Surfer Bride

Surfer Bride Quincy Holt, a world champion surfer, was in love with a police officer, Fennimore Smith. He dumped her over a rumor that she cheated on him. Two years later, she’s moved on and is engaged to Percy Hicks, a British man that she believes could make her happy. Quincy thinks her fiancé is an antiques dealer but he’s actually a firearms smuggler. A smuggler being investigated by her former lover, now an ATF agent. When Percy’s private plane full of weapons is confiscated while Quincy is aboard and she’s arrested for arms dealing, Fennimore Smith flies to Bali to rescue her and get her to testify against Percy. She turns him down as she has plans of her own. She sets off to London on a quest to trap her fiancé and bring him down. Will she survive her mission? Will her former lover have to rescue her again? Genre: Contemporary, Romantic Suspense Length: 81,650 words

SURFER BRIDE

Jillian Chantal

ROMANCE

www.BookStrand.com

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A SIREN-BOOKSTRAND TITLE IMPRINT: Romance

SURFER BRIDE Copyright © 2011 by Jillian Chantal E-book ISBN: 1-61034-190-2 First E-book Publication: February 2011 Cover design by Jinger Heaston All cover art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER www.BookStrand.com

DEDICATION For my dear friend, Frances Garner, also known as Emmy, thanks for sharing your memories of Bali with me and, most of all, for your unwavering belief in me as a writer and your zest for life. And for Karl Murray, who was killed in a tragic accident as I wrote this book. I borrowed his name for a totally fictional character to celebrate his memory.

SURFER BRIDE JILLIAN CHANTAL Copyright © 2011

Chapter One “He’s a complicated man...John Shaft” Theme from Shaft- Isaac Hayes (American singer/songwriter, 1942-2008) The ceiling fan in her bedroom spun and wobbled, a sound of comfort for Quincy Holt as she hummed the theme song from Shaft and packed a box. Seemed like the hundredth box. No way it could’ve been that many, but dang, it seemed like she’d been packing forever. The song was stuck in her head on a continuous loop, but the work went faster when she occupied her mind with something besides her plans for the immediate future. The song served its purpose. The big changes in her life scared her, and she didn’t want to mull over the decision she’d made. Too much thought might make her change her mind and run in the other direction. The song kept her mind fully occupied. Shaft was kind of a lame song, but that was the point. No serious thoughts. Be mindless. The decision was made, and she knew there could be no retreat. She’d committed to this, and she’d follow through. No matter what doubts kept creeping into her subconscious. The doubts she kept tamping back down from her conscious mind. Don’t think, just do. Pack, don’t think. Just pack.

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She heard the phone in her living room ring. Deep sigh. Who could it be now? There was no need for all the calls. God, can’t they just be happy for me and leave me alone? The decision was made. No one would talk her out of it. No matter how hard they tried. Her head was stuck in a cardboard box she’d taken from the back of the liquor store as she packed her favorite bed linens. She yelled from the bedroom to the front of the house. “Avery, can you grab that? I’m in the middle of a mass of sheets and blankets.” Let Avery get rid of whoever it is. **** Avery, her own head in a box of books in the other room, said, “Sure.” She turned to the table where the phone sat and grabbed the receiver. “Quincy’s house.” “Avery? That you?” A familiar male voice. Dead silence. “Avery? Avery Collins? She found her voice and croaked, “Finn?” Stunned, she paused for another second and added, “Fennimore Smith? Really? Can this be Finn?” The man exhaled deeply. “Yeah, it’s me. It’s Finn. Is Q there?” Avery sat in the closest chair, the blue brocade that matched the drapes. “What the hell you think you’re doing calling her out of the blue two years after you ripped her heart out and fed it to the sharks, you pig? And calling her ‘Q’ like nothing ever happened? What’s your game?” “No game. I just need to talk to her. Is she there?” “She’s here, but she’s in the middle of packing. She’s found someone else. She’s getting married and moving to England. To be with him.” Avery looked around the small living room of the bungalow that was her friend’s childhood home. She looked at all the boxes, some stacked and ready to ship and some open with things

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spilling out. “I heard. That’s why I’m calling. I need to talk to her about that.” “No way. Uh-uh. Nope. She’s happy. She’s over you. No way am I putting you on the phone to screw with her head. Forget it.” Avery shook her head as if the man on the other end of the phone could see her. “So, she’s there?” “Yes. I already told you that. But I’m not telling her you’re on the phone. No way. No how.” She paused. “I don’t know if I should tell you this, but I will.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t know if you know this or if you even care, but she totally lost it when you dumped her. You were an ass. Never even listened to her side of the story. It took her over a year to even get out of her house again, except for work. I’m not about to let you screw with her head again. She’s marrying Percy Hicks, and you’ve got nothing to say about it. Now I suggest—” Quincy came in the room then, pushed her damp curls off her brow, and asked, “Who is it?” Avery mouthed to her, “No one.” She added into the receiver, “As I said, sir, Ms. Holt isn’t interested. Thank you for calling. Have a nice day.” She disconnected the call and turned to Quincy. “Telemarketer. Selling crap you don’t need. What with all you’re getting rid of in the move.” She nodded toward the piles of stuff near the front door that Quincy was donating to the rescue mission and went on, “Hope you don’t mind that I cut him off.” “Thanks, Avery. Hate those calls.” She lifted her hair off her neck and fanned herself. “That’s hard work. Who knew sheets could be so heavy?” “Me, too. I hate those calls, always interrupting my life. Feel kind of sorry for the workers, but darn it, it sure does disturb the peace.” Quincy laughed. “Sure does.” She flopped on the blue and white plaid couch, legs stretched out in front of her. She picked up one of the matching throw pillows and hugged it to her stomach. “I’m

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starved. Wanna split a pizza? Toss me the phone and I’ll call. Delivery won’t take long.” “Let’s get out of here and go get something. You need to get away from the mess for a while.” Avery waved her hand in the direction of the stacks of boxes. “This place is depressing, what with you packing up your life. We need to get out of here before I cry again.” “Nah. You can’t cry again. You’ve done enough of that for both of us, and I’ll be back here to visit so much, you’ll get sick of me. Let’s stay in and call for the pizza. I’m done for.” She sighed and looked around at the room. “Who knew I had so much crap?” “I really would like to go out and get something. I like my pizza served hotter than delivery can do it.” Quincy laughed. “Since when? If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to get me out of here.” “Yep. That’s it.” Avery nodded and crossed her fingers behind her back. “I’m afraid the telemarketer is a stalker and will be coming here to see the great Quincy Holt.” Quincy sat up from where she reclined on the couch and shook her head, strands of blond hair going into her mouth. She pulled the wayward tresses from her lips. “You’re so crazy. I’m not that famous. And not famous at all in some crowds. But, I’ll go out for the pizza as long as I don’t have to get cleaned up.” “Grab your purse then and let’s go.” Avery leapt from the chair and dashed to the front door. She snatched her own purse from the floor where it sat amidst the chaos. Quincy stood, grabbed a pony tail holder from the drawer in the phone table and pulled her hair back. “Damn, you are in a hurry. Did you rob a bank or something?” “Just hush and come on.” Avery tossed Quincy the keys from the oak table beside the front door and they left the house. ****

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They rode to the local pizzeria, Tuscany Grill, in Quincy’s restored 1955 Willys Jeep. The vehicle was Quincy’s baby. It had belonged to her father. When they pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, Avery turned to her. “Aren’t you gonna miss this place?” “I sure am. After all, we’ve been coming here since high school, but I’m gonna miss you most of all.” A few tears escaped and trailed down Quincy’s face. “I’m not at all sure this is the right thing to do. I’ve only known Percy for seven months. And that’s been mostly a long distance relationship. I think he’s rushing me a bit. After all, packing up my life and moving to another country is pretty scary. And how do I know we’ll get along when we’re together all the time?” “Honey, he loves you. He just wants to be with you as much as he can. I think it’ll be fine. The time you have spent with him has been good.” She looked at her friend in silence for a moment and then added, “You do love him, right?” “I really think I do. I don’t have that crazy wild feeling for him like I did with Finn. But we both know that wasn’t healthy. That was an insane, raging fire that burned me. Burned me bad. You know that.” She shuddered at the memory of the shell of a person she’d become when Finn dumped her. “Besides, Percy’s more stable, and it makes sense to grab on to that. Being with a cop was too up and down for me. And I can’t live life like that again. I can’t.” She shook her head. “But that doesn’t stop the doubts about what I’m doing. Doubts about Percy and me. In the middle of the night when I’m all alone, I mean.” Avery patted her arm. “I know that Finn and you were a like a supernova—burned out fast and early. But I really think you and Percy will make a good marriage. The two of you can live on a more even keel. You and Finn would’ve always had such a volatile life. A nice, good looking, boring old antiques dealer is what you need. I hope you’ll be happy with Percy. Calm and settled. And you can have those kids you’ve been wanting.” She looked around the parking lot

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and added, “Not to change the subject, but let’s go eat. Finish this conversation after we order. I’m suddenly starved.” “So you think Percy is boring?” Quincy grinned as she opened her car door and got out. “Not really, but compared to Finn, he’s a little dull. Mr. Polite, suave, British stiff upper lip, kind of dull. Not in a bad way, just different. And Finn was certainly a fine specimen of a man—” “You need to quit while you’re ahead. You’re making it worse. Every word you say.” Quincy slammed the Jeep door and headed to the entrance of the pizza joint. “Fine. Fine. I probably should shut up while I’m ahead.” Avery whispered to Quincy’s back as she walked behind her.” **** The restaurant was a cozy little pizza place that boasted a full menu of other Italian entrées as well. It had a beehive, wood fired oven, and the crusts of the pizzas came out sublime due to the real fire cooking. The decor evoked old Tuscany. The walls were yellowed adobe with murals of grape arbors painted on them. The décor was simple. Freestanding tables in the middle of the room and booths with high backs. The booths each provided privacy and acted as favored spots for lovers as the deep seat backs provided a spot for the teenagers to make out unseen by the other patrons. The restaurant was a favorite of locals since the Seventies. Quincy and Avery had been customers since they were kids. Quincy loved to frequent the place when she was home in South Florida from her work as a professional surfer. One of the first things she wanted when she came back to the States was one of their six-meat pizzas. Sometimes she could barely stand the drive from the airport to the restaurant, her mouth watered so badly. She would definitely miss this place.

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When they got inside, the waitress led them to a table, and they ordered their drinks. The friends sat in silence, listening to the music on the jukebox until the waitress came back. Once they ordered their pizza and she left the beverages and straws, Avery opened her straw and twisted it around in her hand. With her other hand, she reached across the table and grabbed Quincy’s. “I’ve been thinking about what you said in the Jeep. About the fire you felt for Finn and your uncertainty about Percy. I have to ask. What would you do if he came back?” She shoved the straw in her glass and took a large swallow of her tea, nervous about the lie she told earlier. “Why would that even come up?” Quincy asked. Avery stared at her. “Just answer the question.” “Seems pointless, doesn’t it? Why ask?” She hunched her shoulders and leaned across the table. “Just curious.” Avery’s face turned red. “What aren’t you saying? I’ve known you for a long time, and when those red splotches show up on your neck and face, you’ve either done something or are hiding something. What’s up? “Remember the telemarketer?” Quincy let out a deep sigh. “Ave, it was twenty minutes ago. Yes, of course, I remember.” “Wasn’t a telemarketer. It was Finn.” Quincy turned white and sat back in the booth. She slammed herself so hard into the back rest, it wobbled. She raised her shaky hand to her forehead, “Finn? My God. What did he want?” “Said he heard you were getting married and wanted to talk to you.” “Why?” “He didn’t say.” “Why didn’t you let me talk to him?” “I just thought you didn’t need—” Quincy slapped her hand on the table and raised her voice. “Who the hell do you think you are? You just thought. I didn’t need. Who

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are you to think for me? Who are you to know what I need?” “Shh. You’re making a scene.” Quincy leaned over the table and hissed, “The hell with that. What were you thinking?” “I’m your best friend. I remember the dark days after he left. How you almost quit living. I didn’t want to see all that come back. He hurt you so bad, I didn’t think—” “That’s right. You didn’t. You didn’t think. I’m twenty-six years old. I can make my own decisions.” She paused for a second, and recognition dawned in her eyes. “Is that why you rushed me out of the house? Did he say he was coming over?” “No. But I was afraid he would.” “I appreciate your intentions but don’t interfere again.” “I won’t.” Avery had the grace to look embarrassed. “Promise?” Quincy relaxed a little. “Yeah. I really am sorry. When you said you had doubts about Percy, I decided I better tell you about the call.” “My doubts have nothing to do with Finn. Not really.” She shook her head. “It just seems like Percy and I are in a hurry, and I don’t know why. I don’t know what the big rush to the altar is all about. Percy’s been single a long time, and I don’t know why he’s so insistent on the marriage being soon. He says it’s because I want children, but I have plenty of time for that. And I plan to keep surfing for a while anyway. It’s going to be hard, but I’ll do it. At least until I can get pregnant. You know I’ve always wanted a family, and this marriage is the best chance I have. I’m not getting any younger, and I think Percy and I will grow in our feelings for each other as we spend more time together. I hope so, anyway because this is what I want. A nice life with a husband and kids.” She paused and took a drink of her soda. When she’d swallowed her drink, Quincy added, “And besides, I’m not having thoughts that I’d take that jackass back. If that is even what he wanted. I would like to see him and set him straight on the

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whole incident two years ago. Like I said, my second thoughts or doubts have zero to with Finn Smith. But he needs to understand what he did with his high-handed behavior. I never got a chance to defend myself against the crap Craig threw out there, and I so want to set Mr. Fennimore Smith straight.” “Straight?” Avery giggled. “Good choice of words.” Quincy smiled despite herself. Before she could say anything else, the waitress delivered their large meaty pizza. Quincy placed a gooey slice on Avery’s plate, and the cheese oozed over the rim. She grabbed a slice for herself, held her head over her plate, inhaled the scent of the tomato sauce, and sighed in rapture. “God, that is so heavenly. Dig in, Avery.” She looked up and saw Avery had already taken a huge bite of her slice and had sauce all over her chin. They grinned at each other like idiots. They were in their favorite place, eating the best pizza on Earth, and any bad feelings between them were erased. After another huge bite of pizza, Avery grabbed the waitress on her next pass by the table. “Please bring me a beer to go with the pizza.” Quincy winked at her friend. “To enhance the flavor?” “You got it.” **** Fennimore Smith, known as Finn, almost drove past the Tuscany Grill on his way to Quincy Holt’s house on Beach Boulevard in Miami. As he passed the parking lot, he happened to glance over and saw her Willys Jeep in the third space from the door of the restaurant. He slammed on his brakes and skidded into the lot on two wheels. Gravel flew across the side of his vehicle. He found a spot for the Bureau-issued, black Ford Expedition he used while on duty, threw the vehicle into park, and got out. He strode toward the entrance, changed his mind and went back to the car. He opened the door and

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tossed in his Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearm and Explosives Agency black windbreaker with the large letters ATF on the back. Wouldn’t be good to let her see that. Yet. He slammed the car door again and headed back toward the restaurant. As soon as he walked through the door, the memories assaulted him. His stood in the doorway until he had control of his emotions and until eyes adjusted to the gloom. The smells from the oven made his mouth water. God. That tomato sauce smelled like home. In the two years since he’d left his job as a Metro-Dade homicide detective, he’d forced himself to forget her and to forget this place where he’d first fallen in love with the tiny, petite professional surfer with a mop of golden curls that hung down her back in a curtain. She also happened to be the daughter of two homicide victims that were killed by an intruder armed with an illegal firearm with the serial number scraped off. The smell of the pizzas baking held him in its grip, and the regrets came to the forefront of his mind. He shook himself. Get to the job, Finn. Talk to her, then get out. You can’t get bogged down in the past. This is now. Remember why you’re here. Remember how she hurt you. Get in and get out. In and out. Tell her and leave. Easy. He made his way across the room to the booth he knew she would be seated in. Their favorite booth. He was surprised to see a young couple there, side by side and looking very much in love. They glanced up at him for a second and then back at each other. Confused, he peered around. I know she’s here. Her Jeep is outside, and nobody but her drives that thing. Her baby. As he took mental note of all the patrons in the place, he noticed Avery seated at a booth at the other end of the restaurant from Quincy’s usual booth but no Quincy. He walked toward Avery’s table. Stalked really. He always walked like a lion pursuing its prey. He stood over six feet, three inches, tall and large, but he moved with grace.

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**** As soon as Avery spied him coming at her, her smile changed to a glare. “What the hell you doing here, Finn?” He still looked very buff and handsome, and she knew Quincy wouldn’t be able to resist his rugged good looks. He had about two days’ growth of dark hair on his face, and Avery knew the scruffy look was one of Quincy’s weaknesses. She felt her stomach drop in fear for her friend. Quincy couldn’t afford to get emotional about her lost love. Avery knew if her friend succumbed to Finn’s charm again, there would be no putting her back together again when he hurt her. Which he would. “Told ya. I need to talk to Q.” He placed one hand on the table and leaned forward. He loomed over her. “Stop calling her that. And stop trying to intimidate me, mister. Won’t work.” “I’m not trying to intimidate you.” “Yeah, right. I can see you’re not trying to. Standing over someone with a scowl on your face is your normal way of greeting someone you haven’t seen in two years.” “You never change, do you? Always vinegary. And what do you mean, calling her that? Calling her what?” “Q.” “I always called her ‘Q’. You know that.” “Yeah. When you were her lover. The love of her life. You lost that right when you treated her like yesterday’s recycling.” Avery slammed her beer bottle on the table for emphasis. “I hope she’s not as bitter and angry as you are.” He shook his head, “What’s it to you, anyway?” “You pompous ass. You’ve got no idea what you left here when you pulled your vanishing act.” “Look, I know she’s here. She’s here right now. Her Jeep’s outside, and she’s the only one that drives it. I’m not leaving without

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talking to her. So, tell me. Where’d she go?” “Outside, in the back.” Avery nodded across the room to the back door of the restaurant. He looked at the door to the patio. “Why? Did she see me come in?” “God, you think you’re something, don’t you?” Avery glared at him. “No. She did not see you come in and go hide. She cares zero about you. She wouldn’t need to hide. If you must know, she got a phone call from her fiancé. You know, the man she’s gonna marry.” Avery barely stopped herself from sticking her tongue out. “Not if I have anything to say about it. She won’t be marrying that man if I can help it.” He turned to walk away, and Avery grabbed his arm. “Don’t you dare try to talk her out of it. You treated her horribly. You need to go away. Stay away. Go back to Metro-Dade and leave her alone. Go do your job and let her do hers and be happy with her new love. Just go away.” He frowned and looked down at her hand on his arm. “Avery, take your hand off me. I’m going to talk to Quincy even if you don’t like it.” The look on his face was a black scowl and enough to scare a career criminal. Avery let go of his arm. He walked away. **** He strode across the floor and snatched open the back door. As he stepped onto the patio, his former lover, Quincy, stood with her back to him. She had her cell phone to her ear and turned at the sound of the door opening. When she saw Finn there within three feet of her for the first time in two years, a look as dark as thunder on his face, her fingers went numb and she dropped her phone. It shattered into pieces at her feet.

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Chapter Two “Jealousy, that dragon which slays love under the pretense of keeping it alive” Havelock Ellis (British sexologist and physician 1859-1939) “What the hell are you doing here?” Her face stiff, she looked at Fennimore Smith and wanted to cry. What the hell was he doing here, looking so damn handsome? That rock hard chest hadn’t lost any tone, and his biceps still strained to escape his sleeves. He hadn’t changed at all except maybe he was more attractive than the last time she’d seen him. No. That was impossible. Shoot, why’d he have to be so hot with his stupid green eyes that bored into her soul? And why was that scruffy look so good on him? And why was her heart beating out of her rib cage? She grabbed her chest to stop the fluttering. “Looking for you.” “Why? After two years? What’s so important now that you can talk to me? Or should I say, deign to talk to me? Whatever it is, can’t be too urgent, can it? After all, it’s been a long time.” She bent down and pretended to gather parts of her phone to keep from looking at him. She had a hard time picking up the pieces as her fingers wouldn’t cooperate. They felt bloodless and dead. God, I can’t look at that body without remembering him naked. Please don’t let him turn around. That butt of his will send me over the edge. As she shoved the pieces of phone around on the ground, her unruly blond hair partially escaped from her pony tail and fluttered in the breeze. He bent down to help her. He grabbed a piece of the phone and

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held it out to her. “Look, can we go inside and sit down and talk?” “Funny how you want to talk to me now and wouldn’t let me get in one word two years ago.” She stood, put her hands on her hips and glared at him. He held out one hand. “Sorry about all that. Let’s just move on—” “Sorry about that? That’s what I get? A casual sorry about that? Let’s move on? How ‘bout no?” She flounced past him and grabbed the handle of the door. He snatched her by the upper arm. She turned and looked down at his hand. “Get. Your. Hand. Off. Me. Now.” He let go. “I have to talk you out of marrying—” She leaned against the glass door and looked him in the eye. “You lost your right to have anything to do with me and who I choose to marry when you shut me out of your life, Officer. There’s no need for you to concern yourself with me and my plans. I’ve picked up the pieces and started my life over, and you need to start yours over, too.” “Oh, honey, trust me, I have moved on. I have started over. I’m not here to stop you from marrying because I want you for myself. Not at all.” His voice almost broke on the lie. Almost. She gasped, turned away from him, pulled the door open and went inside to the table where Avery sat with their leftover pizza in the box. Quincy’s hands shook. “Let’s go. I gotta get out of here. Now. Before I freak.” Avery hopped up, took Quincy by the arm, grabbed the leftovers, and led her to the door. “I guess Finn found you?” “Yeah. I broke my phone.” “On his head, I hope.” Quincy’s giggle was shaky. “C’mon, before he tries to stop us. Hurry.” They hustled out the front door of the restaurant. When they got to the parking lot, Finn stood at the back of her Jeep with his hand on one of the surf boards that stuck out of the open back window. “If you want to hide from ex-boyfriends, you should get a less conspicuous ride.”

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“Is that how you see yourself? An ex-boyfriend?” asked Avery, fierce in her role as Quincy’s protector. “What else would I be?” He shrugged. “I dunno, an asshole, maybe?” “Stop it. Both of you.” Quincy pushed her errant hair off her face and edged toward the driver’s door of the Jeep. “Look,” Finn said. “All I want to do is warn you about Hicks. That’s all.” “Warn me?” She snorted. “Oh, that’s rich. You don’t even know the man.” “Yeah, I do. And—” “And what? What does a Metro-Dade homicide cop know about an international antiques dealer?” Quincy’s chin jutted out. “You’d be surprised what I know, and I’m not with Dade anymore.” “Get fired?” Avery asked. Finn stepped back. As Quincy moved closer to the driver’s side door of the Jeep, Avery started to edge herself toward the passenger side to get ready to make a break for it. “No. Oh, never mind, Avery. Shut up.” He turned to Quincy. “Q, I need to talk to you.” He looked back at Avery, who was moving closer to her side of the vehicle. “In private.” “Nope. I needed to talk to you in private two years ago, and you cut me dead. So, see how it feels.” Quincy jumped in the driver’s seat as Avery threw herself in the passenger side, and Quincy peeled out of the parking lot. As they drove away, Quincy said, through clenched teeth, “I gotta to take you home. I need some time.” “I know just where you’re going.” Avery leaned over to Quincy’s side of the Jeep and touched her friend on the arm. “Don’t you think he’ll follow you there? He knows where you go when you’re upset as well as I do. Hell, half of Miami knows where you go when you need to think.” “He can’t follow me out there, and I can stay long enough to

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avoid him if he does. I can stay out there all night if need be. He knows that, too. I’ve gotta think. That means I gotta go.” She pounded her fist on the steering wheel. “I know. I know. Dump me off and go do your thing. I’ll save the leftover pizza for you if you want to come back by for it later. If not, call me and I’ll come over tomorrow, and we’ll keep packing.” “Thanks for understanding. I hate to run off on you.” “You know I understand. I do.” Quincy pulled up in front of Avery’s apartment building, and Avery got out. After she slammed the door of the Jeep, Avery leaned back in the passenger window. “Be careful out there in the dark. Call me when you get home. I’ll worry till you do.” “I’ll call. And I’m safer out there than anywhere I can go. And jackass cops can’t bother me. He might be a good swimmer, but he can’t keep up with me out there.” “Really, be sure to call me. I won’t sleep till I hear from you.” “I will, promise.” Quincy peeled out and drove away with Avery still standing in the street. Quincy knew this reappearance of Finn wasn’t good. He kept her agitated. Always had. Even when they were happy, she had always been keyed up around him. She knew herself well enough to know how she got when she was on edge. She knew the road ahead was going to be rocky, and she knew the only place she could go for peace was where she was headed. **** Finn knew exactly where he could find Quincy. She was so predictable. He wasn’t in any hurry to follow her. No need. He wanted to give her a little time to settle down from the shock of seeing him. Maybe she would adjust to the sight of him coming out of nowhere and be more rational to talk to when he caught up with her

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later. And catch up with her, he would. Finn gave himself a few minutes to eat at the Tuscany Grill just because he was there. He’d purposely stayed away after the breakup to avoid seeing her, but now that he’d been inside, the lure of the pasta sauce was too much to resist. There was nothing like the Tuscan’s secret recipe sauce. It had just the right amount of oregano, and the smell could cause a grown man to cry. He went back inside and ordered lasagna. As he waited for his order, he thought about Quincy and how much he’d loved her. Until she betrayed his trust. He didn’t know if he could stand to be around her. As soon as he saw her on the patio, he was hard and ready for her. Damn body. Betrayed by his own body this time, not by a treacherous woman. That hair of hers falling out of her ponytail around her face and smelling of lemon shampoo almost unhinged him as he’d helped her pick up the shattered phone. Then again in the parking lot, his reaction to her was powerful. I’m like a damned teenage boy in heat around her. Gotta get a grip on myself. She’s not who I need her to be. Gotta get my mind on the job, not the female. The waitress brought his pasta and placed it in front of him. “Haven’t seen you in a long time, Fennimore Smith. Where ya been?” “Just working, LeeAnn. How ya you doing?” He smiled a thin smile. He remembered this barracuda. She pouted. “Better now that you’re here. I can’t say I was upset when you and Quincy broke up, but I was sad when you stopped coming around. Always thought we might make a go of it.” “Thought I made that clear back then, LeeAnn. You’re a nice girl, but I’m not on the market.” “You mean you have another woman? You never even gave me a chance.” She stuck out her bottom lip, trying to look sexy. He gave her the look he always gave to criminals when he was on the verge of getting them to confess. A sneer, with his left eyebrow raised. “Yep. Went from Q’s bed directly to another woman’s without giving you a thought.”

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She glared and slapped her hand on the table. “I’ll get you another waitress, you bastard.” She stalked back to the kitchen. Glad she was gone, he muttered, “I think it’s against company policy to call a customer a bastard, but I can deal with that if it means you’ll go away.” He vowed to leave a nice tip for the substitute waitress just because she wouldn’t be LeeAnn. She was a vulture, for sure. He’d never liked the girl. She’d always pretended to be a friend to Quincy, all the while trying to get Finn into bed. He stayed true to his girl. Wish he could’ve said the same for the girl. He ate as fast as he could choke it down. It was excellent as always, but he couldn’t enjoy it. He was disappointed that he couldn’t savor the taste, but LeeAnn stood in the doorway of the kitchen. She couldn’t stop staring at him. If her eyes had been knives, he’d be dead from that stare. Determined to eat the savory lasagna, he acted oblivious. When he finished, he wiped his mouth, threw down too much money and left. Back in the parking lot, he cranked the Expedition and drove to the secluded beach where Quincy liked to “surf it out,” as she called it. She always solved her problems on the water, on a polyurethane foam board covered in fiberglass. He knew she’d be there. He knew that as well as he knew his own name. He could almost guarantee that the woman would be there. He got to the beach and walked out onto the sand. He saw her out on the waves on a short board. She almost glowed in the night air. The full moon shone down on her as she rode her board. The street lights lit up the area. The air, thick and muggy, almost felt like an extra layer of skin. Finn was glad he’d taken off his windbreaker earlier. Quincy looked like she had on a wet suit top and a bikini bottom. He’d always been enthralled when she surfed. She could ride the waves as easily as she walked. As he watched, she made several three hundred-sixty degree turns on the waves. He was amazed at her skills. That hadn’t changed. He knew she’d be out there a while. His

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appearance had shaken her, he could tell. Hell, it had shaken him. To the core. God, he still wanted her. Loved her, even. Maybe. Good thing he’d stayed away as long as he had. He’d have made a fool of himself begging her to come back if he’d stayed in this part of Miami. He chose to make a clean cut instead. Seemed like a good plan at the time. He shook the thoughts out of his head and sat down in the sand in an area that was out of the streetlight’s range. He also knew her well enough to know she’d never come in if she saw him on the beach. After about thirty more minutes, Quincy emerged from the salt water. She shoved the end of her board into the sand. She grabbed her long hair, pulled it over her shoulder and wrung the water out of it. When she turned to look back at the ocean, Finn noticed she had gone into the water in her silk panties. Not a bathing suit bottom. Panties. The water dripped off the sheer fabric, leaving her bottom wet and exposed to his view. The soaked fabric clung to her buttocks. The wet fabric was much sexier than nudity. He groaned. She turned at the sound, looked around and noticed him in the sand. He tried to stand up. He pushed the heel of his hand into the ground and attempted to leverage himself up. Before he could rise, she walked over and pushed him in the chest with her bare foot. He grabbed her ankle. She lost her balance and fell to the beach. She sat half way up, leaning on her elbows and looked at him. “What the hell you doing here, you prick?” “Don’t act surprised, Q. You knew I’d follow you.” He said as he ran his hand up her ankle to her shin. God, her skin felt good. Smooth. Like he remembered. She jerked her leg from his grasp as if it were on fire. “Keep your paws off me.” She backed off, crab like. Out of reach. He leaned toward her. “Q. Will you hear me out? Can I please talk to you? I have to tell you something. I wouldn’t have come back if it wasn’t important.” She looked at him. She stayed silent.

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“Really, Quincy. This is vital. I know you’ll be glad I told you. I know you. You need to hear this.” “Fine. If I listen, will you go away? Never try to interfere with me again?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine. I’ll do it. Now, can we get up? I’m not really comfortable down here on the ground.” “I know. That was always part of your problem, Finn.” With no effort, she rose from her seat. “What?” he asked as he struggled to get up, bogged down by his agency issued thick-soled black shoes. “Not liking sand in your shorts.” “And that’s a problem, how?” He raised that one eyebrow again. Intimidation tactics didn’t work with her. “Too straitlaced. Anyone who can’t deal with sand in the crack of their butt is too tightly wound for me.” They were standing close. Less than two feet separated them. “I guess we all know where the lack of being straitlaced got you.”The sneer was back. “In bed with Craig Miller.” The crack as she slapped his face was so loud it sounded like an aborted thunder storm. “Wondered how long it’d take for you to bring that up.” “So, you don’t deny it?” “Did you ever give me a chance to deny anything, jerkwad?” “Now’s your shot, Baby. Take it. Let’s see if I believe you.” His face was mottled red, and the spittle flew from his mouth. She looked at him for a full second. Her eyes filled with tears, and she turned away. She walked over, grabbed her board and tucked it under her arm and stalked off the beach to her Jeep. As she stowed the board in the back with the other two, Finn walked up behind her. “Sorry about that, Q. I really didn’t look you up to bring up the past.” She sighed and turned around. “Then why? Why’d you look me up, then? Go ahead and say what you need to say. Then leave. Please.

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It’s clear to me that you aren’t gonna go till you do.” She stood with her hands on her hips. He looked at her, sad at what he had to tell her. Even after all the lies she’d told him, he still didn’t like to hurt her. “There’s no way to soften the blow, but you need to know. Your fiancé, Percy Hicks, is an arms dealer.” She threw her head back and laughed out loud. “You’re insane, Finn. Yes, he is a dealer. I know that. He’s an antiques dealer. Not arms, antiques. This is what has you in a tizzy?” She slapped her hand on her thigh. “You misheard. But thanks for the warning. If I see a dangerous settee, I’ll be sure to get out of the way.” She laughed so hard, she cried. She bent over double, clutching her stomach. After a while, she stood back up and wiped the tears from her cheeks. It was too much for him. His reawakened feelings for her, her wet panties and her laughing at him sent him over the edge. He grabbed a handful of her wet suit top and jerked her toward him. He lifted her off her feet by the front of the wet suit. He pulled her close, his lips locked on hers, and he rammed his tongue in her mouth and kissed her like he’d wanted to since the day he walked out of her life. His other hand slid down her spine and into her panties where it squeezed her right buttock. It was cold from being in the water. He could feel the sand in her panties. She slid her arms around his neck and returned the kiss for the first couple of seconds. He was hard. She kissed him back until his hand entered her panties. As soon as he squeezed her butt, she jerked away from his grasp and smacked him again. “What are you trying to do, Finn?” “Trying to stop you from marrying an arms dealer.” “By assaulting me?” “That wasn’t an assault.” He grinned at her. “Hey, cop, I know what an assault is, and I bet you do, too. Kissing and pawing a woman without her consent is considered assault in this state.”

