Treasured Lies (18 page)

He found the hot zone between her legs and she clenched around him as she clawed at the leather lounge. She grabbed his hair and pulled his lips tighter to hers as his fingers probed her luscious abyss. A deep moan rumbled from her throat and as she writhed beneath him, she climaxed. He pulled back and when her eyes opened they were full of fiery passion.

She pushed up from the sun lounge and urged him to lie down on the wooden deck. Rosalina stood over him, naked and glorious for the whole world to see. Her eyes were drawn to his, digging deep into his mind, taking his mind and body on a delicious journey. She lowered slowly and then, at the last second, she grabbed his erection to drive it into her.

He gasped and gripped her hips as she rode him, taking his full length deep inside her. Her hair fell forward cascading over her breasts so her nipples flashed like a game of peek-a-boo. He saw the moment she readied to come again, her eyes tilted back and she paused as she clenched her insides, trapping him in her hot oasis. She took him deeper still, plunging him into her luscious furnace. Sound obliterated, sensations intensified. With each delicious movement up and down she took him further into the stratosphere. He couldn't hold back a second more. His fingers dug into the flesh at her hips. He squeezed and with deep satisfying thrusts, he released within her.

Rosalina cried out and fell to his chest panting. He clutched her there, running kisses over her hair until she pulled back to look down at him. ‘What was that all about?' She was smiling as she said it.

‘You. Just you. You turn me on.' And that was an understatement.

She smiled and curled a strand of hair behind her ear. Rosalina, his beautiful Italian fiancée, truly was oblivious to how incredible she was.

‘Come on.' She climbed to her feet. ‘We better get dressed before someone catches us out here.'

Archer wiggled his eyebrows, but a low thumping beat in the distance made his euphoria nosedive. He jumped up, grabbed Rosalina's hand and urged her back under the covered area. ‘Quick, get inside.' He was certain it was a helicopter and he was certain it was coming towards them. As the distinct thudding grew, so did his thumping heartbeat. He gripped the railing and peered into the pre-dawn sky. But he saw nothing. He tried to convince himself it could be anyone, but his instincts told him exactly who it was and he'd learnt many times over the years that trusting his instincts was the smart thing to do.

He turned to Rosalina, her eyes were wide and it was enough to unsettle him. ‘Honey, listen to me.' He clutched her cheeks, drawing her attention to him. ‘Get Jimmy up, tell him to meet me back here. Then get Alex and Ginger and go to Mum's room. Stay there until I get you. Understand?'

Archer kissed her forehead and turned her shoulders towards the stairs.

But she spun towards him. ‘I think I should stay. You know I can handle it.'

He clutched at her, wrapping his arms around her body and although he tried to portray calmness by kissing her gently and smoothing down her hair, every part of him screamed with urgency. Without any doubt, trouble was on the way. ‘Honey. Please just do as I ask.' He gave her a gentle nudge towards the stairs, and before she stepped down them she looked back.

‘Be careful, babe.'

‘Always.'

To his relief she disappeared down the stairs. Archer turned his attention back to the chopper. He still couldn't see it, but was fully aware the pilot would be able to see their boat.
Evangeline
was impossible to miss. Archer tugged his track pants on, shoved the loose drawstring inside and slunk back against the wall to scan the horizon. Several stars still dotted the sky, but the radiance on the horizon was a sure sign the sun wasn't too far away.

Something in his gut told him it was Ignatius in the helicopter. Clearly Iggy chose this time of the day for a reason. The glow from the rising sun meant the chopper didn't need to use any spotlights to land. This also made it harder for him to see it. The chopper wasn't approaching at a breakneck speed, maybe trying to pretend it was a tourist chopper out for a pre-dawn flight. For a fleeting second he considered that may indeed be an option. But as quickly as he thought it, he dismissed it.

Archer did a mental check of what was within grabbing distance that could serve as a weapon. The sundeck was really nothing but that. Fancy sun lounges with matching side tables dotted the area exposed to the elements. The other half was under cover and furnished with a custom-built semi-circular lounge with a glass-topped table centred in the middle. Directly above the covered area, linked only by a narrow set of steps, was the helipad.

