“Hey, are you okay?”
He had asked her so many times she realized her pre-occupied thoughts were causing him to worry.
She smiled and let him nuzzle her neck. She was craving a drink.
“I’m wonderful,” she said, “I was just enjoying the sunset. It’s gorgeous.”
“I’m glad you are enjoying yourself. You’ve been so quiet today, I wasn’t sure.”
“Have I? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be. I’m just not used to such extravagance; private planes, small yachts…you know. Your business must be doing very well.”
Victor pulled away. He opened a small hatch and pulled out a bottle of champagne.
“The business has always done well. Gems never lose their value. And women never stop wanting them.”
He smiled as he poured each of them a glass.
“What about you?” he asked, “do you like jewelry? I never see you wear anything but those small sapphire studs in your ears.”
“They were my mother’s,” Shyla said, self-consciously touching her right earlobe.
“Your mother must have been very beautiful if you look anything like her.”
Shyla felt her skin flush with embarrassment and with a flash of shame from the harsh memories of her past.
“I…I’ve been told I look very much like her,” she stammered.
Victor set the glasses on a table nearby but his inquisitive gaze never left her face. “Tell me about her, about your family. I’d love to hear about your childhood.”
Shyla was suddenly frustrated with herself for having lost control of the conversation. How in the hell had she allowed it to focus on her, especially her past and family connections? She wanted to down that whole bottle of champagne.
“Oh, it wasn’t too exciting. Nothing as exciting as yours I’m sure. I mean, chasing gems around the world? Now that’s interesting. Tell me, how did you get involved in such a career?”
“I guess you could say it just kind of evolved,” Victor shrugged, “I became close with a rich family who had many contacts and one thing led to another and next thing I knew I was learning the trade of gems.”
It amused Shyla that he was essentially telling the truth if she just inserted the word ‘drugs’ to replace the word ‘gems’.
“And have you and Brennan been business partners for long? You seem to trust him, so I assume that you two have been friends for a long time?”
“Well trust is big word,” he chuckled, “I’m not sure I fully trust anyone, to tell you the truth. You never really know what someone else’s agenda is or where their loyalty really lies. And no, we haven’t known each other for all that long. But sometimes you meet someone once and you just know that, as far as trust goes, they’re as close as your ever going to get. We both understand one another. And we both have each other’s back.”
Shyla wandered toward the table and lifted the glass of champagne to her lips. She sipped slowly.
“How did you two meet?” she asked.
There was a swift change in Victor’s body language and expression. He narrowed his gaze and his movements stiffened.
“Why the sudden interest in Brennan?”
“I was just curious. You have to admit he’s a bit odd and you two are an unlikely match. While you are friendly and outgoing, he just kind of lurks around in the background, following in your footsteps. And when I asked him where he was from he clammed up and acted like I had asked him if he were from the moon.”
Victor slammed the bottle of champagne on the table with a heavy thud.
“Well, that’s not my problem. That’s between you and him. I’m going down below to speak with the captain for a moment. I’ll be right back.”
Shit, she thought as he stormed off. She’d raised his alarm by asking too many questions. Now he was acting like a jealous boyfriend. She took a shaky sigh and waited till he returned.
When he stepped on deck, he was still heavy footed as he marched about pouting like a twelve-year-old boy. She almost wanted to laugh.
“Speaking of Brennan,” he asked, “that reminds me - I have been meaning to ask you two about the other night.”
Her heart picked up its rhythm. The urge to laugh was gone.
“What do you mean? The other night, when?”
“Last weekend, when you spent the evening at my place, I could have sworn I heard you two speaking down the hall. I couldn’t make out the content, but I did hear a brief interaction. At least, I assume that’s who you were talking to…unless you were talking to yourself?”
His eyes were sharp and waiting for even the slightest hint of hesitation or fear. She would not give it to him.
“Oh, yes,” she smiled, “I had hoped not to disturb you. I went looking for something to write on so I could leave you a note. Brennan must have seen me rummaging around and got spooked.”
She laughed.
“He thought I was an intruder. Can you believe that?”
Victor was quiet.
“Anyway,” Shyla continued, “once he saw that it was just me he settled down and gave me a pen and paper.”
She closed the gap between them. Looking into his face she ran a finger over his bottom lip before leaning in and giving him a soft kiss.
“Last weekend was amazing. But I am sorry I woke you.”
Victor’s expression was bland and unreadable. He ran his hand up her arm and settled just at her collarbone. His fingers lightly danced around her throat in a subtle threat.
“Did he touch you?”
When she didn’t answer the loose touch at her throat quickly tightened, his fingers digging into her flesh.
“Did he touch you?” he asked again through clenched teeth.
Victor’s icy tone sent a shiver down Shyla’s spine. This was the not-so-charming side that Shawn had warned her about.
“Touch me? No, of course not, Victor, you’re scaring me. You’re hurting me. I don’t understand what’s going on. You just finished saying that you trusted him. He has your back, remember.”
The darkness in Victor’s eyes fled as fast as it had appeared.