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“Seemed to me you consented.” His smile broadened. “Appearances can be deceiving.” She stopped and smacked her forehead. “Oh yeah, forgot for a moment who I was talking to. Appearances do deceive you. You can be blinder than a dead man. How you ever made detective grade, I’ll never know.” “Nice. That’s real nice, Q.” “Look, this has been fun, but I really need to go home. I have more packing to do before my trip to Indonesia the day after tomorrow. It was nice to see you, but I gotta go.” She moved to walk away past him. “Please listen to me. I know you don’t think it was nice to see me.” He grabbed her upper arms gently. “I want you to listen, though. This man you’re planning to marry is an international arms dealer. He uses the antiques business to cover for this other business he’s in. I swear it. I’m not supposed to be here, but I heard you were gonna marry him. I knew you wouldn’t be able to live with yourself if you did and you found out his true line of work. So I came to warn you.” She pulled away from him again. “What the hell are you blathering about? Even if I believed you—and I don’t, by the way— but if I did, how would you even have this information? Last I heard, Metro Dade homicide detectives didn’t investigate arms dealers.” “Like I told Avery, I’m not with Dade anymore. I’ve moved on to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. I now chase firearms and explosives dealers. I’m not even based in Miami. I’m in the South Florida office but not in Miami central. I came home to warn you.” “How very kind of you, Agent Smith. Or is that Special Agent?” She pulled herself up to her full height of five foot, four inches and added, “I appreciate your concern, Special Agent. But I really need to go.” She moved toward the driver’s side of the Jeep. He touched her arm. “Sorry about the kiss, Q. Couldn’t help myself.” “Let’s just say it was a goodbye kiss. The one we never had

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before.” She opened the door and slung herself into the seat. He shut her into the vehicle and leaned in the open window. “I know I was a creep, but believe me when I say this. I’d never want you to do something you were morally opposed to. No matter what our personal past, I don’t hold any animosity and I want you to be happy. If I thought being the wife of Percy Hicks would make you happy over the long run, I’d walk away right now.” “Please walk away, Finn. If you haven’t noticed, I’m almost driving away. I would’ve already been gone if I wanted to run over your foot.” “I’m staying at Coop’s house. You remember my brother, right?” “Yes. I do remember Coop. Contrary to how you treat me, I’m not an idiot.” “Promise me one thing.” He paused, his hand on the window frame. “Quit making that face and promise me something.” “You think you have the right to ask me for anything?” “No. I don’t. But please think back on your time with Hicks. Did he ever ask you to carry anything onto a plane for him? Send any boxes? Anything?” “No. He didn’t. I would think if he was into what you say he is that the boxes would be huge and heavy. I surely couldn’t carry any box full of weapons. Sounds like your story’s falling apart. I don’t know why you care if I marry or not since you’re the one who left me, but you need to think of a better story because this boat won’t sail.” “He could’ve asked you not to fly commercial. To fly in one of his jets to a competition. He could’ve had arms or ammo in the hold. He could’ve had bomb materials on board. Anything.” He smiled a tense little smile. “Just promise you’ll think about it.” “He’s never done any of that. None of it.” She shook her head. “But if I promise to think about it, will you let go of my window so I can go home?” He sighed. “Yes. Go.” He lifted his arm from the window and stepped back. She drove off. Peeled rubber.

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Finn walked over to the Expedition and unlocked the door. Before he opened it, he leaned his head on the window and willed himself not to cry over all he’d lost and the mistake he’d made two years ago. His heart twisted in his chest. He knew in that heart, with the way she’d returned his kiss before she realized what she was doing, she’d never betrayed him. She couldn’t have. Not with all the emotion he felt behind that kiss. He groaned again. He screwed up his life all by himself two years ago. Two years of loving a woman he thought he couldn’t forgive. Two years of trying to forget her. And turns out, now, he thought, there’s nothing to forgive after all. No reason to try to forget her. He punched the window of the Expedition so hard that he bloodied his knuckles.

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Chapter Three “Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd” Voltaire (French writer 1694-1778) Quincy rolled up the window of her Jeep and drove away from Finn. Fast. She peeled out of the parking lot and onto the highway toward home, blinded by tears of anger. The more she cried, the madder she got. It was one of her weaknesses. Anger to the point of tears. Once she started to cry, it was hard to stop, and that only made her more irate, and thus made her cry more. Drove her crazy when it happened like that. Quincy wiped the tears off her cheeks with the palms of her hands. Rubbed so hard, her cheeks hurt. Angrier at herself at each turn of the tires of the Jeep, she slammed her hands on the steering wheel and berated herself. “Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why the hell did I let him kiss me? Why’d I let him get close enough to touch me? I knew he’d follow me to the beach. I knew it. Is that what I really wanted? When I saw him on that patio, I wanted him. Wanted him bad. Did I lure him to the beach? Did I want him to follow me?” Quincy nodded as she peered into the rearview mirror. “I must have. I must have lost Avery on purpose. To be alone with him. God, I’m such a loser. To want a man who dumped me when I have a perfectly wonderful fiancé.” She stopped to take a breath, but the memory of the kiss came back to her almost as a physical blow, and she started in on herself again. “Moron, he knows that’s your favorite place. You should’ve gone somewhere else. You’re the dumbest person on Earth.”

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Continuing to berate herself as she drove to her house, when she got there, Quincy squealed into the driveway on two wheels. She parked the Jeep and laid her head on the steering wheel. A knock on the window startled her and she jumped. She looked out the window. Avery. “Damn. You scared the crap outta me. What’s wrong with you?” Avery motioned for Quincy to roll down the window. “I came back here because I knew he’d follow you and you’d be upset.” When she’d cranked the window part way down, Quincy said, “Where the hell’d you put your car? I don’t see it. Would’ve been nice to see the car. Know you were here.” “Sorry. Didn’t think about that. It’s down the street. I walked up in case you came home with Finn. I planned to leave if I saw you two acting friendly.” “No chance of that.” Quincy got out of the Jeep. She stood on her toes, reached into the open window, and grabbed the pants and shirt she’d worn to the pizza parlor. “Geez. Did you have that on when you talked to Finn?” Avery’s gaze traveled down Quincy from head to toe. “Yeah. So?” She looked down and shrugged. “What about it? I was surfing, for God’s sake.” “In your panties?” “Yeah. I didn’t have a suit. Only had the wet suit top in the Jeep. What’s the big deal?” Avery shrugged again. “So what?” “I can’t help but think that standing beside a former lover in nothing but wet panties is a mistake. Was it?” Quincy nodded. “It was, sorry to say. You’re right.” They walked up the drive to her covered porch. “What happened? Why’d he come see you?” “Come on in and I’ll make some chai tea. Let me tell you all about it.” Quincy unlocked her front door, and they went in through the living room past all the boxes and entered the kitchen. As Quincy made the tea, Avery sat on one of the bar stools at the

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counter and watched her friend. Quincy pulled the tea pot down and saw her reflection in it as she filled it with water. “God, look how pale I am. Looks like I’ve seen a ghost.” Her hands shook as she pulled the wrappers off the tea bags. “I think you did. Finn coming out of nowhere was almost as big a shock as a seeing a ghost.” As the water boiled, Quincy told Avery about the discussion with Finn, about his accusation of Percy being an arms dealer. She left out the part about the kiss on the beach. She knew Avery would go into orbit over that information. Better to keep quiet. When she finished the story, Avery said, “You think Percy’s an arms dealer?” “No way. I’d know if he was a criminal.” She added a tea bag each to two mugs and poured boiling water into them over the bags. “Would you? Why?” She shrugged. “I dunno. I just feel like I’d know if he was mixed up with some bad guys.” She slid a cup of tea on the bar in front of her friend and played with her tea bag as it seeped into the mug. In a few seconds, she took a sip. She needed the heat in her system as she stood in the cold kitchen. She was still in her damp panties. “So you give no credence to what Finn said at all?” “I don’t know. It makes me wonder. You know, why he’d come back after two years. Only after my engagement announcement was in the paper. Makes me wonder if he saw it and had regrets.” “Could be.” Avery picked up her own cup and took a swallow. “I know it sounds crazy, but maybe he’s making this up to win me back. You know he knows how I hate guns. Or maybe he just can’t stand to think I’ve moved on with another man.” “Did he try anything at the beach to make you think he wanted you back?” Quincy turned red. “He kissed me.” Avery squealed. “He did? How was it?” She glared at her friend. “It was fabulous. As always. But it

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doesn’t change a thing. Nothing.” She shook her head. “How can you say that? You told me earlier that you had doubts about your marriage. Finn is back and interested, and you say it makes no difference.” “It. Makes. No. Difference.” Teeth clenched, Quincy added, “How hard is that to understand?” “Whoa. Whoa. Just asking. Don’t take my head.” Avery held her hands in front of her face in a defensive posture. “Besides, I have a great fiancé, so it can’t make a difference.” “Saying Percy’s great is fine, Quincy, but you and I both know you feel a little rushed into marriage. You said so earlier.” “I know, but he really has been the perfect man when we’re together.” “Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” Avery took a swig of her tea. “Look. I’m exhausted. First all that packing and then the drama with Finn. I’m gonna take a shower and go to bed. You mind?” “I can take a hint. I’m going home. Call me tomorrow and I’ll come help ya.” Avery stood and shoved the bar stool back. They walked to the back door from the kitchen. Quincy opened the door for her friend. “Thanks. See you tomorrow. Want me to walk you back to your car?” “Na.” Avery squeezed her friend’s arm and left. Quincy put the mugs in the sink and rinsed them out, then headed to the shower to wash the salt out of her hair. She spent a long time in the steam, trying not to think about the kiss and the way her knees didn’t want to hold her up whenever that kiss crept into her mind. **** After the hot shower, Quincy sat on her bed. She looked around the room that had been hers for her entire life. She’d finally gotten it to look like a real grown up woman’s room, and now she was going to

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leave it and move to London. She sighed. She loved the light green walls and the darker green bedspread. A mural painter had painted a surf scene on one wall. It depicted a big wave crashing to shore with a female surfer hanging ten off the end of the board on the top of the wave before the foamy break. The surfer’s hair matched Quincy’s. It was long, curly, and blonde. Quincy looked at her mural and spoke to the painted figure. “I’m gonna miss you when I go.” She laughed and dragged her comb through her wet hair. It took a while to get all the knots out with one particular lock causing her to scowl. There was a temptation to just cut it all off. The whole mess was becoming a hassle. Too long, too curly, just too much to deal with on top of everything else. She stood with the intention of going back to the kitchen to get the shears. Once off the bed, the sash of her robe cinched tighter across her waist, she walked toward the door. The phone in the living room rang. “Guess I need to get an extension in here.” She paused and snickered. Nope. Guess I don’t since I’m leaving to move to England. “I’m coming. I’m coming,” she yelled to the phone, even though she knew it couldn’t hear her. She giggled again. I’m so tired and freaked out, I’m losing my mind, talking to the phone. She snatched the receiver from the cradle. “Quincy Holt.” It was a man with a British accent. “Oh thank God. What happened? Where’ve you been?” “What? Huh?” She shook her head to clear it. “This Percy?” “Yes, darling, it is. Who else would it be? What other man calls you?” His laugh was brittle. “What happened? We were on the phone. You were at that vile pizza place. The phone went dead, and I’ve been calling you ever since. I was on the brink of calling the Bobbies. Sorry, Police—” “Stop, stop. Percy.” She laughed. “I’m okay. God, I’ve never heard you so distraught. I’m fine. Really. Dropped my phone on a concrete patio. Broke it. That’s all. I’m okay.” “Then why haven’t you answered the house phone?”

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“I went to the beach after pizza and just got home.” “I’ve called and called. You had to know I was worried when the call dropped. You should have found a way to call me, darling.” “I may have been in the shower just now. Sorry, I never even thought about trying to call you back.” Hell, no never thought about calling him back with Fennimore Smith looming over me with all his testosterone. Kissing me with his damn penis burning my skin. Bastard. She shook herself and got back to the conversation. “Darling, I’ve never heard you act like this. What’s wrong?” “I love you so much, and I was worried about you. I didn’t know what happened, and it frightened me. You need to get a new mobile phone. Tomorrow. You should’ve found a way to call me and let me know you were fine. I worry about you.” “That’s wonderful that you worry, but I can’t promise I’ll always have a phone on me.” “I’m going to get one that you’ll always have to answer when I call. Tie it to you if I have to.” “Whoa. That sounds possessive.” She raised her eyebrows. “I plan to possess you the rest of your life, my love.” She shuddered and made a face at the phone. “I don’t like how that sounds. Sounds a little creepy to me.” He laughed. “You know I’m not serious, darling. I’m teasing.” It sure didn’t sound like teasing. “I hope so because I can’t deal with a jealous man. I travel all over the world with people of both sexes, and I don’t want to be accused of anything.” Dear God, not again. I can’t handle another man like that. “I don’t know what you mean. I’m not possessive like that. You know that. We’ve been together long enough with a long distance relationship that you should be aware of that.” He coughed. “I do want to talk you to about that travel, though.” She braced herself for what she thought was next. She feared that he’d want her to stop competing on the surf tour as soon as they married. She would quit once she was pregnant but not right away.

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Her voice was like ice. “What about my travel?” “The competition in Bali. I’d like you to fly on the Lear and not commercial.” “Why would I do that? I always fly commercial.” “I know, but since we’re going to get married, I thought you could start using one of my planes. It would be easier for you. I know those boards are hard to move around. The few times I went with you, it was hard to maneuver them. Just trying to help you out. Anything wrong with that?” He sounded a bit testy. “It really isn’t a problem, but we can talk about it tomorrow. I’m done in and want to go to bed. Besides, it must be two a.m. there in London. Aren’t you tired?” “No, I’m not tired at all. In fact, I’m in the air. Satellite phone, you know. I’m flying to Haiti. I’m relieved to find you home and okay. But I’ll let you go if you’re that tired. I’ll call you tomorrow, and we’ll talk about the Lear. The jet is at the airport in Lauderdale. Ready for you. I’m going to insist you take it, you know, so I already have it there for you.” She sighed. She didn’t want to show up in Bali in a private jet. It would be too much for the guys on the tour to handle, to say nothing of the wahines. She’d never live it down. To shut him up, she said, “Fine. Talk to you later. Bye.” As she put the phone to the cradle, she heard him say something else and she jerked the phone back to her ear. “What did ya say?” “I said I love you. We never hang up without saying that. You didn’t say anything.” He stopped for a full second. “Are you sure you’re all right? You sound far away, darling. And not in miles, just in distance.” He paused again. “You’d tell me if anything was wrong, right?” “Yeah. Sorry. Told ya I was tired. Love ya.” She hung up before he could say anything else. When the phone was down, she fell backward on the couch. “Dear God, what am I gonna do?” She put her hand to her mouth. She could still feel Finn’s lips on hers, and all

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thoughts of Percy vanished. **** Quincy had a restless night. She had lots of dreams. Dreams of Finn and sex, dreams of Finn and guns, dreams of Percy pushing her into his jet, and dreams of surfing naked. She woke earlier than usual, disgruntled and still tired, dragged on some shorts, pulled her hair back, and got down to some serious packing. The Bali trip was the next day, and the packing needed to be finished. All the boxes had to be ready for storage versus shipping to London. There were three categories of boxes; those with things to give away, those to store, and most to ship to her new home. Quincy planned to rent out her house for a while before she sold it. Percy had tried to talk her into selling right away, but she couldn’t do it. And, if she told herself the truth, she wasn’t sure she could ever sell it anyway. Her parents had died in it. She’d lived in it since she was a kid, and there were too many memories. Memories both good and bad. Yes, it was hard because of her parents’ deaths, but the house had always been full of love before that. And, who knew? One of her own children might want to come to America and live in it. Amazingly, she never felt uncomfortable in the house although she would sometimes imagine she saw her parents’ bloody bodies again in the kitchen and living room. She would see those things when she was emotionally distraught. On normal days, she only felt the love they’d had for each other and her. Sometimes, in the last two years, in her mind’s eye, she’d see Fennimore Smith kneeling in the kitchen over her dad’s corpse, her dad’s blood on his khaki pants. That was how she met the love of her life. She’d walked in to her home after a day at the beach. Came in to find her murdered parents’ bodies on the floor. The police were already on the scene, called by a neighbor who heard the shots. Hysterical, she’d walked into the kitchen and saw a cop, on one knee, in the life blood of her dearest

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father, some of her dad’s brain matter on his windbreaker. Her beloved father dead. That relationship with Finn had to be doomed to failure. What a way to start a life together. Over a dead body. Blood pooled on the tiles. No wonder they had no chance. This was one of those mornings when those visions came. After she packed one box of trinkets, the need for coffee overwhelmed her. When she staggered into the kitchen to make the espresso, she imagined her dad where he fell, on the floor, staring vacantly at the ceiling. She saw him as clearly as if it had just happened. She couldn’t deal with it today, on top of feeling like she’d lost Finn all over again. Damn his hide for coming back just when she’d moved on. She grabbed her keys and ran to the Jeep. The need to get out of the kitchen and get coffee elsewhere triggered her flight. The desire to give the imagined body of her dad time to go back to wherever he’d come from was overwhelming. Quincy drove to the closest Shakespeare’s Closet to have a double espresso. It was her favorite coffee shop and right on the way to the beach. She placed an order of latte to go and drove down the street to the ocean. Her refuge. There was a selection of surf boards in the back of the Willys at all times. After she quaffed her hot drink, she got out of the Jeep and selected a long board. She peeled off her shorts, tucked the board sideways under her arm and headed into the breakwater in her panties and T-shirt. She paddled out and laid on the board for awhile, just thinking. Needing to her head in the game. She was in a competition at the end of the week in Indonesia and had so much turmoil in her gut that she knew she’d never be able to focus. Quincy didn’t try to do any surfing. Just lolled on the board until she felt a little calmer. The water was her security, her place to be herself and regroup. The salt water a tonic to her soul. She loved the sea. It was part of her. When she came out of the water, Avery stood on the shore with a towel in her hands. “Knew I’d find you here.” “Hey, girl.” Quincy grabbed the towel and dried herself. When

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she was dry, she tossed the hot pink towel over one shoulder and walked back to her vehicle with her friend. The sun was bright and even her hair was almost dry before she got to the Willys. She shoved the board back in its spot in the rear and walked around to the driver’s side, grabbed her shorts from the front seat, and thrust her legs into them. “What’s up?” “Went by your house and when I saw you weren’t there, I came on over to the beach. Usually, if you aren’t home, you’re here.” She stopped and looked her friend over. “You look okay. You all right?” “Yeah. Having a rough day. One of those days where my parents haunt me. Especially my dad.” Her eyes clouded over, and she fought back her tears. “Wanna talk about that kiss from last night?” Quincy leaned against the Jeep door and let out a ragged breath. “No. Don’t want to talk about it. Don’t wanna dwell on it. I’m trying to forget it.” “Should you? I mean, really? Should you? You loved Finn beyond all imagining. Hell, you almost died from the grief of losing him. It was as bad as when you lost your parents—” “Stop. I don’t want to think about it.” Avery grabbed her friend by the arm and shook it a little. “Quincy, you have to face this. You have to. You can’t ignore it. You told me last night that you were thinking you and Percy had rushed into this marriage thing. Then you told me that Finn kissed you and now, you’ve had the vision of your dad’s body again for the first time in months. You’re planning to change your whole life for Percy Hicks, and I’m scared you aren’t over Fennimore Smith. You have to face this.” Quincy turned to her in a rage. “Okay. You want the truth? Here you go. I’m confused as hell. A week ago, I was almost sure I was doing the right thing marrying Percy. Other than a small case of cold feet, that is. I knew he was a successful antiques dealer who adores me. He’s a wonderful man. A man I could be satisfied with. A man

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that has never been anything but a gentleman around me. A man I could have a nice life with. Maybe not have crazy, wild, passionate, out of control, love for, but a man I could be happy with. Have a family with.” Quincy’s eyes narrowed as she continued. “And all that changed last night. All of it. That freaking jackass, Finn, kissed me, and now I’m a bundle of nerve endings. He pulled me close to that damn rock hard chest, with his stupid penis searing into my belly through his pants, and I was lost. Like he never left. Like I never had another man in my bed since then. He chased all thought of my fiancé out of my head. Hell, when Percy called when I got home last night, I even thought he was being a creep—kind of a pervert, really and I know that’s crazy.” Avery held her hands up in front of her face. “Stop, stop. I get the picture. I get it.” Quincy sighed and caught her breath. When she was in control again, she said, “Sorry about the rant. Thanks for listening. Got any advice?” “Yeah. Take the trip to Bali as a chance to think through what you want to do. Think about both of them on the long flights. Take inventory, so to speak. Maybe even do a list of pros and cons of each guy. In other words, make a decision when you’re alone and away from their influence.” “Problem there, too, A. Percy’s insisting I take his Lear Jet. It’s hard to distance myself there.” “Did you tell him that wouldn’t look good to the others on the tour?” “Yes, I tried. Deaf ears and all that.” She shrugged. “Bummer.” “Yea. I know. Listen, I gotta go. Need to get a new cell phone. You know I broke mine last night, and Percy was hot when he couldn’t call me. I’m heading over to the mobile phone store now with this.” She held up her SIM card. “Will you head back to my

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place and finish sorting the boxes into which to ship and which to store? I’ll be there soon as I can. Gotta get those to be sent delivered to the shipping company as soon as I get back from Indonesia, and I want to be ready.” “Sure. See ya there.” Avery jangled her keys. “Got my key right here.” Quincy got in the Jeep and Avery leaned in the window. “I’d love to see Percy ‘hot’ by the way. I’ve only ever seen that cool British demeanor. The politeness. The charm.” “Ha ha. Very funny. He can show emotions. Believe me, he can.” “I’ll just have to trust you on that, my friend.” She smiled. “Yep. You will. See ya in a bit.” “See ya.” Quincy backed out of her parking place and headed to the mobile phone store.

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Chapter Four “The breaking of a wave cannot explain the whole sea” Vladimir Nabokov (Russian-American writer, 1899-1977) The next morning, Quincy took a cab to Miami International Airport and boarded the earliest flight to Houston Intercontinental Airport to catch her connecting flight to Los Angeles and on to Bali. She almost always traveled commercial. Having to run from gate to gate was a hassle, but she felt really uncomfortable in what she called the high society planes. She knew she’d have to get used to such travel as Percy’s bride, but she hadn’t gotten to a comfort level on that as yet. Quincy was proud of herself for evading the private jet to Bali. She knew the Lear was at the private hanger in Lauderdale, but she had the cab driver drop her at the commercial check-in counter at a completely different airport. The surf community was a small group even though it had an international scope. A world champion like Quincy, who had won championships both as a long boarder and a big wave rider, could pull in a crowd of surfing enthusiasts, and she was easily recognizable at the airports when a competition was scheduled. Her blond hair which hung down her back to her waist in long ringlets was hard to miss. Much as it annoyed her, she knew it was part of her brand, and she had to force herself not chop it off when it got to be too much to deal with. Both of her first flights were uneventful, and she dozed in the first class section for most of them. It was going to be a long day that

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would get longer the farther the west she flew, so she slept while she could. When Quincy woke, she knew she’d run into some other surfers in Los Angeles, so she slipped into the lavatory on the plane and pulled on a logo sweatshirt from her sponsor. She already had on the pants, but she’d only worn a short sleeve T-shirt from home since Miami was hot. She also had on a pair of brown leather flip flops with the logo on the straps. When she stepped off the bridge way from the plane into the terminal, she saw her agent, Marta Grier, waiting in the gate area. Marta was a short, dark-haired woman who was a hugger and a talker. Quincy braced herself for both. Marta barreled over with her arms outstretched. When she got to Quincy, she pulled her close and almost cracked her ribs in the hug. Marta’s laptop case strap slid down her shoulder and jerked at her elbow. “Oof. Sorry. Got so excited to see you, I forgot about this tote. Did I hit you? How was the flight? Did you get some food? Are you hungr—?” “Stop, stop. God, Marta, you overwhelm me. Every time. I’m fine. The flight was fine. I ate.” She stopped and grinned at her agent who had also become her friend. “I always forget how intense you are in person.” “Not as intense as you, Quince. You know the most adventurous I ever get is to take public transportation. I’d never be intense enough to catch a wave. Would scare the hell outta me. Hell, it does terrify me.” Marta shuddered at her own words. Quincy dragged Marta over to a group of chairs. They sat down. Quincy perched on the edge of her chair, always ready to jump up. “Not that I’m not thrilled to see you, but why are you here and how did you get past security without a boarding pass?” Marta dug into her tote bag and waved a boarding pass in Quincy’s face. “I’m going with you.” “You’re what?”

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“I’m going to Bali with you.” Marta grinned like a maniac. “Why? I’m confused. You’re an agent. You stay in your office or take people to dinner. What are you doing?” “I got a personal invitation from the president of BongoMongo.” “What? Why? What’s going on?” Quincy sat back in the chair. “BongoMongo wants to sign you.” “They what?” “Woman, do you have any idea how many times you’ve said the word what since you got off that plane?” “No. Why don’t you tell me?” She grinned at her exuberant agent. “Better yet, tell me what’s going on. Like now.” “Don’t we need to walk to the international terminal?” “We’ve got plenty of time.” Quincy’s phone rang. She held up her index finger to stop Marta’s response and looked down at the screen. Percy. “Gotta take this. Hang on.” She stood and walked over to the nearest window, knowing this would not be a good call. She clicked the answer key. Before she could say hello, a voice in her ear said, “Quincy? That you?” “Yes. It’s me. What’s wrong, Percy?” “I told you to take the Lear.” “Whoa, whoa, whoa, there Perce. I’m not two years old, and I won’t be talked to like I am.” “Sorry, darling, but I wanted you to take the Lear. Make it easier on yourself.” “The way you’re talking, seems more like it would make it easier on you, somehow. What’s the big deal? You know I have contractual obligations.” “I know you do, but I want to keep you safe.” “Hate to break it to you, but commercial flights are actually safer than private flights. More private planes crash in a year than commercial.” He sighed. “I don’t want to hear about statistics. I want you to fly

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on the Lear.” He paused as if to wait for her to respond. When she didn’t, he added, “Will you at least let me fly you home after you win? Please. You’ll be tired, and I can get you home faster. And I think I’ll be able to get away soon. We almost have all the pieces for this next auction. I can be in Los Angeles and come the rest of the way home with you. Wouldn’t that be lovely? We could dine in the city while the fuel is loaded.” His voice lowered and became husky, “And we could make love in the bedroom of the Lear. I miss you so much.” She smiled at the thought of him joining her in Los Angeles. Maybe seeing him again would chase the thoughts of Finn from her mind. She’d thought too much about the rat on the flight as it was. “Sure. That sounds good. But you know, I might not win. I don’t always win.” “You win more than you don’t. I’m sure you’re going to win this one, too.” “Thanks for the vote of confidence. By the way, my agent is flying to Bali with me. Can I bring her back to Los Angeles in the jet?” He didn’t answer for what seemed like a whole minute. “Percy? Hello? You there? Did you hear me?” She shook the phone. “Did I lose you?” “Yes. I did hear you. Sorry. That’d be fine. No problem since the pilot will have to refuel there anyway. And, if I’m able to meet you there, she’ll be off the plane before it becomes our love nest.” She laughed at his reference to a love nest. “Thanks, Percy. You’re a doll.” “Glad you think so. I gotta go. Merv’s waiting with some invoices.” “Sure, darling. Love you.” “You remembered to say it. I’m glad. I love you, too.” Percy hung up. Quincy looked down at her phone. Disconnected. “I hope I can

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remember I do love you. Seems like my heart’s forgotten.” She steeled herself for more prattle from her agent and walked back to where she’d left Marta. “C’mon, let’s get it in gear and get to the right gate. We can talk about BongoMongo when we get over there. We need to hoof it now since that call took so long. I remember how hard it is to walk and talk in this kind of crowd, so don’t even try.” **** When Marta and Quincy got almost to their gate in the International hall, a tall, buff man with sun-bleached blond hair wearing long running pants and a tank top ran down the concourse toward Quincy and grabbed her in a huge hug. Although he’d run at her in a blur, she knew exactly who he was. Craig Miller. Her nerves already raw from her meeting with Finn and the hurt of two years ago fresh in her mind, she stiffened and pulled back. “What’s wrong, my sweet?” He asked in his sexy Australian accent as he held his sinewy arms around her waist. He gripped her tightly, not allowing her to escape. “Nothing.” Her face was impassive. “It’s clear you’re upset about something. What’d I do now? I promise, I haven’t been talking to the media again.” He let go of her waist but stood close to her as they remained in the middle of the walkway, in the way of other travelers. As people made their way around them, she said, “I know you haven’t. At least I hope so.” “I learned my lesson last time. Besides, I thought we were past all that.” He stared in her eyes, searching for the truth. “We were. Just had a reminder of it in the last couple of days. I know you apologized, and I’ve agreed to forgive you. Just sometimes, it hits me again and I get upset all over again. Sorry. Don’t mean to take it out on you.” He grabbed her arm. “Let’s go sit down and you can tell me all

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about it.” She shook off his arm. “Nothing to tell. Besides, I’m going to be sitting with my agent, and we have loads to talk about. I’ll catch up with you later.” “Fine,” he simpered and walked away. Quincy turned to Marta. “How no one else sees he’s gay is beyond me. It seems so obvious. Always has.” “He’s gay?” Marta’s eyes got large. Quincy snorted. “You couldn’t tell?” “With that buff body, blond hair, and boyish sex appeal? To say nothing of that luscious accent.” She shook her head. “No. I couldn’t tell. What a waste for womankind.” “Yeah. A waste.” Quincy couldn’t help thinking about how her future with Finn was wasted when Craig pulled his stupid stunt. When he talked to that reporter. The one who’d ferreted the story out of the cabana boy that Craig had taken back to his room in Australia. The reporter he’d told that Quincy was his lover. She knew he did it to save his sponsorship contract and to keep the secret of his sexual orientation. But it still was wrong of him to do it. The reporter had gone off with the story of two surf champions having a secret affair. The story spread into all media, and that was the end of Finn and Quincy’s relationship. The women walked over to the closest set of connected seats and sat down. “So, what’s up with you coming to Bali?” Quincy asked. “BongoMongo wants you to be their new ‘face’, and they’re splurging for me to come with you on this trip so we can have a sit down meeting to discuss the parameters of the deal. The head of the company is going to be at the competition. Isn’t it exciting?” “Have you looked at the other contracts? Are there any issues with exclusivity? I know they have a line of clothing as well as the boards and waxes. You know I have an exclusive with Silver Liquid to wear their sweats, wet suits, and swim wear.” “I know, and I told them that. They want to talk about a buy out of

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that contract. It was one of the reasons for the sit down.” “I don’t want to give up that contract, Marta. I love that company. They were my first sponsors and have been great. Treat me well.” “Honey, it’s all about money. This is huge. Huge. You could get more money than you could ever need. And you know they make a great board. I hear the president molds his own. He could do some special for you.” “I do know they make an awesome board. I’d love a selection of their boards without having to buy them, but I can’t give up my first sponsor. Don’t ask me to.” She stopped a second and took a deep breath before she added, “And besides, I’m getting married to a man with all the money I’ll ever need. He’ll provide quite nicely for me.” “Girl, you always need your own money. I’ve never met your Percy, but I’ve never met a man who supported a woman that didn’t ask her to account for every penny. And once he gets you dependent on him, he’ll try to control you. With money. By withholding it or giving it, depending on your performance.” Quincy stared at her agent, agape. “You have personal experience in this? Sure sounds like it. I’m sorry you had this happen to you, but I’m sure Percy isn’t like that.” “They all are. Believe me, they all are. Once you marry them, they change.” “You’re awfully cynical.” “Nope. I’m just realistic. I’ve seen it too many times to count. But, think about it. We go to the dinner with BongoMongo and see what they say. Decide after the dinner. We talk about it over a nightcap in our room.” Quincy laughed out loud. “You ever been to Bali? There is no room.” “What do you mean, no room?” “The surfers stay in huts on the beach. We don’t stay in the hotels.” “I certainly hope these people have me a room, for God’s sake.

