Part 11 (1/2)

The stranger raised his head and begged. She didn't have to understand the language to recognize pleading. Her husband shook his head.

”You betrayed me,” he said in English. ”You stole from me.”

”I have paid it back with interest,” the man answered in the same language. ”It was a momentary lapse. A present for my child. Forgive me, I beg you. Forgive me. Until that moment, I had been the most loyal-”

The single gunshot cut the man off. His eyes widened in surprise as blood blossomed on the front of his white s.h.i.+rt. He continued to stare up at Kray for several seconds before slumping to the floor. Andie bit back a scream as her stomach started to heave. She backed up from the room, slipped off her shoes and ran down the hall to their bedroom. Once there, she locked herself in the bathroom and, with a towel pressed against her mouth, gave in to the hysteria.

After some time had pa.s.sed, perhaps a few minutes, perhaps an hour, she left the bathroom. Kray was waiting for her in the bedroom. His expressionless face told her all she needed to know. Somehow he'd sensed her presence. Would he kill her now, or would he wait?

”The man was disloyal to me,” he said, watching her as a predator watched a potential victim, gauging her strength, her ability to fight back.

”I see.” Her voice was calm. Did he know how much that cost her?

”I'm sorry you had to witness his punishment.”

Punishment? Kray had shot someone in cold blood. In the same room where he'd made love to her. Didn't any of that matter?

She stared at the man she'd married and realized she'd never known him at all. So many oddities from their honeymoon suddenly made sense. He wasn't a successful businessman, he was a criminal. A murderer. G.o.d knows what other crimes he'd committed.

She kept her gaze locked with his, her body straight, her hands still. She said little as he explained. When he held out his arms, she went to him. When he touched her body, she forced herself to sigh with pleasure.

For the first time her skin crawled when he caressed her nakedness. For the first time, she pretended to reach ecstasy. For the first time her soft words of love were bitter-tasting lies. She played the game as if her life depended on it, for it did. And not justher life.

Later, when Kray left her to dress for their evening out, she stared at her naked body in the mirror. She touched her still-flat belly and was grateful she'd never mentioned her suspicions. She didn't want him to know. If he did, he wouldn't let her go.

She waited a month, wondering each day if it would be her last. But he seemed to believe her when she expressed contentment. He never showed any doubt of her loyalty. And when she left him, he didn't come after her.

The memories faded as quickly as they'd come. Andie stared at the blue sky, at the palm trees and the sand. Despite the warm afternoon, she shuddered. Bobby spoke to her and she replied automatically, but she couldn't shake the feeling of dread. She knew what would happen if Kray caught them. She knew her ex-husband would reclaim her child and kill her as easily as he'd killed that man six and a half years ago.

The scents of the island mocked her, reminding her of her honeymoon. How foolish she'd been, how willing to believe the best. Now she hated everything about the island, especially the fact that she was trapped here. She was a fool. No wonder Jeff despised her.

She turned her thoughts to him because anything was better than thinking about the past. She glanced toward the house. She could see Jeff sitting in the shadow of the porch. He'd still been in his room when Bobby had dragged her out of bed. So far they'd managed to avoid each other. With luck, they could spend the next day and a half living in the same house without having any contact at all.

Who was this stranger who protected her and her son? She was grateful he'd rescued her. If he hadn't been with her, she would have been caught at the airport for sure. Was he really a spy? He had to work for the government in some way, but how? She told herself to stop asking questions. She didn't need to know anything about him.

But that didn't stop her from wondering about his late wife. He still mourned her. He must have loved her very much. Andie was willing to bet he hadn't been with another woman since her death. He hadn't kissed her like a man who'd been keeping company with a lot of woman. His kiss had been hungry, as if he'd been starving and she was the first meal he'd had in who knows how long.

It was the circ.u.mstances, she told herself, not wanting to remember the kiss and her reaction to it. Not wanting to recall her need and the powerful attraction that had swept her away, even when she'd known better. It wasn't just that her life was in danger and she had to get her son off the island. It was that she didn't know anything about Jeff. All the romantic relations.h.i.+ps in her life had been impulsive. She'd never met someone, sort of liked him,then gradually, slowly, built a bond. She immediately jumped into the fire. Look where that had gotten her. Married to a murderer, and now, on the run from him.

She adjusted her sungla.s.ses and splashed more water on her legs and torso. She envied Jeff. Envied him the love he'd shared with his wife before she'd been taken from him. Andie had wanted that for herself once. She'd believed she'd found it with Kray. When those dreams had shattered, she'd known she would spend the rest of her life alone. She couldn't trust herself to fall for the right kind of man and she couldn't risk letting someone learn too much about her. It could endanger both their lives.