“I’m sorry, kiddo. I don’t mean to frighten you.”
He released her and stepped back. He snatched his glass of wine and took a sip. “I’m glad you were able to write that note. Otherwise, I would have been upset if you had left without a word.”
Victor’s rapid mood swings had her off balance. She needed to reel him back in. None of this would ever work if he doubted her.
“I would have spent the night, but…”
“But what?” his voice was still stern.
“I…was nervous because I really like you. I just needed some time to think.”
Something in him softened. She saw it melt away the lingering anger in his features. She stepped closer, once again closing the gap. Linking her arms around his neck, she gave a flirtatious grin.
“But I could make it up to you,” she said.
She started to trail kisses along his jaw line and down his neck. She felt him giving in as he wrapped his arms around her.
“Oh, you could, could you?” he murmured.
She took a few steps back, keeping her eyes locked with his.
The California September night had been warm but on the water, the light breeze danced on the skin and was quickly turning cool. Still Shyla reached around and untied the sash in the back of the sundress she’d chosen for the occasion. After slowly pulling the shoulders down, the dress easily slipped down her body and pooled at her feet.
Standing in only her panties under the moonlight with the gentle rocking of the sea under her, she should have felt beautiful, as if in a fantasy. But she felt bare, cold, and much too vulnerable for her liking. She felt like she was offering herself over to Satan himself. All for what? For her job? For a case?
She bit her lip and held out her arms.
His ravenous eyes roamed her body. He reached out and caressed her from wrist to shoulder, down to cup her breast.
/> “You are mine,” he whispered, pinching her nipple hard.
Shyla gasped but refused to make any other sound.
He released it and once again caressed her skin, so delicate, so gentle.
“You are mine,” he repeated. “No one else is to touch you.”
Clamping down on revulsion, fear, and disgust, Shyla wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in. In one swift move, he picked her up and carried her down the stairs into the bedroom below deck.
TWENTY
Brennan arrived at the docks at ten till eleven on Sunday morning, his cravings strong. He was sick to himself and thought of disappearing. Maybe he could run to the hills, away from civilization, where he would no longer be a menace, temptation far from his grasp.
But that proposition felt so lonely, so isolating. He would rather commit suicide than go without human contact. He had missed it for so long already and, now that he was back amongst the living, he doubted he could ever go without it again.
Despite Victor’s shortcomings, he was the only friend he’d ever had, or could remember having. The fact that Victor depended on him as well was something so invaluable he knew he would not walk away.
Then there was Shyla. He didn’t know what to make of his response to her. He only knew that he was not yet ready to walk away from her either. The need to understand her further, to protect her from…whatever she so clearly was hiding from, was too strong.
He pulled the collar of his jacket up. The morning was cool. The sun had yet to make its appearance and warm the day as the fog had not lifted yet. Walking down the dock the Shannon slowly came into view. Victor and Shyla were already on deck watching for him. Right away, he noticed Victor’s possessive body language as he stood with his arm around Shyla’s shoulder. Shyla’s behavior was clear, too. She stood rigid under his wing, a plastic smile pasted to her face. Brennan wondered if they’d had a spat that morning.
“Morning, Brennan,” called Victor.
“Morning.”
“Shyla’s eager to see a few sights while we’re docked,” Victor said, “I thought it best you two be off right away, in case our client is early.”
Brennan didn’t board.
“Sure,” he called back.
“You doing okay this morning? Did the meetings go well yesterday?”
“They went very well. No issues.”
“Hmm, well, you seem a bit off.”
“Yeah, well…” Brennan said, “I didn’t sleep very well I guess. Maybe Shyla and I will have to find an espresso stand.”
He managed to eke out a thin smile.
“I could use a cup of coffee,” Shyla answered.
When she stepped out from Victor’s hold, he reached up and grabbed the scarf he had wrapped around his neck.
“Here, wear this,” he said to her, “it’s still chilly out. I don’t want you to catch cold.”
Brennan watched as Victor lovingly undid the top button of Shyla’s coat. As he pulled down the collar and wrapped the gray cashmere scarf around her neck, Brennan caught a brief glimpse of bruising on her neck.
Even from the short distance, he could tell she had been grabbed violently, possibly choked. His jaw clenched and he saw red. His belly went hot with anger. How could Victor have hurt her like that? Why would he have hurt her? Only two days previously, he had commented on her beauty and vulnerability. Is that what attracted him, the thought of taking advantage of those traits?
He clenched his fists inside the pockets of his jacket and bit down on the desire to beat the living shit out of Victor. Hadn’t he just been thinking of how he valued their friendship?
He scanned Shyla’s face. Her eyes were on him. A knowing glistened in them. She knew he had seen the marks. She smiled and gave Victor a light kiss.
“Can we get you anything while we’re out?” she asked.
“No. Thanks for asking. I’ll see you two around one or so?”
“Yep. See you then,” she nodded.
Brennan offered her a hand as she stepped off the boat. They waved Victor off and walked in silence down the dock. Their footsteps sounded hollow on the wet wood of the pier.