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Oh, man. You’re gonna make me fret on the whole flight till I see what they’ve done to me.” She looked like she was going to cry. Quincy patted her knee. “It’ll be all right. You’ll see. The huts aren’t too primitive.” Marta shivered and frowned. Before she could open her mouth, the gate agent called for the first class passengers. They stood and Quincy whispered in Marta’s ear. “You’ll be fine. Don’t stress.” “I’ll try.” They boarded the plane and stopped at their seats. Quincy was upset to find that she was in the seat directly across from Craig. His sponsor must have sprung for first class as well. It’d be a long flight with him next to her. He’d give her no peace with his incessant chatter. And with Marta yapping on the other side of her, she’d have a migraine before they ever took off. She made a big production of pulling out her MP3 player and headphones, stowed her bag, sat and buckled in, put on the head phones, and closed her eyes, hopeful that they’d take the hint and leave her alone. No such luck. As soon as the plane left the tarmac, she felt a poke on her upper arm. She turned her head toward the offender, opened one eye and glared at Craig. Faced back forward and felt another poke. Her headphones ripped off her head, she growled. “What?” “Wanna talk about what’s wrong?” “Do I look like I wanna talk?” Her hand indicated her headphones and MP3 player. “I thought maybe you were avoiding me with those on.” “I was avoiding everyone, really. Getting my head on for the competition.” “Really? Already?” He looked at her like she was insane. “I was under the impression you always had it together and didn’t need anything to get yourself in the mode. I thought you only had to do a few stretches on the beach fifteen minutes before paddle out.” “I’ve changed.” He snorted. “No, you haven’t. For some reason, you’re mad at me

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all over again and don’t want to talk to me. I want to know why.” “And you’re not gonna leave me in peace till I tell you. Are you?” “Right. I’m not.” His grin was boyish and very charming. His greatest asset when he chose to use it. And he chose now. She sighed. “Fine. Here it is. I’m engaged. When it was announced in the Miami papers, I got a visit from my old boyfriend. You know, the one you messed me up with your dumb ass interview?” “I remember the bloke. He was a right bastard as I recall. Good looking, oh my, yes, he was good looking. But he dumped you when the pictures and the article came out. So, you still mooning over that Seppo whacker? After the way he treated you? And after all this time?” “What the hell is a Seppo whacker, you stupid Australian?” “An American idiot, mate. In the vernacular, of course.” He smiled with his most charming smile, white teeth shining against his tanned face. “And why are you still mooning over him when you have a fiancé? Seems a little unfair to the bloke you plan to marry, doesn’t it?” She made a face “Yeah. It is. Haven’t figured out just yet how to deal with it. He showed back up just as I was getting ready to come to Indonesia. I’m confused. He came back just as I was going to marry, and now, I’m in knots.” “Not that you asked for my opinion, but I’m giving it to you anyway. The man dumped you over some magazine article and a picture of us on the beach. We weren’t even doing anything but standing there with my arm around your shoulders. Any man who would throw away your relationship over something that trivial has some deep seated problems you don’t need to deal with. I’m telling you, forget him. Move on. Be happy with the fiancé.” “That’s what my mind is telling me. Really, it is. But my heart is in turmoil ever since I saw him.” Craig reached across the aisle and patted her hand. “I can relate.

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Telling your heart to shut up is hard. Been there.” “Thanks for listening. I guess I really should be grateful for what you did. It broke my spirit for a while after he left, but I guess it was better that it happened when it did. I needed to know he didn’t trust me. Couldn’t trust me. I think you did me a favor.” She paused. “Just don’t do me any more.” “I’ll try not to, and I’ll dance at your wedding to old what’s his name, the fiancé.” “His name is Percy Hicks. And you’ve been sent an invitation. His mother sent them earlier this week.” “He’s a Brit?” “Yeah. How’d you know?” “Name like that, he’d have to be from the Motherland.” “Ha, ha, funny. I hope you will come to the wedding. It’ll be in Merry Olde England. His family owns a large auction house in London.” “Sounds good. Maybe I’ll bring my new love.” “Coming with a fake date? When you gonna quit the charade?” “Have done, love. I’m living with an architect. A man. Name’s Mark. I’m not hiding anymore.” “I’m so glad to hear it. It is a new world, you know.” “Yeah. I finally told my agent and told him to deal with the fallout from my sponsor and surprise me, there was none. So, I really do regret screwing up your love life two years ago. It was unnecessary.” “Like I said, I think you did me a favor. Now, can I get back to my music and maybe a nap?” “Yeah. Now that I’m sure you aren’t mad at me, I can do the same. I do love you, hun. You know that, right?” “Yeah. I do. Thanks, Craig.” They each went back to their own thoughts until they arrived in Indonesia. Marta asleep at her side, Quincy thought about Percy and Finn. She knew Craig was right. She needed to get Finn out of her mind and be fair to Percy. She wanted to make a real marriage with

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Percy and let Fennimore Smith crawl back into whatever hole he’d emerged from when he heard of her engagement. Only thing, it was easier said than done. **** When the plane landed at Ngurah Rai Airport and they got inside the terminal, Marta and Quincy made their way to baggage claim. It seemed to Quincy that no matter where in the world she was, every airport looked the same. They all had walks past lots of gates, restaurants, booksellers and other kiosks. They all seemed to go on forever. The walk to baggage claim always took forever, but no matter how long it was, she always got there before her luggage. It was one of those paradoxes of life. As usual, they had to wait a few minutes at the carousel for their bags to make it. The BongoMongo people sent a limousine for Marta, and the Silver Liquid people had sent a truck for Quincy. She’d brought three boards with her. She always traveled with at least two in case of a chip in the fiberglass or fin breakage. Quincy grabbed her bag and one board, and the truck driver grabbed the other two boards. Marta stood beside her own bags. “You going to the hotel? The limo driver said he was told to take me to the Palisades Hotel. He’s gone to get the car.” “No. Told ya. No hotels for the surfers. I’m going to my assigned tent on the beach, and then I’m going to wax my board. After that, I’m going surfing. Test the waters before the competition.” “But we have the BongoMongo dinner tonight.” “I know. I’ll be there. Don’t worry. I’ll meet you at your hotel. Go get some rest.” “Don’t get too wrapped up in the surf and forget to come. It’s very important that you be there.” “Chill, Marta. I’ll be there.” Quincy turned to the truck driver. “Let’s get to the beach, man.” They walked off leaving Marta

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standing there, surrounded by her bags. **** Once she’d been dropped at her quarters, Quincy changed into a red and white polka dot bikini and grabbed her second favorite board and a block of Sex Wax. She tucked the board under her arm and walked out to the shore line. Once there, she shoved the end of the board into the sand and started to wax it. As she worked, a group of small boys gathered around. They crept closer to her as they watched her work. One of them, who looked to be five or six, finally asked, in English, “What ya doin’, lady?” “Waxing my board. You’ve never seen someone wax a board?” She was shocked as this was a surfer’s Mecca. Surely these kids had seen a board being waxed before. “Yes. We have. Never seen that stuff, though.” He indicated the box. “It’s just a brand of wax.” “But it says s-e-x on it. Why? Isn’t that a bad word in English?” “I dunno. It’s just what it’s called. It’s a brand name. Sex is not a bad word, though.” She smiled at him. “You read English?” He had a gap toothed smile. “Yes. Some words. You part of that group for tomorrow, lady?” “Yes, I’m competing tomorrow.” She continued to wax down the board with long strokes of the wax block. “You make lots of money?” She stopped waxing and looked at the boy. He was a waif. Very thin. They all were. “Why do you ask?” “If you do, I would work for you. For pay. I would watch your boards all night so no one steals them.” “Is that necessary?” “Oh yes.” He nodded. “There are lots of thieves on this beach.” All the kids laughed at his statement. They poked each other. The

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boy who’d spoken glared at them said something she didn’t understand, and they straightened up. “I don’t think I need a guard, but thank you anyway.” She turned back to her board. She looked back around when she heard him crying. “What’s wrong?” “I need the money. My mother, she is very ill. I have to make the money for her medicine.” Quincy felt sorry for the little boy and threw down her wax. She knelt down beside him. “I’ll help you. Can you take me to her? I’ll put my board away and we’ll go.” He nodded, and she walked back to her tent, trailed by the group of boys. She went in and grabbed some money. When she’d put her board away and pulled on her warm up pants, she went back outside. She held out her hand to the boy. He took it, and she said, “Let’s go.” They walked down the beach for a little while, and Quincy heard her name shouted from behind. She turned and saw Craig Miller running toward her. She stopped and waited for him to catch them. “Where ya going with that kid, Quince?” “None of your business.” “Yeah. It sort of is. You’re my friend, and that makes it my business.” She sighed deeply. She let go of the boy’s hand and crossed her arms. “What now?” He pulled her aside. “I was told that because of the extreme poverty around here that children are being used to lure tourists away from safe spots and then gang members rob the unsuspecting victims. I’d suggest you not go with this kid.” “He said his mom is sick.” “Quincy, I wouldn’t do it. If you want to give him a few bucks, fine but don’t walk away with him. Does he know you’re a competitor?” “Yeah. I told him, and he asked me if I made a lot of money—”

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“See? They may try to ransom you. Best to stay in the safe areas.” She walked over to the kids. “Listen, I’ve gotta go back to the beach. I’ll give you some money for your mom’s medicine, but I have to go.” She reached into her pocket and handed the kid a twenty dollar bill. American dollars. The kid looked at the money and back at Quincy. “This isn’t enough. I’ll be in trouble.” Before he could finish the sentence, Craig interrupted. “In trouble with who?” At his words, the children all ran off. Quincy turned to him. “Guess I owe you one.” “And you hate the hell out of that, don’t you?” “Yeah. You know me too well, my friend. I do hate it. I’ve been all over the world. You’d think I’d learn not to be so naïve. Just that he was such a cute kid, I got suckered in. Pretty dumb, I know.” He just laughed as he grabbed her arm and escorted her back to the tourist area of the beach. **** When Quincy got back to her hut, she stripped off the warm ups, ran out of the cabana, and grabbed the waxed board she’d left. She didn’t stop until she reached the water and then slogged into the spume and waded out past the break point. When she was in the water to her waist, she flopped the board down, laid on it on her belly, paddled out to the deeper water, and sat up on the board, straddling it with her legs. She waited. A set would be coming soon. It was a matter of waiting for the one with her name on it. She could feel the pull of the tide and feel the surge coming. She’d been a surfer since she could toddle as her dad put her on a board almost before she could walk. She was one with the sea. It was in her soul. Sitting with her body facing the shore, she turned her head to look

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behind her at the swells. In just a few minutes, she spotted her wave. Quincy hopped up on the board into a standing position and rode the crest. The wave was huge. Exhilarated, she rode into the cone of the wave. When she emerged from the pipe, she could see people on the shore watching her. She sketched a salute and a small bow. The audience clapped, and she rode in to shore. Many more paddle outs were necessary in the next hour for Quincy to get a good feel for how the waves set up and how they broke. Getting a feel for the water before a competition was vital. Exhausted after her exertions, she paddled out one more time for her cool down. Part of her practice routine was to float for a while on the board to keep the tidal motion in her psyche for the night ahead. She could feel the movement of the ocean in her sleep. It helped her relax in the heat of battle, which was how she preferred to think of the professional surf tour. Quincy lay back on her board with her hair around her in the water like Ophelia’s. She closed her eyes and sighed. Her arms floated off the side, and her feet were on the board as it was longer than she was tall. As she relaxed, she felt a sharp tug on her arm. Her arm jerked back on the board. Shark? Act cool. Be still. If it was a shark, it was better to be still. A little frightened, she peeked out of one eye and saw something worse than a shark. Craig Miller. She sat up. “You creep, you scared me to death. What the hell are you thinking?” “I was thinking how glad I am that I’m a dude and you’re a wahine. What a set you just surfed. Glad you’re not in the men’s division.” He grinned like a maniac as he straddled his own board. “I meant, what were you thinking grabbing my arm like that? I thought you were a shark.” “Honey, if I weren’t gay, I’d be a shark after you for sure.” He bared his teeth and winked. She splashed him. “Go away. You got me in trouble with your ceaseless flirting before. I’ve got no time for you.”

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“Even after I saved you on the beach earlier?” “I’m not so sure that was a save, now that I’ve had time to think about it.” She flung her hair over her shoulder. He reached over and dumped her off her board. “Bitch.” She came up for air. “Look who’s talking.” She got back on her board and added, “Catch the next one in. I’ll be there before you.” They raced back to shore on the next crest. She made it to the spume first and ran toward the shore. He was right behind her. He caught her up to her, tossed his board to the sand and tackled her. As he landed on top of her, both of them laughing, a photographer snapped a picture.

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Chapter Five “Who dares wins” Motto of the British Special Air Service regiment (from 1942) Quincy met Marta at her room at the hotel that the BongoMongo executives booked for her. It was a beautiful hotel with the standard open atrium for a lobby. The builders in Indonesia had learned over the years how to best erect structures to take advantage of the natural breezes of the islands. She’d tagged along to the resort in a cab with a couple of the other surfers who wanted to go into town for the evening. The cabbie offered to come back for them before dark. He told them that it wasn’t safe for tourists to be out at night. Robberies were common. She wore a paisley print sun dress in an ecru and pale blue floral pattern. She had a white cardigan in case there was a chill in the air later. She’d twisted her hair up in a bun with a large clip. Marta had chosen a navy blue business suit, panty hose and pumps for the evening and as soon as Quincy saw her, she raised her eyebrows. “You do know this isn’t Los Angeles, right?” “Yeah, but one of us needs to look professional.” “Technically, the professional look for me is a wet suit. Would you like me to wear that to dinner?” “No, but I’m an agent. I need to look like an agent.” “We’re in paradise, on an island, and you look like you’re going to a high power meeting in Manhattan.” “Leave me alone. You’ll see. You’ll be the one who’s under dressed.”

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“Don’t think so. You have any idea who the chief executive officer of BongoMongo is?” “No. Some guy named Karl Murray is all I know. A man who makes surf boards.” Quincy pulled her agent toward her and looped her arm through Marta’s. “C’mon, let’s walk to the restaurant, and I’ll tell you about Karl on the way.” They left Marta’s room and stopped at the front desk for directions to the restaurant. When they reached the street corner, they turned left and happened upon a group of men kneeling on the ground in two rows. The rows consisted of eight men and there was a runner of carpet between them. Every man worked on a block of wood. Each man carved a different statue. One of them finished his carving and was painting it with shoe polish. Marta stopped, transfixed. They watched for a few minutes and Marta finally said, “Wonder if they’d sell me one?” “I’m sure they would.” A man walked over and said, “Ladies. You see my factory? You want to buy a statue?” Quincy nodded. “What are they?” “Some are Buddhas, some are Surya, the Sun god, some are dancers, and some are Balinese women. They are all made of Jempinis wood. Very nice. You like?” “I’ve seen statues of Buddha before, but this one looks different from the ones I’ve always seen,” Marta said. “Ah, yes,” the man said. “Our Balinese Buddha is much more beautiful than the laughing Buddha with the big belly you’ve seen. That Buddha is not from here.” He picked one of the statues up and handed it to Marta. “Look at the head. Isn’t it lovely? Lots of work in that piece, lady.” She took it and ran her hand over the intricate carving of the headpiece of the statue. “I want it. I’ll take it.” Quincy gasped because Marta didn’t even ask the price. This

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could be bad. The man might try to cheat her since she’d made no secret that she loved the thing. “Lady, for you, it’s only fifteen dollars. United States Dollars.” The man smiled. “That’s not enough.” Marta said. Quincy poked her in the ribs. “Shh. Just pay him and let’s go.” Marta paid him, and she carried her new treasure in her arms. She nattered on and on about how beautiful the sculpture looked. By the time they arrived at the restaurant less than a ten minute walk away, Quincy was ready to smash the dang thing on the ground. You’d think the woman had never bought anything before. At the door to the restaurant, Quincy said, “Marta. Can you stop yakking about the statue long enough to make sense in this meeting?” Tears welled in Marta’s eyes, and a couple slid down her cheeks. “Yes, I can do my job. You know I can be too excitable, but I always come together for the meetings. I’m always professional when I have to be. You know that. I’m just enjoying my new purchase. It’s not hurting you. I’ll stop yakking as you say as soon as we get inside. And besides, I’m thinking since Percy is letting us use his jet, I might buy some more. You know, knock out my Christmas shopping here in Indonesia. Wouldn’t these be great gifts?” “Sorry, Marta. I’m just a little antsy about this dinner. Didn’t mean anything. Can you forgive me?” She stopped and smiled when Marta nodded. “Tell ya what. After the competition, we can go back to this ‘factory’ and load up on statues. I’ll even help carry them if you promise not to buy me one.” “Promise. You’re off my Christmas list.” “Don’t go that far.” Marta’s eyes twinkled. “Gonna get you one of those fertility gods for a wedding present. Since I can’t get you one for Christmas, I’ll get one for a wedding gift.” Quincy raised her hands in front of her face. “Stop. Stop.”

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She reached over and opened the door, and they went in. They approached the maitre d’s stand. Quincy stopped. “We’re here for dinner with Karl Murray.” “Ah. Yes. You are expected. Follow me, please.” The man led the way into the main dining room and to a table along the back wall. There were five men seated at the table, and Quincy recognized Karl Murray right away. Karl was a former long board champion from South Africa who had learned to shape his own blanks. He’d won many championships with the boards he made himself. Once he finished his competitive career, he opened his own board company called BongoMongo. The logo was an antelope, and the company name came from the Bongo antelope from Africa and the indigenous people of the same continent called the Mongo. Although Murray himself was a blond from South Africa, he chose the name of his company to honor all of Africa. Karl had on clothes that befitted a former champion surfer. He wore a pair of khaki shorts, a polo shirt with his antelope logo embroidered on the breast, and a pair of flip flops, also made by his company. He wore his hair long and pulled back in a pony tail in honor of the occasion, his body still tanned and muscular. When the ladies arrived at the table, Karl stood and indicated the two chairs across from him. “Please, be seated. Quincy, I’d recognize you anywhere. I assume this is your agent, Marta Grier?” Quincy leaned across the table and shook his proffered hand. “Mr. Murray. Nice to meet you. I also recognize you. Your blond hair still looks the same as when you competed. And yes, this is my agent.” She turned to Marta. “Marta Grier, this is Karl Murray, the best long boarder who ever lived.” He let go of her hand after kissing it lightly on the knuckles. “Seems to me that you just may be the best long boarder yourself.” “Not so sure about that.” She pulled out her chair, sat, and looked over the menu. The waiter came in a few moments and everyone ordered. It

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seemed like everyone was in a seafood mood. Quincy passed on the wine since she was competing in the morning, but the others drank copious amounts. Over the dinner of fresh lobster and salad, Karl told Quincy his plans for an ad campaign for her. He wanted her to be the new face of his company. He had a plan to provide her with all the boards she needed and to design the ones she’d use to her own specifications. Part of the deal would require her to wear only his clothing line when on tour. He had never produced clothing for women before and planned to release the line as part of the ad campaign introducing her as the BongoMongo wahine. Quincy kicked Marta under the table a few times during the course of the meal. Whenever Karl touched on something that Quincy didn’t like, she made contact with Marta’s shin. After the meal ended and they took their leave from the men at the table, Marta hissed, “I have a massive bruise on my leg now, thanks to you. I knew all the things that were bugging you, and I could’ve done without all that poking.” “Sorry, but I thought I’d scream when he kept on about buying out my contract with Liquid Silver. I told you how I felt about that.” They walked out the door of the restaurant and made their way to the car that BongoMongo had waiting to take each of them to their destinations. “I know. I know. Listen, you need to stop fretting. I’ll deal with all this. I know how you feel. You need to concentrate on tomorrow’s competition and let me talk to these guys while you worry about your job. You know, that job that entails you winning surf competitions?” Marta shook her Buddha statue to emphasize her point. “But Murray said he wanted to announce it after the winners are chosen tomorrow.” “He can announce that we’re in negotiations. That he’s releasing a women’s clothing line. That’s all he can say. We aren’t going to be rushed into signing a contract.” They got in the car, and Quincy slid across the seat. “We don’t

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even know how much money they’re offering. He never said.” “I think it’s significant. Quince. They paid to fly me here, and they want an exclusive. And they want to buy out the other contract. They have money to throw at this. For sure. I’ll find all that out while you’re surfing tomorrow. I meet privately in the morning with the two lawyers that were at the table tonight.” “Don’t sell me out. I’ll be worried.” Marta tapped her on the knee as the car pulled up to the hotel entrance. “Don’t you dare worry. You need to win tomorrow, so I can use that as part of the negotiations.” “So, the pressure’s on?” “You got it.” Marta opened the door and got out of the car. Before she shut the door, she leaned in and said, “Sleep well and I’ll see you after your win.” “See ya.” The driver left the hotel and drove Quincy back to the beach. She got out of the car and made it back to her cabana without running into anyone. She was glad. Sleep was calling her name. **** The next morning, Quincy was on the beach early to warm up before the competition. After she signed in and got her number, she started her stretching exercises. The sand was a light brown and warm to her feet. The water, clear and a beautiful shade of blue mixed with green, called to her. The clouds were puffy in the azure sky. The smell of salt water hung in the air and Quincy inhaled deeply. To her senses, sea air mixed with suntan lotion provided the best oxygen in the world. She loved the ocean air, no matter what country she competed in. She loved the Indian Ocean the most. The surf usually broke in her favor. She got an early start on her warm up because the women always surfed first. Sometimes that made Quincy mad as it seemed to her that

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the better waves came later in the day. She was a better surfer than some of the men on the tour, and the fact that there were no mixed competitions also annoyed her. She bucked up, though, and got to the business at hand. As she stretched on the sand, the same boy from the day before approached her. She said, “Good morning. How’s your mother today?” “Not so good. I wish you’d have come to see her yesterday.” “I couldn’t. My friend needed me.” She leaned over and touched her toes. The boy mimicked her actions and touched his own toes. “No, he didn’t. He told you I was a criminal, and you got scared.” She stood and looked at the kid. “Yeah. That’s right. I did. I’ve heard there’s a lot of crime on your island, and I have to be careful.” “I’m gonna watch you surf today. If you win, will you come see my mother?” “No. I won’t, but I’ll give you a hundred American dollars if I win. Show you we’re friends. How’s that?” “Not good enough for my mother, but I’ll take it. We can buy some food with it.” He shrugged his small shoulders. She held up a finger. “Hang on. I’ll be right back.” She jogged over to her cabana and went inside, grabbed the box of high energy breakfast bars she always had in her suitcase and left the tent. Jogged back over to the boy and held out the box of bars. “Here. Take these. It’s not much, but it’s something.” She almost wept as he opened one and ate it in two bites. Clearly, he was hungry. He mumbled a thank you and ran off down the beach with the box under his arm. Craig walked over. “What’d you give the kid? Gold?” “Something better. Food.” “He’s still conning you.” “I don’t think so.” She walked over to her board. “Gotta go. Time for my first run.” She grabbed the board and headed into the water just as the announcer said her name. She flopped onto her board and

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paddled out. She caught a great set, and her first run was a success. She came out of the water to great applause from the audience seated on the bleachers that had been set up on the shore. It was pretty hot and some of the spectators had elected to sit on the sand with umbrellas over them. There was a big group today. There were a number of people that followed the tour all year. Quincy recognized some of the spectators from the many years she’d been on the circuit and waved to a few. Quincy was satisfied with her performance and sat down in the competitors’ area to wait for her next run. This was a large tent with folding metal chairs blocked off for the surfers where they could rest and regroup between sets. She sat with her back to the beach and didn’t watch the other surfers. It threw her off her own game, and it was a personal rule of hers to never to look at the scoreboard either. She sat alone and meditated. The members of the tour all knew her penchant for being a loner during a competition, so they left her alone. Soon, it was time for her second run. Quincy scored on a huge wave on her set and brought the crowd to its feet. There was really no way she wouldn’t win with the run she had. After she got back to the competitors area, one of the other women, Mona, pushed a bottle of water at her and said, “I wanna be you when I grow up.” Quincy took the bottle, uncapped it and downed it in two large gulps. She tossed the empty toward the trash can, and it went in. “Thanks, Mona. Not counting this as a win quite yet. It’s not over till the last wave breaks.” “No one can beat you at this point. I think you know that.” “I never count on anything.” As the words left her mouth, a big hand landed on her shoulder. She turned. Karl Murray stood behind her, dressed in a pair of his own board shorts “Congratulations on a spectacular run. Can’t wait to announce our deal.”

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Mona, all ears, perked up. “What deal?” “Nothing.” Quincy glared at Karl. This was not happening. She hadn’t signed anything yet. She was furious. Karl backed up a step. His foot turning caused the wet sand to make a squeaking noise. “What’s wrong, Quincy? You look angry. Did I say something wrong?” She grabbed his arm and pulled him away from Mona, who continued to watch with undisguised curiosity. She whispered, “I haven’t signed yet. I’m concerned as I don’t want to dump my first sponsor. The rest of them, I have no issue with you buying out the contracts, but the first one, Silver Liquid, been very good to me and believed in me before I really believed in myself. I need to keep endorsing their product. If we can’t work something out along those lines, I won’t be signing. I really don’t want to have the world gossiping about it until I know we have a deal.” “Sorry. I thought we’d gotten that all ironed out this morning with your agent.” He waggled his phone. “I just got a call about it.” “As I’ve been in the water, I’ve got no idea what’s happened till I talk to Marta.” She flopped into the closest chair. Karl sat beside her and dialed his phone. “Let’s get her on the line.” Before the call could go through, Marta walked into the tent and over to Quincy’s seat. “C’mon, Quincy, let’s chat.” Karl turned off his phone. “I’ll leave. Give you some privacy. You sit here, Marta.” He got up and patted the seat. Marta said in the chair vacated by Karl and turned to Quincy. “We have a deal that I think you’ll like. They’re going to let you continue to wear warm-ups and flip flops from Silver Liquid and everything else will be BongoMongo. Silver Liquid is on board with it as well.” “Really?” Quincy picked the wet hair off the nape of her neck and held it up so that the breeze could waft over her. It seemed her hair got heavier every time it got wet. She was burning up. “How long is the contract and how much?”

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“Four years and two million a year with an option to renew if you’re still competitive in four years for an additional two million for the option.” Marta glowed with pride at the huge deal she’d made for her client. Quincy gaped. “Wow. I’m stunned. A ten million dollar deal? What if I break a leg or something?” “Better not.” “Very funny. I’m serious. What if something happens to me?” “Those contingencies will be ironed out with the final draft, but there will be some downward modification if something happens to you. And they’ll insure you for the contract pay off if you get injured. And of course, there’s the usual boiler plate stuff and a morals clause.” “We don’t have to worry about that at least. I’m the most upstanding person I know.” Marta hugged Quincy. “That you are.” The announcer interrupted their conversation. “Ladies and gentlemen, I have the final scores for the women’s competition. If the ladies will come forward, please.” The competitors lined up, and the announcer continued, “Third place in the women’s long board competition and the winner of twenty-five thousand dollars is Mona Wilfred. Second place and the winner of thirty thousand dollars is Anita Ventura. And your first place winner with a purse of fifty thousand dollars is Quincy Holt. Congratulations to these ladies. The men’s competition will begin in thirty minutes.” Television crews from all over the world crowded around to interview the winners. In the midst of all the congratulations and questions, Quincy eventually found herself with Karl Murray beside her. He put his arm around her and made the announcement that she was to be the new face of his company. Quincy barely had a chance to take it all in. She’d won the competition and made fifty thousand dollars for a day’s work as well

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as landed a contract for ten million dollars payable over four years. Her head was spinning so much, she couldn’t think straight. She just wanted to be left alone to wrap her head around all that had happened and maybe watch her male friends compete. But it was not to be. She was surrounded, with no relief in sight. She braced herself for a long siege. **** Fennimore Smith stayed with his brother, Cooper, in downtown Miami. He’d been there for several days. He knew Quincy went to Bali for the competition. He logged on to his computer to check for updates on the web related to surfing. He couldn’t help himself. She’d been on his mind since the kiss on the beach. He knew he was sunk. He couldn’t convince her that Percy Hicks would be bad news for her. If he knew her like he thought he did, even if she didn’t want to marry the man, she would just to get back at Finn for what he’d said. She was stubborn. He smiled. He loved that stubborn streak. It made her unique. Coop came into the kitchen of his house where Finn sat at the table with his laptop open. The kitchen looked very modern. It was a glass and chrome room; a cook’s dream room. Coop was the second member of his family to become a Miami-Dade homicide detective, and he was also a gourmet chef. Industrial size ovens and a huge refrigerator took up an entire wall. “Hey, bro, what’s up?” “Just looking online to see how Quincy did.” As the page pulled up, Coop looked over his shoulder. A picture came on the screen of Quincy and Craig, laughing and tangled together on the beach with Quincy in a very small bikini. Craig’s hand was on her left buttock. “Isn’t that the guy she threw you over for?” His face flushed, Finn said, “That’s the guy I thought she cheated on me with. I was beginning to believe I was wrong.” “She looks pretty chummy with him to me, I’m afraid.”

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“Yeah. I’m afraid you’re right there. Although she did confirm that she’s engaged to that English guy I’m investigating. Wonder why she can’t seem to stay away from this guy even though she knows he’ll screw her up.” “Dunno.” Cooper shrugged. “Guess you can’t control what you feel for someone even if you know they’re no good for you. It’s kind of like some of the druggies we arrested over the years. They can’t stay away from the bad stuff. Just like you. She’s your drug of choice.” Finn sighed. “You got that right. I don’t think I’ll ever get over her, but it looks like I have to.” He shut the laptop without logging off. The picture turned his stomach. Coop opened the refrigerator and grabbed an onion and a red bell pepper out of the crisper drawer. He turned around to the chopping board and began to dice the vegetables. “Thought you left this area to get her out of your system.” “Did. Thought it worked. Till I saw her. Till I talked to her.” Coop pointed the knife at his older brother. “Not smart, my man. Not smart. You should have left it at a phone call. Not seen her.” “Well, duh. Tell me something I don’t know. I tried to call her, but that pit bull friend of hers, Avery, wouldn’t let me through, so I had to chase her down in person.” He made a face. “What ya cooking?” “Pepper steak. Jamie’s coming over and Angelique, too.” “Aw, geez. I’m not in the mood for Jamie. She never lets up on me.” “She just wants you to be happy. Like she is with her husband. Like Angelique and me.” “Oh. God. Is Jamie’s husband coming, too? I can’t stand all that lovey-dovey crap.” Finn groaned at the thought of his sister and her new spouse. Talk about turning his stomach. They were way too friendly with each other for his comfort. “Nah. He’s out of town. But Angelique and I may get cozy in

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front of you. If she doesn’t have to run out after a dead body.” “You mean if you don’t both have to. Homicide cop dates coroner. Sounds like a bad romance novel in the making to me.” “Very funny. You’re just jealous.” Finished now with the vegetable dicing, Cooper sliced the beef into strips. “You got that right. I’m jealous. Here I thought I had it made with Q. Then you and Jamie, both younger than me, seem to have found the real deal.” Finn opened the lap top and clicked on another website. “Look here, looks like Quincy won her division. Wow. She won fiftythousand big ones.” “Not bad for a day’s work. Or fun. It is surfing after all.” “She works hard. It’s not just fun. She has to train.” “Don’t get so defensive. I was just saying it was good work if you could get it. You do still have it bad for her, don’t you?” “Yeah, I guess I do.” Finn sighed. “But there’s no hope. She’s got a fiancé and it seems a lover on the side. I don’t know why she kissed me so passionately and like she meant it—” “Wait a second. Back up. She kissed you? You didn’t tell me that part.” His brother pointed the knife at him again. “Big mistake to let her kiss you.” “Well, I didn’t think it through. I just kind of grabbed her on the beach and laid one on her. Then she slapped me.” “God. This gets better and better. She didn’t kiss you, you kissed her, and she slapped you. You’re batting a thousand, big brother.” “Yeah. I know. I’m doomed to be attracted to a woman who’s just like our mother.” “I hope not. I hope you’ll get over Quincy. I like her, but she’s clearly not the one for you. You need to find someone else.” Cooper looked at his brother for a second and added, “Have you even had another woman in the two years since your breakup?” “I’ve had sex, yes. If that’s what you’re asking.” Coop held his hands up in front of his face. “Nope. Don’t want to know that many details. I just wondered if anyone had appealed to

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you since her.” “Nope.” Finn shut the laptop again and stood. “I’m gonna go grab a shower and shave since we have ladies coming for dinner.” He started out of the room. Coop yelled at his retreating back, “This conversation isn’t over. I’m gonna find you a woman. One that you can love and who will love you for all your charms, such as they are. A woman very unlike our dear mother.” Finn murmured under his breath so his brother couldn’t hear, “Good luck. My heart isn’t mine to give. I’m dead meat. Sunk. In love with a woman who can’t give me what I need. Faith. In her.”

