Harlequin Intrigue June 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: To Honor and To Protect\Cornered\Untraceable (49 page)

Chapter Seventeen

The yacht was everything Evan would expect of a criminal of Vince Cady's caliber. Large, able to easily sleep the twenty guests he had invited, plus the staff and security Cady had on board.

The limos had taken them to a private boatyard near Annapolis Harbor. Everyone had been shown on board and soon they were on their way into the Chesapeake Bay, with champagne served as they sailed away.

As if they were going on some sort of pleasure cruise rather than an auction of items that could potentially cost the lives of thousands of people.

Evan had to admit he was impressed by the ship's luxury. He and Juliet had been shown to their plush stateroom. A bed filled the space, surrounded by tasteful mahogany woodwork and trim. Under any other circumstance, he would be delighted to be here with Juliet.

But the fact that the room was most definitely bugged, that all their belongings had been searched and they were in the middle of a dangerous situation with little or no backup tended to kill the romance.

Evan still hadn't been able to talk to Juliet about this new change in situation. He was sure that was part of Cady's plan: keeping everyone on edge and giving them very little privacy.

“Hey, baby, we're on a cruise. Just like we always wanted to be.” Evan walked over, hooked an arm around Juliet's waist and began kissing her neck, working his way up to her ear. Her shivers delighted him, but this embrace was business.

“Room is bugged. Audio, maybe visual,” he whispered.

She tensed, but then nodded and kissed him. “Well, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind. I was thinking more along the lines of the Bahamas,” she said out loud.

“If we secure this deal with Cady, I promise to take you there. The commission on the drone override codes will be outrageous.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've heard all that before, Bob.”

“Aw, don't say that, baby.” He pulled her in for another hug. “Let's take a shower together so we can get ready for tonight.”

Juliet nodded. “I definitely feel like I need one, especially with some of the people Cady invited. Go turn the water on.”

The bathroom was just as opulent as the bedroom. Evan switched on the shower, knowing it would be their only chance to talk privately.

Not that he minded getting in a shower with Juliet for any reason.

He undressed and entered the stall, a large walk-in one with granite tiles and a clear glass door. Evan turned the water to hot to make the glass steam. He wasn't sure if the surveillance was just audio or had a visual component, and he wanted to protect their privacy as much as he could.

Evan tried to stay focused on the case, but found it difficult when Juliet opened the shower door a few minutes later.

“Wow, this is nice. We should get something like this at home,” she said, loudly enough to be overheard.

“I know. Get in here.”

Evan wrapped his arms around her and brought her flush up against his body. He couldn't control his reaction to her, but forced himself to concentrate on the business at hand. This might be the only time they could talk freely with one another.

“Surveillance in the room, without a doubt. Cady wouldn't bring us all out here otherwise,” Evan whispered in her ear, at a level that couldn't possibly be overheard with the water falling all around them.

Juliet nodded, but he felt her stiffen. She didn't like the thought of someone watching her naked. Neither did he. “Sorry.”

“Our plan is still the same, right?” she asked. “We make sure we have the highest bid when the codes become available.”

“Yes.”

“What about Heath Morel?”

Morel complicated things, especially since Juliet was right—it seemed most likely that he was behind the emails to her.

“We can't let him distract us.”

The water rushed down over both of them for long moments. “This is all hard enough for me. I'm not sure I can do it with him around. Just seeing him, knowing he has those sick details...”

Evan skimmed his fingers up and down her spine. “I know, but you'll have to, baby. You have to just push it aside.”

He could feel her sigh against him. He didn't blame her. The whole Cady case was difficult enough without Morel thrown into the mix.

“We'll get him, Jules. I promise. Within twenty-four hours of being back on shore, we'll make sure Morel gets picked up for questioning. We'll put an end to all those emails. But it will have to wait until after. Can you do that?”

Juliet nodded her head against his chest. They stood in silence for another moment, water pouring around them. Then Evan felt her hands slide up his arms to his shoulders and link behind his neck. “I don't want to talk about Heath Morel anymore.”

Her body brushed up against him. Evan's body responded in kind.

“Do you think there's any chance of cameras being inside this shower?” Juliet asked, planting kisses along his chest.

