor,” the man said, barely taking his eyes off Miller. “Your boss has always been a generous man.”
The cutter cut its engine and drifted close beside them, and they hooked a ramp to the yacht and then hooked the other end on the cutter, so the two boats were connected together. They boarded the Devil’s Due one by one, the spokesman last.
“My name is Diego,” he said, nodding. “You have passports?”
“Of course,” Elias said. “Let me get them.”
He went to the drawer where he’d put their passports and the envelope of cash and grabbed them both, and he saw Miller out of the corner of his eye watching the other men. They’d spread out above- and belowdeck, doing a full search of the boat. She had a hip propped against the kitchen island, and she stood so the slit of her sarong showed her entire leg to the hip. While Miller was watching the other men, Diego was still watching her.
Elias handed him the envelope and watched as Diego looked inside briefly and flipped through the bills. Then he put it in the inside pocket of his uniform shirt. He barely glanced at Elias’s passport, but he studied Miller’s a little more closely. And then he looked up at her and gave her another of those long, slow perusals from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Most people would have been uncomfortable with the scrutiny, but she stared back at him steadily, her posture relaxed.
Elias felt a surge of pride.
“Your picture doesn’t do you justice, señora,” Diego said, bowing his head slightly.
Miller smiled and Elias watched as Diego took even closer notice. Damn that smile. Miller was uniquely beautiful at a glance. But she was stunning when she smiled. And dammit, she was his.
“I heard that every time I had to take a school picture,” she said, taking his cue and speaking in her own Australian accent. He shouldn’t have been surprised. There wasn’t much she couldn’t seem to do. “It takes a lot of work for a camera to make me look good.”
“Impossible,” Diego insisted. “You are muy hermosa always. But in person . . .” He put his fingers together and put them to his lips, kissing them. “Exquisito.”
Diego’s men returned from their search one by one, their eyes on Miller as they gathered on the deck, and Elias braced himself for a fight. But Diego gave them orders to get back on the boat and start the engine.
“I hope we meet again soon,” he said, nodding to Elias and then Miller. “Take caution during your time on the islands. I’d suggest hiring a guide if you don’t have protection for yourself. There are many dangers lurking. You have a great treasure under your care. These are unsettling times on the island, and there is little help for those isolated in areas such as this. Many are never found.”
Diego crossed the ramp and they disconnected the boats, and then the cutter was gone as quickly as it had come up on them.
“Well, that was really weird,” she said, rubbing her hands down her chilled arms. “I’m not sure if he was telling us to be careful or warning us to stay out of trouble.”
“Both,” Elias said. “We’ll anchor at the middle island for the night. There’s a couple of other boats docked there, and it might be best to have company for the time being. You’re about to get your afternoon rain.”
“How long do you think we have before they’re back?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he said. “These men are sloppy. If I were doing a search of this magnitude, I’d make sure every one of my men had studied your picture. And then I’d have computer renderings done of what you’d look like with different hair colors and lengths. Not one of those men even thought you looked familiar. I was watching their eyes. But Diego will figure it out. You just had to go and smile at him,” he said, shaking his head. “That smile is so distinctive you might as well have a big ‘I’m Miller Darling’ tattoo on your forehead.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You’ve been drinking the seawater. There’s nothing remarkable about my smile. Diego was too busy looking at my breasts to notice my smile.”
“In that case, he’ll probably be back sooner. Those are pretty unforgettable too,” he said.
“Funny,” she said.
“I have my moments,” he said. “In all seriousness, I think our time is limited. Diego wasn’t just captivated by your body. He’s more seasoned than the others. He spent some time studying your face. And, like I said, your smile gives you away. Hopefully, we’ll be lost pretty far in the mountains by the time they start to hunt us.”
“Maybe use a different word from ‘hunt,’ ” she said. “I don’t like the idea of being anyone’s prey.”