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Chapter Six “All things betray thee, who betrayest me” Francis Thompson (English poet, 1859-1907) Quincy finally got a break when the men’s competition was over. As soon as the men’s results were announced, she found herself standing alone in the sun. She knew it was only because the media suddenly wanted to interview the male winners. Her news about being the new face of BongoMongo was still the biggest headline of the day, but now it was time for the men to get their glory. Craig had come in second in his division. Still a good pay day for him. Quincy couldn’t help but feel good that she’d scored top marks and he didn’t. She hated to be petty and hold a grudge, but she really did still hold him a little bit responsible for the whole break up with Finn. Of course, her brain told her it was better to know the truth about Finn’s temper and distrust before they were married with kids, but it did still hurt. She just didn’t realize how much until she saw him again. She made a point to wait for Craig to finish his interviews with the media and shared a hug with him. He was invited to her wedding, but she wasn’t sure if he’d come from Australia to London for the ceremony. If not, she wouldn’t see him until the next competition. Once the day was over and all the awards and hugs to her competition had been given, Quincy made her way to her hut to take a shower and get ready for dinner. She and Marta were leaving before dawn the next day, and she wanted to make sure she was all packed and ready to go. When she got to the door of her cabana, the same

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young boy was standing there. He was clearly waiting for her. He tossed a shell in the air and caught it. The kid said, “You won today?” She smiled. “Yeah. I did. You here to see me?” “I am. I want to talk to you.” He tossed the shell again. Quincy grabbed the shell from the air. “Dude, you may as well tell me your name if we’re gonna be such good friends.” “What does this dude word mean, lady?” He cocked his head at her as she handed the shell back to him. “Just a word we surfers use to refer to friends.” “Then call me dude. I like to be your friend. And I don’t think you could pronounce my real name.” “Try me. I’m pretty smart.” She grinned at the kid. He really was a funny little dude and so cute. He’d lost his two front teeth, and his gap-toothed grin endeared him to her. His efforts to talk were also amusing. Seems she really had made a friend. “Setiawan. My name is Setiawan.” She laughed and said it. Correctly. She nodded. “Dude it is then.” The boy cackled at her decision and said, “I like dude better, too. I’m going to use it from now on. I’ll make my other friends call me that, too. It’s going to be my new name.” “Well, Dude, much as I’d love to stand around and chat with you, I need to get in and shower. I’m still covered in salt water from your Indian Ocean. I feel sticky. I have to get cleaned up to meet my friend, Marta. We’re going to town to shop for some more figurines. She wants to take them home for gifts.” Setiawan grabbed Quincy’s hand and pulled on it. Hard. She looked down at her hand. “I really have to go. I’m sorry, but I do.” He whispered, “You bend down. I want to tell you something.” She knelt in front of him. “What is it? Is something wrong with your family again? Do you need something?” “No. You’ve been nice to me, and I want to warn you.”

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She tilted her head, confused. “Warn me? About what?” “I heard you and another lady have a plane. Is that your friend? Marta, you said? You have your own plane at the Denpasar airport?” He looked over his shoulder. His eyes seemed to scope out the area around them. She nodded her encouragement. “Yes. I’m flying out in the morning on a private jet. It’s waiting for me and Marta at Denpasar. How did you know?” He shook his head, almost frantic. “No, lady. No. Do not go on the plane. Do not. You go on big plane, instead.” He nodded. “Yeah, that’s what you do. Go on a big plane. Not your plane. Don’t get on the plane you call a private jet.” “What’s wrong with the plane, Setiawan?” “Plane is fine. Cargo is not.” She looked at him, confused. What cargo? Her surfboards? Before she could voice the question, a huge man with a snarl on his face stomped up and snatched Setiawan by the arm. The man looked at the kid and said, “Leave this woman alone, boy.” He turned to Quincy. “Sorry. He’s been taught not to beg on the street.” Quincy opened her mouth to defend the child. Before she could say a word, the man turned on his heel and dragged the boy across the sand. As he was being manhandled and hauled away, Setiawan looked back at her and mouthed the words, “Please don’t. Don’t get on the plane.” The anguish in his eyes made Quincy tear up. She had no idea what was going on, but she was sure that the child was mistaken. What could be the problem with Percy’s plane? And what would this kid know about it? ****

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Early the next morning, Quincy got up, made herself a cup of black coffee and took it outside the cabana. She sat out on the sand as she drank the hot, strong smelling liquid. She loved the dawn hour on the beach. Any beach in the world was a soothing place as the sky turned from dark to light. She took a deep breath and smelled the Indian Ocean. Bliss. The wind played with her hair, and she put a stray wisp behind her ear. She enjoyed the quiet for as long as she could, but too soon, it was time to go. Time to make her way to the airport to go back to Miami one more time before the wedding. Quincy caught a cab to Marta’s hotel. She had the cabbie wait as she went upstairs to help Marta with her luggage and the massive amount of statues she’d bought the evening before after their celebration dinner. Marta had treated Quincy to a fine meal, both to celebrate the new contract and to celebrate her win at the competition. They’d gone back to the man’s “factory” in the street, and Marta loaded up on the little wooden statues. She even had to go to one of the late night markets to buy another suitcase to pack them all in. Quincy had laughed at her friend’s folly. When Quincy got upstairs in the hotel, she jogged down the hallway and tapped on the door of Marta’s room. “Open up, Princess Buddha. Time to go.” Marta opened the door and peered out, bleary eyed. “Do you have to be so chipper at dawn? Seems illegal to me.” “You’re usually the one with the perkiness issues. Didn’t you get enough sleep?” Quincy pushed past her and into the room. “Nope. Had to pack all those statues. Make sure they were wrapped good.” “Speaking of good, it’s a good thing we have a private plane. It’d be a real hassle to carry all that crap through the airport. This way, the car just takes us to the plane and we move the stuff over. The nice thing about a private plane is the private hangar. No dragging bags down the endless corridors of the airport.” She stood among Marta’s bags and looked at them. Quincy shook her head.

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Marta leaned over and peered in Quincy’s eyes. “Is that you in there? Thought you hated the idea of a private plane. And I’ll have you know, my stuff is not crap.” Quincy had the grace to giggle. “Seems like I’m getting used to the idea already.” She made a face. “God, am I gonna be a spoiled prima donna?” “I hope not. I hope you can stay humble.” Quincy snorted. “I think I’ll always be a wahine, not an aristocratic sophisticate like Percy wants me to be.” “Why marry a man who wants you to change?” “Oh, Marta, he hasn’t asked me to change. I’ll still be surfing. Even after the kids come, I’ll still be surfing.” “Hard to surf in downtown London. And I’m afraid after the kids come, Percy won’t let you leave home.” “Very funny. He actually enjoys my surfing. And who knows, as much as I want kids, I may never want to leave them.” “I hope you’re happy with your marriage, Quincy. I know you deserve it. You’ve had a rough time, and it’s your chance to have something good happen to you.” Quincy looked at her agent who was also her friend. “I know. I lost my parents, found Finn and then lost him. I really feel like now is my time.” She looked at her watch. “Oh, God, speaking of time, I left that cab driver downstairs. We gotta go.” They each grabbed a couple of bags and made their way down the hallway to the elevator. When the ladies came through the door of the hotel, the cab driver rushed to open the trunk of the car. They couldn’t get all the bags in the trunk along with Quincy’s boards. Marta ended up in the front seat with the driver with one bag on her lap and one edged sideways between her and the driver. Quincy was in the back with three bags and had about a half inch of seat to sit in. The driver had put a bungee cord on the trunk to keep the items in the back in the vehicle. Quincy could barely sit still on the long drive. She kept getting an

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attack of the giggles. “Marta, this is a story I’m going to tell for years. My kids are even gonna hear about this ride to the airport.” Marta couldn’t look back at Quincy since she was surrounded by all the luggage. “What’s so funny?” “You and your crazy souvenirs. This is completely insane. I don’t even have enough room for one cheek on this seat. It’s nuts.” “Oh, hush. You know I have your wedding present in here.” “Please, God, no.” Quincy collapsed in giggles again. Marta sat in a huff the rest of the way to the airport. When the cab pulled into the hangar where the jet was parked, the driver jumped out to open the back door where Quincy sat behind him. Quincy got out of the car with difficulty and stretched her legs. She did a couple of deep knee bends and arched her back. “Thank God the trip wasn’t any longer. I feel like a pretzel.” She walked over to the front passenger side where Marta was still seated. “Let me go aboard and tell the steward that we need help with all the baggage. You wait here.” Quincy walked up the metal staircase to the plane. As soon as she stepped on board and into the cabin, she heard sirens. They seemed to be echoing off the metal walls of the hangar. What the hell? Wonder what that’s all about. She looked around the plane. She’d been on it before, of course. Nothing looked remotely out of place, except for the lack of a pilot and crew. She was dumbfounded. What was going on? Where was everyone? She turned to head back out the door to see if she could locate the crew. It shocked her to see a Balinese man in a police uniform standing right behind her. He held a gun pointed at her chest. Quincy opened her mouth to speak, but before a word came out, he grabbed her and threw her down onto her stomach. Her chest slammed into the aisle floor, and she lost her breath. It stunned her at how fast it all happened. The cop placed his knee on Quincy’s back and said, in English,

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“Don’t make a move or I’ll blow your head off.” She lay still until he handcuffed her, caught her breath and then said, “There must be a mistake. I’m Quincy Holt. I’ve been here for the surfing competition. I don’t think I’ve broken any laws.” The man pulled her up by the wrists and she yelped in pain as the cuffs dug into her skin. “Shut up, lady. We know who you are. And who your friends are, too. They’re already at the jail. I’m taking you in.” Still confused, Quincy asked, “What am I charged with? What crime? What friends?” He laughed and jerked upward on the cuffs. “Playing stupid won’t help you here, lady. This is not your United States. You got no rights. We can hold you as long as we want, and we don’t have to tell you one thing.” Quincy tried to hold it together. Wouldn’t do any good to cry. She knew enough to know that. Her hands hurt, and she thought she felt a trickle of blood drip down her arm. The policeman shoved her out the door of the plane and to the steps. She looked down and saw Marta. She was out of the cab and stood with their bags all around her. There were at least seven law enforcement officers going through the bags. All the statues that Marta had taken such care to pick out were broken on the concrete floor of the hangar. Quincy’s boards were also in pieces on the ground. Quincy was grateful that at least Marta wasn’t in cuffs. She was crying though. The policeman shoved Quincy again, and she stumbled down the stairs. She fell and hit her knee on the step. The officer snatched her up again and hissed, “Either walk down the steps now, or I’ll drag you.” When Quincy finally got to the bottom of the metal steps, she turned to the officer. “What’s your problem? You already have me in custody. Why shove me around?” The man spat on the ground in front of her. “Rich American. You

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think you can come to my country and sell your illegal weapons. You want my people to kill each other?” Quincy gaped at him. “What the hell are you even talking about? I came here to surf.” Before the man could answer, another man approached. He was clearly in charge as the others moved out of his path. The second man stopped in front of Quincy. He sneered at her. “I’m taking you down to the jail to join your cohorts. I’m letting the other woman go.” He turned to the officer who had shoved Quincy. “Get that other woman on a commercial flight out of here. Now. We have no intelligence that she’s involved, and her bags are clean.” He pointed at Quincy. “Take this one down to lock up.” He strode off. Quincy looked over at Marta and yelled across the hangar, “Call Percy. He’ll get me a lawyer.” Marta nodded, but before she could say anything, Quincy was hauled off to a police van. The last thing Quincy saw as she was crammed into the back of the van was her surfboards in pieces on the concrete and Marta bent over her broken statues in tears. **** Fennimore Smith watched in fascination as the news media in the United States picked up on the arrest of world champion long board surfer, Quincy Holt, almost before the van she was in arrived at the police station in Bali. The coverage was on all the cable channels. He was amazed at the coverage. The Miami news stations and papers made a huge deal of it. The city’s favorite daughter whose parents had been murdered by armed intruders had been accused of smuggling firearms into Bali on a private jet. BongoMongo executives were on the television trying to distance themselves from the golden girl of the day before. Even Karl Murray, CEO, made an appearance on the news channel to disavow any knowledge of her behavior. He indicated that the morals clause of her contract would be invoked in

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order to cancel her appearances as their new spokesperson. Marta Grier made many appearances on cable channels to protest the innocence of her client. She told everyone who would listen that there was no way Quincy would have done anything illegal. Marta tried to call Karl Murray to salvage the contract, but she couldn’t get him to take her calls. She saw him on television accusing Quincy of being immoral and that’s when she took her own fight to the media. She was determined to help her client’s cause. She called a couple of lawyers but couldn’t find one to make the trek to Indonesia to help Quincy. She even put in a call to Amnesty International. Finn was stunned at all the coverage. He cringed every time he saw it on the television news channels. It was a true media circus. Who knew surfers were so important? He never knew anyone even followed that sport. Sure, he’d seen some competitions on obscure sports channels and had watched some that Quincy was in when they dated, but had no real idea of the actual fame of a professional surfer. National coverage of her arrest seemed extreme to him. He’d always wondered at the obscene amounts of money Quincy earned, but he thought the surf community was small and insular. Even the few competitions he’d been to hadn’t attracted a huge audience. Shows what I know. I had no idea that an arrest of a surfer would be so newsworthy. It’s not like she was a pro ball player or something. Finn didn’t feel like gloating about her arrest. He was too upset over the whole thing. He’d tried to tell her. Tried to warn her about the asshole. But even he, in his wildest imaginings about the man, never really thought Percy Hicks would actually smuggle guns on the very plane he sent to bring his bride home. Hicks was an awful man, but Finn didn’t really want to believe that he would risk his fiancée’s freedom to sell some guns. It was a terrible thing to do to one’s fiancée. Finn felt a little relieved though because he knew Quincy would never marry the man now. One good thing to come of the fiasco. Coop came into the room where Finn sat in front of the big screen

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television. Finn was seated on the brown leather sofa with the remote to the TV in one hand and his cell phone held to his ear in the other hand. Finn pointed to the chair beside him with the remote for his brother to sit down. He spoke into the phone. “Is it kosher then? It’ll be allowed?” He paused to listen to the person on the other end of the line. “Let me know then as soon as you know.” He hung up and looked at Coop. “Gonna go rescue the damsel in distress?” Coop raised an eyebrow and nodded at the television where yet again, Karl Murray was on the screen. He sat down in the chair by Finn. Finn sighed. “Trying to get clearance to intervene. All of us over here know she’s not involved. I can’t believe the guy would let his fiancée get arrested over his deal. Seems a pretty crappy thing to do to the woman you supposedly love.” “Not trying to be a downer here, but do you think it’s a good idea to run off over there after her? Can’t you back off and let someone else go? And don’t forget, she sees you as an enemy anyway for what you did to the woman you supposedly loved, too.” “No. I can’t leave it to someone else. This is my case, and I need to be the one to go. And I also need to let her know I regret what I did to her. Not like Hicks. I’m sure he’s not regretting a thing.” His brother looked at him in pity. “That’s not it. It’s not that it’s your case. We both know it.” He reached across the span between the chair and the couch and touched his brother on the knee. “Don’t do it. Just walk away. Walk away for your own health. She’ll kick your teeth in and laugh while she does it.” Finn shook his head. “I can’t, Coop. I can’t leave her there. There’s no telling what conditions she’s in. I can barely breathe for worrying about her and how she’s coping. These places can’t be good. It’s not like here. Our jails aren’t great, but it’s gotta be much worse there.” Cooper stood up and moved to sit beside his brother on the couch.

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He put his arm around Finn’s shoulder and leaned in to look him in the eye. “This is exactly why you need to send someone else. You’re a mess already, and you haven’t even gotten there yet. How you gonna hold it together? And how you gonna survive when you get her home and she dumps you again?” Finn pulled away from Coop and jumped up. “I’m going to pack. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I’m leaving as soon as my commanding officer clears it.” He stalked out of the room and up the stairs. His footsteps echoed down into the room. **** Cooper got up and walked over to the side table near the chair he’d vacated. The phone was on the table. He sat back in the leather chair and dialed his sister, Jamie. Jamie answered on the third ring. “Hey, brother. See you on the caller ID. What’s up?” “You see the papers? About Quincy?” “Yeah. I saw the papers and the television. It’d be hard to miss it. Local girl gone bad.” She laughed at her own joke. “Why?” “Finn’s going to rescue her. The idiot is flying to Indonesia. Gonna be the hero.” “Oh. No. This isn’t good. Have to talk him out of it. Sure sounds like we need a meeting of the James Fennimore Cooper Club.” Coop let out a sigh of relief. “Exactly why I called you. Time to call in the troops, as it were.” “I’m on my way.” She hung up the phone without saying goodbye. Cooper sat back in the chair, leaned his head on the back cushion, closed his eyes and thought about his mother. She’d not been a very good mother or a good wife to their father either. One good thing she did do was establish the James Fennimore Cooper Club. The man was her favorite author, and she’d named all three of her children after

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him. They’d all had to read his books as kids and knew the stories by heart almost before they could actually read them. They all used to tease her that they were glad she didn’t love Edgar Rice Burroughs instead. She’d started the club when they were small. When they’d fight and take sides, she’d tell them that they were each all the others had and would have all their lives. When an outsider would upset one of them, she’d remind them that they were a unit. A tradition evolved where they would have meetings to encourage and support each other. Cooper thought this was surely one of those times that a club meeting was necessary, and he was glad his sister agreed. He couldn’t wait for her to arrive to help him talk sense into his brother. They needed to act before he let his heart be broken again, by the same woman who had ripped it out of his chest and stomped on it two years before.

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Chapter Seven “It may seem a hard task to condemn fellow creatures to long years of confinement in prison but it is not so hard if they clearly deserve it.” Thomas Mellon (American businessman 1813- 1908) Quincy sat in the jail in Bali in a cell with fifteen other women. She was the only one who looked to be from somewhere other than Indonesia. She felt very alone although she was surrounded by people. She was freaked out by the people who stared at her as if she was from another planet. And maybe to them, she was. The cell itself was one large room, painted white. There was graffiti all over the walls. In lots of colors. Where did they get the markers to write on the wall with? All I have is this jumpsuit they put me in after the strip search. She shuddered at the memory of the strip search. She looked down at the jumpsuit she wore. Where would an inmate stash such a thing? There are no pockets in this thing. She read the words on the walls. She couldn’t read any of them. They were all written in Balinese or Indonesian. She couldn’t tell the difference. Just looks like a bunch of squiggles. Colorful squiggles, but squiggles nonetheless. Quincy suppressed a giggle at her inane thoughts. I guess mulling over the markers is keeping my mind occupied anyway. It’s either that or cry. Can’t cry. Have to be brave. She sat up straighter to make herself at least look like she was brave. In addition to the three graffiti-covered concrete walls, there were bars across the front of the cell. Quincy shivered as she looked at those.

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Several beat up benches with chipped paint took up the space in the cell, bolted down benches. They were all painted the same white as the walls. Women sat all around the room, some on the benches, some on the floor, all chattering away. It sounded like a room full of magpies. Quincy wanted to put her hands over her ears but didn’t want to let anyone in on her secret. She was terrified. All the other women in the room acted like they were at a party. Laughter echoed off the bare walls. If I show fear, the others will pay more attention to me. They’re already looking at me too much. I wish they’d stop. No one in the room spoke much English. Quincy was surprised. She’d always heard a lot of the Balinese people spoke English because of the number of tourists. Most of these ladies were clearly in another trade where the language wasn’t needed. Quincy had been put in the large cell as soon as she was released from the custody of the police van and put in a jail-issued jumpsuit. Thank God they at least took off the handcuffs. She huddled on her bench in the corner and lost track of time. Her arm and wrist hurt where the arresting officer had been so rough with her. She had no idea how long she’d been in the cell. It could have been minutes or it could have been hours or even days. Time seemed to stand at a halt. One thing she did know. Her bladder needed some relief, but she didn’t want to use the communal toilets at one end of the holding cell. She finally had no choice. She had to use the damn thing. Embarrassed or not. Why the hell does it bother me? I’ve been in locker rooms my whole life. Big deal. It’s a bodily function. She talked to herself all the way over to the toilet area, working up her nerve. As soon as she’d relieved herself, she pulled up the jumpsuit and made her way back across the room to the seat she’d had for God knew how long. She’d lost all sense of time. No sun came in the cell at all. It was just a big white box. Dear God, will I ever get out of here? Will someone come from the Embassy? What’s going to happen

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next? When she got back to the bench she’d vacated, a large woman was seated there in the exact spot Quincy had left. Quincy stopped and stood in front of the bench. Do I back down and move? Or do I need to stand up to her so the others know they can’t push me around? The woman glared at Quincy. “Too good for the likes of us, white girl?” “No. I never said that.” Quincy shook her head. “Didn’t have to. You been sitting over here all superior for a while now. Making the rest of us mad. You’re in here just like we are. Makes you just like us.” “But I didn’t do anything.” The woman cackled. She looked around the room at the others and said something in Balinese. The rest of the women in the cell laughed hysterically. Quincy stood with her arms crossed and glared at the woman, determined not to ask what she’d said. No need as the woman wanted to share. “None of us has done anything either. Why do you think we’re here? Think they’re gonna make us sex slaves? Us innocent women?” She cackled again and doubled over in laughter. Quincy turned around to walk away. Before she could take two steps, the woman jumped up and grabbed her by the hair. She snatched a big hank of curls and jerked her head back. The woman was large enough to lift Quincy off her feet. She picked her up by the hair and turned her back around to face her. As she was turned around, Quincy planted one foot on the ground and lunged with the other one stuck out. She kicked the woman in the stomach and knocked her backward. When her foot made contact with the woman’s abdomen, the woman slid across the edge of the bench and landed on her butt, scraping her back in the process. She screamed like she was dying and rolled in the floor. She held on to her back and yelled over and over.

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Five guards ran in. Two of them grabbed Quincy while one held back the other inmates to one side of the cell. The last two guards pulled the large woman off the floor where she was still acting like she’d been shot. They forced some hand cuffs on her. Once the other ladies were in a row along one wall of the cell and the large woman had been restrained, the commandant came in and walked over to Quincy. She stood beside the two guards and held her head where the woman had grabbed her. Damn, my head hurts. The commandant looked her over. “I was just coming to tell you that you have a visitor from your embassy. It’s a surprise to find you in a fight.” “I’m not fighting.” Quincy pointed at the woman being held by one of the guards. “That one there pulled my hair. I was defending myself.” “Be that as it may, you’ll both have to be punished. I’ll let you meet with the attaché from the embassy first. Only because I have to. He won’t leave without seeing you.” The commandant peered at Quincy over the top of his glasses and added, “But be sure there will be discipline. We can’t have this behavior. It encourages the others to think they can act the same way.” “Will I be allowed to go home? Will I know the charges against me?” The man gave a shrug that told her nothing. He took her by the arm. “Let me take you to the attaché. He’s in a private interview room.” She got to the room and was surprised to see a tall man in a suit standing there. He looked so normal in a world that had become surreal to her. The man held out his hand. “I’m Nathan Clarkson, Attaché to the United States Embassy. Sit.” The attaché gestured toward one of the metal chairs that were tucked under the metal table. He sat in the other chair and leaned across the table. “I’m not sure if the room is bugged, so be careful what you say.”

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She shook her head. “You mean we don’t get privacy?” “Nope.” He shook his head as well. “Remember, you aren’t in your own country. We have to work within their laws since you broke the law on their soil.” Quincy slammed her hand on the table so hard the table bounced. “I’ve done nothing. All I did was come here, surf, and try to go home. What the hell have I been accused of?” “The charge is firearms smuggling, with a side of ammo.” Clarkson smiled. His smile was grim. “It’s pretty serious stuff.” She gaped at him. “What?” “Yeah. That’s the charge.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “You know I can only help you if you tell me the truth.” “The truth? I don’t know any truth.” She shook her head, confused. Then she remembered something. “Other than I was warned that there was something wrong with the cargo…” “Who told you that?” Clarkson interrupted. “What cargo?” “That’s what I said to the person. I had no idea there was cargo other than my surfboards and luggage. I thought I was catching a ride home on a private jet.” “I have to tell you, this is pretty bad.” Nathan patted her hand and removed his from the table to his lap. “There are a lot of underground issues here. What with the robbing of tourists and all that. There are several organized groups that set up tourists for robberies. The Balinese government is trying to combat that already. The distribution of guns to these people could up the ante on that. You need to let the officers know who warned you. It could go easier on you. On your own charges, I mean.” She shook her head. “No way. I can’t.” “Why? Even if giving up someone would make it easier on you?” Please tell me. Who was it? I can help you get a statement from this person. It’ll help you.” “I really can’t say. I won’t say.” Clarkson stood. “I’ll be back in a couple of days to check on you.

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Maybe you’ll be ready then to give them something in exchange for a deal. Maybe we can work on getting a lawyer for you in the meantime. Do you have any family?” “No. I don’t. But you can’t just leave me here.” She almost panicked at the thought. She always thought the embassy people were there to help if there was a problem. How could he just leave her to them? “I have to, Miss Holt. It’s out of my hands.” He shrugged and moved to the door. Before he could knock to let the guards know he was done, she asked, “What kind of hope is there for me? What happens to people charged here?” “I really can’t tell you. I know they have quick trials, so you’ll be out of the holding cell soon and into a real jail.” She shivered. “That doesn’t make me feel better at all.” “I’m sorry, Miss Holt.” He turned back to look at her once more. “Think about giving up your source. Really think about that.” The guard opened the door and let Clarkson out. Quincy whispered to the empty room, “I can’t turn in a little kid. I just can’t, no matter what it costs me.” She stood when the guard came in the room. He led her back to the holding cell. As soon as she walked in and the bars clanged shut behind her, the large woman from earlier yelled across the space. “I’m gonna get your ass when shower time comes. Just you wait, bitch. You won’t be no getting away from me then.” Quincy shuddered and willed herself to keep calm and show no fear. She sat alone in the corner waiting for the commandant to come back in the room to let her know her punishment for fighting. He couldn’t come fast enough for her. Anything would be better than sitting in the big white cell while the women glared at her, plotting her revenge. ****

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Curled up in a ball in the dark space, Quincy thought over everything that had happened in her life since Finn Smith had returned. He’d told her Percy was a bad dude and tried to tell her he was a gun runner. But did she listen? No. She berated herself for being a stupid wahine. Why didn’t I listen to Finn? How could I have been such a trusting moron? And be just arrogant enough to believe Finn made it all up as a way to get back with me? I should have listened. Should have known he didn’t come back because he’d forgiven me. That he wanted me. Should’ve known he wouldn’t do that. Wouldn’t forgive me for what he thought I did to him. Dumb, dumb, dumb. For the entire three days she was in solitary confinement for the fight with the woman she’d come to call “fat broad” in her head, Quincy ran over and over in her head all the things Finn had said. She also relived the kiss on the beach when her despair became too much to bear. Escaping into a nice kiss helped her not panic in the dark, enclosed space. She escaped with that kiss more times than she cared to admit over the three days. Eventually, her thoughts turned to Percy Hicks, and she plotted how she was going to bring him down. She found the plotting helped even more than reliving the kiss. It kept her mind off the fact that she was in a foreign country with no friends and in a pitch dark room. It kept the tears at bay to picture Percy in the same situation she’d found herself in. She hoped some big asshole would try to hurt him like the fat broad did to her. But this time, she hoped the person would be successful. Maybe even cut his balls off. No less than he deserves. On the third day, she decided she was grateful for the fact that she was at least alone in the dark and could pee without an audience. She giggled hysterically at the thought. Last week, such a thing would have never occurred to her. Of course, last week she didn’t know there was such a thing as a white holding cell and a black solitary confinement area in Bali. She would never have thought she’d get to

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know that information. The things Americans take for granted. No, not just Americans do it. All free people. Non felons, that is. She knew she’d been in the hole for three days because of the amount of food that had been brought to her. Three trays of what seemed to be breakfast and one other meal twice. The meals all were oily, and she wished for a bit of variety in her diet. As she thought about the place where she huddled, she couldn’t help but laugh. A bitter laugh. The hole. Indeed it was a hole. All those old prison movies were right. A dark, dank place with an open urinal in the room was indeed a hole. Just when she thought she’d laugh herself into insanity, the door of the tiny room opened. She winced at the bright light and shaded her eyes. God that light hurts. Hurts like a son of a bitch. Quincy covered her eyes and peered out of her fingers as she made out a figure that loomed like a shadow. The figure was dark and broad, blocking out some of the piercing light. Was it a man? Yes, it was a man’s voice. “You ready to confess?” Still a little fight left in her, she snorted as she sat up. “Hardly.” The man leaned down, grabbed her arm, and jerked her off the floor, almost pulling her arm out of joint. “You don’t smell as fine as you did a few days ago when you got here.” He whiffed the air around them. “And you’re not so arrogant either.” Her eyes still smarted from the harshness of the light. “I never was arrogant. Just falsely accused.” The man threw his head back and laughed. “You and everyone else in here. It’s a wonder we need jails at all what with all the innocent people we’re holding for no reason.” He tugged her arm. “Let’s go. You have a date with the interrogator. Want to take a shower to make a good impression?” “A shower would be nice.” Quincy knew she smelled awful and she could feel the knots in her hair. It had to be a snarled mess. The man looked down at his watch. “It is communal shower time.

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I’ll take you there first. You can see some of your friends. Naked and soapy.” He grabbed his crotch and leered at her. Quincy stopped. “On second thought, I’ll pass on the shower. Let’s get this done.” She wanted to cry. Just the thought of warm water and soap almost brought her to her knees. But she had to pass. Can’t go to the shower. That woman said she’d get me in there, and I’ve already seen that I won’t get any help here. “Are you sure?” The man looked her up and down. His eyes glinted as if he was going to be allowed to watch the shower. “I’m sure.” She gave a curt nod and took a step. They walked on down the hall and entered the same room Quincy had been in a few days prior. There was a man seated there in a navy blue uniform with a lot of insignia sewed on the chest and arms. Quincy didn’t know what any of it meant. The man in blue indicated the seat across from him. “Sit.” He turned to her escort and gave a curt nod. “You may go now.” When they were alone, the man introduced himself as a deputy inspector with the crime division of the federal Balinese government. He looked down and thumbed through a file folder. Eventually he looked at her. “Do you have anything to say in your defense?” Quincy leaned back in the chair, crossed her arms and tilted her chin up. “Is this my trial?” “Of course not.” He shook his head. “The trial will be in a courtroom. Full of spectators as we take down the American arms dealer. This is merely your chance to tell me what happened with the least amount of discomfort.” “Least amount of discomfort? What does that mean?” He moved forward and rested his elbows on the table. “I’ve looked into your background, Miss Holt, and even though you’ve chosen the career you have, you are not stupid. What do you think I mean?” “You can’t be threatening to torture me.” She propped her elbows on the table, her face within inches of his.