“No, not with all the steam. They wouldn't be able to see anything.”

“Good,” she murmured, and pulled his lips down to hers.

* * *

A
FTER
THEIR
SHOWER
, Juliet and Evan got dressed and walked around the yacht. They strolled as if they were just enjoying being out on the Chesapeake Bay, but they really wanted to glean as much intel as possible.

As far as Juliet could tell, the ship had five levels. The bottom one seemed to be staff quarters, the galley and the engine and maintenance areas. She and Evan hadn't been able to get down there at all. They'd been met by an armed guard at every entrance they'd strolled by.

The other floors held guest rooms, a large dining area, multiple decks to sit out on and enjoy the views, even a swimming pool. There was also a lounge with couches and seats. Juliet concluded that's where the auction would probably be held.

All and all, their walk gave them lots to see and admire, but very little info in terms of strategy.

Now they were back in their room, dressing for dinner. Juliet tried not to let the thought of cameras spying on them from somewhere in the room bother her, but it did. She changed clothes as quickly as she could.

Her dress wasn't formal or particularly fancy, but Juliet knew she looked good in it. The quintessential little black dress, but in a rich plum color instead, the perfect foil for her blond hair. The dress fell to just above her knees and had a slightly naughty V neckline. Nude-colored, high-heeled sandals completed the outfit.

“Wow.” Evan was slowly looking her up and down. “I'm not sure we're going to make it out of this room.”

Juliet smiled. “Too much?”

He shook his head slowly. “No. Definitely no. Just enough.”

Juliet loved the hungry look in Evan's eyes. She never thought she'd let someone close enough to see that look again.

Evan himself looked dashing in his jeans and black T-shirt, coupled with a stylish beige sports coat. He offered his arm. “Shall we go to dinner?”

Juliet hooked her arm through his. It was almost as if they were on a date, except for the being on board a ship miles from land, with over a dozen known criminals.

The plan while they were at dinner was for Evan to corner Morel and make some barely veiled threats about the emails. After all, Bob was Lisa's husband. He wouldn't like for her to be receiving emails of that type from anyone.

She'd already received three more since her arrival at Cady's house this morning. The emails were escalating in number, in tone, in desperation. Juliet had turned off notifications for when she received an email, but she was still able to check them manually, which she'd done just before dinner.

She and Evan had gone over them together. And while they no longer caused that sick feeling of dread to course through her, she still hated reading them. Especially hated the word
sweetheart
.

Hopefully, Bob's talk with Morel would eliminate the email problem altogether, or at least while they were working this case.

Dinner went smoothly, with Vince Cady announcing that the auction for the different items, including the drone codes, would take place the next afternoon. After dinner, they were herded, gently and tastefully, of course, by the staff into the large sitting room. It opened out to the water and people milled around with their drinks and desserts.

Juliet spoke with Maria Cady for a while, mostly just polite chitchat. The woman seemed very tight-lipped. Juliet wondered how much she knew about her husband's business. Did she know what was really going on here? Did she deliberately turn a blind eye? Ultimately, it wouldn't really matter.

Juliet noticed Evan talking to Morel across the room. Part of her wanted to go over and stand by Evan while he let Morel have it, but the bigger part of her wanted to stay away from the man completely. Just looking at him brought up memories of the Avilo brothers, making her stomach turn.

Juliet gave a polite excuse to Maria and went to stand outside near the railing. It was peaceful out here, darker and cooler, with no need to talk or even listen to other voices. Juliet breathed in the fresh night air and her stomach settled. She could handle this.

The sound of a match being lit just a few feet away startled her. She turned and saw Christopher Cady's face as he brought the flame up to his slim cigar. He took a couple steps toward her.

Juliet started to back up, but forced herself to stop.

Don't panic. You're fine.

“Enjoying the peace and quiet out here?” Christopher asked.

He's just a man talking to a woman. Making conversation.
Don't
panic.

But tension suffused her body. “Yeah, it's a nice night and it got a little stuffy inside. So I decided to come out so I could be alone.” Juliet hoped he would get the hint.

But no. Instead, Christopher took a step closer. “It's beautiful out here, isn't it? I love boats. They can take you to lots of private places, romantic places.”

