Chapter Fifteen
Jody looked from one man to the other. Twenty minutes ago, she’d been sleeping like a baby. But gradually, a gnawing sense of dread set in along with bizarre dreams full of vampires and twisted, grotesque monsters she couldn’t name. It was almost as if her father’s crazy aunt Tilda had snuck into her mind and rattled off spooky stories — spooky enough to make Jody wake up in a cold sweat.
So she’d pulled on some clothes and set off in search of Cruz, hoping to work away those silly, unfounded fears. And there he was with Silas, standing over mugs of coffee so strong, she could smell it half a mile away — and looking like a fight was about to break out. What was wrong?
For a second, she’d even wondered if they had shared those crazy dreams. But big, tough soldier types focused on real threats, not dreams. So what could it be? Silas’s eyes were glowing red embers. And as for Cruz — the soft, dreamy look she remembered was gone, replaced by something deadly and cold.
No way. She’s not doing it, she’d overheard Cruz saying moments ago.
We need her, Silas had said.
Curiosity killed the cat, but she couldn’t resist asking again. “Come on, already. You need me to what?”
Cruz opened his mouth, but Silas spoke first. “We need you to do that extra modeling session.”
She stuck her hand up. “Whoa. Wait.” The guy might be big and scary — really scary, with eyes that intense — but she didn’t take orders from anyone. “I’m done modeling. I finished my contract.”
“Cruz said you had an offer to model one more time.”
The withering look Cruz shot at Silas would have knocked most men back a few steps, but Silas didn’t blink.
“Listen, it’s important,” Silas said with just enough plea in his tone to make her believe him.
Cruz, meanwhile, beseeched her with his eyes. Don’t listen to him. You don’t have to do anything.
She crossed her arms. “Why is it so important?”
Even Cruz looked at Silas expectantly, as if he had no idea what might come out of his boss’s mouth.
And just like that, the fire went out of Silas’s eyes. He gazed off into the distance, looking wearier than ever. The man wasn’t accustomed to being put on the spot, and he sure wasn’t used to asking for help. That much was clear.
Jody tilted her head at him. Maybe it really was important. So she waited. And waited…
It was only when her hand brushed Cruz’s shoulder that she realized she’d been inching toward him, yearning for contact. Whatever it was that had Silas so worked up worried Cruz, too. And in Cruz, worry translated to angry, which really wasn’t good. Not when she’d finally gotten him to loosen up and smile.
When she touched his shoulder, he grasped her hand. The tight lines on his brow loosened slightly, and the twitch at the corner of his eye eased, too. Jody smiled and let everything but him fade away. The chirp of insects outside, the muted rumble of surf in the distance, and even Silas’s forceful presence. Everything blurred to the background except Cruz and the warmth radiating from his hand to hers. His tight grip said everything he’d never say out loud. I’m glad you’re here. I loved our night together. I never wanted it to end.
She never wanted it to end either. Before long, she and Cruz were going to have a long talk about what was happening between them and where they wanted it to go. But now was obviously not the time.
“I hate it when real life butts in when I’m having fun,” she whispered.
A thin smile formed on Cruz’s lips. “Yeah. Me, too. But maybe you just have to believe a little.”
She grinned broadly and nearly leaned in for a kiss. But, oops — Silas was there, so she pulled away and settled for brushing her thumb over Cruz’s cheek. His eyes closed as he leaned into her hand. And for a moment, he was at peace.
God, she loved being able to do that to him.
Then Silas cleared his throat, and Cruz scowled again. Jody stuck her hands on her hips and forced her attention back to the other man. The sooner she solved his problem — whatever it was — the sooner she and Cruz could go back to—
Erotic, breathless images flooded her mind, and Cruz’s eyes flashed.
Jody caught her breath and hurried to reel the dirty thoughts back in.
“Minx,” Cruz muttered under his breath, making her smile again.
“Have a seat,” Silas said, pulling her attention across the room.
She pursed her lips. Have a seat was never an auspicious start to a conversation.