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He backed off and crossed his arms across his chest. “Who’s going to stop me?” As the words left his mouth, the door opened and slammed back on the wall behind it. Two men walked in. It was Nathan Clarkson and right behind him, Fennimore Smith. Quincy’s heart soared at the sight. Rescue. Clarkson said, “I am. I’m gonna stop you. Me and the U.S. government, that is.” Quincy stared. She opened her mouth. “Finn—” Finn strode over to where she sat and cut off her words. “Miss Holt, I’m Agent Fennimore Smith with the American Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Agency.” He held his hand out to shake hers and gave her a look she knew so well. It was a hard stare, one she could read as if he’d said the words out loud. Play along. The interrogator looked hard at Quincy. “Do you know this man?” He tilted his head at Finn. “No. Of course not. Why do you think that?” She shrugged. “You started to smile and said Finn before he cut you off. Were you going to say his name? Fennimore? Before he stopped you, I mean?” “Of course not. I was asking you if you were finished, and he cut off my words.” The man continued to stare at her. His eyes cut back and forth between them. It looked to Quincy as if the man didn’t believe a word of it. Quincy turned to Finn. “Agent.” She tilted her head. “Smith? Is it?” He nodded. “That’s right.” She looked at Nathan Clarkson. “So my country has finally come to my rescue?” “Not exactly, ma’am.” Nathan poked his thumb in Finn’s direction. “The agent here has extradition papers releasing you to his

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custody. There’s been a deal made. You get to go back to America to face charges, and we’re sending one of their people charged with a crime in our country home to face his judgment here.” “At least I’ll be out of here. I can handle going home.” She relaxed her posture. Finn looked at her. “You aren’t going home, Miss Holt. You’re going to jail in America.” She stared at him aghast. She thought he was here to rescue her. What the hell? “What do you mean, Agent Smith?” “I mean you’re getting on a plane with me in chains and handcuffs. Then you’re going to be tried in the US.” She couldn’t move, other than to gape at him. Was he serious? She thought she knew him inside and out, but she couldn’t read his expression at all. Agent Smith turned to the interrogator. “When can I take custody of my prisoner?” The man shrugged. “I guess now. Since I assume the commandant has seen the paperwork. He let you in this far, so he must think you’re legitimate.” The man shoved his chair back and stood. “I, for one, would love to beat a confession out of this pretty miss. While I was at it, I’d make her confess she knows you, too. I don’t doubt this is some scam, but I can’t prove it.” Clarkson said, “I assure you, this is a real transfer of a prisoner. She’ll be escorted to the plane in chains and to Los Angeles. We’ve already reserved the back row of the next commercial flight out. We just need to get her back in her clothes, and we’ll be out of your hair.” “She’s to leave in a prison suit. No one walks out of here in custody in their own clothes.” The interrogator could barely suppress his rage at the removal of his prisoner. Quincy couldn’t decide which was worse, staying here or facing the media stinky and gross from three days in the hole. “Can I at least have a shower? It’s a long flight, and I might make the other passengers sick with my odor.”

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All three men looked at her. The way she smelled should be the least of her worries when she was going to get out of the foreign jail. The first to recover his senses was the interrogator. He looked down at her “Still vain and arrogant, Miss Holt? Not enough time in solitary?” Her chin jutted out. “No. Just tired of being treated like a dirty animal. I’d like some dignity back. Is that so hard to understand?” Finn said, “No. It’s not.” He turned to Clarkson. “See if you can arrange it with the commandant.” Clarkson left the room followed by the interrogator. When they were alone, Finn looked at Quincy for a moment. “Don’t say anything, Miss Holt. It’s in your interest to say nothing until you’re out of this country.” She got the hint. She looked at the wall and not at Finn. She sat silently until Clarkson came back. **** It broke Finn’s heart to look at Quincy as she sat at the table. He could tell it was an effort for her to sit there and not open her mouth. She was as American as they came and used to speaking her mind. This country wasn’t the place for that. Women didn’t have the same freedoms here as they did at home. He prayed she could keep her mouth shut until they were in international air space. She could easily blow the whole operation. He was so scared for her and the consequences she could face if he didn’t get her out of Bali, and he couldn’t tell her any of it. He took in her appearance. She did look the worse for wear. He didn’t think they’d manhandled her, but she looked like she’d had a rough time of it. She looked forlorn and wan. She had dark circles under her eyes and her hair was a mess. I hope to God they let her have a chance to clean up. She’s right. It is a long trip to Los Angeles. He knew he had to get her out of Bali as soon as he could. The longer

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they delayed, the more the chance they wouldn’t be allowed to leave at all. He shuddered at the thought of having to leave her here. He couldn’t take the time to take her somewhere to shower. There would be a barrage of national media in the arrivals area of LAX and she really needed a shower. It won’t do to have her looking like she does now. She’ll never live it down. The pictures would be plastered all over the television and the internet. He had to keep up the façade of taking her into custody until they could leave the police station. Hell, till they left the country. It was killing him. He leaned with his back to the wall and tried not look in her direction. He tried to look nonchalant as his gut roiled in fear for her. Damn, all I want to do is grab her and comfort her and I can’t. After what seemed to Finn like hours in the silent room, Nathan Clarkson finally came back. “She can have a shower, but one of us has to watch her because all the matrons are gone to the yard with the other inmates.” Quincy looked up at Clarkson in horror and gasped. She shook her head. “No. No way.” Finn walked over and knelt in front of her chair. “Listen, you know I don’t want to make you shower in front of me or Clarkson over there.” He tilted his head in the direction of the attaché. “But think about this. LAX arrivals area. Media everywhere. Your notoriety drawing the cameras.” Finn stopped to let that soak in. “In five years, you’re fine and dandy. Maybe even celebrating the birth of your first child. When they show you, the one time world champion surfer, in a happy moment, they drag out this old footage. What do you want to look like? A dirty criminal who’s obviously been held in a hell hole, or do you want to look clean and well presented?” He laughed a little. “It all boils down to image, baby. And I know you know about image.” He flicked her dirty hair. “For instance, this hair you’d like to cut off. That’s your image.” Clarkson came over to where they were and whispered, “Decide

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already. We gotta make a move for you two to make that flight. Like now.” Clarkson was as tense as Finn. They both knew how tenuous the situation was. Her decision made, Quincy stood. “Let’s get me clean. Fi—” She stopped herself from using his first name. “I mean, Agent Smith. I’ll agree that you can stay in the shower room with me. But you have to promise not to look at me. It’s perverse that they’re requiring it anyway.” “As a law enforcement officer, I have to tell you that they do it so prisoners don’t try to get away or hurt themselves.” Her laugh was a short bark. “Harm myself with soap? And am I supposed to run away naked from a fortress like this?” She waved her hand to indicate the building. “You’d be surprised, ma’am.” Finn held out his hand to her. “Let’s get you to the showers.” Clarkson left them at the door to the shower room. “I’ll be in the commandant’s quarters. Come soon.” He turned to Quincy before he walked on. He whispered in her ear, “Be sure to hurry. You’re not out of the woods yet. Take the fastest shower known to man if you want to go home in this lifetime.” She nodded. The urgency of his words terrified her all over again. She and Finn went in to the showers. The room was another large square space. It had blue tiled walls and floors. There were seven shower heads coming from the walls. Each shower area had a soap dish connected to the wall under where the water flowed. There were no curtains on the stalls. There was really one large area with several shower heads and no place for curtains. On one wall was a series of shelves and hooks. Damp towels hung on some of the hooks. Finn grabbed a dry towel off one of the shelves and handed it to Quincy. “Go ahead while I try to find you a clean jumpsuit.” “Why can’t I have my own clothes?” He turned from his search of the shelves. “Miss Holt, were you in

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that room earlier? Were you really in that room? Your mind, I mean?” She glared at him, hands on hips. “Yes. Why?” “You heard the man. You’re leaving here in a jumpsuit and chains. I suggest you get with it if you want to ever leave Bali. And do it while I’ve got my back turned so I won’t look, since you seem so shy.” He turned back to the shelf to look for a jumpsuit and, over his shoulder, added, “And think about how many showers you might have to take with a group of women and guards watching you if you don’t hurry up. The shyness would end pretty fast then, I bet.” She stripped down and turned on the water. The water sluiced over her as she stood still under the flow. Finn couldn’t help himself. He’d found a jumpsuit that he knew would fit her and as soon as he had it in his hand, he turned to look at her. Bad mistake. She stood there like a goddess, her back to him. Her lovely rounded bottom just begged to be caressed. God, she was so beautiful. Just like he remembered. How the hell am I going to make it on the flight with her beside me without taking her in my arms? I’m in trouble here. Just like Coop said. Deep trouble. He felt himself grow hard and was grateful that he held the jumpsuit in front of him. Quincy turned off the water and before she turned to grab the towel, Finn turned around himself so she wouldn’t see him ogling her. That wouldn’t do. He’d promised her not to look. She would feel violated if she knew he had, more violated than he bet she already did. Quincy yelled over to him. “It’s safe to turn around. I’m in a towel.” He turned and realized it wasn’t safe. True, she was in a towel, but it was not a real towel. It was more like a half towel. It covered her nipples but just barely. It left all of her legs exposed up to the tops of her thighs. Those legs. The strong, shapely surfer’s calves. He’d always loved those legs. How they could wrap themselves around his waist and squeeze tight. He couldn’t suppress the groan that escaped. At the sound and the look on his face, she darted over and snatched the jumpsuit out of his hands. “Turn around while I put this

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on. I’ll be watching you, so you better not look.” He complied with her request, mainly so he could get himself under control. It was imperative to get her out of the country with no one knowing they’d been lovers. He could blow this right now. Get it under control, Smith, if you want to rescue the woman. Don’t blow it now with your uncontrolled lust. When Quincy was dressed and had slid back on the sandals she’d been issued by her jailers, she said, “Okay. It’s clear. Let’s get out of here.” She pulled her hair out of the back of the jumpsuit. It was still a mess, and she had no comb. “You know I have to put chains on you when we get out there in the lobby, right?” “Yeah. I know.” She grimaced. “Then let’s do it.” She nodded. They left the shower area and joined the commandant and Clarkson.

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Chapter Eight “Oh who is that young sinner with the handcuffs on his wrist?” A. E. Housman (English poet, 1859-1936) The chains were ready. They sat on a bench beside the doorway that led from the lock down area of the jail to the main outer lobby. Quincy looked down at the pile of metal with what looked like a leather strap and shuddered. Just the thought of all that on her body caused her to cringe. She took a deep breath. “I’m ready. Let’s do this.” Finn took the longer chain from the bench. He clasped one of the handcuffs on her and hooked the belly chain to the hole in the metal, wrapped the chain around her stomach twice and then hooked the leather bindings behind her back, tightening the bindings to her waist size. Once that was done, he closed the padlock on the manacles, stood behind her and hooked the other hand cuff to the chain, leaving about eight inches of loose chain so she could move her hands a bit. Finn then put that cuff on her and clicked it shut. Then he grabbed the other set of chains from the chair and knelt down, cuffed her one ankle before measuring a distance of about fourteen inches. This was a distance that would allow her to walk. He attached the extra length upward to the belly chain and finished by clicking the other ankle bracelet closed. He looked up at her. “Gather the excess chain in your hand and see if I gave you enough room to walk. Shuffle. Don’t run.” At least he’d cuffed her in front. She didn’t understand why at first until he told her to grab the chain. She did and was able to make

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tiny steps. The interrogator came over to Quincy and tested her restraints. He looked at the brand of cuffs. “At least you used the Hiatt’s and not the Peerless brand. If you’d used Peerless, I could prove you were breaking her out. We all know Peerless cuffs can be defeated.” He looked Quincy up and down and turned to Finn. “I note you don’t have a shock belt on her. Why not?” “If you must know, the Agency didn’t think she was violent. Didn’t think we’d need the electric belt. We figured she’d be docile.” The man raised an eyebrow. “I find it hard to believe your Agency wouldn’t think a firearms smuggler would be dangerous. No matter how small she is. Perhaps I should call your supervisor.” Finn looked at the man and calmly said, “Go ahead. Here’s his number.” He handed the interrogator his boss’s card. “But you’ll have to do it without me here. I have a plane to catch.” Finn turned to the commandant. “Can we go?” The commandant nodded. “Yes.” Finn said, “Then let’s get the van and get to the airport.” They walked out of the jail, Quincy between the commandant and Finn. Finn carried a small tote bag. The van sat in front and Clarkson joined them as they got in. The ride to the airport seemed short. Silence filled the automobile. The driver was Balinese, so no one spoke, just in case. Once in the terminal, Nathan Clarkson said, “Keep quiet just a bit longer, Miss Holt. You’ll be home soon.” She quirked an eyebrow at him. “Thought I wasn’t going home.” “Touché.” He saluted her. “But it is home soil at least.” “There is that.” She smiled briefly. “Thanks for all you did. Not sure what you did to get me this far, but thanks.” “I think you owe more thanks to Agent Smith there.” He inclined his head toward Finn. “And to the State Department, of course.” Finn said, “Let’s go, Miss Holt. We have to go through security and get on that plane. Now.”

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The cop was back, and she knew she better mind. She looked at Clarkson. “I’d hug you but—” She looked down at herself in chains and smiled a wry smile. Clarkson inclined his head. “I understand. Next time.” She snorted. “Won’t be a next time. I’m never coming back here.” Finn said, “Good plan. And if you don’t hurry, you may never leave here.” “I can’t very well hurry with my feet chained together, officer.” Finn grabbed her by the upper arm and walked-dragged her to the security area. He handed the officer on duty the paperwork to allow them through. His paperwork indicated he had a firearm and hers that she was being extradited in chains. Neither one of them had to go through the magnetometer. Quincy almost laughed at the thought of how the machine would have gone off if they’d gone through. Almost, but couldn’t quite muster it. The guard on duty perused the paperwork for a long time. He finally looked up at Finn. “Bit unusual, huh?” Quincy’s gut clenched. Oh God, they aren’t gonna let me leave. Her knees buckled, and she would’ve fallen if Finn hadn’t pulled her up by the bicep. “How so?” Finn asked the man. “Usually on extraditions, there are two officers to each prisoner. You’re alone. That’s odd, huh?” Finn laughed. He winked at the man. Quincy couldn’t believe it. Her right to go home was on the line, and he winked and laughed like it was a joke? Finn finally said, “Budget cuts. You know. They’re everywhere.” The guard laughed, too. “Go on.” He waved his hand at the hallway. “Go on through. I guess you can handle that little bit of a prisoner yourself anyway.” After he gathered all the paperwork together, Finn replied, “The little ones are the meanest.”

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Quincy glared at him as he walked her away from the guard. The guard said, “Gonna be a long trip for you, judging by that look she gave you.” Over his shoulder, Finn said, “Don’t I know it.” They shuffled down to the gate and sat for a few minutes before the boarding call. Finn had brought some nutrition bars, and she ate three of them. She inhaled them, really. The officer and his prisoner were the first ones on the plane, even ahead of first class. He had to get the prisoner to the back row and settled before the other passengers boarded. As they made their way on board, Quincy hissed, “Meanest? That was unnecessary.” He stopped beside the seat to let her climb in. She slid over to the window seat while Finn stowed the little bag in the overhead compartment. As soon as he slammed the door, he took the seat on the aisle and tossed his jacket on the middle seat. He leaned over and whispered, “Yes. It was necessary. I’m walking a fine line here. I have to act like I’m transporting a person I believe has committed a felony. I have to act like a cop. Do you want me to be too nice to you and blow it? Do you even realize you could be here for the rest of your natural life if they convicted you of what you’ve been charged with?” She heard the rage in his voice and stared at him in fear. He was so mad, it scared the hell out of her. She did what any normal female would have done after being in a foreign jail in solitary confinement for days. Did what a woman that didn’t know what the future held for her did. She burst into tears. **** Finn squeezed Quincy’s thigh and whispered, “Shut up. I don’t care how upset you are, you have to shut up. This plane won’t take off if you’re hysterical. They’ll put you off here. In a second. Cool it.”

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She looked at him and stuttered, “You-you-you’re so mean. You getting your kicks here being so hateful?” She hiccupped. He looked at her for a second. She was hysterical. She looked like she was letting go of her composure for the long run. Decision time. To get her under control, he slapped her face. Hard. Stunned, she sat back and stared at him. She was blissfully silent. Finally, she shook her cuffed hands at him. “You could take these off, you know. “I can’t take them off until we get in the air. But I promise you, sweetheart, I’ll do it as soon as I can.” “Don’t call me sweetheart. I’m not your sweetheart.” She growled the words. “And you don’t have to look like you’re enjoying me in these.” She shook the cuffs again. “I don’t take any joy in this at all, Q. You should know me better than that.” “You seem to be finding great joy in it. Seems like it to me anyway.” She was still in a huff, but at least she was under control. “And no, I don’t know you at all. I thought I did once. Then you walked away from me. From us. And I knew I didn’t have a clue who you really are.” He sat back and hooked his seat belt as the plane started to fill up. “Perhaps you should take a nap. Make the flight go faster.” “Maybe I want it to go slow. I have no idea what awaits me in LA.” He patted her leg. “It’s gonna be fine. I’ll fill you in once we’re airborne.” “Will you tell me what was on Percy’s plane?” He nodded. “Yes. I will. I think it’s only fair that you know.” “Fair, yeah. Now that’s a word for you.” She snorted. He unhooked his seat belt and stood up. “Let me get you a blanket and pillow.” He walked down the aisle to the closest cabin steward to make the request. I hope to God Q will sleep some. She looks so pitiful. I can’t stand those eyes boring into me all the way to the US. I

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can’t afford that distraction. He got the blanket and pillow and returned to his seat. He handed the pillow to Quincy and covered her with the blanket. The plane began to taxi down the runway. Finn grabbed an in-flight magazine from the pocket on the seat back to glance through as they took off. Keep your mind off the woman next to you. Keep focused on the job, not the scent of the woman. That harsh soap she’d used at the jail didn’t cover the smell of her that he remembered. Her natural scent of surf and salt water teased his nose. How she kept that smell always mystified him. I guess if you live in the ocean all the time, you take on its smell. Once they were in the air, Finn dared to look over at Quincy sat on one hip facing him. She was asleep. Her hair was mussed and some fell across her brow. He was so tempted to touch it, he actually reached out then pulled his hand back. I should’ve given her a comb. No. She’s perfect. Beautiful. The flight attendant came by. She leaned over Finn until her breasts were at his eye level. “You sure are dedicated to your job, aren’t you, officer?” Oh God, was the woman actually flirting with him while he was on duty? No, surely not. She should know the protocol for this type of flight. “Why do you say that, ma’am?” She stood back up and loomed over him. She shivered. “I love it when you federal types call me ma’am.” Dear God, she was flirting. “Just protocol, ma’am. Protocol.” He sat as still as a statue. “I know, but it’s so sexy. Makes me hot.” She put her face closer to his and whispered, “And wet.” He sat up straighter, if possible. In his best interrogator-cop voice, he said, “What can I help you with, ma’am?” She shuddered. “You can meet me in the crew area and take care of my needs. My panties are soaked just looking at you.” Even more sternly, he said, “I meant as a law enforcement officer.

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An on duty officer.” She got huffy and stalked off, muttering, “Everyone gets a break once in a while at work. Even cops.” Damn. She was something. Coming on to me like that. He was shocked at the brazenness of the woman. He looked over toward Quincy, grateful she was asleep and missed that whole exchange. But she wasn’t asleep. She looked at him with sleepy eyes, but it was clear that she’d heard the whole thing. Before he could say a word, she said, “You still got it, Agent Smith. Congratulations on another conquest.” “I don’t want that woman. Are you nuts?” “No. But really, who can blame her?” Quincy made a point of looking him up and down. “You’re a fine specimen of a man. You’ve got beautiful abs and pecs which are shown to advantage even in that dress shirt. Your thighs are strong and muscular, and you have a great butt. And that’s before we even get to those green eyes of yours. The color of the Caribbean Sea on a clear day. Yep.” She nodded. “You’re spectacular looking, and any woman would want to bed you. That is, until you open your mouth and show what a jerk you can be.” He gaped at her. Did she really feel that way? Does she really think I look that good? And what’s with the jerk thing? I’ve tried to be nice to her. Came here to get her even after I warned her off that fiancé of hers. Quincy snapped her fingers as near to his face as she could get them with the cuffs still on. “Hello? You there?” He pulled himself together. “Yeah. I am. Just thinking about what you said. Maybe I was a jerk. What do you think? Should I apologize to the glorified waitress and ask her to sleep with me when we get to LA and I drop you off?” He tilted his head, hoping for a reaction. Quincy shrugged. “Suit yourself. It makes no difference to me.” So much for trying to get her to say she still wants me. It may be too much to hope for, especially since she may be in love with Hicks and nursing a broken heart. The bastard.

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Quincy’s next words jerked him out of his reverie. “Will you uncuff me?” “Yeah. I said I would. You have to stay here in the seat, and if you need to get up, I’ll have to put the cuffs back on.” She held her hands out, and he inserted the key in the lock and removed the cuffs. He rubbed her wrists. “Feeling coming back?” “Never went away. I have to say, you did cuff me nicer than the man who hauled me off the plane. He really hurt me.” She slid her hands out of his grasp and paused as she relived for a second the anger and humiliation she’d felt when the man was on her back with her hands behind her. She took a deep breath and let it go. “Speaking of the plane, what was in the cargo space of the Lear?” “A selection of firearms and spare barrels. Some ammo and some Kevlar vests.” “Spare barrels?” “Yeah. It’s a pretty new thing. Smugglers are sending extra barrels so once a gun is used, the barrel can be disposed of and a new one put on. The gun can still be used, but the lands and grooves that are unique to each barrel can’t be traced back to the gun. It’s more economic for the criminals, and the chances of getting caught with a ballistics match are much less.” “Wow. That’s pretty serious.” He nodded. “Sure is. Now you see why you’re in so much trouble?” “But it’s not my plane and not my stuff.” “But the flight plan was filed in your name. There was a tip off and the raid happened. You showed up and that was that as far as the Balinese are concerned.” “And Percy did this to me?” “It seems so.” He reached across the middle seat and patted her hand. “I’m so sorry.” “For what?” “That he did this to you. That your marriage isn’t going to work

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out.” Incredulous, she said, “I seem to recall a conversation on the beach in Miami not too long ago where you told me not to marry the man. It’s beyond belief that you now want me to believe that you’re sorry.” He shrugged. “I guess what I’m sorry about is the ordeal you’ve been through.” “I don’t know about that either, Finn. You seemed to take joy in marching me through the airport in chains and in slapping me earlier.” He shook his head as she turned her back and leaned on the window. She shut her eyes. He looked at her while she slept. Or faked sleep. It was hard to tell which. At least when she had her eyes shut, he could look at her in peace. He held the magazine open in his lap just in case she looked over at him. If she opens her eyes, I’ll say I was resting mine from reading. She looked so small. They’d left the arm rests up, and she huddled in the corner in her seat at the back of the plane. Finn couldn’t stop his thoughts from wandering. He knew she was naked under that jumpsuit. He’d seen that tantalizing rear as she’d taken that shower earlier. There were no prison issue undergarments on her. It just about drove him over the edge to be so close to her after all this time and knowing how very little she had on. It was all he could do not to reach over to touch her. Abruptly, he unhooked his seat belt again and stood to get away from her. Perhaps a little stroll would ease the constriction in my own undergarments. He walked down the aisle toward the first class section. When he saw the flight attendant from earlier striding toward him, he turned and made his way back to his seat. I’m caught between two women. One I want and one I don’t. Finn sat back down in his seat. I’m not going to look at her again. Not gonna punish myself. He shut his eyes, was soon asleep and dreamed of the last time he and Quincy had made love.

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In an hour, he woke with a start. Disoriented, he looked around. His dream had been so real, and the return to reality was a huge letdown. Literally. He groaned and covered the shrinking bulge in his pants with his jacket. Just as he got himself together, the cabin stewardess came back. He tensed, but she stopped by his seat and merely said, “It’s almost meal time. I have a cold sandwich and chopped fruit for the prisoner. I understand the policy of no silverware. Did you want the same for your meal or did you want the hot meal?” “I’ll eat what she eats. Seems fair.” The woman tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I’d almost think you have a personal interest in this one. You’ve been very kind to her. I’ve been on these prisoner flights before, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a cozy pair as you two.” “Just seems mean to me to eat a nice dinner in front of her. And we aren’t a pair. I’m just doing my job and delivering her to Los Angeles.” “Whatever helps you sleep at night.” She leaned close and added, “Since you won’t let me help you.” She sashayed off, her hips swaying in a provocative manner. Finn looked at the ceiling and wished the pilot had an accelerator to speed up this flight. The woman never let up. Finn shook Quincy awake when her food was delivered, and she ate it quickly and in silence. She sat the empty tray on the seat between them and closed her eyes again. Finn sighed. **** When Quincy woke for the second time, she poked Finn on the shoulder. “I guess I have to have your permission to use the facilities?” “Sorry to say, but yes. And I have to cuff you again to let you up.”

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She let out a deep sigh. “God, this just gets worse and worse. How the hell am I supposed to do what I need to do with cuffs on?” A few tears slid down her face. “Do you have any clue how horrible this is? To have to ask permission? To ask permission from you, especially?” He looked at her. Her comments made him sad. “Yes. I think I do, Q.” He patted her hand. Suddenly, she was in a rage. She jerked her hand away from his. He pulled back at the venom in her voice. “No. You don’t. You’ve never been in this position. So shut the hell up. Shut up, cuff me, and let me get to the ladies room. Don’t say a word to me. Just don’t talk to me anymore.” She held her hands out for the cuffs. The tears slid faster down her cheeks. Finn knew when to shut up, and he did. He cuffed her hands and stood up. He reached over to help her out of the seat. She snarled. “I can do it. Leave me be.” She jerked back, teetered, and had to steady herself on the seat back. He stepped back into the aisle. He turned and signaled to the male flight attendant to keep the other passengers out of the back of the plane until the prisoner was back in her seat. She walked out into the aisle and to the lavatory area. When she got to the door, she turned to him, and he unlocked the cuffs again. She went in the lavatory, shut the door with a solid thud and slid the bolt home to where it read occupied. Finn stood around for a long time. He paced back and forth. The cabin steward came to the back and stood there with Finn. After a few minutes, the steward said, “We can’t keep the passengers away from back here forever. They’re using the first class lavatory, but the first class group is getting annoyed with all the traffic up there. We have to open this area soon.” He looked at the closed door and turned back to Finn. “What do you think she’s doing in there?” Finn looked down at his watch. “I don’t know, but it seems like she’s been in there a long time.”

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“I can get a key. We have it in case of smokers in there.” “Go get it. I’ll see if I can make her come out.” Finn leaned on the door. “Q. Can you hear me?” Silence on the other side. “Quincy. I’m going to have to come in there after you if you don’t respond to me. Right now,” rapping hard on the door to emphasize his point. A muffled sound came from behind the door. “Quincy? Are you all right?” He heard sobs. Loud sobs. “Quincy?” The sobs got even louder. “Please tell me what’s wrong. I know you’re upset about this whole thing. You were handling it all right a few minutes ago. What happened?” In a flash, the door opened a crack and Quincy peeked out. Her face was raw, red, and streaked. It looked like she’d tried to rub her skin off. Finn took a step back, stunned at the expression on her face. It was a mix of rage and shame. “What is it?” She spit out the words. “It’s not enough that I’ve been arrested, treated like dirt and have to ask permission to relieve myself of bodily fluids, now I’ve started my period. I have no sanitary items. There are no napkins in here and even if there were, I have no panties to attach them to.” Her voice rose, shrill in the back of the plane. “So, are you happy now? You know all my secrets. Have I been abased enough for you? Is this the payback for what you perceive as the wrong I did to you two years ago? Or is this not enough? Is there more humiliation in store for me?” Finn reached toward her. “Quincy, Quincy, I’m not here to abase you. Not at all.” She opened her mouth to say something else, but before she could, he said, “Let me go find you a tampon.” He turned to walk away and

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heard her wail again. She slammed the door to the lavatory. Finn walked to the front of the plane. He hated that he was going to have to ask the vulture flight attendant for a favor. When he got to her, he said, “It seems my prisoner needs a tampon. Are there any on board?” “Now that you want something, you’re gonna be nice?” She crossed her arms and pouted. “Look, I like you. You seem nice. It just wasn’t in the cards for us. I’m on duty, and I take that very seriously. But now my prisoner needs something, and I’m asking you to help her. I’m sure if you were the prisoner, she’d help you.” “You know her that well, huh? I’ve seen you looking at her. You’ve looked at her like a sad Basset Hound since you got on this plane. It’s kind of pitiful the way you moon over her. What’s the real story here, Special Agent?” Finn forced himself to speak rationally to the woman, “Do you have a tampon or not?” The male steward came forward. “I’ve gotten one from a female passenger. Actually two.” He handed them to Finn and then turned and looked at the female flight attendant. “Be sure I’ll be reporting her lack of cooperation with a federal agent to headquarters.” Finn turned and made his way back down the aisle. When he got to the door of the lavatory, he tapped on it. “Q? I have what you need.” She opened the door and held her hand out. He put the tampon in it, and the door shut again. In just a couple of minutes, the door opened and she came out. She held her hands in front of her to have him cuff her. He turned her around, his back to the aisle so no one could see them and took her hands in his and brought them to his lips. He kissed them lightly and murmured, “Gonna pass this time. Just walk back to your seat. I’m right behind you.” He let go of her hands.

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She walked ahead of him to her seat. Once they were both seated, she turned to him. “Thanks. Sorry for being a bitch. But this was the last thing I needed.” “Can’t blame you for being upset. It’s been a rough week for you. I won’t insult you again and say I understand.” “Thanks for that, too.” She gave him a small smile. They each sat lost in their own thoughts for a few minutes. Finn broke the silence when the pilot announced they would be landing in fifteen minutes. “The protocol is to let all the other passengers debark. I’m supposed to take you off in the chains, but I’m not going to. Once the back of the plane is clear, I’m going to let you put on the clothes I have in the bag in the overhead—” “You have clothes for me and left me in this jumpsuit all this time?” He patted her leg. “Don’t get all defensive again. I couldn’t. Until we touch down, we’re still technically not free from the Balinese government. Once we’re on American soil, I can set you free to wear regular clothes and enter the airport as a regular traveler.” “Okay. I think I get that. I don’t know anything about international law, but I’ll trust you on this. And I guess I also need to thank you for bringing me some clothes to wear. Thank you, too for allowing me to fight the media gauntlet with some dignity.” The tears flowed again. Gentle tears fell this time around. “I need some dignity, Fennimore. I need it desperately.” She rubbed her cheeks again. He nodded. “Agreed, and from here on out, I’m going to make sure you get it.” “Don’t make me any promises you can’t keep, Finn. I know you have a job to do. I’ll try to cooperate.” “That’s all I ask, Q. All I ask.” The plane hit the tarmac, and they looked at each other. It was showtime.

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Chapter Nine “Confessed faults are half-mended” Scottish Proverb True to his word, once the plane was cleared of passengers, Finn opened the bin door and handed her the bag from the overhead. “Here are some clothes I brought for you to wear. I hope I remembered your size.” He moved away from where he blocked the aisle and gestured toward the back of the plane. “Go ahead and change.” Quincy went to the lavatory and shut the door again. She opened the bag, looked inside and pulled out the items, one by one. Pants, a shirt, a bra her size. Of course, he’d remembered her bra size. He’d always loved her boobs. She smiled a little at the memory. There were no panties in the bag. Still no underwear. Typical male. The one thing a woman wanted, especially this time of the month. The one thing he’d forgotten. Of course. She found a toothbrush and tooth paste as well as a comb but no makeup. Once the bag was empty, she turned it upside down and shook it. Maybe a pair of panties was hidden inside. Nope. No luck. She tried to drag the comb through her hair but was unsuccessful. The mess had gone on too long. One of the downfalls of having long, naturally curly hair was that she had to keep it nice. Every day. There was no staying ahead of it if she neglected it. She shrugged. Oh well, it’s only hair. She plucked at her cheeks to give them some color. There was nothing to be done about the lack of makeup either. Television cameras be damned. She shoved the hated jumpsuit into the bag. She didn’t fold it. She

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crammed it and then poked it with her fist. The action gave her some satisfaction. It wasn’t much, but it was something. She grimaced at herself in the mirror. Funny how the little things can make me feel better. Feeling refreshed with clean teeth, she walked out of the lavatory with the ghost of a smile on her face. Since she had on real clothes, a pair of khakis and polo shirt, she felt energized. She was a little sad to have to keep wearing the prison sandals, but she could handle that. She pulled her shoulders back and stood tall. Quincy was ready to leave the plane and face the city of Los Angeles. Finn stashed the handcuffs and chains in the carry-on bag with the jumpsuit. He led of Quincy down the aisle to exit the plane. When they arrived at the flight deck, he moved aside to let Quincy in front of him. The female flight attendant tried one more time. She rubbed her hand down Finn’s arm. “I’m spending my layover at the Marquis just outside the airport. Once you get rid of that one,” she pointed at Quincy, “come see me.” He removed her hand from his arm. “Thanks, but no. Once I get rid of her, as you say, I’m going back to Miami.” He paused for a significant second and added, “On a different airline.” He nudged Quincy forward, and they made their way to the bridge and up into the terminal. When they got inside the building, Quincy said, “That was kind of harsh, wasn’t it? A different airline?” “You sure are forgiving. She didn’t want to get you any help earlier.” “Nothing to forgive. She was just put out. She wanted you and saw me as the impediment. I’m not, of course, but that’s how she saw it.” “What do you mean?” “A woman knows when another one is eyeing a man. Even if she hadn’t been so blatant, I could’ve told you she was on the make.” “No. I mean, what do you mean you weren’t the impediment?” “I’m not the reason you turned her down. We both know that.”

