Chapter Nineteen

“You did really well this week,” Walter said to Abby as they strolled down the lit walkway toward the main pool area.

She tossed him a smile, filled with a sense of relief and pride. It had been a long week. Even longer because she’d been away from Kai far more often than she wanted to be, especially over the last twenty-four hours.

Now her work here was all done. The conference had gone better than she’d expected. She’d made personal connections with many of their best clients, along with other company executives and experts within the industry. Her chance of promotion looked good, her future bright.

A future she hoped would include the extraordinary man who had completely won her heart and made her realize that she didn’t want to keep her walls up any longer. Not with him.

“Thanks. And thanks for asking me to come,” she added, giving him a playful nudge in the ribs with her elbow.

“You were the logical choice. Don’t tell anybody back at the office, but you were a shoe in. Dan and I both decided on you weeks ago.”

She raised her eyebrows. “And you let me sweat it out all that time because why?”

He shrugged. “It’s good for you. Didn’t want you to get all full of yourself,” he said with a smile playing around the edges of his mouth.

She snorted. “I’ll remember that.”

“Oh, I know you will.” He glanced at her. “You got time for a quick drink before you meet your friend?”

Abby wasn’t telling him anything more about Kai than she already had. She felt crazy protective of him, even though he was huge and badass and could more than look out for himself. “If it’s a really quick one. I’ve made us dinner reservations.”

“Something romantic, I hope?”

She hid a smile. He was a nice man and a great boss, even if he could be a little arrogant at times. Spending this week with him had shown her a far more human side of him than most people ever got to see, and he’d also gotten to know her on a more personal basis. For those things, she was grateful. “You can keep trying, Walter, but I’m not giving you anything more.”

He sighed. “All right, be that way.” He took her elbow gently, gestured with his free hand to a path on the left. “Just through here there’s a little tiki bar by the pool. Sound good?”

“Sure.” Abby went with him, her high heels clicking on the stamped concrete path. Her phone was in her purse. She’d text Kai from the bar and let him know where she was. He was really social and outgoing, so she was sure he wouldn’t mind having a drink with her boss before their private dinner.

“So am I going to get to meet this guy, or what?” Walter asked as they neared the pool. The underwater lights made it glow a beautiful bright turquoise in the darkening twilight.

“You might, if you behave.”

“Good. I need to make sure he’s worthy of you,” he teased.

She smiled. “Oh, he is.” Kai was…incredible. Already familiar to her in so many ways from the start of this trip, but now he meant so much more to her than ever before.

Over the time they’d spent together here they’d not only solidified their bond, but she’d seen so many sides of him that she hadn’t before. The dominant, skilled lover who made her insides quiver with a single look. The trusted friend who cared about her and went out of his way to do things that made her feel special. Even the tender, vulnerable part of him that she bet he’d only ever let a handful of people see.

Strong as he was, watching his cousin die in front of him in such a horrific way had shaken him to the core. It didn’t matter how strong he appeared, or how well he seemed to be handling the loss, Abby knew he was reeling.

She’d hated being away from him today, but he’d had so much to deal with, and it made tonight even more special. Tonight, they could simply relax and be together. She could be there for him without time constraints or schedules, hopefully take his mind off everything else for a few hours.

Right after she got through this drink with Walter.

“I’m glad to hear it,” her boss said, guiding her to the right, toward the well-lit tiki bar set up next to the pool. Three other people were seated around it, talking amongst themselves. “But I’ll be the judge of that when I meet him. You change your flight home yet?”

“Yes. I’ll be staying until after the funeral, and flying home the next day.”

Walter nodded and slid out a stool for her at the bar. “What’ll you have?”

“Lava flow, please.” A piña colada swirled with strawberry syrup, served with a fresh wedge of pineapple here. Work was done, so she was officially off the clock and ready to make the most of her remaining time here.

She settled onto the stool, crossing her ankles and resting the platform portion of her high heels on the foot rung. While Walter ordered their drinks, she reached into her purse for her phone. She’d missed three calls from Kai several minutes ago. Silently laughing at his over-eagerness, she typed out a quick text, alerting him to their slight change of plans.

At tiki bar beside main pool. Come meet boss and me for quick drink before reso.

“I asked him to meet us here,” she said to Walter, who had his back to her as he took her drink from the bartender.

“Good. So what do you have planned for—” His words cut off and he sucked in a sharp breath.

Abby’s head snapped up, her thumb still touching the send button. Walter was staring at something to her left, his face frozen, body tense.

Alarmed, she jerked her head around to see a woman standing twenty feet away from them. Her gaze was fixed on Abby and Walter, her preternatural stillness making Abby’s nape prickle in warning.

As she gaped at the woman, a sudden flash of recognition blasted through her.

The woman who had shot Hani. An image of her had been all over the news.

Now she wore a grayed wig, but there was no mistaking that face…or the deadly intent in her eyes as she stared at them.

The thought had no sooner flashed through Abby’s brain than the woman’s hand emerged from her purse…with a pistol in it.

