I watched as Jonas surveyed the area where we’d docked the seaplane. I admired how his body moved with efficiency and ease while his muscles stretched tightly against the polo shirt. He’d discarded his jacket, letting me take in the unusual tattoos running up the length of his arm and disappearing underneath his shirt.
I wondered if his ink told a story or had meaning. The military men I’d worked with during my clinical rotations in counseling had a multitude of tattoos. Several had been in remembrance of fallen friends on the battlefield, while others were triumphs and tragedies in everyday life. In any event, they were significant to the soldier, and I loved listening to the stories these soldiers brought back with them and hoped I could hone in on the area they seemed to be hung up on in their lives. Was Jonas hung up on something? Was he having trouble adapting to civilian life. Is that the reason he’s so cross? He did remind me of a couple of patients I’d worked with.
Reflected light was coming off of a silver cuff around Jonas’s wrist and bouncing into my face. I tried to get close enough to see what it was, but he quickly barked, “Stay put on the dock until I need your help.”
Geez. What crawled up his ass? I kind of suspected his nasty attitude would return. Jonas had never been that nice to me, not at his sister’s wedding and certainly not when we first started off tonight; he’d been very curt and to the point. However, when he’d softened during the briefing with Derrick, which had given the impression that he actually had compassion, it had surprised me. Something told me not to buy into the act, but I did, needing reassurance things would be okay. Hell, in the course of twenty-four hours, my life had been turned upside down. I had one friend dead and two in the hospital clinging to life, and I had been stolen out from under the FBI’s noses and moved like a ghost in the night.
The memories of waking up in the jet plane with Jonas’s arms surrounding me felt nice and comfortable. His deep woodsy smell and gentle heartbeat didn’t help any. I’d almost allowed myself to believe it was real. But the fantasy of it all was thrown out the window the moment we started getting shot at on the docks in…Where were we again? Was it Miami or somewhere close to it? And for that matter…
“Where are we?” I asked, hoping he’d pause long enough to get an answer.
The ass, he kept working, pulling a tarp off of a piece of equipment in the corner and revealing an ATV. I watched as he strapped our luggage to the back while uttering under his breath, “We’re at a safe location. That’s all you need to know.”
“Duh. I knew that. What I want to know is where? I know we started off someplace close to Miami, and then flew for a couple hours. I don’t think we’ve gone in a straight line, because I could feel the twists and turns in the air. So, Mr. Hyde, where the hell are we? I think I have a right to know.”
I’d never seen Jonas look so perplexed. One moment he was looking at me like I’d grown a second head, and the next, he burst into laughter. Pointing at me, he said, “Mr. Hyde. That’s a good one, princess. Why that reference, and why do you need to know where you are? Shouldn’t you just be happy you’re alive, and I’m keeping you safe?”
I crossed my arms underneath my chest, took a stance on the dock with my legs shoulder width apart, and just stared him down. Instead of taking in the scowl on my face, his eyes quickly focused on my breasts. I’d forgotten that I took off my jacket and that my cleavage was more pronounced in this dress. Men! “My eyes are up here, dude.”
Jonas quickly shook his head and walked to within inches from touching me. His eyes looked down into mine. He expected me to budge, but when I didn’t, he asked, “Why are you being so difficult?”
His words felt like a slap against my face. Me difficult? Preposterous! I stood on my tiptoes to get into his face and began to point at him. “I’m not the one with a stick up his ass. All I’m asking for is to know where I’m at. What if something happens to you? What if we’re ambushed? I want to know where the hell I’m supposed to go, what I’m to do, and where I can get help should any of that happen.”
He started laughing in my face. “That’s on a need-to-know basis, and right now, I don’t think you need to know, especially not with that attitude you’re packing. So deal with it, princess.”
I didn’t care if he looked like a big gorilla ready to blow a gasket and pounce. I wanted answers. “I’ll deal with it all right. The first chance I get, I’ll let Rick and my father know how disrespectful you’ve been and how you won’t even acknowledge where we are. I’m guessing, based on the various directions we flew, we’re either in the Bahamas, off the coast of the Palm Beaches, or somewhere in the Caribbean.”
His brows furrowed, and the mask of indifference he’d worn since we left the docks in Miami suddenly slipped. “How did you…”
“You keep calling me princess, but what you fail to realize is that I’m capable of thought. You do remember who my parents are, right? I don’t need a map to know we first traveled east, then south quite a ways, then back to the west, again to the north, and finally east again. You ran a zigzag pattern of confusion for anyone who was attempting to track us or find us after we took off. My speculation is that we mainly went east, so, that would be somewhere in the archipelagos of the Bahamas.”