Juliet just stared at the man. Lisa Sinclair was
married
, for heaven's sake. Was Christopher hitting on her? She took another step farther away. Unfortunately, this led her into a little more darkness.

Even more unfortunately, Christopher took another step toward her. Juliet looked over to the main room where everyone was talking and mulling around. No one, not even Evan, was looking this way or paying her and Christopher the slightest bit of attention.

“I think I'm going to go back inside,” Juliet said. She didn't want to be rude to Vince Cady's son, but didn't want to stay out here alone with him, either. He gave her the creeps, and the sweet smell of his thin cigar soured her stomach. “Bob will wonder where I am if I stay away too long.”

Christopher leaned forward and grabbed her arm where it rested on the railing. “Bob is a fool to allow you to be out here alone at all. No one should leave a woman as beautiful as you unattended.”

Juliet's panic spiked at the feel of Christopher's hand on her. But she forced herself to ease away rather than yank. “I have to go.”

“I would like you to stay and talk to me. I can tell you more about the boat. There's lots of interesting facts about it you don't know. Of course, some are better shown.”

Juliet turned away. “No, thanks.”

But Christopher wasn't interested in taking no for an answer. He grabbed her arm again, just above the elbow. Juliet cringed, her flesh crawling. She forced herself to take a cleansing breath in through her nose and out through her mouth. “I'm really not interested. Please just leave me alone.”

Christopher's darkly handsome face took on a cruel look. “I'm Vince Cady's son. If you want any sort of chance at winning the auction tomorrow it would be in your best interest to be nice to me.”

What he said was probably true, but Juliet didn't care. She couldn't stay there with him even a minute longer without retching all over the place. She twisted out of his hold. “I have to go.”

This time Christopher grabbed her shoulder in a painful grip. Juliet's reflexes took over. She turned slightly into the stronger man's grasp, then rammed her elbow into his solar plexus. She heard the breath whoosh out of him, but didn't stop. Instead, she grabbed his arm with both hands, pulled him closer and, with a yank and shift of her body weight, flipped him over her back.

Before Juliet even realized what she was doing, Christopher Cady lay gasping on the yacht's wooden deck, staring up at the sky.

Chapter Eighteen

It happened faster than she thought possible. Juliet still held Christopher's wrist, now in a grip that would allow her to break bones if he tried anything else. Reflexes still in full-alert mode, she looked around for any potential threats.

But all she saw was Evan rushing toward them. And a dozen concerned faces behind him. And the Cady security team.

“Hey, what's going on here? Lisa, is everything all right?” Evan asked her.

She immediately let go of Christopher's hand. Awareness of the situation crept into her brain. Oh no, what had she done? Probably just cost them the case, maybe worse.

Evan stepped around Christopher and stood right in front of Juliet, offering them a little bit of privacy from the prying eyes with his body. “You okay, honey?”

He trailed a finger down her cheek, but didn't try to embrace her. Juliet appreciated the distance. “He grabbed me and instincts just took over. I'm so sorry.” She stared down at her feet.

Evan tipped her chin up with one finger. “It'll be fine. He shouldn't have grabbed you.” Evan took his sports coat off and wrapped it around her shoulders. Juliet didn't even realize she had been trembling. She snuggled into the warmth.

Evan turned around to face Christopher, who was now sitting up on the floor. Security guards were rushing to assist him.

“I'm taking my wife back to our cabin. As I'm sure you now realize, she doesn't like people to grab her. I trust nothing like this will happen again.”

Christopher didn't say anything, just glared at them. Evan returned to where Juliet had propped herself against the railing, put his arm around her and led her away.

The magnitude of what she'd done hit Juliet. She brought her fist up to her mouth. “Oh no, Evan, I've ruined everything.” She couldn't help it; tears welled in her eyes. “What's going to happen?”

He stopped and pulled her into his arms. They were far enough away now that no one could see or hear them. “Hey, we'll deal with it.”

“But I assaulted Cady's son! I may have just blown everything.”

“He wasn't hurt, you just knocked the wind out of him. It's late. Let's head back to the room and let everything die down.”

Juliet nodded. She couldn't think of any way to undo the damage she'd done.