Abby’s spine jerked taut, her eyes glued to the weapon as it swung toward them. Disbelief hit her, then fear.

A scream locked in her throat, her hands automatically coming up to shield herself.

Walter grabbed her by the arm and yanked her off the stool. Her high heel caught on the foot rung. She threw her hands out to catch herself as she tumbled to the stamped concrete just as gunshots exploded in the night.

Abby scrambled around the edge of the bar, curling into as small a target as possible. People all around them screamed and dove for cover, but the shots kept coming.

One bullet slammed into the edge of the bar, sending up a spray of bamboo shards. Another hit the ground near her, sending chunks of concrete into the air.

Then Walter grunted and dropped to his side with a strangled cry.

Oh, God, he was hit.

Terrified, Abby grabbed the edge of a nearby table and toppled it over, trying to give them more cover. Glass shattered as a shot hit it.

Walter groaned and tried to roll over. The front of his shirt was soaked with blood over his lower belly. Abby reached for him, trying to keep as low as possible, cringing at the helpless feeling of exposure. His eyes were wide, his face pale as he pressed his hands to his front.

Shit, oh, shit…

She grabbed his shoulders, shoved him flat beneath her as more bullets slammed into the table. Two punched through it. Sharp bites of pain peppered her right calf. Abby bit back a cry and tucked her leg in tight, curling into a ball on her side.

The firing abruptly stopped.

Heart lodged in her throat, Abby waited a second, then risked a peek around the edge of the downed table when she heard the distinct sound of people in some kind of a scuffle. A security guard had one arm clamped around the shooter’s waist, his free hand twisting the wrist holding the pistol. The woman was snarling at him, an animal sound of rage as she struggled in his grip, teeth bared.

No one was helping him. Abby lurched to her knees, her legs wobbling. Afraid or not, she would help him take that bitch down.

“I’ll be right back,” she blurted to Walter, kicking off her heels before getting up and running toward the security guard, ready to help him wrestle the woman to the ground so she couldn’t hurt anyone else.

The woman screamed as the guard twisted her wrist. A loud bang rent the air as the gun went off. Abby gasped and jerked to a halt, ducking on instinct.

The guard grimaced and slumped, turning as he fell to his knees, and the pistol went flying. It hit the stamped concrete with a clatter and skittered out of sight to Abby’s right. But even disarmed, the shooter continued to fight the wounded guard.

Rage and determination swept through Abby in a burning wave. Now or never. Gritting her teeth, she started running toward them.

In that instant the woman fought free of the man’s hold, shoved him to his back and clambered to her feet.

Abby skidded to a stop, her bare feet slipping out from under her. She threw out a hand to catch herself as the woman tore toward her with an expression of absolute murder.

Skin crawling, terror bursting inside her, Abby lunged to her feet and took a running step back toward the bar. She scanned for something to grab and throw at the woman. People there were cowering in fear behind whatever cover they could find. Walter lay flat on his back, blood pooling around him. His head was turned toward her, his face full of pain and dread.

The running footsteps behind Abby seemed to be getting closer, sending a bolt of fear through her.

She’d only made it a few steps before a hard weight hit her in the back. Abby gave a stifled cry a second before slamming into the unforgiving concrete, the woman’s weight landing on top of her.

Pain radiated through Abby’s ribs and pelvis, her forearms where she’d tried to catch herself. Her chin struck the ground, skin scraping as they skidded along the surface.

Within a few heartbeats, the pain and shock of it flipped the internal switch inside her from flight to fight.

With a feral snarl, Abby flipped over, throwing the woman off balance. Jumping to her feet, Abby assumed her fighting stance without thinking, fists raised. Before the woman could stand, Abby twisted and lashed out in a left roundhouse kick. Her shin smashed into the woman’s ribs as she tried to rise.

Pain streaked along her shinbone as the shooter screeched and grabbed her side, but the insane woman wasn’t down yet. Immediately Abby stepped back and did another left roundhouse, aiming for her opponent’s head. The skirt of her dress restricted her movement. She missed her target by inches, yelped in surprise when the woman caught her ankle in both hands and pulled.

Abby barely managed to wrench her foot free in time to stumble back and regain her footing. The woman pushed to her feet, her expression set. She was way too close for Abby to risk turning and running.

Fight. You have to take her down.

Abby wound up, lunged forward and swung out with a right cross. Pain shot through her hand as her knuckles plowed into the woman’s jaw. The shooter’s head snapped back and she began to fall backward.

Abby whirled to flee. A foot flashed out, tripping her.

Once more she crashed to the concrete, on her hands and knees this time. Get up. Quick.

She flipped over onto her back just in time to put her hands up as the woman launched herself at Abby in a flying tackle. Down they went in a tangle of limbs, rolling, flailing. A streak of agony shot through Abby’s head as the back of her skull bounced off the concrete.

They rolled once more, Abby coming up on top, scrambling to her knees, disoriented. But the woman heaved and twisted, sending them both tumbling over the edge of the pool.