He nodded and started to ask, “But…”
I just smiled, knowing I had him. “I guess you also forgot about the instrumentation panel on the plane. The compass kind of clued me in too. So am I right?”
Turning away from me, he didn’t bother to respond with words, only grunts, which basically told me I had been correct in my analysis of our location. He started looking for a few things in the garage, dock, or whatever the hell you wanted to call it. Jonas seemed to find what he was looking for, as he grabbed a small envelope. I watched as he opened it and pulled out a couple sets of keys along with a map of the island.
He held it up toward me. “Let’s begin.”
What the hell was that supposed to mean? “Let’s begin.” Begin what? Was he going to start treating me with some civility? Was it signaling the beginning of his assignment? You’d think he could learn a few more vocabulary words to provide a better definition for what he meant. If I wanted to be stuck with an ape, they could’ve dropped me off in a zoo. Maybe they would be a little friendlier to be around?
Before I could move or even acknowledge him, he seemed to remember, “Since you’re by the plane, why don’t you make yourself useful and reach in and grab the GPS.”
Shaking my head back and forth, I stood my ground. “Do you just bark orders at everyone, or do you know how to ask nicely?” I could already see how this was going to go: him on one side of the island, me on the other, providing he’d allow it.
Jonas held up his hands. “Fine. You win this match, but don’t push your luck with me, Erica. I tend to win.” He cocked his head to the side, giving me a stare down, and when I didn’t flinch, he finally added, “Would you please grab the GPS from the cockpit?”
“Sure, why not?” I laid my jacket down on the dock, along with the small purse Titan had provided so that I could carry my new ID with me. I stepped gingerly onto the pontoon of the plane and reached into the cabin for the device. However, when I pulled back, my heal caught—on what I didn’t know—and I began to fall, until strong arms reached around, picked me up, and threw me over a shoulder.
“What the hell?” I yelled out and slapped at Jonas’s backside. “Put me down.”
I felt a sharp slap to my backside. “That’s for being a smartass and cussing too much for a lady.” He slapped at my ass again. “And that’s for almost falling into the water and hurting yourself. I can’t have you getting hurt within the first minutes here.”
He took the device from my hand before putting me down on the dock. I’m actually surprised, with his attitude, that he didn’t drop me on my ass. What the hell was with this guy?
I waved my hand the full length of him. “At the hanger outside of Tampa, I thought you’d finally gotten a personality and had learned how to treat people. Was that all a ploy to get me to go along with you on this assignment? Which are you: Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, or a little of both?”
He leaned down to grab my things, before grasping my upper arm and almost dragging me over to the ATV. “Climb on.”
I shook my head refusing to comply, so he ordered me to climb on again. I refused a second time, when he finally asked, “Why not?”
I waved both of my hands up and down the front of me. “How? Don’t you see the skintight dress I’m wearing? How am I supposed to climb on and straddle that thing?” I argued.
Jonas handed me my purse, and then proceeded to grab ahold of the hem of my dress and hike it up, almost exposing the delicate lace panties I was wearing. He paused a moment when he reached my upper thighs. I was about to protest, but he took my coat and tied the arms around my waist before pulling the length of the coat through my legs and tucking it in. He shook his head. “I know it’s not fashionable, but it’ll do, at least until we can get somewhere we can change into clothes more suitable to this tropical setting.” He shook his head and mumbled to himself. “What the heck was Titan thinking when they put her in a dress?”
I’d wanted to fight with him, but seeing his reaction to my legs, to the tattoo that rested on my upper left thigh…he’d won this round. How could I fight with someone who was already fighting an internal battle? How did I know? Easy, he’d swallowed hard, and his hands had been shaking a bit when he’d seen the words “carpe diem” and a date he should have probably recognized—the date my family had gone into witness protection; the day I had suddenly become Erica Jamieson. It seemed to reach him in some way, how I didn’t know, but based on my studies and working with other veterans, I noted his temperament had become slightly agitated, and then calmed considerably. He was wrestling with something in his mind, but what?
We didn’t say any further words as he helped me onto the ATV, and then climbed on in front of me. He clicked a button on the wall that opened a door, allowing us to pass through before it closed.