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“Do we?” She looked at him sideways as they walked but he stayed silent. As they continued toward the arrivals area to the ground transportation hub, Finn said, “You ready for this? I’m sure once we get through the secured area, there will be media. I bet they knew as soon as you left Bali that you’d left. And when you’d get here.” “Gotta do it sometime, and since we ate a long time ago, I shouldn’t vomit.” She smiled the first real smile since she’d gotten on Percy’s Lear jet so many days ago. “Now’s as good a time as any. I can’t live in the airport, after all.” “Then let’s do it.” He reached to open the door that led out to the unsecured area of the airport. She put her hand on his to stop him. “Can I ask you something first?” “Sure. You know you can. You know you can ask me anything, Q.” He led her to the side wall out of the way of the crowds. “No, Finn, I don’t know. Remember, we don’t know each other anymore. But I have to know what’s next. What’s gonna happen to me now?” She looked down at her hands. “I mean, I see there’s no cuffs on me now, but there are still charges pending against me. Am I going to jail from here? Are you really dropping me off and going back to Miami?” “No, you’re not going to jail. We’re taking you to a safe house. We want you to testify against Percy Hicks.” She gaped at him. “I don’t know anything about him. Not that I can testify about. All I know is he’s an antiques dealer.” Finn looked at her. “Let’s talk about this at the safe house. Over food. Quietly and rationally. Not in the middle of an airport.” Her chin jutted out. “Fine.” “I know that look, Quincy. Let’s get you out of here before you start yelling at me. That temper of yours scares me sometimes.” She looked at him and grinned. “You don’t scare, cop. You’re a big, bad Special Agent, remember?”

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He smiled. “Glad you seem to be getting some of your spirit back, sweetheart.” He opened the door. They went down the ramp to the baggage claim area. He was right. The media was out in force. Cameras and microphones were shoved in her face. He grabbed her hand to lead her through the gauntlet. She tugged on his hand and tried to pull hers away. “Let me do this, Finn.” Quincy stopped, let go of Finn’s hand and said to the gathered crowd, “I’m gonna say this once, so get it now or never. I’m innocent. I had no idea that the plane I was to come home on had any illegal items on it. I’m determined to prove my innocence. I refer all questions to my agent.” She turned to Finn. “We’re done here. Get me out of this place.” Finn grabbed her by the elbow, and his professional training took over. He had her out the door and down to the taxi line in fifteen seconds flat. They stood in the line of about thirty people. Percy Hicks, dressed in a four thousand dollar suit, walked up. “Quincy?” Finn said, “What are you doing here?” Percy stood taller and looked down his nose at Finn. “Do I know you? Who the hell are you?” “I’m your worst nightmare.” Finn’s hands made fists at his sides. Quincy said, “Stop. Both of you.” Percy looked at her and tilted his head to the side. “Can I talk to you alone?” “Hell, no, you can’t.” Finn growled. “Like I said, mate, who are you? And why are you with my fiancée? You some kind of guard dog?” He turned to Quincy. “Who is this bloke?” Finn flashed his ATF badge. “I’m Agent Smith, and your fiancée is in my custody.” “I see no handcuffs on her.” Percy sneered at Finn and sniffed audibly.

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Finn took Quincy by the elbow. “Let’s go.” He moved forward in the line. Quincy stood in place and didn’t move. When Finn looked back at her, she said, “Let me talk to him a moment. Then I’ll be ready to go with you.” He leaned in and said, “I’m not sure this is in your interest. Talking to him, that is.” “I need to do this, Finn,” He nodded his consent, and they stepped out of line. Quincy and Percy walked over to the concrete wall and stood facing each other with their shoulders touching the façade of the building. Finn kept an eye on them but didn’t get close enough to overhear. He muttered to himself, “Hope she’s dumping the bastard. In his damn expensive suit and shoes. Looking like a model. Yep, I can see the attraction for her. After the big cop, a dignified svelte dude would be her next choice.” Finn snorted. He took out his cell phone and punched in a number. He talked on the phone as he watched the interaction between Quincy and what he hoped was her former fiancé. **** “You came all the way here to Los Angeles to see me?” “Of course I did. Don’t you remember? We have a date. You were going to win a championship, and we were going to meet here and dine.” He lowered his voice. “And make love.” She stared at him as if he’d just stripped and jumped in the Trevi Fountain in Rome. “Are you insane? Have you no idea where I’ve been? Hell, where your Lear Jet is? You know that big flying thing you paid a fortune for?” Percy patted her arm. “Yes, I know. I know. But it’s fine. No harm done.”

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Her eyes bugged out. “No harm? What are you talking about?” “Sometimes mistakes are made. It’s the cost of doing business.” She couldn’t believe her ears. Was he confessing to gun running? “Percy, what are you saying?” He shrugged. “I’m saying it’s all gonna work out. I’ll get the plane back. You’ll see. It’s all a mistake. Sorry you got caught in the middle, but it’s a mistake.” “You’re sorry I got caught in it? Why didn’t you come to straighten the mistake out?” “Sorry, darling. Couldn’t risk it. They might have thought I was involved.” “So it was all right for me to sit in an Indonesian jail, but you couldn’t risk it for yourself?” Her voice rose on the last word. Finn made a move toward her at the sound of her raised voice. She noticed and waved him off. Percy said, “I’ve got to admit, you’re stronger than me. Raised in a way I wasn’t. I couldn’t have done jail time. I admire that you could come through it unscathed. You look great. Except, of course, it seems something will have to be done about your hair.” He flicked her matted hair and made a face. “What the hell do you mean that I was raised in a way you weren’t? Are you saying I’m lower class than you?” “Of course not, darling, but you have to admit, you were raised by middle class people.” He touched her hand that hung at her side. “Percy, you’re making this worse on yourself. You need to just shut up.” Offended, he said, “Did you just tell me to shut up?” “Yeah, I did.” She turned to walk away, and he grabbed her upper arm. “I’m not done. I want you to lose your cop over there and come home with me. Come home to England. Right now.” “I can’t do that yet.” She removed his hand from her arm. She knew Finn was getting impatient and would interrupt any second.

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Sooner if he thought she was in danger from Percy. “Why not?” “I’m still in custody, and there are still charges pending against me. I have to deal with that first.” “Like I told your bulldog over there,” He pointed a thumb at Finn. “I don’t see any cuffs.” He smiled a smile she’d never thought of as smarmy before, but now it screamed jerk to her. “When will you come?” “Next week.” “And then we will make love? Get married?” “Yes. We’ll still have the wedding.” She tried not to wince as she said the words. Not while I’m still breathing, asshole. You’ll never touch me again if I can help it. Percy took her hand, pulled it to his lips and kissed it. “See you next week, then, my love.” Quincy willed herself not to wipe her hand on her pants leg. She turned and walked over to Finn. “Ready?” He peered at her face. “Ready.” He held his arm out, and she took it. They walked back over to the cab line that was now empty and hailed a taxi to what Quincy thought would be the safe house. **** Finn had the cabbie drive them to the local Federal office building where the nearest ATF office was headquartered. It was a long drive from the airport to the offices in Glendale. Quincy sat silent for most of the ride. Seeing Percy again was hard. He looked so handsome and debonair. He was a gorgeous man with his light brown hair and brown eyes to match. A gorgeous man with no soul. She wanted to vomit. What an attitude he had. So blasé about her ordeal. That hurt. A lot. The nerve of him to say what he’d said. I could handle it better than him indeed. We’ll just see about that when I nail his ass. Finn interrupted her thoughts. “Why so quiet, Q?”

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“Just thinking.” She stared straight ahead at the back of the cab driver’s head. “About testifying?” “No. About my life and where to go from here.” “You need to help us put Hicks away. We both know it.” She twisted in the seat and faced him. “Finn. I have nothing that’ll help you. You were a homicide cop for years. You know you have to have evidence. Real evidence. Not just the fiancée of the accused to take the stand and whine about her problems in Bali. That proves nothing against Percy, and you know it. You said it yourself on the plane. The flight plans were filed in my name. All the evidence you have right now points to me. That’ll get you exactly nowhere.” She reached over and tapped his hand where it rested on his thigh. “You’re blinded by the need to take him down for some reason, but you’ll have to do it without me. I have nothing to offer. Nothing.” He looked at her, willing her to help him. “I think you probably do. You just don’t know what you know.” “Bull. The man never shared anything about his work with me. Even the auction house. I visited his family once in London, and we went to the auction house only one time the whole trip. On that visit, I walked around and looked at the oil paintings that were to go under the hammer that weekend while he made some calls in his office. I wasn’t even in the room where he was.” She shrugged. “I can’t get up on the witness stand and say anything that will help you. All I’ll accomplish is making what you tell me is a very bad person mad at me. And then what?” “You could go into witness protection.” She shook her head, emphatically. “Uh-uh, no way.” “Why not?” “Why not give up my life? Give up my job, my friends, my very identity? I dunno, Finn, you tell me.” “To put away someone who kills people every day with his illegal weapons? You know you hate guns and all they stand for. After your

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parents died—” She interrupted him. She did not want to talk about her parents. “Did you go deaf in the last two years? What part of I have no useful information don’t you get? I’m not giving up my life for no reason. I won’t.” She shook her head again. They had pulled in front of the Federal office building, and Finn opened the car door. He reached over the seat and paid the fare. He stepped from the car and reached back in to assist her. She ignored his extended hand, slid across the seat and out of the car. “Why the Federal building? I thought we were going to a safe house.” “I have to report in. Show the Special Agent in Charge that you’re here. And I thought you might want to get your baggage. Marta brought it.” “Marta’s here? Wonderful, I can’t wait to see her.” He nodded. “I called her while you were speaking to Hicks. And speaking of him, another reason we’re here is to change vehicles and get you to the safe house without being followed.” “You think Percy followed us here?” “I’m quite sure of it.” He took her elbow. “Let’s get inside.” Finn walked her across the sidewalk and opened the door. Before she went in, she heard a clap of thunder. She looked up at the sky. “Looks like rain on the way. I thought it didn’t rain in this part of the state.” “I think it’ll blow over fast. C’mon, let’s report in so we can go.” She got back to the prior discussion. “Why do you think Percy followed us?” “Because he’s a criminal, and he thinks you’re gonna rat him out.” “And you think he’s gonna try to stop me?” They arrived at the security gate and Finn flashed his ID. The officer in charge let them through. Bypassing the magnetometer, Finn escorted her to the escalator. Once they’d stepped on, he responded, “Yeah. I think if he thinks you’re going to talk, he’s going to stop

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you.” “I don’t think you have to worry about that.” “Why?” He looked at her askance. “I think I do need to worry about it, Q.” “Don’t think so. You see, he thinks I’m coming to London as soon as I can next week. To marry him.” “What?” His voice cracked. “Are you crazy? After all you’ve just been through because of him? You can’t be serious.” He gaped at her. “Oh, I most assuredly am serious about going to London.” They walked off the escalator and to the door of the ATF offices. “I can’t believe you.” Finn ran his hand through his hair. “Was all that carrying on when we were on the plane an act? I wouldn’t have believed it. It seemed real enough.” “No. It was not an act.” She shook her head and then thought about what he’d said. “I did not carry on.” “Yeah, you did.” Before she could respond, another agent walked up and grabbed the door knob. “You going in—” He looked at Finn, then at Quincy. Finn held out his hand. “Special Agent Smith. Fennimore Smith, South Florida field office.” The man let go of the door knob and shook Finn’s hand. “Robert McAdams. We’ve been expecting you.” He looked down at Quincy. “This our little gun runner?” Quincy pulled herself up to her full five-foot-four inch height. “Hey—” Finn interrupted, “Quincy Holt, this is officer McAdams.” “So I heard.” She made a face. “Let’s get this part of the humiliation over with.” She turned the knob and walked through the door. As soon as Quincy stepped into the office, she heard a squeal. “Quincy, Quincy, oh thank God.” Marta grabbed her in a bear hug. “Oof.” The air whooshed out of Quincy’s lungs, and she tapped Marta on the back. Her voice muffled in the shoulder pad of her

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agent’s suit jacket, “Let me go. I can’t breathe.” Marta pulled back and searched her client’s face. “You all right? God, I was so worried. Gee. What did they do to you? Your hair looks like hell. You’ve got no makeup on. Dear God, Quincy, what’s going on?” Quincy laughed. A real laugh, from her belly, and grabbed her agent. This time, she was the one to hug someone too hard. “Thank God some things don’t change. You have to stop between sentences to breathe, Marta.” “No time for that. Not when there are questions to be answered.” Marta hugged her again. “Thank God you’re home.” “Hello, Marta. Remember me?” Finn interjected. She let go of her client and eyed Finn. “Yes. I remember you, you handsome devil. You were such a nice man. Before you broke my friend’s heart, that is.” Finn stood silent at that remark, and Quincy took pity on him. “Finn, is there a place I can talk to Marta for a minute before I give my statement?” “Let me find out. This isn’t my territory.” He walked over to Special Agent McAdams and spoke to him for a minute. When he came back, he pointed across the room to a closed door. “There’s a room right over here. I’ll take you in, and you can talk to Marta a minute. But then it’s time to get serious.” She saluted him. “Aye, aye.” “Smart ass.” “That’s me,” she said over her shoulder as she walked over to the room with Marta on her tail. She opened the door, and they went in. The interrogation room looked a little cozier than the one in Bali, but not much. This one at least had carpet on the floor and a wooden table. And most importantly, an American Flag in the room and pictures of the President of the United States and the seal of the Department of Justice on the walls. Quincy looked around before she sat “Just wanted to ask you about the sponsors. Is that all over? I’m

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sure BongoMongo bailed. Used the morals clause I wasn’t concerned about. But what about Silver Liquid?” Marta sat on the corner of the table. “Yep, Murray said he wants out. I’m trying to get them to wait until we can get the charges dropped, but he’s making a lot of noise about your squeaky clean image being tarnished.” “Marta, what about Silver Liquid?” “You don’t care about BongoMongo?” Quincy shook her head. “I know you do, it’s a great commission for you, but it’s only money. As far as I’m concerned, it was a pipe dream anyway. It never seemed real. My relationship with Silver Liquid has always been personal. They took a chance on me before I was known at all, and it would hurt to lose them.” Deep sigh. “Quincy, I’m not all about money. I do care about you as a person. This would’ve been a great coup for us both. I haven’t given up on it yet.” “Marta. What. About. Silver. Liquid?” Quincy gritted her teeth. “Geez, get a grip, Quincy. They’re still on board as your sponsor.” Marta giggled. “On board. Haha. I made a pun.” Quincy groaned. “Good grief.” There was a tap on the door. It opened immediately thereafter. Finn’s head poked in. “Ready?” “Yes. Marta and I are done.” Quincy looked at Marta. “Thanks for bringing me my gear. I’m really sorry about the statues.” Marta wiped a little tear that had escaped. “The bastards thought we were getting drugs hidden in the statues in trade for the guns. Shouldn’t have bought so many, I guess.” “I really am sorry. I know how you loved them.” “Yeah and you’d think the cops would know they were solid carvings, but one of them told me that some hollowed out ones had been used in the past for smuggling. I was just glad they let me leave. I’ll never want a Buddha again.” Marta stood and walked toward the door.

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Quincy got up herself and hugged Marta. “Thanks again.” “Sure. I’ll be in touch about the deal if there’s any news.” “I’ll be heading home to the bungalow as soon as they let me go.” Marta left, and Finn came in with the Special Agent in Charge and a woman. He made the introductions. “Quincy Holt, this is the Agent in charge, Michael Scott, and this is the court reporter, Elaine Barnes. They’re going to take your statement, once you sign the immunity agreement. The Department of Justice has decided to give you immunity from prosecution for helping us. That’s if you decide to help us. If not, you can call a lawyer.” “I guess I need a lawyer since I have no information that’ll help you.” “All right then. Do you have one in mind?” “Let’s get Marta to call one she knows.” “I’ll go get her.” Finn left the room. **** Once Marta’s lawyer came and Quincy gave her statement which turned out to be as unhelpful as she knew it would be, she was cleared to leave the building. Finn said, “You have to be starving. Want to get something to eat before we go to the place we’re putting you up for the night or do you want to head there and have something delivered?” “Let’s get pizza and some beer. I want to feel like I’m in America. I’m sick of coconut oil in all my food. And a hot pizza with gooey cheese sounds like nirvana about now. It would feel like home.” He laughed. “You still like that Kona beer? What’s it called?” “Longboard Lager.” He snorted. “I always wondered if you drank it just because of the name or if you really liked the taste of it.” “I’m not as petty as that. Although I wouldn’t mind having them as a sponsor.” Her smile showed her dimples. “The first time I was

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old enough to drink when I was at a competition on the Big Island in Hawaii, someone told me I needed to try it. I did and loved it. Of course, their Pipeline Porter is good, too. I just prefer the lager. I can’t help the name of it.” Finn stood and grabbed Quincy’s bags from where they lay on the floor. He also picked up another bag, a black leather duffle. “C’mon then, let’s go.” Quincy tilted her head toward the bag. “What’s in the duffle?” “It’s my gear. I left it here to travel light to Bali.” “Glad to know you’re gonna be able to shave and bathe.” She looked up at his chin. “The five o’clock shadow looks like a midnight one now.” He ran his hand over his face, and the rasp caused him to wince. “Glad you remember what I look like at midnight. You used to like my scruffy face. Said it felt sensuous on your skin. Drove you mad as I recall.” He lowered his voice. “Especially when I had my face in certain places on you.” “Shut up, Finn. All that’s over now.” She grabbed her own bag from his hand. God, I do remember how it felt. Don’t want to, but I do. If I let myself, I’ll reach up and touch him and I’ll be lost. They made their way out of the office, down the escalator and out into the rain. There was a black Escalade waiting at the back entrance to the building. Finn threw their gear in the back of the vehicle, and the driver took off down the street. Quincy looked out the side window. “Thought the rain would be gone by now.” The driver said, “Will be soon. Rain showers here usually last less than two hours.” He drove them twenty miles to an apartment near Hermosa Beach. The driver pulled up in front of a squat little building near the boardwalk. The rain had slowed to a drizzle. Quincy and Finn got out, and Finn grabbed their gear. Before he

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closed the back door, Finn stuck his head in the Escalade. “You coming back for us in the morning? Our flight is at nine a.m. so we need an early ride to the airport.” “Someone will be here for you, sir.” “Thanks, man.” Finn slammed the door and turned to Quincy. “Let’s get in there, put down our stuff, and then get that pizza. I think it’s safe. I hope we lost Hicks on the way over, and if he shows up, I can handle him.” “I’m starved. I’m also not afraid of Percy. Let’s get some food.” Once their stuff was stowed, they walked down the boardwalk to a local pizzeria, Finn armed with his Glock. They were both damp when they got there. They took a seat in a booth, and Quincy tried to tame the frizz from her hair. She smoothed it down, but it was hopeless. The waitress came to the table for their order. Unfortunately, there was no Long Board beer in the joint. Quincy had to settle for a Dogfish Pale Ale. They ordered a large olive and jalapeno pie. While they waited for the pizza, Quincy looked around, anywhere other than across the table from Finn. She couldn’t deny her attraction to him, and the best thing to do was avoid eye contact. She paid particular attention to the decor of the place. It wasn’t a spectacular place. Just a bunch of wood tables scattered about and booths against the walls, no table cloths on the tables. All kinds of posters of different vegetables and meats that go on pizzas hung on the walls. The posters were framed in cheap frames from the dollar store. The place seemed cheaply designed, but it fit in the beach culture, and Quincy felt at home. Finn watched at her looking around. “This place fit your expectations?” “It’s fine. I like it. Not fussy at all.” She leaned back in the booth. He slid across his seat in the booth to the edge. Before he got up, he said, “I’m going to put some music on the jukebox over there in the corner. Wanna come?”

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“No. You pick something. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Quincy watched him walk over to the jukebox. She sighed. Her heart turned over in her chest as she looked at him. His butt had always been one of her weaknesses. God, he’s gorgeous. Wonder if we’d have been married by now if it hadn’t been for Craig Miller’s stunt. She liked to think so. She’d been so in love with Finn. Still was if she let herself think about it. Can’t think about it. Finn leaned over the jukebox to read the selection of songs on offer. His pants pulled tight across his butt, and the memories hit Quincy so hard she groaned. She pictured herself lying under him with her hands on that rear. Oh how I loved to squeeze those cheeks as he thrust into me. She couldn’t get it out of her mind. Making love with Finn was the most spectacular thing she’d ever done in her life. Even shooting the pipe in Hawaii couldn’t beat it. Having Finn in her bed was like having a lit firecracker in there. It was combustible. Just as she thought she’d have an orgasm just thinking about him, he turned around from the jukebox and smiled his most charming smile, the one that always melted her heart, especially when his face was scruffy. She loved that look on him. He was always so careful to be clean shaven, it was a rare pleasure to see him as he looked now. She groaned again. How can I resist him? I only thought I was over him when I agreed to marry Percy. My heart knows how stupid that was. As Finn made his way back to her and the song he’d chosen began to play, she groaned a third time. Why’d he pick that song? Finn came back to the table and sat across from Quincy. “Remember this song?” “Of course I do. It’s from the movie Don Juan DeMarco.” He tilted his head. “That’s it?” A ghost of a smile passed her lips. “We both know it’s the song you asked the DJ to play the night you first told me you loved me. Why play it now, Finn?”

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“Because as Bryan Adams says, ‘when you love a woman, tell her that she’s the one’.” The song came on again. “So, you played it twice?” “Na. I played it six times, I think. Maybe seven.” She laughed. “They’re gonna throw you out of here, and I’ll be mad because I’m hungry.” Just as the word hungry left her mouth, the waitress came and delivered their pizza. Finn served Quincy a slice before he took one for himself. She took a big bite of her slice. She closed her eyes and savored the taste of the pie. “Can’t say it’s as good as the Tuscany Grill, but nowhere is, is it?” “No. That’s the best pizza I’ve ever had.” He took a big bite of his slice and washed it down with beer. He sat his bottle down and reached across the table to take her free hand. “Aren’t you going to ask me why I played that song?” She pulled her hand back. “No. I’m not. I don’t want to know.” “I’m going to tell you anyway. You’re kind of a captive audience.” She waggled her pizza at him. “I’m only captive because I have food that I want to eat and because you have my plane ticket home. Otherwise, I might leave.” “Quincy, enough evasion. I want to say something and I want you to listen.” His face serious, he added, “Really listen to what I have to say. No interruptions. Can I have that?” She nodded, silent. He took her hand again, and she didn’t pull back this time. “I want to say that I screwed up. I royally screwed up. Two years ago. I was an idiot- a complete and utter idiot. I should have come to you when I saw that picture and article about you and Craig Miller. I should’ve let you explain what happened.” He squeezed her hand. “When I kissed you on the beach back in Miami, I realized that I loved you still and that you wouldn’t have

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cheated on me with that man. Not with the way you kissed me. Your response to me hadn’t changed. Even though I knew you were engaged to Hicks, you still kissed me with all the passion you always had. You were still my Quincy. I had to face the facts. You never stopped caring about me, and I was stupid.” She smiled. “Finn, I’m glad you recognize that you were an idiot. It’s about time. Craig is a dear friend. Always has been, always will be. I’m glad you can see that.” “Quincy, I’m dead serious. I love you. I’m asking for another chance. I trust you. I know you wouldn’t cheat on me.” He ran his free hand through his hair. “I even saw that picture of you and Miller on the beach in Bali on the Internet the day before the competition, and I knew it was nothing.” “Why? Why believe it now? Why now and not two years ago?” She picked up her beer with her free hand and took a drink. “If you thought I was having sex with Craig two years ago when you and I were so involved with each other that we were combustible, why wouldn’t you have doubts now? What’s changed? What’s different? I know you haven’t changed.” “Like I said, you wouldn’t have responded to me the way you did if you didn’t still have feelings for me.” She shook her head and pulled her hand away from his again. She wiped her hand on the leg of her pants. She couldn’t believe how it was sweating. “No, Finn. That’s not the question. The question is really why didn’t you come to me two years ago and ask me about it. Or, even if you needed me to pass a test, to test me by kissing me back then?” “My mother.” “Your mother?” Her voice caught. “Your mother, who I never met, told you to dump me?” He spread his hands. “No, no. Nothing like that.” “Then what? I’m confused.” “My mother was never faithful to my father. Maybe she was long

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enough to get pregnant with three kids in five years but after that, she wasn’t. She was always running around on him. They divorced when Jamie was five. Dad got custody of us and almost every time we visited with her, she had a different man in the house.” He shrugged. “I think it had the biggest impact on me, not Coop and Jamie. I was the oldest, and it hit me hard. It made me distrustful of women.” “So you just thought I was like her? All women are like her?” “I did say I was an idiot.” She nodded. “That’s true. You have no idea what your high handed decision did to me. None.” A few tears trickled down her cheeks. “It was terrible, Finn. Just terrible. I almost lost it. Well, truly, I did lose it for a time. Avery pulled me out of it. Then I met Percy.” Finn made a face at the mention of Percy. “Don’t look like that.” She took a long swallow of her beer. “Percy made me feel like a desirable woman again. After you threw me aside, I didn’t feel attractive because I couldn’t figure out what happened. You never said anything. You just walked away.” Finn reached across the table for her again, and she crossed her arms across her chest. “And I’m trying to walk back now. I want us to be together again, Q.” She leaned over the table top and hissed, “It’s not always all about what you want, Fennimore Smith. I’m not a GI Joe you can play with for a little while and throw aside and then two years later remember I’m in the toy box and come back for me. Life doesn’t work like that.” She sat back in the booth with a thud on the back rest. “Wow. That’s a lot of venom, lady.” “Yeah, it is.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe you thought playing an old song and telling me you’re an idiot would make me jump into your arms.” “I didn’t think it’d be quite that easy, but I wanted to let you know how I feel. I’m back in the game if you’ll give me a chance.” “Did you forget that I have a fiancé?” “You can’t be serious about that.” His eyebrows rose almost to his

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hairline. “I’m going to London next week to meet him.” “I’ll be right behind you.” “You gonna stalk me, cop?” She smiled. “No. I’m gonna stalk my suspect. You’re just a side benefit. And I mean benefit. If you go to London, looking at you will be a real perk of the job of tracking Percy Hicks.” He winked. She laughed and grabbed another slice of pizza.

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Chapter Ten “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye” Antoine de Saint-Exupery (French writer and aviator 1900-1944) Full from the pizza, Finn and Quincy walked side by side down the boardwalk toward the little apartment that was a safe house for the local branch office of the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Agency. The air was cool, and Quincy, in bliss, inhaled the scent of salt that wafted over her. “I’ll never live anywhere not near the sea. I adore the ocean. No matter which one.” “Sorry to tell you, Q, but there’s no ocean in London.” She punched him the upper arm. “Smarty. I know that.” “Yet you said you’re moving there. To marry Hicks.” “I believe I said I was going to London. I didn’t add anything else to that sentence.” Finn put his hand on her upper arm and stopped her in her tracks. He turned her to face him. “Are you marrying Hicks or not?” Please say no, please say no. She looked at him for a full minute, searching his face. “I don’t think I can discuss that with you.” He groaned. “Why? I just told you that I love you and want us to be together. Why can’t you tell me if there’s hope for us? If you tell me you want that prissy Brit in the expensive clothes, I’ll leave you alone. If you still want that man after what he put you through, and I can’t believe that you do, I’ll leave you alone and never again tell you that I want you.” He stared at her, silently begging her to love him.

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She reached up and touched his face. A caress. He leaned into her hand, turned his head and kissed her palm. Oh God, is she going to say she wants me? She pulled her hand away. “Finn, can I ask you something?” “Anytime, sweetheart.” “I can’t stand smelling the ocean without getting in. Can I get into my suit when we get back and go for a swim?” “It’s cold. The water will be freezing.” She pulled his arm. “C’mon, let’s get back so I can go in.” “Did you hear what I just said? It’s too cold.” “I’ve been in every ocean on Earth except the Arctic. I know how cold the Pacific is. I can handle it. You can sit on shore or even in the apartment. I don’t need a guard.” “You’re just trying to avoid answering my question.” “You may be right, but you also know me. I need the water. I need it to keep me sane.” She stopped walking again and turned to him. “I have to process what I just went through. Surely you remember I process better in salt water.” He laughed. “Makes you sound like a meat that needs tenderizing.” “Maybe so, maybe so.” Quincy turned and started to run. She yelled back at him. “Race you.” He couldn’t resist the challenge and took off after her. He’d forgotten how fast she was, her legs powerful from her career. He almost didn’t catch her before she got to the door. Just as she reached the front stoop, he grabbed her from behind with both arms around her waist. He swung her around, sat her down and stepped on the porch first. “No fair,” she laughed, “you cheated.” She shoved him aside and darted past him to the door. Finn had the key in his hand and stood over her to unlock the door. He pressed against her. Couldn’t help it. Being near her was driving him mad. His penis was hard as a rock with desire for her. She

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still had the scent of the ocean that he remembered and overlaying that was the scent he recognized. She may be denying it, pretending she doesn’t notice how hard I am, but she wants me. I know it. I can tell she’s wet. It’s like we were never apart. “You gonna open the door, cop?” “Yeah. I guess so. Since you insist.” He stuck the key in the lock. “Thought you were cold.” “Not anymore. I seem to have gotten warm pretty fast.” He opened the door and followed her in, bereft as she moved away from him. “The run heat you up?” she asked over her shoulder. “You could say that. Or not.” Quincy didn’t look back at him. She bounded over to the small bedroom, went in, shut the door, and yelled through it. “I’m getting on my suit. You coming with me?” “Yeah. I can’t let you out of my sight.” Not only because of the job, but because I’m bewitched all over again. Within seconds, she came through the door. She wore a T-shirt over what he presumed was her suit. He grabbed his jacket. “If I’m gonna sit on the beach while you’re out there freezing your tail off, I’m gonna be warm.” She passed by where he stood and punched him in the arm. “Wimp.” He rubbed his arm as if she’d hurt him. “Yeah. That’s me. A total wimp.” She tilted her head. “Maybe not a total wimp. You did come to get me from Bali.” He bowed low. “If that’s a thank you, you’re welcome.” She dipped her chin. “Yes, that’s a thank you. A very sincere thank you.” He quirked an eyebrow, “I can think of another way for you to thank me.” “Stop it, Finn. Don’t push me.”

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She walked over to the door and went out. Almost before Finn got the door shut, Quincy had run across the boardwalk and sand. Tossed the T-shirt over her head and threw it down. She was in the water in just a few seconds after that. Finn followed at an amble. It would be a while. It was her favorite way to unwind. He knew it as well as he knew his own name. The woman was a creature of the ocean, and his two year absence from her life had done nothing to change that. Finn sat in the sand, leaned back against a palm tree, and settled in for a long wait. Finn sat and watched Quincy swim and float around. She mostly just floated on the waves. He thought over the way he’d treated her two years before and the way she seemed to be responding to being around him now. He resolved to trust her, to believe she wasn’t a woman like his mother, and to put all his jealousy of Craig Miller aside. She’d said that she and Craig were friends and always would be. He knew he’d have to believe that if he was going to have any chance at all to be in her life. As he saw her swim, he made a conscious decision to accept that friendship in her life and move past it, to make an effort to befriend the man himself. He knew it’d be hard. Miller was a fine looking man, and it would be hard to watch Quincy be around him, to watch the man he’d looked at as a rival put his hands on her. It sure seemed like Miller was always touching her. But he’d do it, be friends with the guy, if that’s what it took to win her. Resolved to tell her all that when she got out of the water, he stood and wiped the sand off the back of his pants. He paced the beach for a few minutes until she got out of the water. Quincy stood up in the spume. He gasped at her beautiful body. How could he have forgotten how exquisite she looked in that red knitted bikini he’d bought her? He remembered her delight when he’d given it to her. He’d accompanied her on a trip to a competition in Costa Rica and while she practiced, and he’d found it in one of the

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shops on the beach. Glad to see she kept it even if she was upset with me. That has to mean something, doesn’t it? Stop it, moron, she just likes the suit is all. As she stepped out of the ocean, Quincy grabbed her hair and pulled it over her shoulder to wring it out. She walked toward where Finn stood. “Hey there, did I take too long?” She shivered. He held out her T-shirt. “You’re cold. Put this on.” She took it from his hands and pulled it over her head. “That’s better.” “I can’t resist asking this, Q.” “What? Like I said earlier, you can ask me anything.” He snorted. “Yeah. I doubt that. As I recall, there’s still a question from our last conversation that you haven’t answered.” She shrugged. “What’s the new question then?” “Ah. So, I can’t ask you anything.” “I said you could ask. I didn’t say I’d answer, Finn. That’s a whole other matter. Answers, that is.” She shrugged. “You haven’t changed at all. Still sassy.” He grinned. In a quiet voice, she said, “I have changed, Finn. I’m not as vulnerable as I was. I’ll never let my heart go like I did once.” From the look she gave him, he knew she meant with him. It broke his heart to know what an ass he’d been, how he’d hurt her. He reached toward her. “Q. I’m sorry. I hate what I—” “Never mind. You had a question.” “Maybe I shouldn’t ask.” “Now you have to.” “Ok. I will. I see you have on the red suit I bought you in Central America. I just wondered why you kept it.” He tilted his head. “If you hated me, why keep the suit? It has to remind you of making love with me in the sand on the beach in Costa Rica.” She shook her head. “I confess I had it packed away. I pulled it out to take to Bali with me. After I saw you.” His heart soared. “After you kissed me on the beach?”