“Coffee?” Silas offered.
She stared at him. Apparently, Cruz wasn’t the only one who tended to dance around big issues.
“Sure.” She tapped impatiently on the counter as Silas moved around the kitchen.
“Milk?”
She made an exasperated sound. “Wow, you’re just as bad as Cruz.”
Silas’s jaw dropped, and Cruz’s brow furrowed again.
She poured her own coffee and waved at Silas. “Just get to the point already.”
Silas blinked at her for a full minute before shooting Cruz one of those guy-to-guy looks. The kind buddies used to say, Are you sure it’s worth putting up with this chick?
Cruz pulled his stool over to Jody’s and looped an arm around the back, and she hid a grin. Yeah, she and Cruz definitely had to have a talk soon.
“You need me to do one more modeling session because…” she prompted Silas.
He paced around the room, darker than ever. The effect was slightly softened, though, by the sight of Keiki prancing along behind him, doing her best to imitate his grave steps.
It took Silas a full minute to answer, and he started with, “Miss Monroe.”
She shook her head. “Jody.”
Cruz brushed a hand over her back, bolstering her resolve as she faced down that simmering volcano of a man.
“Jody.” Silas nodded stiffly. “You mentioned a jewel earlier. What do you know about it?”
Jody put down the cup she’d had halfway to her lips. That was not what she expected. Why was Silas interested in a jewel? And why did Cruz tense up at the mention of it?
She shrugged, trying to defuse the tension. “I don’t know much. George, the photographer’s assistant, mentioned that the Elements bosses wanted to get more attention from the press early on — by making the photo shoots an event in themselves, I think. They’d love to stir up attention and get social media to gossip. There’s a lot of pressure from the top, and the product managers of each location — including Richard — are all trying to top each other and get the campaign back on track. George said there’s bonus money at stake, and the payoff could be huge if the campaign is as successful as they want it to be. The models and places were chosen by someone higher-up—”
Cruz and Silas exchanged angry glances, and Jody wondered if they knew something she didn’t. Still, she went on.
“—which means the managers don’t have influence over that. So they’re each trying to outdo each other with poses and props to match the themes — earth, air, fire, water. Rumor has it, the ‘earth’ model has been posing with a boa constrictor. Richard wants to top that, so he’s been trying to lease a sapphire — but it didn’t work out.”
“Until now,” Silas murmured.
She stirred her coffee, frowning at the brown and white swirls. “I wasn’t really paying attention, but, yes. Richard said something about that. But, listen. I’m done modeling. I can’t wait to get back to my own life. To surfing. The next competition is only two weeks away—”
She stopped abruptly and looked at Cruz. Parts of her job, she loved. Other parts, not so much. Long flights. Smiling on cue for the cameras. It was amazing to be able to surf the gnarliest breaks in the world, but now that she’d been on the tour for a while, the thrill was giving way to the reality of loneliness and the constant pressure to win prize money to cover her expenses. The plan had always been to enjoy the pro tour for two or three years then move on to what she really wanted to do — make custom surfboards, like her dad. And damn, she was more tempted than ever to fast-forward to that part of the plan. She could do that here on Maui. Maybe even apprentice for Teddy Akoa, the legendary board builder. She could spend more time with Cruz and find out if what they shared really was the real thing. She could—
She slammed on the brakes there, though her imagination skidded and screeched in protest.
“Surely you could fit in one more session,” Silas said.
She tilted her head at him. “Tell me why. Why is a jewel so important?”
“We don’t even know if it’s the jewel we think it might be,” Cruz cut in.
Silas conceded the point with a brief nod. “But if it is…”
The grim silence that followed pushed all the fresh air out of the room. Jody squirmed in her seat.
“It’s not the jewel itself so much as…” Silas trailed off, fishing for words. “As what it represents. As where it comes from…”
He was dancing around the heart of the issue, and Jody knew it. Cruz grew more and more tense beside her, and looks flew between the two men like knives.
