His mouth quirked up in a kind of half-smile. Before she could rein in the thought, she wondered if he knew how incredibly attractive he was.Whoa, girl, stay focused. You're not even sure you should trust this guy.
She refocused on Nutmeg, repositioning him on her lap.
"My plan?" He paused. "To answer your earlier question, we are going to the marina."
He glanced at her.
Even through his sunglasses, she could tell what that look meant. "Oh. Don't worry." She held up both hands in surrender. "I won't run onto Emil's yacht yelling for Cassidy."
He gave a curt nod.
"Probably," she added.
That elicited a smile on his face that made her stomach perform an unfamiliar somersault.
Oh, boy. Change the subject. And stop looking at him.
She turned to her window, pretending to be half as interested in the passing palm trees as Nutmeg. "So, what's your plan after we get to the marina?"
"I'll get aboard Emil's yacht. Alone." Another half-smiling, half-accusatory look from him.
She huffed. "I get it. I'll stay in the car with Nutmeg. Just promise you'll tell me if you . . . see anything . . . or—"
"I will." His voice lowered an octave. "I promise."
Her stomach did another little flip. If this guy was lying, he deserved an Academy Award for his "most trustworthy man you've ever met" performance.
"Lena, I'm not working against you. Cassidy's life is more important than the jewels. But we're going to proceed with caution."
Okay, maybe she was starting to trust him. She didn't have to admit that yet. She cleared her throat. "So, how are you going to get on the yacht?"
He cranked up the AC. "As his driver, that won’t be a problem. A couple of days ago, he asked me to be on the lookout for a helicopter. I'm also a pilot, so we chatted about it. He wants his own helicopter to hop around the islands. I'm going to tell him there's a helicopter for sale in Morghana and ask if he wants me to look at it for him."
"Is there really a helicopter for sale?"
"Nope, but that's not a problem. If I need to back up my story, Jason and Knox can handle that."
"Are you really a pilot?"
He grinned. "Yes. No fib there. I can fly or drive just about anything."
"Good to know."
He adjusted the AC vent. "You getting enough air?"
She aimed one vent at Nutmeg and one at herself. "I'm fine. Thanks. So, you’re going to get aboard under the pretense of discussing a helicopter. How are you going to look around?"
"I doubt I'll get an opportunity to explore, but I’m going to plant some bugs. That’s likely all I can do today.When I get back to my apartment, I can analyze what the bugs pick up. How many people are on board, their roles, etc. I need to know how much security is on board. And whether Cassidy is there."
She leaned her head against her headrest, wishing his plan sounded more promising. "And I guess it would be nice if Emil stood next to one of your bugs and happened to say, 'I'm so glad the jewels I stole are safe and sound in this desk drawer.' Or something like that."
Nash's chuckle, deep and easy, settled her soul a little more. "Yeah. It doesn't usually happen that way, but yes, that would be ideal."
The road led them out of the jungle and closer to the shore. A pelican swooped a few feet from the windshield, prompting Nutmeg to deliver a litany of opinions on the bird's egregious action.
Nash leaned over and rubbed the top of Nutmeg's head. "Careful, buddy. You're punching above your weight. That bird could carry you away."
Lena tried not to smile. "Don't listen to him, Nutmeg. Pelicans just eat fish. I'm pretty sure."