“My brothers were afraid something like this would happen. They were right.”

“They were right about what? That you would be able to handle yourself if some guy started forcing his attention on you? Christopher Cady won't make that mistake again.”

“I guess not,” Juliet whispered, but she didn't feel any better. What if, after everything they'd done to get here, she and Evan got booted off the ship because she hadn't been able to keep her cool?

“You just need to get some rest, Lisa. Everything will feel better in the morning,” Evan said a little too loudly as he opened the door to their cabin.

Juliet took the hint. It wasn't safe for them to talk anymore, at least not about blowing the case. But even Lisa Sinclair would be worried about the ramifications of assaulting Cady's only son.

“I'm worried what Vince is going to do when he finds out.”

Evan nodded and gave her a little squeeze. “We'll deal with that as it comes.”

* * *

E
VAN
COULD
TELL
Juliet didn't get much sleep. Her tossing around had little to do with the patch of rougher waters the boat had hit and everything to do with her apprehension over what had happened with Christopher Cady.

Evan should never have left her alone. His talk with Heath Morel, trying to get the other man to agree not to send any more emails to Lisa, had been pretty fruitless, anyway. Morel had played his cards very close to his chest, refusing to admit to any knowledge whatsoever about the emails. And Evan hadn't wanted to make a big scene that would get them noticed, so force was out of the question.

Which was about the time he had looked up and seen Christopher Cady flying through the air over Juliet's shoulder. Evan's immediate concern had been for her safety. Had Cady assaulted her? Tried to harm her in some way?

But once Evan made it over there and realized Juliet wasn't harmed—and neither was Cady—he'd also been concerned for the case. Although he'd tried to assure her otherwise, Juliet was right to be worried about how Vince would respond to her aggression against his son.

But it was already morning, so evidently Cady wasn't planning to kill them. He would've done that last night, although even for Cady that was a bit extreme. But Evan wouldn't be surprised if they were put off the ship altogether, or at the very least not allowed to participate in the auctions.

Which would put the drone codes out in the open. They couldn't allow that to happen.

But hell if Evan had any sort of plan B.

A sharp knock at their cabin door startled Evan and had Juliet sitting up in the bed, clutching the sheet to her chest. Evan looked around for anything he could use as a weapon, but there wasn't much. He pulled his jeans on and answered the door.

“Yes?” He opened the door the smallest crack possible.

It was one of Cady's security force. “Mr. Cady would like to extend an invitation for you to join him for breakfast in his private dining area in one hour. I'll return then to escort you.”

The man didn't wait for an answer; just turned to leave. Evan closed the door and found Juliet up and already starting to get dressed.

“Breakfast with Cady. Is that bad or good?”

Evan honestly didn't know. “We'll just have to see and go from there.”

True to his word, the guard was back to escort them an hour later. Evan and Juliet hadn't said much to each other during that time. There wasn't much that could be discussed when they knew their conversation would be overheard.

Her expression was tight and she kept biting at her lip as they walked toward Cady's dining room. Evan wished he could reassure her, but had no idea how.

“Good morning, Bob, Lisa,” Vince said to them as they were shown into the room. He sat at a small table that held settings for four. “Please sit down.”

Coffee and juice were already on the table, but no food had arrived. Evan held out a seat for Juliet, then took the one next to her.

Juliet glanced quickly at him, then turned her attention to Vince. “Mr. Cady, please allow me to apologize for what happened with your son last night. I am afraid I still have some...residual issues from some...occurrences in my past.”

Vince didn't respond, just added some cream to his coffee.

“Mr. Cady,” Juliet continued, “I hope you will take into consideration that it was only me who assaulted your son. Bob had nothing to do with it. He wasn't even with me at the time.”

Evan stared at her. What the heck was she doing?

“I don't blame you if you want me to leave. But I hope you will not penalize Bob, or the people we work for, because of my actions. Please allow Bob to remain for the auction today.”

Cady turned his head and looked at her while stirring his coffee. “You assaulted my son.”

Damn it. Evan knew he should've stepped in before now.
Assaulted
was such an ugly word. “Mr. Cady, my wife—”

“I'm just trying to tell you that it was me. It had nothing to do with Bob.” Juliet cut him off.