The humidity was stifling, but the breeze off the ocean helped to keep things tolerable. From the air, the island had looked deserted, but I’d grown up knowing that things weren’t always what they seemed. Plus, Titan would never send us to the middle of nowhere without decent accommodations, so my curiosity was peaked, and I wanted to see what mysteries this island held.
Turning his head back toward me, Jonas cited, “This might get bumpy, princess. Hold on tight if you don’t want to get left behind.”
Like hell I will! The thought just passed through my mind, when he propelled the ATV forward, causing me to wrap my arms around him to keep from falling off. The bastard laughed at me. At this moment, I hated him, being here, and the world for that matter. Why the hell had this happened to me? And why, above everything, did it feel so nice to have my chest pressing up against the hardness of his back and my hands gripping the contours of his chest? Why did I love the way my thighs vibrated with the pulse of the engine? Get a grip, girl. You’re here because of a threat. You have to trust this asshole, even if he does push all your buttons. And get your mind of the gutter; he has no interest in you. He’s here for a job only.
The ATV went along a rough path. I looked up and around me to get a feel for the surroundings. I was surprised to see the palm trees forming a canopy with their fronds, which blocked the path from aerial view. I remember looking down on the island from the plane and seeing only a jungle of trees. There had to be more here, right?
A few minutes later, my question answered itself. I looked closely at the underbrush and noticed small lines running toward the direction we were headed. A little further down, I noticed small translucent solar cells interspersed amongst the shrubbery collecting sunlight to turn into power. Something did exist on this island. It just wasn’t visible by air.
The ATV slowed to a crawl, and Jonas whipped out the map again. “We’re close. I’m looking for a hidden entrance, somewhere to park this vehicle. Erica, I need you as an extra set of eyes. The location we’re headed to should be nearby, but, from what I understand, it isn’t easy to see.”
Jonas held the map out to his side, where I could see it, before pointing. “I think this is where we’re at. We passed these landmarks several yards back, so…”
I looked at where his finger was on the map, and then gazed into the distance ahead of us. The light shifted just enough for me to realize there was a house hidden amongst the trees. To the naked eye, it was camouflaged enough to appear as though you were looking toward the trees, the sand, and the beach off in the distance. However, the water wasn’t moving, and as the wind blew, the bushes in front of us failed to move.
“Look there.” I pointed toward the area in front of us. “Watch as the wind moves the bushes in certain areas but not in others. Also, watch the water in the distance move but not right in the center.”
Jonas shook his head. “I’ll be damned.” His hand reached back and gave me a pat on the leg. “Thanks, princess. We would’ve found it eventually. Good work.” Why did his touch have to feel so nice? It sent a spark of desire running through me. Why him and not someone else?
I shook off the thoughts in my head and slapped him on the back. “Did you just manage to pay me a compliment?” I was almost in shock over the sincerity.
He laughed. “Don’t read too much into it. That’s probably the only one you’ll get from me.”
Jonas pushed the ATV forward at a slow crawl until we reached the outer edges of the structure. He hit a button attached to the handlebars, and we watched in amazement as a door swung open and lights came on inside to brighten the dark cavernous area. It was some sort of garage with an inclined path leading up into it.
I was about to ask why the incline, when it dawned on me. Duh, we were on an island in either the Bahamas or Caribbean, which was an area prone to strong storms during the summer months, and hurricane season started a couple weeks ago. The structure was built a ways from the beach, but storms often brought higher tides, flooding, and…Was this a good idea coming here? What if a storm developed?
My subconscious was really starting to grate on my nerves. I needed positive reinforcements, not finding all the flaws with where we were. How the hell was I supposed to survive when my mind continually went the negative route? Because this negative route has kept you and your family alive for years.
Jonas turned off the vehicle and dismounted before lifting me off and placing me on my feet. He began to move forward to help me remove my coat—still wrapped around my lower portion—when he all of the sudden stepped back and waved his hand up and down, and then swallowed hard. His voice was husky, like he was struggling against some form of emotion. “I’ll leave you to remove that so you’re more comfortable.”
Turning my back to him, I quickly pulled the edges of the coat away and undid the knot in the sleeves he’d wrapped around my waist. The coat fell away, but I was mortified. I’d realized too late that my dress had ridden up higher during the ride and was now exposing my thin, lacy thong and most of my ass to him. I heard him grunt and move swiftly away from me as I wiggled my hips to get my dress back down over my ass.
When I turned back around, he had his hands laden with our luggage and was climbing up a few steps. “Want to get the door for me? Here’s the key.”