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She laughed. “As I recall, it was you who kissed me. Not the other way around.” He took a step toward her. “Want to do it again?” She took a step back. “No. I don’t. Let’s get back to the apartment. We need some sleep. It’s an early morning tomorrow.” He shrugged. “I had to try.” She turned to walk back across to the apartment. “You did, and you failed. C’mon. I’m ready to shower and get to bed. I can’t wait to get home.” He trailed behind her. This time when he unlocked the door, he didn’t try to press against her. He needed to give her space. He knew he was pushing her too fast. She went into the bedroom for a couple of minutes. She came out with her shower gear and headed to the bathroom. As she passed Finn sitting on the couch, she said, “I notice there’s only one bedroom. Do the cops usually sleep with the witnesses?” He looked up at her. “No. The Special Agents sit out here and keep vigil. Usually people stashed here are in danger from very bad people. Special Agents sleep on their off time not on duty. So, no need for two bedrooms.” “So, you’ll take the couch?” “That’s what I just said.” She looked at the smallness of the sofa where he sat. “But you’re much larger than me. Wouldn’t it be better for me to sleep on the couch?” “No. Don’t worry about it. I’ve slept in worse.” “I just bet you have.” She turned around and walked into the bathroom.” In just a few seconds, he heard the water running. It drove him mad to know she was in the next room, naked, wet, and soapy. He spent the whole time she was in the shower fantasizing over all the memories of them making love in various bodies of water and hotel showers. He thought of how the soap always foamed over her breasts

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and how he’d liked to lick it off her rounded curves, taking her nipples in his mouth last. He groaned at the memories and stood up to go outside to cool off just as she came out of the bathroom in a large mens’ T-shirt. She looked at him. The size of his erection was unmistakable. She put her hand to her mouth. “Oh my.” He was on her in two steps. He pulled her against him and plundered her mouth with his. His tongue teased hers, and he nipped her on the bottom lip. She threw her arms around him and pressed her hips to his. She returned his kiss, as desperate as him. He tugged her bottom toward him and slid his hand up her back, under the shirt. The tips of his fingers ran lightly up and down her spine. She was on her tip toes as she ran her hand across the nape of his neck. Still kissing her, he moved her backward toward the couch. When the backs of his calves hit the sofa, he sat and dragged her down on top of him. His right hand went around to cup her breast and he murmured into her mouth, “I love you, baby. I want you.” She sat bolt upright, back to her senses. She jumped off his lap, a little chagrined as he grimaced at the pain in his groin. She skittered across the room to the bedroom door and leaned on it. “Finn. I’m sorry. I can’t.” He didn’t get up. He physically couldn’t for the moment. He stared at her in disbelief. “What do you mean? You clearly have feelings for me. You couldn’t respond like that if you didn’t.” “I’m not denying that I want you. What I’m saying is that I can’t do this. What you want.” He stood and made a move toward her. She held her hand up. “Stop. Don’t come closer.” “Quincy.” His words were a plea. “Finn. Don’t.” She opened the door to the bedroom.

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“Just tell me why, Q. Tell me why.” The tears streamed down her face. “Because if I sleep with you while I’m engaged to Percy, I’ll be exactly what you thought I was two years ago when you thought I cheated on you with Craig. I am not that kind of person and—” “I know you aren’t. I trust you. I was wrong about Craig. I know you didn’t cheat on me.” “If I sleep with you now, Finn, you’ll never be able to trust me. You’ll always have that in the back of your mind. It’ll be in your head that I did the same with Craig as you want me to do with you. You’ll always think that I’m a cheat and a liar. That I’m like your mother.” “I won’t. I know you aren’t like her. I promise I’ll never mistrust you again. It was the worst mistake of my life, and I promise it’ll never happen again.” She shook her head. “You can’t promise that, Finn. You can’t. You couldn’t control it. The doubts of my fidelity would always be there.” She turned, went in the room, and shut the door. He heard the lock click, locking him away from his love. He sat on the couch with his head in his hands. **** Quincy leaned on the door and looked around at the bedroom. The lonely room felt doubly empty to her. Since she knew she could walk back out the door and be with the man who always knew the right way to bring her to bliss, she steeled her spine and resolved to keep strong. You can’t give in to lust. There’s no way he’s changed. He can talk all day, but he’s still the same. If you sleep with him, he’ll think he was right about you. She sighed at the drabness of the room. Plain and sparse, a bedside table with a clock and a Bible and, across the room, a dresser with a small television on top. No other furniture in the room. There was nothing on the walls but paint.

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She walked over and lay down on the bed, her hands behind her head. Deep sigh. May as well look at the ceiling for all the stimulus this room offers. What kind of place is this? Enough to drive a protected witness into the street hoping for a truck to smash them to smithereens. She giggled. It was better than fretting about the man in the other room. She knew she wanted him. She wanted him to be the stimulus in the room. Oh how she wanted him to stimulate her senses. Quincy sat up and punched her pillow. She lay on her stomach and closed her eyes. In a couple of minutes, she faced the clock. After she stared at the little red analog numbers for a full five minutes, she flipped and faced the other wall. Within a few minutes, she lay on her back again and stared at the ceiling. She fought the bed for hours and punched her pillow over and over, trying to find a comfortable spot that would allow her to rest. All night long, she fought her inclination to run to the other room and leap on Finn. Finally, around dawn, she fell into a deep sleep. After what seemed like less than twenty minutes, a rap on the door startled her awake. “Quincy. Q, can you hear me? We need to get ready for the airport.” “I’m up. I’m up.” She sat up, ran her hands through her hair and winced in pain. She has snarls from hell. Tons of them. God, I really beat up my bed last night. Hell, I beat up myself. She put her bare feet to the floor and padded across the room, wearing her favorite nightwear, an oversized T-shirt, and panties. She opened the door and peered out at him. “I’ll just be a moment.” She had to grab the doorknob for support. Finn stood just outside the bedroom, looking all clean and wonderful. His face freshly shaven and so handsome. His hair still damp, it was all she could do not to reach up and touch it. She’d always loved the smell of his freshly shampooed hair and the scent of him when he got out of the shower. Her knees went weak as the remembered smell wafted over her. He smelled like Head and Shoulders and Irish Spring. It was his special smell that she adored.

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Finn looked down at her and flicked her hair. “What happened here?” “What?” She put her hand up to her head. “Looks like Medusa moved in.” “Very funny.” She flounced past him to the little bathroom. She had to move away. She had to before she made a fool of herself. She took a quick shower and pulled her hair back in an elastic band. Finn was right. It looked like Medusa’s tresses. Once Quincy was dressed and had all her gear back in her bag, they headed out the door to the waiting Expedition. It was a different driver than the day before. They rode in the back again, and the driver took them back to LAX and dropped them at the check-in area. Finn got out first and handed Quincy her bag. “I got the only direct flight today. Five hours total. Paid extra but figured we didn’t want to change planes in Cincinnati. I figured you were tired of planes.” He swung his bag. “Not checking my bag, are you?” “Nah. But I would like to go to the check-in desk to see if I can upgrade us to first class. It’ll be my treat.” She smiled at him. “I don’t want to be squeezed in the back row again.” “Even without hand cuffs?” “Even without.” “But it’s so cozy back there.” He winked. “We could cuddle.” “Being too cozy is precisely why I want to be in the front. I’m not going to cuddle with you, Finn.” She flounced across the sidewalk and to the door. She looked back at him. “You coming?” He shrugged, disappointed. “Yeah. I’m coming.” They got upgraded and to the gate early enough to enjoy a cup of coffee and a bagel. After she swallowed a bite of her bagel, Quincy said, “Thanks for being so nice today. This is a change from the last flight, huh?” “I was trying to be nice on the other flight, Q. I just couldn’t let anyone know I was a friend of yours.” “Is that what we are? Friends?” She took a swallow of her coffee.

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“I’d like to think so.” He squeezed her thigh. She nodded once. “I think I can live with that.” “It’s a start.” Finn’s phone rang. He held up his index finger. “Hang on.” He opened the phone. “Fennimore Smith.” All Quincy could hear was his end of the conversation. “Yes. I’ll be at Miami International around five-thirty p.m. with the time change.” Pause. “Yes. I have her with me.” Pause. “Yes, I’m fine.” Pause. “No, no need for the club.” Pause. “Coop, I’m fine. Really.” When he closed the phone, Quincy said, “Your brother?” “Yeah.” “He worried about you for some reason?” Finn turned to face her and put his hand on her cheek. “Yeah, seems like he thinks you’re gonna hurt me again.” Her jaw dropped and she slapped his hand away. “Me hurt you? What the hell—” “From his perspective. Remember, all he knows is my side. And we do have the same mother.” “You both have issues, is right. I have no idea what club you were talking about, but you two belong to a club, all right.” He laughed. “I’ll tell you the story about that club sometime. I was subjected to a meeting of it before I came to get you. I think we need more members. Dilute the blood so to speak.” She glared at him. “I’m not even going to try to understand that. Waste of brain cells.” Before he could say anything, the airline staff person called the flight. They stood and made their way to the boarding door, tossing their trash in the can on the way. Once they were airborne, Quincy said, “I didn’t sleep much last night. I may end up taking a nap.” Finn put his hand on top of hers where it rested on the arm rest. “Are you all right?” “What do you mean?” “I’d have thought you’d sleep like the dead your first night in a

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real bed.” “Oh yeah, that. I thought I would, too, but it didn’t happen.” “Why?” “I had too much on my mind.” His hand still on hers, Finn looked in her eyes. “I hope it was me. I hope the thought of me hard and wanting you on the other side of the door was the reason you didn’t sleep.” “No.” “You said that too fast. I don’t believe you.” She pulled her hand out of his. “Don’t use your interrogation techniques on me, cop.” He laughed. “Can’t help it, sweetheart. It’s who I am.” She sighed. “I know. I know.” She waved the stewardess over and when she got to their seats, said, “Can I get a blanket and pillow?” “Yes, ma’am.” The woman bustled off to do her passenger’s bidding. Quincy looked at Finn. “This one doesn’t seem to have the hots for you, mate.” “That’s very funny, surfer. She’s old enough to be my mother.” “Old enough to be your mother’s younger sister maybe.” “Whatever, she’s not my type.” “What is your type?” The flight attendant came back, handed Quincy the requested items and walked away. “I only have one type, and if I had a mirror, I’d hand it to you and you could look in it and see my type.” “You’re so suave, Finn. So suave.” She quirked one eyebrow. “So, you like Medusa?” He had the grace to look abashed. “You have to admit, your hair was a royal mess this morning.” “It’s been a snarled mass of knots since I was taken to the jail in Bali. This kind of hair takes a lot of work, mister.” She grabbed a handful of it and shook it at him. Finn reached over and took it out of her fist. He held it up to his

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nose and sniffed it. “Oh, how I remember waking up with you and your lemon scented shampoo, my love. I remember your curls flowing around your naked body as we made love. I guess I do love Medusa. Or maybe it’s Lady Godiva I want in my bed.” He rained kisses on her hair. She pulled her hair from his grasp. “Stop it. Stop talking to me like that.” Good God, my panties are wet. He knows exactly what to say to get to me. Always did. He’s gotta shut up before I forget my resolve. “Sorry, sweetheart. I can’t help myself.” Quincy pulled the blanket over her. “I’m going to sleep for a bit. Can you behave?” “Don’t know about that.” He leaned over and whispered in her ear. “I may just reach under that blanket and bring you some pleasure. I’m pretty sure old Percy hasn’t been as good a lover as I am.” She glared at him. “First, you better not try anything. Second, thanks for reminding me that no matter how charming my flying companion can be, I have a fiancé.” He leaned back into his own seat. “Thanks, Q. Way to ruin the mood.” “No mood. There is no mood, Finn.” “Maybe not for you.” She turned her back on him and closed her eyes. It was a long time before she slept. They finally landed at Miami National Airport. They made their way off the plane and down the concourse. As they walked, Finn said, “You heard me talking to my brother at LAX. He’ll be here to pick us up. He’ll take you home.” “That’s okay. I called Avery, and she’ll be here for me.” “I was hoping we could be alone together and continue our conversation from last night.” Quincy stopped walking and pulled him to the side, out of traffic. “I need some space. I want to go home and decompress for a couple

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of days. Be left alone. Get my equilibrium back. Is that too much to ask?” A tear trickled down her face. Finn gently grabbed her upper arms. “Of course, sweetheart. I’ve been a dolt. Sorry. I’ve been so concerned about wanting you to come back to me, I wasn’t thinking about the trauma you went through. Can you forgive me for being an utter ass?” He kissed the top of her head and then searched her face for forgiveness. She smiled a thin smile. “Yeah. It’s fine. I just need some time to think. Alone.” “But Avery’s all right to be around?” “Finn. Don’t start.” “Fine. I won’t. Let’s go.” They turned and continued their way down the concourse toward the baggage claim area. Quincy picked up her pace. She wanted to get home to her snug little bungalow. **** Avery and Craig stood at the baggage claim area at Miami International Airport. As soon as they saw Quincy come out of the security area, they both ran at her. Craig got there first, swept her up in his arms and hugged her. He twirled her around, off her feet. Avery was right behind him. “Stop, Craig. Give me a chance. I want to be sure she’s all right.” At the same time Finn said, “She’s okay.” Quincy said, “I’m okay.” She laughed at Finn answering for her. Craig put her down, held her at arm’s length and searched her face as Avery jumped around trying to get to Quincy. “She looks fine to me, Avery.” He hugged her again. “Why are you here, Craig? I mean, I’m glad to see you, of course, but why aren’t you home in Australia?” Quincy asked his shoulder since her mouth was shoved there in the process of the second hug.

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“I couldn’t go home once I heard what happened. I had to know you were okay. I even tried to find you a lawyer. You know you’re one of my favorite people.” He finally let go of her, and Avery swooped in for her own hug. As the women hugged, Craig turned to Finn and held out his hand to shake. “I take it you’re the cop former boyfriend?” Finn took his hand and shook it, determined not to be jealous and to try to like the man. “I guess you could say that. I’m Fennimore Smith.” “Glad to meet you, Fennimore. Thank you for going to rescue our girl.” “Our girl?” “Yeah, our girl. We both love her, right?” Craig smiled. What the hell does he mean by that? Finn nodded. “Yeah, I guess we do.” Keep your cool, man. Keep cool. Don’t let Q see you get jealous. Don’t blow it by acting like a buffoon. Craig punched Finn in the arm. “Of course I think I love her in a different way than you do, right?” Stunned, Finn looked in silence at Craig. He had no idea how to respond to his odd statement. What different way? Some perverse thing? Before the silence went on too long, Quincy, who had pulled free of Avery’s embrace, said, “Craig, leave the man alone. He’s got no idea what you’re yammering about.” Craig looked at Quincy. “I want to apologize to him for my boneheaded actions two years ago.” “There’s no need for that, Craig. We’re past all that.” She looked up at Finn with an unreadable expression. “Aren’t we, Finn?” She’s testing me, by damn, the woman is testing me. Determined to pass her scrutiny, he smiled. “Yes, we are. Like I told you at Hermosa Beach, I’m glad you’re friends with Craig, and I hope to be friends with him as well.” Avery looked from Quincy to Finn to Craig. “What’s all this

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then?” Quincy pulled Avery by the arm. “Let’s get out of here. All I had was this carry-on bag. Do you have a car out there by any chance?” Craig said, “Yeah. Mark’s waiting at the curb.” Before Finn could ask who Mark was, Cooper Smith walked up. “Hey, bro, have a patrol car out there waiting. C’mon, let me take you home.” He raised an eyebrow at his brother. “Looks like Quincy has her own ride home?” “She does. Let me say bye to her and I’ll be ready to go.” Coop turned to Quincy and bent to kiss her on the cheek. “Nice to see you again, Quincy. I’m glad you got home all right.” He poked his thumb in Finn’s direction. “This big ape treat you good?” “After he slapped some sense in me, yeah, I guess he did.” She smiled at Finn. “Thanks again for coming to my rescue.” “He slapped you?” Avery asked. “Never mind, Avery, it’s all right. Turns out, I needed it.” “You’ve lost your mind if you suddenly think it’s okay to be slapped by a man. Especially that man.” Avery tilted her head toward Finn. “Shush, Avery. I’ll tell you about it at home.” Damn, why won’t all these people go away so I can kiss her? Finn looked down at Quincy. “Can I see you before you leave for London?” Avery squealed. “You can’t be serious. You can’t go to London and marry Percy.” Quincy shushed her best friend again. “We’ll talk about it all when we get to the bungalow.” She turned to Finn. “Call me and we’ll meet for pizza before I go. I hope I’ll be leaving early next week. I guess it depends on this immunity thing on the federal charges.” Finn nodded and stood with his brother as the three friends walked away. Coop said, “You got it bad again, don’t ya?” “Yeah. And I know she has it bad for me, too, Coop, I know it. In

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my cop’s gut, I know it.” “I hope so, man. For your sake, I hope so.”

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Chapter Eleven “He is the happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (German writer, 1749-1832) Mark dropped Quincy, Avery, and Craig at Quincy’s house and headed over to the closest China Moon to get take out for the group. Avery carried Quincy’s bag. Quincy led the way from the driveway to her front door. Her little bungalow looked just like it always did. The house was small, compact, and made of red brick. It has a little covered porch that was not much more than a stoop with a top over it. There were vines growing up the one side, vines of wisteria she and her father had planted when she was a little girl. That wisteria had welcomed her for more years than she could count. She was home. At long last, she was home. When she got to the stoop, she stepped up to put the key in the lock. As soon as she slid the end into the slot on the bolt, her whole body started shaking. Her knees gave way. She leaned against the wall to hold herself up. Craig, a few steps behind her, noticed her first. He ran forward and grabbed her around the waist. “What’s wrong, darling?” She looked at him and Avery, who stood on the porch herself by now, and said through her tears, “It just dawned on me how easily I could have been convicted of a crime I didn’t do. I could’ve been convicted in a foreign country. I may have never seen this place again. I owe Finn my life, and I’ve been nothing but a witch to him

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since he came to rescue me.” Craig held on to her. She continued to shake, and he scooped her up in his arms. She put her left arm around his neck. He said, “Let’s get you inside, honey, so you can sit down. And maybe have a stiff drink.” He reached around her and unlocked the door himself. Once the door was open, he carried her in to the couch and sat her down. He tried to make her feel better by saying, “Good thing you’re a skinny little thing. Easy to carry.” Avery was right behind them and sat beside her friend. She reached over and grabbed her hand. “What you said on the porch, Quincy, about Finn?” “Yeah, what about it?” “I’m sure you weren’t as mean as you think you were.” She smiled at her friend. “You have no idea,” Quincy said as her teeth started to chatter. Craig looked at Quincy as she sat with a wan smile on her face. The shaking had gotten worse, and her teeth chattered even harder. He frowned at her. “I’m worried that you’re going into shock.” He turned to Avery. “We need blankets, Avery. Get them.” Avery jumped up to go to the linen closet. Before she could get there, Craig asked, “Where’s the liquor?” Avery responded, “Under the counter in the kitchen. The one next to the trash compactor.” “Be right back.” He pointed at Quincy. “With supplies.” He left the room. As soon as he was gone and Avery had covered her with a blanket, Quincy looked around the room. “First thing tomorrow, I’m unpacking these boxes and settling back in to my house.” “So, no marriage, no trip to London?” Avery sat back down on the couch. Quincy sat up straight. Determined now and in control. “Oh, no, babe, I’m going to London next week. Percy Hicks is gonna get what’s coming to him.”

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“What’re you saying?” “I’m going to London. I’m going to pretend to go through with the marriage to the jackass. And I’m going to get the goods on him. He’s sure gonna spend some time in a jail cell, if I have anything to do with it, that is.” Craig came back in bearing four glasses and three bottles of liquor on a tray. “What’d I miss?” “Just Quincy saying she’s going to London to trap Percy into going to jail.” Craig set the tray on the coffee table and clapped. “Ooh. That sounds like a fun adventure. Can I come?” Quincy nodded. “I’m counting on both of you to help me.” “How are you going to do it?” Craig poured Quincy a shot of bourbon and passed it to her. “Drink up, it’ll calm you down.” She took the glass and swallowed the amber liquid in one gulp even though she was considerably calmer just thinking about taking down Percy. “I’m planning to follow him. You two can help. When I’m playing the part of blushing bride, you can be investigating him and where he goes.” Craig refilled Quincy’s glass. Avery said, “I see that as a problem.” “What?” Quincy swallowed her second drink and winced as the heat traveled down her throat. The door bell rang. It was Mark. He brought food with him. Craig let him in and they sat in the chairs across from Quincy and Avery on the couch. Mark started unpacking the little take-out crates from the paper bag. He set up the boxes on the coffee table as Craig passed out plastic forks from China Moon. Avery finished what she’d wanted to say before Mark came in. “How are you going to keep from having to sleep with Percy? You know he’s gonna want to make love to his bride to be. He’ll probably want to have sex as soon as you land at Heathrow.” “That’s where you come in.”

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“You want me to sleep with him?” Avery was aghast. “No, you big ninny.” Quincy punched her friend on the upper arm. “Of course not. Do you think I’ve lost my mind?” Avery wiped her brow in mock relief. “Whew. I did think maybe you left it in Indonesia there for a second.” “No. Sure didn’t. If anything, I honed my revenge skills as I sat in that cell.” “What did you mean, then? When you said that’s where I come in?” “I’m going to tell him that I’m still upset about what happened and I want to spend my last few days as a single woman with my best friend. I’ll stay at your hotel with you. I’ll go to the festivities during the run up to the wedding and then back to your room as far as he knows. Instead of hanging around the room, we’ll follow him and find where he stashes his guns.” She turned to Craig. “You, too, if you’re in.” “Quincy, that sounds awfully dangerous. I think you need to tell Finn what you’re doing.” Avery looked at Quincy as if she had grown another head. Quincy stared at her friend. “A few weeks ago, you wanted Fennimore Smith out of my life, and now you want me to rely on him for help?” “Yeah. I do.” She nodded. “He’s trained for this stuff. We aren’t.” “He’ll talk me out of it. I know he will. I can’t let him do that. I have to do this not only to get the bastard for what he did to me but to clear my own name.” Avery said, “It still sounds just too dangerous to me.” “I didn’t tell you that Percy said it was better that the arrest happened to me than him because of the different ways we were raised, did I? That made me furious—” Avery interrupted, “He did not have the balls to say that.” “Yeah. He did.” “Did you talk to him on the phone when you got to the US?”

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Craig asked. “When did he say that?” “No. He was waiting at LAX for me. Wanted me to go home with him right then.” “He did not show up there, did he?” Avery asked. At the same time, Craig and Quincy said, “Stop saying he did not.” The three of them laughed. Mark just continued to eat his General Tso’s chicken in silence. Clearly, he knew when to keep quiet. Quincy looked at Craig and Mark and said, “You in? To help me get the bastard?” Craig looked at Mark. Mark, his mouth full, nodded. Craig said, “We’re in.” “Thanks, guys. Means a lot.” They all kept eating until all that was left were the fortune cookies. They put a dent in Quincy’s liquor supply. Quincy stopped drinking periodically to just look around the room and thank God she was home. Thank God Finn cared enough to come get me. I wonder if we really do have a future and if he does trust me. I hope so. I’m sure I still love him. Just gotta get rid of the albatross around my neck. **** Finn and Coop sat in a car outside Quincy’s house. They’d been there for an hour. Coop said, “Remind me again why we’re doing this?” “I just want to be sure she wasn’t followed home.” “She was. By us.” “Very funny, jerk. You know what I mean.” Finn stared at the house, as if he could see what was going on inside if he looked at it long enough. “Yeah, I know. But how long are we going to sit here? I’m ready to get home to my dinner.” “Can we stay just a little longer? Please.”

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“What? You want to stay long enough to see if that Aussie bloke gets invited to spend the night? You know, the one who scooped her in his arms and carried her into her house like a bridegroom on his wedding night?” Finn turned and glared at his brother. “No. I told her I trust her. And I do.” “We both saw him grab her at the waist and then pick her up and carry her in. Gotta be blind not to see he cares about her. Hell, you gotta be blind not to see she cares about him, too, the way she put her arm around his neck. Are we right back where we were two years ago? Are you still on the outside looking in? Seems like it to me.” “I saw it. I saw it all, Coop. I’m trying not to think about it. So, shut up about it.” Coop held his hands up in front of his face. “Don’t shoot the messenger.” Finn’s face softened. “Sorry, man. I’m just trying so hard to believe she’s not the person I thought for the last two years. I love her, and I can’t deny it. I have to get past my phobia about women being faithful or I’ll never have the life I want.” “Are you talking about women in general or this woman in particular?” “This one in particular. Don’t care about the rest.” Cooper looked at his brother in mock horror. “What about my Angelique?” “She’s your woman, so she’s your problem, man.” Finn grinned. “Ah, shut up.” The front door opened, and Craig came out with the other man whom Finn and Cooper had seen earlier behind him. They walked out on the porch. Quincy stood in the doorway with the light behind her. She said something. Craig leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. The other man shook her hand. The two men made their way to the dark green sport utility vehicle with a rental company tag on it. Quincy went inside and

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closed the door. The man whom Finn didn’t know walked around to the passenger side with Craig and opened the door for him. Before Craig climbed in, he leaned forward and threw his arms around the other man’s neck. Craig kissed the unknown man, deeply and passionately. The kiss went on for a long time and when it was over, the unknown man grabbed Craig’s butt and squeezed it. Coop and Finn sat in Coop’s car and gaped at the sight. The unknown man went around to the driver’s side of the vehicle, and they drove away. When he recovered himself, Coop said, “And you call yourself a detective?” Finn, still stunned, shook his head slowly. “No. I’m a Special Agent.” Coop punched him in the arm. “When you dumped the love of your life, as you call her, two years ago, you were a detective, my friend. And don’t you dare say you only investigated murders.” “Dear God, I’ve been an absolute fool. More than I ever even knew.” Finn couldn’t think straight. It was too much. He put his head on the steering wheel and looked at the floorboard. “Yeah, you were an idiot. A Class A one. We can agree on that. Why the hell didn’t you talk to her when it happened? Why didn’t you check this guy out?” Coop laid a hand on his brother’s arm. Finn looked up, “I was so enraged, I was blinded by the thought of him and her together. I thought she was like Mom. I couldn’t get the picture of him doing her out of my head. My God, the man is gorgeous. How was I to know he was gay? What woman wouldn’t want him? Even I, as a man, can see his appeal to the opposite sex. He’s tall, fit, and has an accent. What chance did I have?” “You can’t change what happened, but I hope you see this as a wake-up call. Never jump to conclusions. Always talk stuff out. I can see why she was so angry at you over the whole thing. You never even gave her a chance to deny anything.”

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“You think I don’t know that? I can’t stand myself. What an absolute ass I was. I’ve got to go and apologize to her.” Finn made a move to open the car door. Coop said, “Don’t. Not yet. Save it for later.” “Why?” “Prove to her that she can trust you and that you trust her. Then bring up that you know the man is gay. If you run in there and apologize, she’ll never believe that you trust her with a straight man.” “You really think that’s the best way to handle it?” “I do. Not that I know more about women than you do, but I think this is the way to go this time. She’s skittish right now. She’s been through a lot, and you need to give her some space to decompress.” “She said the same thing in the Miami airport before we got to you.” “Then do it.” Cooper nodded, more sure than ever that this was the right plan. “Do that for her. You’re gonna have to woo her all over again. You do know that, right?” “Yeah. I know.” Finn rested his forehead on the steering wheel again. “Such an utter fool. Lost two years. What an ass I am.” Coop said, “Can we go home and eat now? I know Angelique has food for us, and you need to quit beating yourself up over this.” “I’ll never stop.” His brother slapped him on the back. “You gotta stop long enough to eat, man.” Finn sat up and cranked the car. “Yeah. A man has to eat, huh?” “Absolutely.” Cooper grinned. “Wish I had a siren so we could speed this up.” “Very funny.” Finn drove down the street and toward his brother’s house. **** Once Craig and Mark left, Avery stood. “Guess I’m heading out,

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too, Quincy. Unless you want me to stay.” “No, I really would like to be alone for a bit. I’ve only spent one short night locked in a bedroom alone since I got on that wretched plane in Bali. I think I’m gonna relish a private time for myself.” “What do you mean, you were locked in a bedroom?” “Finn kissed me, and we came close to making love. I locked myself in the bedroom to get away from him.” Avery sat back down. “This I gotta hear.” Quincy shrugged. “Nothing to tell. That’s it.” “Let me get this straight. You love him. You know you do. You never stopped. You tried to forget him with Percy, but you told me as soon as you saw Finn again, you were attracted to him. I remember that night he called, before I told you he did, you said you’d been thinking about him. I don’t think you ever stopped. You never stopped thinking about him, loving him. Did you? So, why the hell not make love to him?” “Because I’m engaged—” Avery interrupted with a snort. “We both know that’s no longer true.” “Regardless, I haven’t officially broken it off. Until I do, I can’t sleep with anyone else. It would make me what Finn thought I was when he left me. A cheater.” “That’s just insane, Quincy. You should have done it. He’s hot and sexy. You know that. You should’ve taken him in your bed. I would have in a second. What did he say?” “He said he loved me and wanted me.” “And you turned that down? He loves you, and you’re dumping Percy, what’s the harm?” “Let’s just say I decided to wait until I’m really free. I still hope to be with Finn, but I want to do it right this time.” Quincy stood and walked over to the front door. She opened it. “I’ll see you later. I’m gonna sleep late tomorrow.” Avery stood and went to the open door. “I can take a hint.” She

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walked out then turned back. “Get some rest. See you later.” “Bye, Ave.” Quincy closed the door. As soon as it was shut, she leaned against it and took a deep breath. Finally alone. Quincy walked to the kitchen and grabbed a trash bag. She came back in the living room and collected all the empty Chinese food cartons, threw away the now empty bourbon bottle, gathered the glasses onto the tray as well as the other two bottles that still had liquor in them, and then carried all of it into the kitchen, the trash bag under her arm. Once she took care of the trash, she opened her junk drawer and found the scissors. Her hair was still in the elastic she’d put it in when she left Los Angeles. Quincy reached behind her and pulled her hair forward. She took the scissors and cut off her pony tail, giggling at herself. I feel free. Free of this snarled mess that reminds me of a jail cell in Bali and a big, scary woman. And hell, who cares? I have no sponsor other than my favorite one to care about my brand anymore. I feel wicked and happy. And ten pounds lighter without that mess of hair. I’m home, I’m safe, and I have a plan. Bring on Percy Hicks. She laughed at her own bravado and started unpacking boxes, working to get her home back in order before she left for London. Toiling until late in the night, she finally stopped as the jet lag caught up to her. A soak in the tub for a few minutes helped until she scared herself by dozing off in the water. Once out of the bath, she dried off and tugged on her favorite T-shirt. When she went to bed this time, she slept like the dead. Nothing like being in your own bed. In your own country. Free. **** Time flew and before Quincy knew it, she was spending her last night in Miami for a while. Her flight to London was the next afternoon. Intending to make her trip look authentic to Percy, she packed her bags, including her wedding gown and rehearsal dinner