Archer made a snap decision. He flipped over a deckchair, and with all the force he could muster he slammed his foot into the evenly spaced wooden slats. The noise was much louder than he anticipated, but he kicked at the slats once more anyway.

Jimmy appeared at his side, rustling his grey chest hairs with his scratching. ‘What's up, boss?'

Archer pointed over the rail. ‘Chopper coming in and I've got a bad feeling about it.'

Jimmy's eyes shot open, blasting away the last of his sleep. ‘Fuck! What d'ya want me to do?'

Archer tugged one of the slats free and handed the makeshift weapon to Jimmy. ‘Just do what you always do … back me up. But no macho stuff, I don't want you getting injured again.'

‘It'd be worth it. Can you see it?'

‘Not yet.' He guided Jimmy into the covered area and they ducked down between the lounges and the centre table. He stared at the plank in his hand and, as he pondered the foolishness of his plan, he listened to a combination of the rotor blades and Jimmy's heavy breathing. If it wasn't so serious it would be comical. Two grown men, both with their shirts off, hiding between white leather lounges and a glass-topped coffee table. Jokes aside, having his mate there made Archer feel a hell of a lot better.

As much as he wanted to get up and look for the source of the thumping noise, it would be a foolish move. Bunkering down was the smart thing to do, but it was downright frustrating just sitting there. Waiting.

‘What d'ya think his plan is?'

Archer turned his head towards Jimmy, but he was hidden behind the centre table. ‘My guess is he thought he'd just land aboard and catch us all by surprise.' It was a miracle Archer had been awake at this early hour, especially as he no longer had the nightmares. And to have been on the upper deck when he heard the chopper was nothing but a freak coincidence.

‘What? By himself?'

Jimmy had a good point. How many men were on the chopper? Taking into account the size of the chopper, other than Iggy, it could fit three more people, max. ‘No more than four.'

‘Four! Against the two of us. Lucky we've got these planks then.' Jimmy was a cracker at sarcasm.

Archer realised how foolhardy his counterattack was, but they had the element of surprise on their side. ‘He assumes we're asleep. When we jump, they'll have no idea what hit them.'

The chopper was almost right on them now. In a split second, it was hovering right over the covered area, above where they were hiding. But as quickly as it arrived, it was off again. Barely three seconds, he guessed. Archer frowned, and as he considered that maybe he and Jimmy had been spotted, he heard footsteps on the helipad above.

The hairs on the back of his neck bristled as he tried to calculate how many men had been offloaded. Two. He was fairly certain there were just two men, and neither man would be Iggy. Iggy hired men to do his dirty work. This perception put fear into Archer's veins. Iggy had money. The kind of money that could buy the right type of man you needed for any particular job. Nasty, snaky or otherwise. What he didn't know was what their mission actually was. And that's what he intended to find out. Archer's plan: catch these guys and make them talk. He needed to know what the hell Iggy was up to.

He couldn't believe Rosalina was in potential danger yet again. He allowed that notion to drive his fury. With his fingers squeezed around the plank he waited for them to climb down the stairs. If he pounced too early, the second man would have the upper hand. If he moved too late, the first man would have the advantage. He clenched down on his jaw and his stomach contorted with hatred.

Everything moved in slow motion, yet sounds amplified. He heard Jimmy's breathing, now rough and restless. He heard the small waves, whipped up from the chopper blades, lapping against the sides of
Evangeline
. He heard the intruder's shoes squeak against the smooth white paint on the steps down from the helipad. The only other sound he could hear was his own heart, pounding like a bombardment in his ears.

A pair of feet, clad in black boots, appeared on the stairs. Archer caught sight of a leather strap around the man's ankle. If it was similar to the one Archer had, it secured his dive knife at the ankle, or maybe it was a gun. And that wasn't good. Soon, the rest of the black-clad body was revealed. The man was built, clearly working out was his obsession. Archer almost crumbled with complete inadequacy.

The man was halfway down the stairs now and Archer readied to drive him off his feet. The stranger jumped down the last two steps, and immediately the second pair of feet appeared on the steps. The first man stepped aside and scanned the area with the awareness of a jungle cat. With his back turned away from Archer, he looked towards the stairs that led down to the lower deck. It was exactly what Archer had hoped.