I grabbed the key out of his hand and opened the door. Stepping inside, I found a light switch and flipped it on. So I was right about the translucent power cells. They are an energy source to power this place.
I was expecting to find a one or two bedroom shack, not a fully furnished great room with windows opening to highlight the waves in the distance, a gourmet kitchen off to the side, a hallway that led to other rooms, and a small set of stairs leading to what I assumed was a loft.
My curiosity had me heading toward the front door, wanting to open it. No sooner had I disengaged the lock than a hand slammed against the door and a body against my back, pressing me hard against the wood. His heated breath was right next to my ear, washing over me like a hot afternoon sun, while his whiskers tickled against the edge of my ear. “You go nowhere without me. We need to get established here first, check in with Rick, and then we can discuss our options.”
I didn’t like the rules, but I understood them. Hell, I’d lived them most of my life. Forgive me if I felt a bit pent up and wanted to attempt a modicum of normalcy for once.
Jonas backed away from me, grabbed ahold of my arm, and pulled me along with him. “Let’s figure out where we’re sleeping. I was told the bedrooms are set up with more clothes for each of us.”
He dragged me from room to room. I was surprised to see this house had a small room completely devoted to food supplies, another filled with enough military supplies to keep an army at bay for a few days, and a small workout room. The bedrooms were upstairs. It looked like I was set up in the master bedroom with its own en suite bath, while Jonas was across the hall in one of the two guest rooms. This house was a delusion. It was definitely bigger than what it appeared.
Wanting to get a cross breeze coming through, I went over to a window to lift it, when I realized it wasn’t a window at all, but a projected real-time image of what was going on outside. That made me question, “Who’s house is this? And how did we end up here?”
Jonas was leaning against the doorframe watching me. “Mr. Prescott arranged all this. He has a friend who develops high-security electronics and actually used the guy’s company on numerous occasions to make some of Titan’s ideas come to fruition.” He laughed, “The guy’s name is Liam Tekcraff.”
My eyes bugged out. I remember my mom saying she was working on some new electronic device in coordination with another company. “You mean Liam as in Technocraft Security Designs?”
He nodded. “The very same. Liam’s a very private man. He’s had death threats against him and his family because of his designs and advancements for our government and for security companies in general. He hasn’t been able to vacation where most people can, not without a huge defense detail following him, so he bought this island and made it damn near impossible to approach. When Mr. Prescott told him Sophia’s daughter was in trouble, he willingly offered up this place as refuge.”
You could tell Jonas was in his element; the small smile playing across his face was his only sign. So I asked, “Will you tell me more about this island and all the secrets it holds?”
He scoffed at first, but looked closely at me to see I truly had an interest in this. “First, get changed. There’s no way you can explore the island in that dress and heels.”
I opened up my suitcase to discover mainly long pants, dresses, and a few pairs of sandals. Who the hell packed for me, and where did they think I was going, an exotic all-inclusive resort? I turned toward the closet and chest of drawers where, hopefully, more sensible options were located, including sneakers and hiking boots.
Kicking off my shoes, I began to reach back and try to get my zipper, not realizing Jonas was still leaning against the doorway watching. “Need a hand with that?” His strong baritone voice surprised me, causing me to jump.
“I thought you’d pulled back into your room and were changing.” I shook my finger and chastised him for his peep show.
“And miss the show? Whatever for?” The fool laughed at me.
He walked up to me and spun me around. “Let me get it. Otherwise, we’ll be here all day.”
The zipper came down slowly against my skin, and his knuckles brushed against my back as the teeth of the zipper parted, causing goose bumps to pepper my skin. “There. Now you can get dressed.” He walked away, but not before slapping his hand against my ass. “You have fifteen minutes, princess.”
Narrowing my eyes and using my hands across my body to hold up my dress, I threatened him. “You better never touch my ass again.”
“Or what?” He countered.
I didn’t have a response. I only walked to the door and slammed it in his face. “That’s what, you asshole!”
My body was vibrating with energy. I didn’t know whether to throttle him or climb up on that tower of man meat and wrap my legs around him. What was with my emotions? I knew the answer to that: I was put through too many stressors in too short of a time, and I was having a hard time dealing with it. Maybe I needed to ignore him and just exist while I was here.
I pushed my suitcase aside and lay back on the bed to ponder things. My mind was a whirlwind of a mess. I started sorting the issues into categories so I could address each problem one at a time, but I found my eyelids starting to drop, until darkness slipped over me.