The shock of plunging into the water knocked the breath from her. It closed over her head, the woman’s weight shoving her down, down. She flailed, kicking out with her arms and legs, couldn’t reach the bottom.

Hands tangled in her hair. Locked there and shoved down. Abby twisted her head, reached up blindly to rip at the restraining hands.

Legs wound around her ribs, squeezing. Forcing her little remaining air from her lungs.

Abby thrashed, both hands clawing at the restraining wrists. Her lungs burned, her heart seeming three times its normal size as the panic burned through her. She yanked hard against the seemingly unbreakable grip, finally freed her hands and used the woman’s shoulders for leverage to push up and kick toward the surface.

Her head broke through the water. She dragged in a desperate gulp of air, then those frantic hands locked around her shoulders and dragged her back under again.

Panic turned to rage. Abby was all instinct, lashing out with her legs, her fingers curled into claws as she raked at the woman’s face. Anything and everything to get free. To get air.

Someone plunged into the water close to them. Abby didn’t look, too focused on fighting her way free. The breath of air she’d sucked in was almost gone now, her entire chest on fire, eyes about to pop out of her skull from the strain.

Help me. Oh, God, help me…

A powerful arm wrapped around her ribs, tearing her from the woman’s grasp.

Using her final burst of strength, Abby kicked and headed upward, that strong arm propelling her toward the surface.

OVERCOME WITH FEAR and fury, Kai ripped Abby free of the woman’s grasp and hauled her to the surface.

“Get out and get behind cover,” he ordered as soon as she’d cleared the water and dragged in a heaving breath. He gave her a hard shove toward the side of the pool to make sure she was clear, then turned back to deal with her attacker.

The woman’s head broke the surface a few yards away, her furious gaze narrowed on him. She made an unintelligible sound of rage and took a stroke toward him.

Before she’d made it a single yard, Kai lunged, locking an arm around her throat, his other hand flashing out to catch her right wrist in a punishing grip that squeezed her bones together.

Ignoring her screech of outrage and pain, he pinned her to the front of his body, applying just enough pressure with his forearm to cut off her air. She made a choking sound, grabbed at his arm with her free hand and went rigid.

“Don’t fucking move,” he snarled in her ear, and began dragging her in a rescue swimmer’s hold toward the pool’s edge, adrenaline screaming through his veins.

He’d been in dozens of firefights. Faced overwhelming enemy fire with a calm determination drilled into him by his instructors in the Corps and the experience that came with enduring combat. He was steady under pressure. Calm.

But the moment he’d heard those gunshots off in the distance as he’d raced toward the pool to meet Abby, his heart had stopped. He’d never known fear like that, the kind that iced his blood and froze his muscles. And when he’d veered around the corner to find Abby underwater, the woman trying to drown her, a red-hot, primal wrath had overtaken him.

Without conscious thought he’d sprinted full out to the pool and dived headlong into the deep end, his only thought to save Abby. Now that she was safe, the bitch who’d attacked her would fucking pay for what she’d done to Abby and Hani.

“Let me go, you corrupt bastard,” the woman gritted out, raking her nails over his forearms.

Kai barely felt the sting, his body in combat mode. “Shut up.” He squeezed her throat tighter, and the garbled words stopped.

From the corner of his eye he saw Abby scramble up over the edge of the pool and stay there on her hands and knees. Fuck, he wanted to go to her so badly, see if she was hurt. And he would in a few minutes.

But first, he had to deal with this murderer.

None too gently, he towed the woman the last few feet to the side of the pool. The water here was just shallow enough for him to be able to stand as he wrenched the woman’s arms behind her back and hefted her out of the water, dumping her onto the deck on her stomach like a landed fish.

She twisted and tried to sit up but he was faster, using the side of the pool as a springboard as he leapt out of the water and seized both her forearms, dragging them behind her back to pin them in place.

“I said, don’t fucking move,” he growled, shoving her arms higher, enough to make her cry out and arch from the pressure against her shoulders. She was goddamn lucky he had enough restraint to stop from breaking both her damn arms.

Three security guys rushed over to take her into custody. Kai kept a firm hold on her wrists until they cuffed her, then shoved to his feet, water sluicing off him onto the pool deck.

“Get her out of here,” he rasped out, half-afraid of what he might do to her if they didn’t get her out of his sight right fucking now. Because God knew he was amped up and ready to kill, but he wanted answers more. And by God, he’d get them.

A shrill scream behind him split the air. “Look out!”

Kai’s heart rocketed into his throat and he whipped around. Abby.

She was still on her hands and knees at the edge of the pool, but she wasn’t looking at him. He followed her gaze to a man who had appeared near a pathway leading to the pool. He was in silhouette, backlit against the shot-up tiki bar.

But Kai clearly saw his arms rise, along with the pistol in his hands. It was aimed directly at Kai’s chest.

Muttering a curse, Kai dove for the ground just as a shot shattered the taut silence.