The second man was halfway down. Six steps to go. Five. Four. Three. Archer lunged. Swinging the plank as he ran at the first man. The guy turned but was too late, taking the full brunt of the wood across the back of his shoulders. He crumbled to the floor with a howl.

Archer turned and grabbed the second man's foot, and although he ducked he couldn't avoid the heavy boot that kicked the side of his head. He tasted blood. Split lip? Bitten tongue? He had no idea, but ignored the pain as he clawed at the stomping foot to wrap his arms around both legs. He got them and dropped his full weight in an attempt to pull the man from the ladder. It didn't work. The arsehole snatched one leg free and this time when he stomped, he went for Archer's shoulder. The force was like a sledgehammer and Archer howled as he crumbled to the floor.

Jimmy was in on the action now and when Archer saw him drive his elbow into the neck of the already downed man, Archer knew Jimmy could handle himself. He turned his attention back to the second man.

The thug was scurrying back up the ladder and was gone in a flash. Archer ignored the pain in this shoulder and neck, grabbed the plank of wood and raced up after him. He paused at the top step, peering out to ensure he wouldn't get a kick in the teeth. The black-clad man was on the far side of the helipad. Archer knew he had him, there was nowhere to go from here. Except down of course, and it was a fair distance to the water. A fall from this deck could break a rib or two.

When the man turned, fists balled, jaw clenched, fierce dark eyes, Archer knew he was in for a fight. Archer clutched the plank and held it over his shoulder like a baseball bat. He may not win in a punch up with this guy, but maybe, just maybe, the plank of wood gave him a fighting chance.

‘What do you want?' Archer rocked side to side on his haunches, ready to duck either way if need be.

The man didn't answer. Instead he stepped towards Archer.

‘Ignatius sent you to do his dirty work? He's a coward like that.'

The man halted. His eyes widened. But other than that, he didn't portray the fear of a trapped man. If anything, he presented as the opposite. A man on a mission where nothing will get in his way.

In the blink of an eye the intruder's stance changed; shoulder dropped, weight onto his front foot. Archer had seen the move before, hell, he'd even used it himself a few times. Growing up in an orphanage had taught him a trick or two about fighting. He knew what was coming next. The brute charged at Archer like a raging bull. The distance across the helipad was barely six strides. He made it in four. Archer planted his feet, ready to swing the plank. He forged all his anger into smacking the wood across the thug's head. At the last second, Archer swung. The wood smashed into two as it cracked against the man's skull but he didn't even break stride. Archer twisted his body to take the full brunt of the attack side on.

Archer was airborne and it took him only a second to realise he'd gone over the side.

He braced for the impact. They were still a tangle of arms and legs when he hit the water. Wind punched out of him. Stinging pain ripped up his bare back.

Archer gulped for air. Instead, he swallowed mouthfuls of salty water.

Chapter 21

The sun was high off the horizon when Nox limped out of the crumbling lighthouse, and before long he spotted the rustic cottage he had escaped from the day before. Smoke was billowing from a pipe on the far side of the building and if he didn't know any better, it looked more like a comfortable refuge than the ramshackle hut it was. The twins obviously weren't distressed by his disappearance. Maybe, fully aware that he couldn't go anywhere, they were just waiting for him to step back through their door. That would be the smart thing to do, given that his mouth was bone dry and his hand was a bloody mess.

But he couldn't do it. Not yet anyway. He was driven. Driven by the need to get off the island. Driven by hunger to eat something other than dried fish and cardboard slop. Driven by a yearning to have his multiple wounds properly attended to. And the greatest drive of all, justice. The Calimala treasure was his. He'd lived a lifetime of hell waiting to get his hands on it and he would never stop looking for it.

But first he needed water. Even a dirty puddle would do.

The decrepit lighthouse was centred atop a large grassy knoll. He skirted the building first, looking and hoping for even a drop of moisture. At this point he could barely swallow. He stumbled across a water tank. Its buckled-in top, rusted corrugated sides and precarious angle offered little hope of it containing anything potable. But Nox was desperate. He spied a tap jutting from the curved edge and strode to it.