She glanced at her son. ”You're turning into a prune, Bobby. Let's get out for a little while and dry off.”

”Ah, Mo-om.”

He was only five, but already had the ”ah, Mo-om” down perfectly. She smiled. ”The pool will still be here in an hour or so. Besides, I want tofreshen your sunscreen.”

Bobby poked at his arm,then grinned at her. ”I'm not burned.” He wrinkled his white zinc-oxide-covered nose.

”Let's keep it that way.” She took off her sungla.s.ses and tossed them onto the cement edging the pool. There was no graceful way on or off a raft. After taking a deep breath, she rolled off the side and into the water. She stood up and pushed a few loose strands of hair out of her face. Her now-wet braid hung down her back. ”Come on, sport. Let's find something fun to do.”

A quick glance told her Jeff was still sitting on the porch. Andie snagged her sungla.s.ses and the T-s.h.i.+rts she and Bobby had worn over their swimsuits. She tossed him his, then slipped her own on. They could walk by the ocean, she thought, not wanting to deal with Jeff. He'd said the rocks were dangerous but if they stayed on the sh.o.r.e it should be fine.

”Want to play baseball?” Jeff asked.

She turned toward him. He was walking down the stairs carrying a plastic bat in one hand and three plastic b.a.l.l.s in the other.

Bobby finished wiggling into his T-s.h.i.+rt and raced over to Jeff. ”Can I hit first?”

”Sure,” Jeff answered, but he was looking at her. Waiting. ”We need three to make a team.”

Andie slipped on her sungla.s.ses. He'd washed away the dyes from the previous night. His hair was once again blond, his skin tanned, but not dark. His T-s.h.i.+rt advertised a local fis.h.i.+ng cove. His shorts were well-worn and exposed long, powerful thighs. Blue eyes held her gaze. Blue eyes almost the same color as her own. Despite their outward similarities, tall, lean, blond, they were nothing alike. There wasa hardness to Jeff, an edge she didn't understand. They both lived on the fringes, but for different reasons and in different worlds. Yet last night...

Her gaze dropped to his mouth. He stiffened as if he knew what she was thinking. He couldn't, she told herself even as she flushed. He couldn't see through her sungla.s.ses. But she still took a step back. She still winced when he glared at her as if he hated her.

”You gonna play, Mom?” Bobby asked.

She glanced at her son. He grinned in antic.i.p.ation. He liked Jeff and the man was good to her son. That's all that mattered. ”Sure, I'll play.”

”Why don't you be in the outfield,” he said, motioning to an area close to the Jeep. They used towels to mark the bases.

By the time Bobby was bent over, ready to hit, the dangerous man who'd kissed her last night and still hated her this morning was gone. In his place was a handsome but distant stranger. Better for both of them to keep it that way.

Jeff moved close to where Bobby was standing. He pitched gently. The boy swung and missed.

”Look at the ball,” Jeff said. ”Don't turn away when I pitch it. I won't hit you.”

”Okay.”

Bobby bent over and clutched the bat tightly. Jeff pitched again. This time her son connected with the ball. It arced about ten feet in the air before falling to the ground about a yard from where Jeff was standing.

Bobby dropped the bat and yelled. ”I hit it Mommy, did you see? I hit it!”

”Good for you. Now run to first base.”

Bobby took off as fast as he could. His small feet dug into the sand. He laughed when he reached the base,then looked at her. She glanced at Jeff, but he'd made no move to pick up the ball.

”Keep going,” she called.

Bobby started to second. He said something, but she didn't hear it. She was staring at Jeff. He looked at her son with such an expression oflonging, she thought her heart might crack in two. As her child ran the bases, Jeff watched the boy. She knew he wasn't seeing Bobby at all, but was instead picturing the child he'd lost. The tragedy of it all made her want to cry out against the unfairness. Being with Bobby was hard on Jeff, yet he never let the child know. He was patient and gentle, even thoughtful, bringing back toys from his nocturnal excursion.

Bobby jumped on the towel that was home base. ”I went all the way around,” he said proudly.

”Good for you,” Andie called, clapping at his accomplishment.

Jeff shook himself slightly. ”Let's try it again.” When Bobby picked up the bat, Jeff pitched. The boy missed.

Andie watched Jeff coaching her son. She couldn't hear anything in his voice or see anything in his expression. He didn't give away his pain, but he must be feeling it. He hated her, yet took time with her son. He risked his life to get them off the island. He would risk it again, when they were gone, to capture Kray. To bring an evil man to justice. How many times had he faced death for his country?