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Chapter Two
Miami was certainher head was going to explode. She’d racked her brain, trying to recall every detail of her time on the yacht where she’d been tortured for hours. She’d recognized the man who was sexually assaulting the young girl, whose screams set everything in motion. She’d wisely pretended to be unaware she was being held captive by Alonzo Cruz. It would be foolish to let anyone know she knew their boss was the son of one of the most corrupt politicians in the southern hemisphere. Alonzo’s life mirrored the etymology of his name. His parents definitely treated him as if he wasnoble-ready.
Alonzo, two of his bodyguards, and a photographer had joined one of her diving expeditions. She’d known before their boat left the dock Cruz and his men had no interest in diving. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize the trip was little more than a photo-op for Cruz. Alonzo’s father, Victor, wasn’t polling well in the upcoming presidential election, and those low numbers were in large part a reflection of his son’s troubled past. The guy was a spoiled brat whose sexual predator reputation was legendary among law enforcement officials who were paid well to look the other way.
“I’m sure the only reason they didn’t kill me is they thought it would be fun to let me drown. Two of them were laughing about ‘dumping a girl off a bridge in Colorado.’” She took a deep breath and shook her head. “I remember reading about that on the news. When the jerk rolled me into the water, I sent up a silent prayer I’d be as lucky as she’d been, but I wasn’t delusional—I knew the chances of anyone pulling me from the water were almost nonexistent. I asked the Universe for a miracle, even though I know there are more pressing issues playing out around the world. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact I’m not dead, and it was you. Of all the people in the entire world… you two were here. My mom and dad were both so spiritual… always telling me to let the Universe lead me. They promised fate was never deterred for long, but this is just so much to take in.”
“Miami, have you stopped to consider they were right? We were supposed to be much further out in the Gulf fishing, but that blew up with the temperature change in the tide, so we decided to have a relaxing break before heading back to shore tomorrow.”
Miami was surprised by Essex’s comment, and it must have shown on her face. It was humbling to admit how little she’d learned about the two men who’d introduced her to a level of passion she’d never imagined possible. The connection she felt during their scenes was so deep, it should have tipped her off. What she’d felt was too intense to last. His soft chuckle pulled her back to the moment.
“Baby, if you are thinking this hard, Giles and I have our work cut out for us.”
Giving herself a mental slap to the forehead, Miami silently vowed to remember the months she’d spent drowning her sorrows the last time Giles and Essex vanished in the dark hours before dawn. The worst part had been wondering what she’d done wrong. The damage to her self-esteem had been a harsh blow until she’d finally decided she was perfectly capable of keeping herself busy enough to forget about them. She’d taken a job as a diving guide in Belize. The small beachfront business had been about to go under by the time she saw the ad. The couple hadn’t been able to pay her for the first two months, but Miami’s bubbly personality and marketing skills saw the number of customers increase exponentially. In a short time, they were adding services and employees.
When she got the call about her mother’s cancer, Miami’s entire world had shifted. Everything changed between one breath and the next. Her bosses were sorry to see her leave, but they understood why she needed to return to Florida and care for her mom. She still shook her head at how convoluted the trip had been. She’d been on a plane within hours, but it took her almost two days to make her way to the city that was her namesake.
Caring for her mother had been a labor of love, but it didn’t take long for Miami to understand how taxing it was to care for a loved one. Sadly, her mother had waited so long to seek medical treatment, there were few options available to her. By the time she’d finalized her mother’s estate, Miami had been ready for a break. She’d made the trip to Galveston to spend time with her father and found him in the midst of a health crisis of his own. Damned if she hadn’t jumped from the frying pan into the fire.
Her mother’s illness had slowly drained the life from her, and Miami’s dad had been adamant he wouldn’t meet a similar fate. As a musician, Ricky Nixon wrote several songs about Maria. He’d never stopped loving her. As a father, he’d been her biggest supporter, and Miami was furious when she learned he refused to see a doctor despite so many of his friends insisting he should. He hadn’t seen a medical professional until she’d finally found one who agreed to stop by the beach house. Miami wasn’t surprised to learn the doctor was a fan of Ricky Nixon’s music, but she was shocked to learn he lived a block away.
“I don’t know where you went, pet, but I don’t like seeing you looking sad. Come back and tell us what this is about.” The hint of steel in Giles’s voice was enough to pull her back to the moment.
“Sorry… I was thinking about my parents and how they both seemed to give up this life without a moment’s hesitation. At first, I was angry… because, well, it seemed like I wasn’t enough to keep them here, you know? And I was pissed at God for taking them away from me. I was furious with them for delaying medical treatment until I talked to an old man on the beach.” When Giles and Essex both looked at her expectantly, she shrugged. “He just showed up one day—I’d never seen him before, and I haven’t seen him since. He sat down on the other end of the bench where I was fuming about everything.” She couldn’t hold back her laughter because fuming was an understatement. Miami had been close to full-blown rage. “He started asking me questions. Nothing intrusive, just questions about the best music venues on the island, my favorite places to eat, things like that.”
Miami waited for their disapproval and was surprised when neither man said anything. As former Navy SEALs, she’d expected them to lecture her about talking to strangers. Was it possible they had the same opinion she had about Gabriel?
“He told me his name was Gabriel, and he was visiting friends in the area.” She sighed, studying her fidgeting fingers before looking back up to find them studying her. Their intensity was one of the things she’d found attractive. “I know, I know. I should be more careful, but… I can’t explain it, but there was something about him I instinctively trusted.”
“I’m glad you had someone to talk to, Miami. I wish we’d known.” He let the rest go unsaid. If she’d given in to her heart and called them, they would have tried to help, but they hadn’t known because she’d made certain her small circle of friends knew the consequences of sharing information with either of the men who’d broken her heart. The only person she’d suspected might try to contact them was her dad, but his illness caught up with him before he was able to track them down. He’d been convinced they were good for her and talked to her a dozen times about giving them a second chance. If she found meeting Gabe a bit too coincidental, then being rescued by Essex and Giles should be pinging her weird-o-meter off the chart.
She told them how Gabe assured her the decisions her parents made about medical care had nothing to do with her except to save her the pain of watching them waste away while she stood by helplessly. His simple words changed everything. Miami had been so lost in her own selfish sorrow, it never occurred to her they might have been trying to spare her. Gabe reminded her there were any number of ways to love, but you can’t always predict how the other person will interpret your efforts. He’d also mentioned giving people a second chance, but she left that out. There was no reason to hand them an argument on a silver platter.
*
Essex would bethis entire trust fund the elderly man she’d spoken to on the beach also mentioned forgiveness, but he wouldn’t put any unnecessary strain on the trust they were trying to rebuild. He hadn’t missed the slight pause in her story and known she was waging an internal battle. She wanted to be completely honest about the unusual meeting, but it would have reinforced their argument for a second chance, so she was holding back.
There was little doubt Miami believed the man she’d met was an angel, and to be honest, Essex agreed, although he wasn’t sure Giles would. Their spiritual beliefs weren’t always in alignment. Giles had been raised in a household where rigid rules dictated behavior in any given situation. Rules rather than beliefs were all that mattered. Essex had considered himself lucky to have been raised in a family where individual differences were celebrated, and differing views were respected.
“The men on the boat with Cruz weren’t the same guards he’d had.”