Cady leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his coffee. “No offense, Mrs. Sinclair, but you don't look like you would be big or strong enough to assault anyone. Much less someone as large as Christopher.”

Juliet started to speak again, but Cady held out his hand to silence her. “Furthermore, I know Christopher well, and I have no doubt that if you flipped him over your shoulder, then he did something to deserve it.”

For the first time since last evening Evan could relax slightly. Cady wasn't mad. He was impressed with Juliet.

“I just don't like to be touched, once I've told somebody not to.”

Cady took another sip of his coffee, laughing. “That's right. No means no. Well, you've certainly helped Christopher learn that lesson. One I'd hoped he'd learned, but evidently had not.”

Two waiters brought out trays of food, setting plates before each of them. “My wife was going to join us, but she's not feeling well because of the rough waters.” Cady was referring to the empty chair. “Please go ahead and eat.”

Evan was a few bites into his delicious meal of eggs, bacon and fruit when Christopher Cady walked in. When he saw Evan and Juliet his expression turned from bored to irritated to smug.

“You wanted to see me, Father?”

Evan saw Juliet's fork hesitate halfway up to her mouth. Did Cady expect her to apologize to Christopher? She would do it to save the case, but Evan wasn't sure he could stomach it. He reached over and grasped her free hand.

“Mr. Cady—”

Cady held out a palm to silence Evan.

“Christopher, I was just speaking to Bob and Lisa about what happened last night.”

The younger Cady could barely tear his gaze away from Juliet to answer. “A misunderstanding, Father. I'm sure Lisa did not mean any harm by what happened.”

“I'm sure you're right. You, on the other hand, I cannot speak so confidently about.”

Now Vince had Christopher's attention. A growing awareness of his father's feelings about the situation dawned over his dark features. And he wasn't happy about it.

“Father—”

“Christopher, I want you to apologize to Mrs. Sinclair for your behavior last night.” Vince cut him off without even waiting to hear the rest of the excuse.

At first Evan thought Christopher would refuse, defying his father. But then he turned stiffly to Juliet. “Please accept my apology. It was never my intention to hurt or frighten you in any way.”

Juliet nodded, but didn't say anything. There wasn't anything she really could say. Christopher returned her nod and turned to leave, but Vince stopped him.

“I want you to apologize to Mr. Sinclair, too. After all, it was his wife you traumatized.”

Evan caught Juliet's concerned gaze. She knew, as he did, that this was going too far. Evan didn't understand all the dynamics between father and son, but obviously there was some sort of power struggle going on.

Evan had not expected—or wanted—an apology from Christopher. Neither had Juliet. The best both of them had hoped for was just not having to abandon the case because of what had happened. Evan wasn't sure what buttons Vince wanted to push with Christopher, but wished it didn't involve him and Juliet.

“Mr. Cady. That's not necessary. Truly.” Evan tried to defuse the situation.

“Oh, I think it is,” Cady replied, while casually eating his breakfast. Obviously, putting his son in this humiliating situation didn't bother him at all. The opposite, in fact.

Christopher stared at his father for a long moment, then finally turned to Evan. “Then my apologies to you also, Mr. Sinclair.”

The words were calm, but his gaze murderous. Evan wasn't sure if Christopher directed the sentiment toward him or toward his father, but knew he'd just made an enemy.

But this wasn't Evan's first enemy. It wouldn't be his last.

Vince evidently decided his son's lessons in humility were over, because he didn't stop him as he turned again to leave.

“There, glad we got that settled,” the drug lord said as he took another bite of his eggs Benedict.

“Well, thank you for understanding, Mr. Cady,” Juliet said to him. Evan noticed she wasn't really eating, just pushing her food around on the plate. He didn't blame her. He'd lost the taste for his.

“Vince, please, Lisa. Call me Vince.”

“Vince.” Juliet smiled at the older man, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. Her instincts were right. Vince Cady wasn't to be trusted.

Cady lifted his water glass. “Here's to a fruitful business partnership for years to come.”

Juliet and Evan both lifted their glasses. Evan gave his own silent toast:
Here's to the day we take you and your entire enterprise down, you bastard
.

The clinking of glasses was sweet to his ears.