PARTIII
HIDING HER
31
Henry
“Grand Cayman Traffic,Skyhawk Six Niner, five miles northwest, inbound to land. Left forty-five to runway one, inbound fields,” I radio. I look over my shoulder into the back galley seat. She’s still passed out. Whatever Agent Harper gave her must have been strong. G didn’t move when we put her on the plane. She’s barely made a noise since. And we’ve been flying for almost four hours now.
A goddamn icon in our town of strength and bravado is who she’s become since setting foot in Strutt’s Peak. But there was no trace of that tonight. Tonight, she was scared. The loudmouth who pours warmth over everyone she loves, and who spits fire and one-liners over the rest of us lucky assholes, was a shell of herself in a matter of seconds. I’ve never been angrier in my life than seeing her like that.
The radio crackles, knocking me out of my thoughts again. “Approach, Skyhawk. Cleared for landing,” the island's air traffic responds.
Around thirty minutes later, we land smoothly in the private flight field on the northwest side of Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands. It didn’t take much thought regarding where I’d take her. We had to move quickly, and Harper didn’t want to take any chances of sending her to a safe house. Instead, her direction was to get her out of Colorado. It’s easy to move fast when you know what you need. I’m a planner. And when someone is important to me, I don’t cut corners.
A plane, a place, a plan. With a quick call to her connections, Harper had a small plane waiting. My brother-in-law, Jack, could help secure a place. The richest guy in the room will always have a place. Somewhere that didn’t have a spread in a home magazine, or a spot that anyone would know about, and then he’d have a backup just in case.
Jack has properties all over the world. There are very few he keeps vacant, but I knew his place here, on Grand Cayman, was wide open. He was telling us about the renovations that had just wrapped up. The beachside paradise with every amenity anyone could think of, Casa Luna Portocalie. A wedding gift for my sister.
There’s a Jeep waiting for us at the airstrip with the keys in the ignition and a GPS set with our destination. I round the back of the plane and grab our duffel bags. The warm air hits me like a swipe of Milo’s tongue across my face; not exactly gross, but not the best feeling you want lingering for too long. I’m still wearing my tuxedo. I ditched the velvet jacket, but I’m sweating, regardless. The humidity and nerves hit at the same time. I’m lucky we were able to get out of Strutt’s; the prediction for heavier snow squalls could have kept us grounded. We’re lucky we left when we did.
I have a satellite phone, and we’ll be able to connect to our devices back home when it’s clear. No one outside Agent Harper and Jack knows we’re not in Strutt’s Peak right now. It would look strange that the two people who seem to hate each other would abruptly leave a big family event together.
We’ll sit tight. I know Harper will have a plan beyond my own. She’s more than capable of handling this situation. I’m not some kind of secret agent to swoop in and kill the bad guy. I’m just the transportation. The lookout. The safety net. When it's clear, then we go back. Hopefully, without any repercussions, like relocation.
My gut sinks at the thought of her leaving. Needing to disappear. This is the short-term solution, so she can go back to her life in Strutt’s Peak without any issues. It’s her home.Our home.
A few minutes later, the GPS has us pulling into a massive villa.Fucking Jack Deacon.The sprawling villa in front of us is incredible. Brightly lit landscaping. I can hear the ocean breaking on the other side.
“What the fuck?” A groggy voice interrupts my assessment of the place. G sits up in her seat and looks down at her dress. “Why am I sweating? And it smells like the ocean.”
I keep quiet and get out of the Jeep. At least she’s talking now. The shock has worn off enough for her to see that we’re no longer in the cold of Strutt’s. I move around back and lift the bags out of the open trunk.
“We had to get you out of there fast,” I say and move toward the front door. I tap in the code. I don’t wait for her. I don’t want to answer any questions until we’re both inside, and I tell Harper we’re safely tucked away.
The motion-censored lights in the main living space illuminate, and it’s not lost on me that I’m in fucking paradise here. The massive room is cool and inviting. A quick assessment and I can tell almost everything in this house can be electronically accessed. Monitors embedded on surfaces and walls. Recessed lighting that activates with movement. I’m sure there’s security, but I can deal with who has access to that later. The floor-to-ceiling windows along the far back wall mimic Jack’s home in Strutt’s. As soon as I walk closer, I realize they can be completely opened by the touch of a screen. I press two more, and a long rectangular infinity pool glows from under the water, then a bar lights up, then small white lights that outline the inside of a cabana, and then finally a daybed and umbrella that overlooks the small waterfall dropping water into the pool. I laugh, shaking my head, and under my breath, mumble, “Small place on the beach, my ass.” This isn’t a hideaway. It’s a vacation resort.
A few hammocks are placed around the patio. To the left is a sandy walkway peppered with pathway lights that move toward what I can assume is the beach and ocean.
“Where are we?”
I don’t answer her. Instead, I look around the living room and take a seat on the plush couch. I’m so tired. Sitting was a bad idea.
“Henry! Fucking answer me. Now is NOT the time to be evasive. I need clear, precise answers. Starting with where we are, and how we got here.” She’s starting to freak out. And for good reason. Her world just tipped on its axis, and she couldn’t do anything about it except buckle up.
“It’s late.” I look at my watch.
“I don’t give a fuck,” she spits out with slicing attitude.
Is she fucking serious right now?
I turn my head slowly, reminding myself that she just had a big thing happen and practically shut down and then blacked out. “Tuck the attitude away right now.” She opens her mouth to say more, but something stops her. Maybe my tone. It’s clear I’m not in any condition right now to put up with her shit. “You needed to get out of Strutt’s. Something happened, and your Aunt Bea asked that I take you out of town immediately.”
“And you did,” she says, brow furrowed.
“I did,” I say, nodding my head once.
“Just like that?” Her eyes grow wide, waiting for more.