“Where would you like to go first?” he asked casually.
She gave him a no-nonsense glance.
“Victor overheard us talking last weekend and asked about it.”
Her demeanor was different now that she was away from Victor; to the point, more what he was used to with her. He wondered why she played a different role when in his company. Was she someone else in front of Victor, or was she someone else with him. He couldn’t tell.
“Oh, yeah,” Brennan said, “and what exactly did he hear?”
“He says he didn’t hear what was said, just that he heard mumbling down the hall and knew we had an interaction. I played it cool and told him I was looking for pen and paper to write him a note. You saw movement and worried there was an intruder in your office and went to check it out. You ran into me. I got spooked. You apologized and found me a pen and paper. End of story. I’m telling you, so that our stories will match.”
“Very thoughtful of you,” Brennan quipped, “what was his response?”
Brennan watched her from the corner of his eye as they walked the Warf. She blinked a few times before answering.
“He wasn’t concerned with our conversation in the least. He was more concerned with our interaction in general.”
“What do you mean?” Brennan asked, pace slowing.
Shyla stopped and faced him.
“What I mean is that Victor is a jealous man and his only concern was whether or not you made a pass at me.”
Brennan reached up and pulled the scarf down, revealing the bruising on her neck. “Is that how you got this?”
Shyla brushed his hand away and took a step back.
“You don’t need to worry about me. You just worry about keeping our story straight when he asks. And he will ask, Brennan. He’s worried that you might like me. But he also trusts you, as much as he can trust anyone. So keep that in mind.”
She walked ahead.
“There’s a Starbucks on the corner up there,” she said, “let’s get something warm to drink.”
He let her lead the way.
TWENTY-ONE
Shyla retrieved her recording device at the first opportunity when they returned to the Shannon. She had placed it below deck in the living quarters, assuming the two men would have their meeting in the more comfortable atmosphere. She gave it one quick glance, hoping she’d been right. It looked as if it had been recording and, god willing, there would be quantifiable evidence on it. She was anxious to get home and have a bit of privacy so she could listen.
When she joined Victor and Brennan back on deck, they were talking in hushed voices and she guessed Victor was relaying a piece of news from his meeting with Cougar. He looked serious but not too concerned. They raised their heads and gave smiles when they noticed her presence.
“Did you enjoy yourself, Shyla?” Victor asked.
“I did. Especially once the fog lifted and the sun came out. It’s so beautiful isn’t it?”
Victor sauntered toward her.
“Are you in any rush to get home?”
She couldn’t wait.
“Not particularly. Why?”
Victor gave Brennan a quick knowing glance.
“Well, something came up in my meeting with Cougar. It appears there’s an issue with one of our contacts in Los Angeles. I’d like to deal with it right away so I don’t lose a very important client. Damage control, you know?”
“Cougar, is that the guy’s name?” Shyla suddenly remembered Quentin mentioning the contact in San Francisco having the name of an animal.
“Yeah, odd, huh? Anyway, it’s a quick flight and shouldn’t take more than an hour or two once we land. But if you’re in a hurry, I can skip it and make arrangement to go tomorrow.”
The look on Victor’s face indicated he really didn’t want to wait that long. What co
uld he be so anxious to address? Maybe she could get a bit more intel. After all, LA was her old stomping grounds.
“Wow, LA. I’ve never been there before. Sure lets go. Why not? I’ve got nothing better to do.”
“Great,” Victor beamed, “this guy I have to meet with isn’t nearly as neurotic as the last. You can come with me downtown. See the sights a bit.”
*
Shyla was desperate to listen to the tape before they landed in LA. If there was anything she needed to know or look out for, she wanted to have a heads up right away. Her mind was racing as they boarded the plane. She put her hand to her forehead and winced.
“Are you okay?” Victor asked.
“I sometimes get migraines. I think one’s coming on now.”
“Is there anything I can do?” Victor asked, gently guiding her to a seat, “do you have something you can take?”
Shyla leaned back in the chair.
“Yes, I have a prescription in my purse. If I take something and lay down for a bit, I might be able to fend it off before it goes full blown.”
“No problem at all. I’ll put you in the back. Its tight quarters but there’s a small bed and it’s dark. I’ll close the drapes and let you rest.”
Her fingers trembled as she allowed him to help her up.
“That would be perfect, Victor. Thank you.”
Once she settled, she burrowed under the covers, pulled out the recorder and plugged in a pair of headphones. It was risky, but she had to know what was on that tape.
She closed her eyes and listened to introductions. Cougar had a very gruff, raspy voice compared to Victor’s smooth tones.
“It’s been a few months since we met last,” Cougar said.
“Yeah, well you guys conduct business well down here. The best I’ve got, in fact. Things are always quiet in these parts, nothing like LA. It seems there’s always a mess down there to clean up.”
“Yeah,” Cougar snorted, “I’d say. Like that mess with Ricardo’s girlfriend- the cops were all over that one, still are. She must have really pissed you off. You get your hands on Ricardo yet?”
There was a pregnant pause.