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“The dads have already called in a corporate jet. It should land in a few minutes. It gives us the perfect excuse to be in the area, and they are damned good actors. They’ll pretend to be in the way until we can get whatever we need to keep them from taking off.”
One of the things Cam appreciated about Kent and Kyle was their ability to think several steps ahead. They planned for every contingency and had resources at their disposal most people could only dream of.
“I’ve already alerted the Coast Guard. They’ll detain any vessel registered to Cruz. Our contacts at the FAA will only be able to stall for a short time without paperwork.” Since the Coast Guard was a military agency, they had greater leeway. Cam turned his attention to his phone when a message flashed across the screen. “Miami and Saraya have both confirmed Alonzo Cruz’s identity. He is currently dining at a small place downtown. He’s flashing cash and socializing.” Since he wasn’t known for his generosity or friendliness, his behavior was drawing the attention of the couple assigned to follow him. “I still can’t believe you sent Sam and Jen to follow Cruz.”
“Jen promised she wouldn’t kick his ass unless he breathed in her direction.” Kyle chuckled, but anyone who knew Jen McCall would be wise to view her words as more than an idle threat.
Cam considered Jen one of the smartest women he knew. He’d never seen her hesitate to learn something new, and she’d excelled at everything she set her mind to.
“Cruz is an asshat, but he isn’t completely stupid. Approaching Jen when she is with Sam would be dim on several levels.” Cam agreed, but everything he’d learned about the man indicated he didn’t always think before acting. Cruz was prone to letting the little head control his behavior rather than thinking with the head on his shoulders.
*
Miami was sotired, she wasn’t sure she had enough energy to make her way downstairs to the guest room. She hadn’t been able to bring herself to move into the master bedroom. The renovated space hadn’t been finished until a few weeks before her dad passed, but it still felt like she was intruding anytime she stepped into the opulent suite of rooms. Her dad spent his entire life immersed in artistic endeavors. His music skills were nothing short of phenomenal. He played multiple instruments and wrote some of his group’s biggest hits. She could swear his creative energy was still bouncing around the room.
“Come, you are dead on your feet. Let’s get you into bed.” The sound of Giles’s voice startled Miami back to the moment. When she didn’t respond, he chuckled. “Speechless… every Dom’s dream.” She rolled her eyes, earning a frown. “Careful, sweetness. Essex nor I are twenty-four-seven Doms, but we’ll always expect a certain level of respect.”
“Sorry, I’m not usually rude, but describing me as speechless is wrong on so many levels, I don’t know where to start. It took me a few seconds for my brain to kick in and realize it was sarcasm.” She hated dealing with clients on dives who rolled their eyes anytime she mentioned a safety issue. Oddly enough, she rarely had issues with teens. It was those in their twenties who were most likely to disrespect her. More than once, she’d wanted to toss some eye-rolling, smart-mouthed fool overboard.
Miami’s eyes didn’t want to focus, and she felt her knees fold out from under her. Seconds later, her mind was scrambling as she tried to decide if the floating sensation was real or a dream. The rumble of Giles’s voice as his chest vibrated against her felt surreal and comforting. She’d dreamed of them so often, there was a sense of familiarity she couldn’t fully trust.
“I’m not sure how we missed the signs. Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, we’ll have to surrender our membership to Prairie Winds if we can’t do better than this.”
Well, this is new. I’ve never heard them say anything bad about themselves before.In her dreams, Giles and Essex were so focused on the pleasure they didn’t have time for self-reflection.
“She was staring off into space, lost in thought when I told her it was time for bed. Hell, she didn’t react for several seconds. I thought she was being a brat when she rolled her eyes. When I warned her, she apologized and promptly floated away on another mental stroll around the park.”
Big news for you, Giles. Stroll in the park isn’t even in the same hemisphere as my life the past couple of years.
