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Chapter Thirteen
Jake couldn’t believe how much Rylee disturbed his equilibrium. He’d never had that happen before. Though unusually good-looking, he’d never let it go to his head. Hell, the people he’d lived with during those early years had seen him only as one of them, usually dirty, always broke and often smelly.
He’d never gotten conceited about his physical attributes, other than knowing an important rule he adhered to all those years – to be in good shape was to stay alive. By the time he’d hit college, when his head might have been turned because the girls on campus did make a fuss, he’d learned to read people well.
He’d seen through the fakes and stayed away from the bullshit. And if the truth were known, he had too much going on after classes with Leo’s health and his new invention to even want to mix it up with the youngsters who were his peers. Plus, he had his partner to talk to at night, bounce ideas off of. It stopped the yearning for Kat and his earlier life from seeping in and becoming unbearable.
Jake thought back to the last time he’d seen his sunshine – his Kat. Not so sunny now, with her glassy eyes, pale gaunt blemished skin and in the arms of her latest lover, another girl who looked as sickly as she did.
Shaking off the sad memories, he checked to see that Rylee’s plate was empty, and she was again perusing their surroundings. Suddenly, he saw her stiffen. Being careful not to appear too intent, he glanced carefully in the direction that had caught her gaze and saw a man who he’d prayed never to see again.
This dark-skinned male, surrounded by bodyguards and wearing his traditional silken robes, had sauntered into the dining room, unaware or most likely uncaring of being the center of attention.
Fear wasn’t a sensation Jake often allowed to take hold. At fifteen, he’d learned that all it did was mess with one’s mind, generate a lack of concentration and create weakness in its path. Unfortunately, this man caused him to suffer a healthy dose.
He could have sworn Rylee had the same reaction. Now why would she respond to a stranger that way? He had his reasons – Leo’s ten-day hospital nightmare, and a beating he himself wouldn’t soon forget. If the cops hadn’t arrived in time, who knows where he’d have ended up and in what condition. Those people had wanted one thing from him, the one thing he’d die for before he’d provide it to enemies of his country… his app.
Okay, he had his reasons, but why was she spooked?
***
Rylee got Carlos’s warning message through her ear piece just before the Sheik arrived. Though it had prepared her for his entrance, she still got shook up at the number of bodyguards the asshole surrounded himself with.
There were only two FBI agents that she was aware of on the cruise, herself and Carlos. If there was ever a showdown, it could be tricky. Rather than being scared, she felt her energy levels rise and palpable excitement increase.
She loved these odds.
Hold it, Hotshot! You’re supposed to be a normal girl not Wonder Woman!
Shit! Right! Whatever she decided had to be under the radar. Used to fighting in the open, her favorite way to get it on, she now had to devise ways of keeping her battles from Jake. He couldn’t know her real identity, or he might refuse to cooperate.
Okay, she was game. Now all she needed to do was convince those turbaned losers that she was worthy of their attention.
Excusing herself to hit the ladies room, she passed the table occupied by the new arrivals and caught the eye of their leader. He graciously bowed his head. When her gaze didn’t shift, no doubt as he would have been used to in his country, his glinting sneer slid away to be replaced by an interested half-smile.
She came so close to their table that one of the guards jumped to attention, as if worried that she might actually approach his boss.
Unhappy with this harassment, Rylee went to step around him and found her path blocked. Not stopping, or making any kind of a fuss, she dug the heel of her spiked shoe into his ankle and gave a slight push that had him falling backwards into his chair, a look of extreme shock overriding his earlier haughtiness. She kept going.
Didn’t hesitate.
Didn’t speak.
But she did smile.