Silas put both hands on the counter and turned to her, more earnest than ever. “I don’t wish to keep the truth from you, Miss Monroe. But the more you know, the more you enter a world you may not wish to be part of.”
Goose bumps prickled over her arms. Did Silas mean a world of crime? She didn’t want any part of that. But she found it hard to believe these two men were part of a shady underworld. Of course, there was something different about them. Something even an elite military background didn’t explain, like that prowly, animal feel to both of them. Cruz and Silas were both so haunted. So mysterious. So private.
“The truth could endanger you, Miss Monroe. I wouldn’t keep it from you for any other reason.”
Silas looked so pained and sincere, she had to believe him.
“There’s a possibility that the jewel — if it’s the one we fear — could find its way into the wrong hands,” Silas pressed on.
She studied his face closely. Did he mean fear literally? Neither Silas nor Cruz struck her as the type to fear anything.
“Which is why we want to get close enough to make sure it’s not the one,” Silas finished. His tone gave extra gravity to the last words — not just the one but The One.
Jody couldn’t begin to make sense of it all, but she could tell he meant every word.
“It’s not worth putting Jody in danger,” Cruz growled. “We still don’t know who tried to kill her and why.”
She gulped some coffee. A blissful night in Cruz’s arms had pushed that minor detail right out of her mind.
“We’ll be there to protect her. You, me, and Kai. All we need is one look at the jewel,” Silas insisted. “That’s all we need. All you need to do is one more session.”
Jody made a face. Just when she thought she never had to model again… Of course, these men had done a lot for her. They’d given her safe harbor and protected her when they could have walked away. Shouldn’t she help them in return?
Her stomach turned at the thought of working with Richard. But then again, it wasn’t as if she was doing it for free. Richard had offered extra payment, right?
“No. It’s too dangerous.” Cruz banged his left fist on the table. His right arm, meanwhile, pulled her tighter against his side.
Jody pursed her lips. How much danger could she be in with Cruz as her bodyguard? And if she could help him with something important…
“I agree that we don’t want Jody in danger. But we call the shots. We can make it location-dependent. We can—”
“I call the shots,” she said, sharply enough to cut Silas off. He might be the owner, head caretaker, or whatever of this estate, but she was her own boss. “I call the shots.”
Cruz bristled at her side as he glared at Silas. “She calls the shots.”
Jody couldn’t help glowing a little. The man knew when to take charge and when to let her speak for herself. And again, she wished she could talk to her mom just once. Is this what you felt like with Dad? Is this what love is?
Silas stuck his hands up. “You call the shots. We’ll take care of security.”
“I still don’t like it,” Cruz grumbled, meeting her eyes. “Not one bit.”
She didn’t like it either, but hell. There were a lot of things in life she didn’t like. But she knew what she had to do.
Slowly, deliberately, she put her hand out, and Silas handed her his phone. She looked at it for a good minute.
“It’s too early to call,” Cruz murmured, giving her an easy out.
She looked at the sky, where the first hints of dawn were starting to show. All but the boldest stars were growing faint, and a fringe of pink tinted the horizon. The clock on the wall said quarter to six.
“I’m guessing Richard won’t mind.” She flashed a naughty smile. “And if he does, well… His problem, not mine.”
Silas didn’t look amused, but Cruz grinned.
She dialed Richard’s number from memory and held the phone to her ear.
Cruz’s face asked, Are you sure?
No, she wasn’t sure. Not entirely. But she’d figure it out as she went along.
She almost gave up after the seventh ring, but then Richard bellowed over the line.
“Who the fuck is calling at this—”
“Good morning, Richard,” she said in her sweetest voice.
And just like that, his voice turned to molasses and honey. “Jody? So good to hear from you, baby.”
She rolled her eyes. “Not your baby, Richard.”
“Right. Sure. Whatever. Have you thought about my offer?”
Not until five minutes ago, but heck. Spontaneous decisions did seem to bring the best things in life. “I’d like to know exactly what you’re offering and what you had in mind.”
She gave herself a little nod. This time, she’d know exactly what she was getting herself into.