“Stoll in the park, my ass.” Miami hadn’t intended to speak the words out loud, but their soft laughter let her know that was precisely what she’d done. Struggling to finally pry her eyes open when Giles set her on her feet, Miami felt her eyes widen in shock.
“This isn’t my room. I can’t sleep in here.” In her rush to move around Giles, Miami tripped over her own feet. Before she face-planted on the hardwood floor, Giles wrapped his arm around her waist, lifting her off her feet. Once he set her upright again, she noted his puzzled expression.
“Just for the record, Essex already checked the house. We know you’ve been sleeping downstairs in what I presume is the guest room. Best guess? You don’t feel you should sleep in the bedroom you consider your dad’s.”
Essex stepped into her line of vision. The view of his bare, tanned chest always stole her breath—at least she was going to blame the lack of oxygen for her inability to think for several long seconds.
“When she stops drooling, we’ll explain why we’re sleeping in this room from now on.”
“I’m not going to lie. She is damned good for my ego, but it gets tedious waiting for her eyes to refocus.” Miami shifted her gaze up to see Essex grinning at her, the light of amusement glittering in his blue eyes.
“I don’t drool, but I do appreciate works of art and… well… damn.”
“Make sure you save that appreciation for the two of us.” Giles pulled her back against his chest, and she sighed as the heat of his bare skin warmed her.
She wasn’t sure when he’d taken off his shirt, and she wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
“First, your room has a double bed. Face it, sweetness, the three of us will never fit in a bed that small. Second, your bedroom is on the ground level, and the glass is made to resist hurricanes, not bullets. It’s a gorgeous home, but the entire house is a security nightmare.”
“There’s a safe room.” Miami wasn’t sure why she felt the need to defend her dad’s home, but the words tumbled out. Damn it. She hadn’t intended to tell them anything about the hidden security she’d helped her dad design. After meeting Giles and Essex, Miami did enough research to have a healthy respect for the evil they faced each time they were deployed. “The security systems aren’t finished, but Dad understood the world wasn’t the same as it was when he first moved to the island. I helped with the design, but he hadn’t been able to get everything implemented before he got too sick to continue.”
“Understood, but that doesn’t change the fact you haven’t been sleeping in the safest bedroom in the house. That changes tonight. Let go of the guilt.”
“When we talked to your dad, he didn’t seem like the type to burden his only child with guilt about enjoying what’s rightfully hers.”
“Wait.” Miami stared at Essex, shocked. “What? You talked to my dad? When? Why?” She was wide awake now. Damn, how had they managed to track down her dad?
Hello! They were SEALs who had friends with a team of operatives. They probably have contacts in every agency on the damned planet.
“Finding you was damned difficult, but finding your dad was easy. It took several phone calls to convince him we were sincere before he finally told us you were in Miami, helping your mom.” Essex’s voice was as soothing as the fingers tracing an invisible line down the edge of her face. “This trip… it was… well, he’s part of the reason we came to Galveston. The last time we talked to him, you were already here helping out. Your dad suggested a fishing excursion as a way to unwind and decompress before we showed up on your doorstep.”
Everything about the past few months was already blurring together, and now she had to add this to the mix. It was overwhelming, and when she factored in fatigue… she fought the urge to run. Slipping away during the night wouldn’t be easy, but it wouldn’t be impossible. It felt as though she was drowning in a swill of emotions—good and bad.
Her mother’s cancer diagnosis was the beginning of her life rapidly spiraling out of control. Miami hadn’t had time to fully process the loss when she came to Galveston to see her dad and found out he was dying. Losing the two people she’d always known loved her unconditionally yanked the rug out from under her.
Giles tightened his hold on her as Essex used the pad of his thumb to brush away the tears streaming down her cheeks.
“We’ll always catch you when you fall, baby. I know you are struggling to believe it, but we’re committed to proving we’re worth the risk.”
Essex’s reassurance made her heart clench. Miami wanted to believe him, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to survive another disappointment.