Cruz leaned closer, listening in as Richard chattered away.
“It’s going to be great, baby. Best concept ever. We finally got our hands on that sapphire. Your eyes will match it perfectly.”
She made a face. Richard had a way of focusing on objects before people. Or maybe people were just objects to him.
“Tell me more about this sapphire,” she prompted, leveling a gaze at Silas.
“What’s to tell? A jewel’s a jewel.”
Cruz shook his head in a way that said, Maybe not.
Part of her wanted to shake the whole story out of Cruz and Silas. On the other hand, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
“It’s costing thousands to rent, so the sooner we get the shots we need, the better. As in, today. All I need is one hour, baby. We’ve got the perfect location, too.”
Cruz scooped the air with his hands, prompting her.
“Where?” she asked.
“A waterfall not too far away. It will be great.”
She looked at Silas, who tilted his head.
Which waterfall? Cruz mouthed.
“Which waterfall? Where?” she echoed into the phone.
“Who can pronounce these crazy Hawaiian names? Some place in West Maui. George scouted it last week. Hanapaladala-something or other.”
“Hanalalai,” Cruz whispered.
“You have to fly in,” Richard added. “The problem is getting a chopper. They’re all booked out for days.”
Cruz perked up his ears and looked at Silas. Jody tilted her head in the direction of the helicopter pad, and when the men nodded to her, she replied. “I can organize a helicopter.”
“You can?” Richard yelped.
She grinned. It was nice to have friends who lived on luxurious seaside estates outfitted with every high-end toy. If Richard wanted her to pose on the hood of a sports car, she could get him one of those, too.
Which made her remember exactly what she was talking about and how much she hated being reduced to being nothing more than a hunk of flesh.
Silas rubbed his fingers together, reminding her what she stood to gain.
“If I agree to this, how much will I earn?” she asked.
“Fifty thousand,” Richard said.
Jody sucked in a long breath. Fifty thousand went above and beyond what she’d imagined. Fifty thousand would be the icing on the cake. The tax on her dad’s shop might increase again. Her sister might need more than one or two rounds of treatment. Even if she didn’t, the money could help pay part of her younger sister’s college tuition.
Little alarms sounded in the back of her mind. Was she getting greedy? Her dad had warned her from the start that money had a way of sucking a person in. A little makes you want more and more until you’re one of those people who pays more attention to bank accounts than the real joys in life.
Then again, it would only be an hour of modeling. The highest paid hour of her life.
“Fifty thousand, huh?” she asked, buying time.
Silas didn’t look too impressed. Cruz shook his head and jerked his thumb up.
She gaped. Was he serious?
Dead serious, his eyes said, and he drew on the table, using a finger as a pen.
She stared at the number he’d drawn. Then she took a deep breath and made the gamble of her life.
“Sixty thousand.”
The second she said it, she held the phone away from her ear.
“Are you nuts?” Richard hollered. “Are you crazy? You think you’re the only chick with a decent set of tits?”
She winced as Richard raged and complained. When he stopped for a breath, she cut in, feeling bolder.
“Sixty thousand. I want it in writing, Richard. And the full amount for the sessions we already finished has to be transferred to my account today.”
Cruz gave her a thumbs-up, and even Silas clapped his hands in a silent bravo.
Richard kept up his protest, but she didn’t relent. Five minutes later, she hung up with a smile and checked the clock on the wall. By early afternoon, she would have the highest bank balance of her life, and she could look forward to a sixty-thousand-dollar bonus, too. Who said she didn’t have a business mind?
She grinned, but her elation didn’t last long. Not with Cruz looking so fraught with doubt.
Silas hurried off, murmuring something about Kai and the helicopter, leaving the two of them alone.
Cruz took her hands in his and kissed them, looking grimmer than grim.
“Promise me you’ll explain all this to me someday,” she whispered, tipping her head against his. “Or at least, as much as you can.”
Cruz’s hands tightened around hers, and he deliberated a long time before answering. “I swear. I promise I will.”