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outfit in their hanging bag. She decided she would make a big deal of it with the redcap at Gatwick Airport. Make it clear she had a wedding gown in her possession. It would be a show for Percy as she really needed him to feel like she was going to marry him to keep him off guard. As she puttered around in the living room, enjoying having her home back in order, the phone rang. She snatched the receiver from the cradle and sat in the chair by the end table. “Hello.” “Hey, Q, it’s Finn. Calling for that dinner we talked about.” “Oh, yeah. Not sure that’s such a good idea after all.” “Why? Thought you said you wanted to chat with me.” She shook her head. “No. I think it was the other way around.” She paused for a brief second and then nodded, as if he could see her. “Yes. It definitely was the other way around.” His voice got husky. “It seems to me that we both have things to say to the other.” “See, that’s why I think it’s a bad idea.” “What do ya mean? Talking’s a bad idea?” His voice was still pitched low. “Not in and of itself. But the tone of your voice tells me that you have more than talking on your mind.” She grinned despite herself. And I probably do, too, if the truth be known. “What else could I have in mind, sweetheart?” “Sounds like seduction to me.” She twisted the phone cord in her hand. “What’s wrong with that?” “In theory, nothing. In practice, a lot.” “What’s wrong with two people showing they love each other?” “Finn. Stop it. Please.” “Fine. If I promise to behave, can I take you to dinner?” She laughed. “I’m not so sure you will behave. That’s the trouble.” “Please. I need to see you before you run over there to Hicks. I

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can’t stand the thought of you with him.” The anguish in his voice caused Quincy’s heart to twist in her chest. Against her better judgment, she said, “Fine. I’ll go. When and where?” “Can’t I pick you up like a regular date?” “Sure. Of course, but I need to know where we’re going so I can dress in the right outfit.” “I’m sure you’ll be beautiful whatever you wear.” Finn paused for a few seconds and added, “Or don’t wear.” “Shut up.” She laughed. “You’re gonna make me regret saying yes.” “Oh, no, my love, never regret saying yes to me.” “Finn, you must stop it.” He cleared his throat and in his best cop’s voice, said, “Yes. ma’am. I’ll stick to just the facts from now on. I’ll be there at seven tonight. Wear a dress. High heels. No jeans, no tank top, and no swim wear.” “Did you come to attention when you said all that? You sounded all official.” She giggled. “I’m always at attention when I talk to you, my love.” She laughed out loud at that. “Finn, I’m hanging up now. I’ll be ready at seven, but you have to promise no innuendoes. All night. And I mean it.” “All night? Are we going to be together all night, then?” “Can it, cop.” She hung up the phone to the sound of his laughter in her ear. Once the phone was on the cradle, she put her head in her hands. “Dear God, how am I going to keep my hands off the man tonight? I know I won’t be able to resist him if he tries to kiss me. Stupid, stupid, stupid to agree to this date.” ****

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Finn arrived just at the stroke of seven. He was always punctual. That hadn’t changed. Quincy decided to wear one of her favorite dresses. It was a teal green silk dress with an overlay of the same color in lace with a crisscrossed bodice and a slim skirt. She wore it with a pair of nude colored strappy sandals. She wore the high heeled sandals as ordered by her date. She opened the door to the man she thought was the most handsome man on the planet. He wore a charcoal grey suit, a white button front shirt and a dark grey silk tie with a surf board pattern. She reached over the touched the tie. “Nice togs, mister. I like the tie.” She stepped backward one step into the house, and he followed her in. Finn looked her up and down and stopped when he really noticed her hair. “You look spectacular.” He reached out and touched her curls. “What happened?” “You don’t like it?” “I do. It’s different, but I like it. Spin around and let me see the back.” He twirled his finger in the air. She turned her back to him, and he stepped closer. He reached around her waist and pulled her to him. His tongue kissed the nape of her neck as he murmured, “You smell so good. I love this haircut. I haven’t seen this part of your body in a long time, and it’s still gorgeous just like the rest of you.” He licked her neck and nipped at it. She leaned back and enjoyed the heat of his lips on her. Once she felt his hand slide up from her waist to her breast, she pulled away from him. She stumbled as she tried to get lose from his arm. He grabbed her to keep her from falling. “Please let me go, Finn.” He steadied her and let her loose. “Sorry. I can’t help myself around you.” She turned around to face him. “I thought we agreed that you’d behave. You’re not even in the door and you’re acting like a teenage

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boy in rut.” “Like I said, I can’t help myself. You didn’t warn me about the new hair. It’s very, very sexy. I mean, you looked fabulous with the long curls around your waist, but this new look shows off the shape of your head and neck. It emphasizes the delicacy of your neck.” “You’re so suave, it almost makes me want to hurl.” He grinned. “I can be even more suave. Listen to this. You’re neck looks as elegant and graceful as a swan’s.” She snorted. “Take that as a honk of a goose and let’s go.” She walked over to the side chair, grabbed her pashmina shawl and threw it around her shoulders. She walked back to the door. He took her elbow. “Come on then, my little poultry girl.” He walked her out to his red 1966 Ford Mustang and opened the passenger door for her. “You still have it, huh?” She slid into the seat. He winked. “Ah, yea, baby, I still have it. And I still have the car, too.” He shut the door before he could hear her response. When he slid into his own seat, she said, “I can see now that you are not going to behave. At all.” He put the key in the ignition but didn’t turn the car on. Instead, he faced her and took her hand. “I figure this is my last chance to win you back before you head to London and Hicks. I want to be sure to remind you of all we shared and could share again. Can you fault me for trying?” Serious, she looked at him. “Finn, I can’t fault you for trying. Not at all, but it seems to me that you might be trying too hard.” “I probably am, sweetheart. But I can’t help it.” She pulled her hand away. “Let’s go eat. I’m starving.” He turned the key and backed out of her driveway, drove down the street until he got to Biscayne Boulevard and made a left. As soon as he turned on Biscayne, she said, “No fair. You’re not playing fair at all. This is an ambush, Finn.” He grinned at her. “What do ye accuse me of, wench?”

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“Very funny. I know where you’re going. You’re taking me to Le Café. That’s playing dirty.” “Baby, I never said I’d be nice. This is a war, and I plan to win. If I have to take you to your favorite sushi place where you love the eel in garlic sauce, I’m prepared to enter the fray. To eat raw fish even.” She was delighted that he remembered the place and what she liked to order. “Are you going to feed me a chocolate croissant, too?” “Anything your heart desires, my love. Anything.” She sat back in the seat. Content for the moment just to be with him and know she could have him if she just said the word. Oh, how she wanted to say the word. But she knew she had to finish with Percy first. She had to get her name and reputation back and prove she was innocent. Then she’d be free to love Finn. **** They got to the restaurant, and true to his word, Finn ordered all of her favorite foods. They sat on the little patio and enjoyed the nice weather. A good bottle of sauterne and lots of laughs later, the meal was over. Quincy leaned back in her chair and yawned. “Tired?” “Yea. I’m done in. I’ve been working on stuff around the house. Wore myself out.” Finn pushed his chair back and stood. “Let’s get you home to bed.” He walked over to her chair and pulled it out for her. She stood. “Thanks, Finn. This was just what I needed to relax before my trek to London.” He took her arm. “You know you don’t have to go. You can cable the horse’s ass and break it off. Then we can be together.” He reached in his suit pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “Hell, call him now, wake up his ass and dump him over the transatlantic trunk line.” “Don’t pressure me. I have to do what I have to do. Deal with this my own way.” She pushed his phone back toward him.

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He put the phone back in his pocket. “Come on, then. I’ll take you home.” They went back to his car, and he took her home. Once they were in her driveway, he shut off the engine and turned to her. “Can I at least kiss you goodnight?” “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She shook her head. “Please. I can’t bear the thought of you going to him and not having a kiss from me to take with you.” One side of her mouth raised in a half smile. “You know how weird that sounds?” He leaned forward. “Yeah. I do.” He put his hand on the back of her head, pulled her face to his and kissed her. His tongue plundered her mouth. Their tongues entwined, and he assaulted her mouth with his and she felt herself flush with need for him. He ran his hand through the back of her hair and down to her neck, where he caressed her. His mouth left hers and trailed down her cheek to her collarbone. She held on to his head and grabbed his hair as his tongue seemed to set her skin on fire. When his hand pushed aside one side of her dress and his tongue touched her breast, she pulled back and gasped for breath. “Finn. We have to stop. Please.” “Why? It’s clear you want me as much as I want you.” He placed her hand into his lap, and she could feel his erection. “I’ll not deny that I want you, Finn. I want you like crazy. I want you so much, I can’t stand it, but I can’t act on it. Can’t.” She pulled her hand away from him and opened her car door. “Quincy, I know you aren’t a tease, but this is getting old. It’s not like we haven’t had a sexual relationship before. I fail to see what the problem is. You get me all hot and bothered and then you turn it off. I can’t do that.” “I don’t mean to be a tease. I really don’t. I just have some things I need to take care of before I can move on.” “Are you telling me that there’s hope for us? That you aren’t going to marry Hicks?”

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“I can’t really talk about it now.” Finn slammed his hand on the seat between them. “Then when, damn it. When?” “Soon. I promise. Soon.” He looked at her with anguish. “When is soon, Q? I need to know.” “I don’t know, I just don’t know.” She stepped out of the car and ran to her front door. Before he could get out of the car, she’d unlocked the door and was in the house. He sat in the driveway for a while before he drove away. She watched from behind the sheers on her front window until he was gone. The tears streamed down her face. My darling, I don’t want to hurt you, but I can’t let myself go to love you until I’m free. I hope to survive this and tell you I love you for the rest of our lives.

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Chapter Twelve “The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear” Zen saying, Lao Tzu (6th Century B.C.) Quincy and Avery arrived at Gatwick Airport at seven a.m. local time. They had each slept most of the way on the overnight flight. Once they settled into the high-topped red leather seats on the commuter train from Gatwick to Victoria Station, Quincy said, “We can drop our bags at the hotel, but I recommend we stay awake as much as we can today. I find I have less jet lag if I try to get my body on local time as quick as I can. We’ll walk the streets to keep from lying down in the room. We’ll stay out until dark and then call it an early night. By tomorrow, we’ll be adapted to local time.” Avery looked at her friend like she’d grown three heads. “You do know it’s still the middle of the night at home, right?” “Yes. I’m aware of what time it is in Miami. But trust me, I travel all the time, and this is the best plan. And, anyway, you just snoozed your way across the Atlantic. How much sleep can you need anyway?” “I know. I know I slept a long time, but I’m still feeling drowsy.” “Tough.” Quincy laughed. “I can see I won’t get any sympathy from you.” “You’ll thank me later. I promise.” “We’ll see.” The tea cart lady came by and stopped in the aisle next to their seats. Quincy and Avery bought some Earl Grey breakfast tea and scones to munch on. Quincy opened a packet of strawberry jam and

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spread it on top of the clotted cream she’d ordered with her scone. Avery chewed her scone for a few minutes. She sipped her tea and after she swallowed, she said, “When are you gonna call Percy? You know you had that whole scene planned at the airport about the wedding dress. To trick him into believing you’re going to marry him. And now here we are on the train making our own way into the city. What’s up?” As an evasion tactic, Quincy made a face and took another bite of scone. “You know you have to let him know you’re here.” Avery made a face back at her best friend. “I don’t know how you’re going to pretend to be his loving woman. I’m so tempted to smack him into next week, I don’t know how you can tolerate the idea of the man kissing you hello.” “I’m going to have to grit my teeth to get through it. I appreciate you being angry on my behalf, but you have to be nice, too. This will only work if we both act like this wedding is going to happen.” Avery laughed. “I hope you heard yourself just then. It’s too funny. You’re gonna grit your teeth to get through his kiss.” She slapped her own knee. “That’s one way to keep his tongue out of your mouth.” “Yeah. You’re right. But I think he’d notice.” “Indeed, I think he would.” They both laughed louder and longer than necessary due to their nervousness. Once they sobered, Avery said, “When’s Craig coming in? And Mark, of course?” “Tomorrow afternoon. He sent me a text while we were in the air.” Quincy slapped herself in the forehead. “Oh yea, before you cracked me up, I was going to call Percy, right?” “Yeah, you were. May be better to go ahead and get it over with.” Quincy made a face. “You’re right. As usual.” She opened her phone and dialed her soon to be former fiancé’s number.

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He answered on the second ring. “Hullo, darling. Are you ready for me to send a car to the airport for you? Heathrow, right?” “No, that’s all right. We don’t need a car. Avery and I took the train. We flew into Gatwick. We’re on the way to Victoria now.” “Darling, you know I have a car I could send. Why would you take that nasty train?” “I don’t want to inconvenience you. And I adore the scones from the tea lady.” Quincy made a face at Avery. Avery waggled the remainder of her scone at Quincy. Percy purred into the receiver. “You have to get used to being married to a wealthy man, my dear. You’ll have to travel in the mode expected of you. And forget the cheap scones.” “You seem to forget I have money, too, Percy. I don’t need you to support me. And I’ll eat any scone I want.” “I’m going to ignore that, darling. I plan to spoil you for the rest of your life. You might as well let me start now.” This time, she made a face at the phone and refrained from making a vulgar gesture as she thought about how he’d spoiled her in Bali by sending his plane and landing her in jail. “I don’t want to argue with you on the train, Percy. We’ll talk about this later.” “I’m sending a car to Victoria for you. It’ll be Miguel driving. You remember Miguel, right?” “It’s not necessary, Percy. We’ll take a cab to our hotel.” “Hotel? What hotel? You’re staying with me.” “No. I’m not. I have Avery with me, and we rented a hotel room.” “There’s plenty of room for Avery here. You know I have seven bedrooms.” “Percy. This is my last few days as a single woman. I want to be with my maid of honor and spend time with her. I won’t see her as much as I used to once I move in with you. She’ll be in Miami, and I’ll be here. Please understand I want to spend this time with her.” Quincy leaned across the seats, squeezed her friend’s thigh and mouthed the words to her, “Hope this works.”

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“But, darling, I want to make love with you. As soon as you get here. I’ve missed you. I took the day off to be here with you. I’m nude in my robe, just waiting here for you. Hell, I even bought roses and have the petals strewn over the bedroom.” His voice lowered. “And the bed. We can roll in them and smell like an English garden.” Quincy stopped herself just in time from gagging at the thought of him naked, hard for her and in a bed of rose petals. “That’s something else I wanted to discuss.” “What?” Harshness made his voice rasp. “I think we shouldn’t make love until after the wedding. I think it’ll make our wedding night more special for having waited.” “I’ve waited long enough. I haven’t seen you in ages, and I want you. Today. Within the hour. I mean it, darling.” “Well, I’m saying no, Percy. You know you can’t force yourself on me. That would be wrong.” She looked at Avery, her eyebrows raised. “It wouldn’t be force. As soon as I touch you, you’ll want me, too. You know that, darling.” She kept her eyes on Avery and pretended to stick her finger down her throat. “Not gonna happen, Percy. Accept it. No sex till after the I dos.” “We’ll see about that. I’m sending Miguel to Victoria Station and you will get in the car with him and come to me, Quincy. That’s what will happen.” “No. It won’t. Goodbye.” She disconnected the call and turned to Avery. “As Sherlock Holmes said, the game’s afoot. We now have to ditch Percy’s driver at the station. Make a mad dash for a black cab. Good thing I didn’t tell the bastard where we’re staying. He’d probably send his driver there to haul me out by my hair like a caveman.” Quincy’s phone rang, and she ignored it. “I like that you quoted Holmes. So very British of you. But how are we going to keep Percy from finding us? We’re registered under

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your name at the hotel. No way he won’t be able to find us.” “I’m going to have to see him while we’re here anyway, so it won’t matter. I just don’t plan to be alone with him. If we got in his car, we’d be at his house in fifteen minutes, and I’d be at his mercy. As it is, he said he was nude and waiting for me. Makes me ill. If we go straight to the hotel, I’m in control, not him.” The phone stopped ringing and after three seconds, started again. Quincy ignored it again. “I hope you’re right and can stay that way. In control, I mean. From what I could hear of the conversation, the man is determined to get you naked. And he’s determined to make you pick up that phone.” Avery pointed to the phone as it continued to ring. “I know, and it scares the hell out of me. Both the wanting me naked and the control thing.” She held up the phone and waggled it as it continued to blare. “I confess, it scares me, too. I only hope we’ve done the right thing. I feel something bad looming on the horizon.” “Stop it. Nothing bad’s going to happen. We’re in, we’re out. A few days max.” “From your lips to God’s ears, my friend. I hope you’re right.” “I am. I have to be. I hope I have a life with Finn to look forward to.” “I hope so, too, Quincy. I hope so, too. **** Quincy and Avery got to Victoria Station and were successful in eluding Miguel. They jumped off the train and dashed to the back in record time with Avery walking right past Miguel and dropping her bag as a diversion. He had never seen Avery before, so he had no idea Quincy was sneaking past as he helped Avery pick up her dropped baggage. They hailed a cab outside the station and had the hack drive them to their boutique hotel near Notting Hill and Hyde Park. They

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arrived and went in to register and drop off their luggage. The Thyme Hotel acted as an oasis in the city. The interior decor modern and minimalist, the walls made of a light brown sandstone. The lobby area held three couches surrounding a large, low coffee table with two large dish gardens in huge black planters full of paper whites. Lit ecru candles sat on the table between the planters. The check-in desk had a light brown marbled counter top on a long ash wood bar. The atmosphere soothed. Along one wall was an open area that led to a bar with the same color scheme. Avery whispered, “Wonder if the room is this awesome.” “Yeah. It is. I’ve stayed here before. They even have a Zen garden in the back.” “Does Percy know about this place?” “Yeah, he does. But I told you, he’s gonna know where we are at some point anyway. Stop fretting.” “Fine. You’re the one trying to avoid the man. If you’re not fretting, I’m not.” “Promises, promises.” They walked up to the woman at the desk and checked in. Their room wasn’t ready, so they left their bags with the clerk and went out into the city. Luckily, they had both worn khakis and sneakers. Walking about wasn’t as bad as it could have been. They walked for a couple of hours, taking in the city sights. Avery had never been to London, and Quincy wanted to show her around. Finally exhausted, they stopped at an Indian restaurant, had a bite of lunch, and rested their feet. After they ate, they made their way over to New Bond Street so Quincy could show Avery where Percy’s auction house was located. They stood across the street and looked at the exterior of the building. It really was impressive, made of aged red brick with a massive arched front, and large windows on the front with white mullions. The only sign on the façade was a large “H” backed by a concrete square on each side of the front doors. Very elegant. The edifice looked

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spectacular, and Avery gasped at the beauty of it. Quincy gasped, too, but for another reason. “Crap, just my luck. There’s that damn Miguel standing by the car. Percy will be right behind him.” “No, he won’t, remember, he’s naked and waiting for you.” Avery poked her in the ribs. Almost before she finished the sentence, Percy Hicks himself walked out of his building. He was fiddling with the cuffs of his thousand dollar bespoke shirt, a habit that annoyed Quincy to no end. Before Quincy could count her good luck that he would miss seeing her for his preening, he looked up, almost as if he sensed her across the street. His face creased into a smile, and he strode across the street without looking for traffic. Such was his arrogance. Avery muttered, “Oh crap, indeed. There he is. Shoot. We stood here too long.” “Never mind. It had to happen sometime.” Quincy decided it wouldn’t be cool to run, so she stood still until Percy got to them. Percy took her hands in his and leaned in for a kiss. Just as his lips reached hers, she turned her head and his kiss landed on the outer part of her lip. He frowned as she said, “You remember Avery, right?” He recovered his charm and held out his hand to shake Avery’s. “Of course I do. How are you? How was your flight?” “Fine. We had a nice flight and have spent the day exploring London.” He turned back to Quincy. “Were you coming to see me? I have to get to a meeting.” He frowned at her. “A meeting I scheduled when you refused to come to me earlier. You know I’m disappointed that we didn’t get to spend the day together.” “No, we weren’t coming to see you. I thought you were off today, but I wanted to show Avery your auction house. It’s such a lovely building.” She touched his hand, “I was going to call and check in. Let you know we’re planning to make an early night of it. We feel the jet lag catching up.”

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“I was going to take you to dinner after my meeting.” He looked her up and down, clearly displeased with the khakis. “You could go make yourself presentable, and I can call for you later.” “Thanks. But like I said, we’re gonna turn in early. See you tomorrow?” He tilted his head. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were avoiding me. Are you still mad about Bali?” “I am a little mad, but would I even have come to London if I was avoiding you? It’d be much easier to do from Miami, right?” He smiled. “Yes, darling, I think you’re right. You won’t let me down, will you? Can I take you to dinner tomorrow?” She nodded. “Dinner tomorrow.” He leaned in to kiss her again, and this time she let him. It made her skin crawl, but she did it. He looked at Avery. “I’ll see you both tomorrow. I have a friend you might like, Avery, and I’ll invite him to join us.” Avery kept herself from shuddering at the thought of one of Percy’s friends as a dinner companion and said, “Looking forward to it, Percy.” “Good. See you tomorrow then.” He bowed to his fiancée. “In a lovely dress, I hope.” “Yes, Percy. I’ll wear one of my trousseau dresses.” “Good.” He nodded, satisfied, and walked back to his car. As soon as he got partway across the street, Avery said, “Ugh. How could you ever have even thought of saying yes when that control freak proposed to you? He makes my skin crawl.” “Believe it or not, he was what I needed after Finn dumped me. I needed someone I could lean on.” “Girl, that marriage would’ve been doomed from the start. Once you came back to yourself, that is.” “True. That’s probably very true. Now let’s hail a cab and follow that jerk to see just what kind of meeting he’s going to.” “I’m in. Let’s do it.”

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**** Quincy and Avery grabbed a passing cab. They had no idea that Fennimore Smith was following them as they followed Percy in his Bentley. They had no idea Finn was even in England. Finn had gotten to London a little later in the day than they had. He found out from the use of his ATF badge at the Miami airport just which flight Quincy had reserved and made sure he was on another one so she wouldn’t know he was on her tail, figuring she’d try to thwart him if he knew he was going to follow her to her destination. Hiding from her was important. She’d be mad as hell to think he was following her to make sure she was all right. He also had to know if she was really going to marry the ass. Damn it, she better not marry that prick. She better come home to me. He rented a car at the airport and came straight to the auction house to set up his surveillance. His patience was rewarded when she and Avery walked up and stood on the sidewalk watching the street. It was it interesting to him that she’d been looking at the building and made no move to go in or even to cross the street. The greeting she gave her fiancé looked kind of cold, but that could have been wishful thinking. She did touch his hand and finally let him kiss her after she turned her head the first time. Talk about mixed signals. Why she didn’t get in the Bentley with Hicks but hailed a cab instead was a mystery he intended to solve. As he drove his rental car behind the cab, he talked to himself. “What the hell is going on? Why wouldn’t he want her in the car with him? Why didn’t he make her get in the car with him? He’s no pushover. If he wanted her in that car, she’d be in that car. Hell, if my girl had come to me after this long, she’d be in my arms. Not in a cab with another woman. I’d have her in my bed by now. Naked.” He shook his head as he continued his way down the street. “This is weird. Very weird.”

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He followed the cars until they got near the docks. The Bentley stopped in front of a warehouse, and the cab went on. Finn looked at the warehouse and memorized the location and the address. He drove on and continued to follow the cab until it pulled in front of the Thyme Hotel. His prey got out and headed inside. Now that I know where she’s staying, I’m going back at dark to check out that warehouse. Maybe I can solve this case today. And then I’ll make the woman get in my car and go home with me. And get naked. He grinned. I’m Super Cop. **** Avery and Quincy claimed their bags from where they’d been held in the bellman’s closet. They made their way to their room. Avery unlocked the door and opened it. She gasped in pleasure at the decor. The wall paint matched the same soothing pale tan as the lobby. The beds looked lush and inviting. The beds were covered in plain white linens with six pillows apiece. There was a sleek wood desk against the wall at the foot of the beds with a table of matching wood between the beds that held a phone and an alarm clock. One chair sat in the corner with a reading lamp on a tall pole behind it. The bathroom door was behind the door that led into the room. Avery walked into the bathroom. “Geez, Quincy, come take a gander at this amazing tub.” Quincy had walked over to the window across the room. She pulled back the sheers and looked out at the Zen garden, wishing for this ordeal to be over. She wished for some peace. She knew she needed to get down there and relax alone. Touching Percy’s hand and letting him kiss her had messed up her equilibrium more than she cared to admit. Until she saw that garden and heard it calling to her soul. Since there was no ocean to float in, it was the next best thing. She turned from the window. “I’ve seen the tub before, Avery. You should try it out. Relax a bit. I’m going down to the garden.”

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“This tub is sunken. It’s awesome. Do you know what it’s made of?” Quincy stuck her head in the bathroom. “It’s some kind of white stone. Not sure what it is. But it’s a great experience with bubbles. Hop in.” “I love this place. Thanks for finding it.” “No problem. I’ll be back in a bit.” Quincy went downstairs to the garden at the back of the hotel. She laid in one of the slatted wood reclining chairs and soaked in the quietness of the place. Hard to believe such a place could exist in the middle of a large city. She knew she and Avery were going back to that warehouse tonight, and she needed to center herself. Steel her nerves. When Quincy got back to the room, she saw she’d missed two calls from Percy. She deleted the messages unread and sat on the bed she’d chosen as hers. Avery came out of the bathroom wrapped in a huge white towel, her hair wet. “Dang. I gotta get me one of those.” “Glad you liked it. You look like you got some energy back. Good thing, too, since we’re going to that warehouse later.” “Your phone rang a few times. I heard it from my lovely spot in the bubbles. Couldn’t make myself get out to see who it was.” “I know it rang. It was Percy, of course.” Quincy made a face. “Not calling him back.” “Did you enjoy the garden?” “Yeah. I did. I feel like we’re gonna find something tonight. Maybe knock this out and head home tomorrow.” Avery shook her head. “That’s just wishful thinking, Quincy. Percy’s not stupid. He’d not go to his secret hideaway in broad daylight. I bet there’s nothing there but furniture.” “Don’t disabuse me of my illusions.” “I think you mean delusions.” Quincy threw a pillow at her.

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They called for pizza to be delivered and ate it in front of the television that sat on one end of the desk. They watched old reruns of Bennie Hill. It was inane but just what they needed to decompress before their trip to the warehouse. Finally, Avery, back in her dirty khakis, stood. “It’s way past dark now. Let’s get this over with. I seem to recall someone promising me on the train that I could make an early night of this.” Quincy looked at her friend, wide-eyed. “I’m sure I never said that.” Avery snorted. “Selective memory is not becoming.” “Neither is snorting.” Avery tugged Quincy’s arm and pulled her to her feet. “C’mon. Let’s get to the nearest drug store and buy a flashlight and get this over with.” “You know they call them chemists and torches over her.” “What the hell ever. I don’t care. Let’s get to a store already.” “God, you’re testy when you’re tired.” “And when I’m nervous. Don’t forget nervous.” “Got it. Me, too.” They left the hotel, got the flashlight, and caught a cab back to the warehouse. When they got there, they got out and stood on the sidewalk in the dark. It dawned on them both that they had no plan on how to get inside. Avery was the first to laugh, then Quincy. “You’re a master criminal, my friend.” “Yeah. I planned to catch a criminal, and I can’t even think like one. What are we going to do now?” Avery said, “Let’s walk around back and see if we can find a broken window or something.” Quincy shrugged. “Worth a try.” They made their way to the back of the building, stepping around broken beer bottles and trash. The alley reeked of old garbage. It smelled like someone had vomited, too. Avery held her hand over her nose. “Geez. This is gross. I sure

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hope we find a way in soon.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Quincy grabbed her arm, and Avery squealed. “Shush. Look.” Quincy pointed to an open window. It was one of those panes that roll inward into the building. A screen covered it. “I bet we could pry that off and get in.” “What if there’s an alarm?” “We’ll hear it and run.” “And if it’s silent?” Quincy put her hands on her hips. “Look, I didn’t come this far to give up. You stay here. I’m going in. The hell with alarms.” “Sheesh. I’m coming. Dang. Get a grip.” Avery bent over and popped the screen off the window. She handed the screen to Quincy and slid into the building. Quincy sat the screen on the ground and followed Avery. They walked around the whole place, and all that was in there was some furniture and knick-knacks. Stuff left over from auctions from the look of it. They were tagged with numbers and names of sales. All the dates had passed. “Well, crap. Looks like you were right, Avery. It’s just furniture. Next time I’ll listen to you.” “But it could have been more. We had to check it out. And, he was here for a reason today. Maybe he was meeting a buyer. You know, of his guns.” “Maybe so. Guess we’ll have to get Craig and Mark to follow him when they get here tomorrow. Since he doesn’t know them, they can follow him easier than we can. They can see if he meets anyone that looks suspicious.” “How does suspicious look?” “Oh, shut up.” Quincy walked over to the window and slid back through it. “C’mon. Let’s go get some sleep.” Avery was right behind her. “Amen, sister.” She crawled out of the window. Quincy replaced the screen. They made their way through the

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nasty alley and back to the front of the building where they hailed a cab. When they got back to the room, they both took a shower to get the stench of the alley out of their hair. Quincy put their clothes in a bag on the door of the room for the maid to wash. They were too rancid to keep in the room. Quincy and Avery both fell into a deep sleep and didn’t move until the next day.

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Chapter Thirteen “Love does not claim possession, but gives freedom” Rabindranath Tagore (Indian Poet, 1861-1941) The next morning while Avery took her third bath in the white tub, Quincy braced herself to call Percy back. She knew she was courting disaster if she didn’t. She dialed his mobile number, and he picked up on the second ring. “Hullo, darling. Why didn’t you ring me last night?” “I told you. I wanted an early night.” “I rang you before the dinner hour. I’m quite sure you didn’t go to bed that early. Although, if you’d been with me, we’d have been in bed by then. We’d have been in bed before luncheon, if you’d let me have my way.” “Percy, you’re incorrigible.” “No, I’m not. I’m just in love with my lady.” She tried not to gag. Some love. “I know. I’ll see you tonight. I can’t wait.” “I was hoping you’d say that. I want to take you to luncheon, too. Just you and me. I know we have dinner planned tonight with Avery, but I want to take you to lunch alone. So we can talk about the honeymoon. I have great plans and want to show you some of the details.” “I don’t know. I have Avery with me.” How can I get out of this? Damn, he’s persistent. “She’s a big girl. Send her shopping or something. I’m sure she can amuse herself for an hour or two. Hell, she can even use my

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expense account at Harrods. Buy herself something new to wear tonight.” “That’s generous of you, but I’m sure she’ll refuse.” He laughed. “I don’t know about that. Offer a woman a frock and she’s putty in your hands.” “Do you really think women are so cheap?” “I didn’t say a cheap frock, Quincy.” “Whatever.” She shrugged. “I’ll ask her.” “I’ll send the car for you around one.” “Just tell me where to meet you. I’ll go to Harrods with Avery and then meet you.” “I really am getting angry about you not wanting to ride in my Bentley.” “Good God, Percy. It’s just a damn car. Get over it.” “When you’re my wife, there’ll be no more cabs.” “Percy, like you said about Avery, I’m also a big girl, and I’ll take a cab anywhere I damn well please.” She paused to let her words sink in. “Now, where are we going for lunch?” “San Sebastian’s. How’s that sound?” “Fine. See you there a little after one.” She disconnected the call. Avery stood in front of her, toweling off her hair. “What’s up?” “Going to meet Percy for lunch.” “Both of us?” Quincy shook her head. “Just me.” “Not good. I don’t like it.” Avery sat on her bed across from her friend. “Me either. But I can’t avoid him forever. We have the dinner tonight and the rehearsal dinner tomorrow evening. We’ve got to move fast on this. I don’t want to end up married to the creep just to get the goods on him.” She tittered. Nervous. “I’m going to meet him for lunch. You can meet the guys when they get here and then, when we leave the restaurant, I’m gonna ask Percy to let me go to the auction house and look at the newest stuff up for sale. Hopefully, he’ll

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go to one of his ‘meetings’ and you guys can follow him.” “What if he tries to get you to go with him to his apartment?” “I don’t think he will. The last time I visited him here, he was very serious about being involved at work all day. He’s a bit of a workaholic. He took part of yesterday off. I think he’ll work all day today to make up for that. I had no clue he was obsessive about his work because he’s a gun dealer. I was just naive enough to think the man loved valuable antiques and paintings. It seemed like a very British thing to me.” Avery giggled. “He’s got a very British name but not a very British occupation.” “Yeah, unfortunately for me. He’s one really bad dude. I can’t stop thinking about that little boy in Bali who tried to warn me. I truly believe he took his life in his hands to try to make me not go to that plane. I bet his people were the ones that were supposed to receive the guns. If they know he tried to warn me, he’s probably dead. A big, huge dude came and dragged him away from me when he tried to tell me not to get on Percy’s Lear.” Avery was aghast. “Surely not. Surely they didn’t kill a little boy. Besides, what would a little kid know about it?” “They use kids over there to rob people. This one little dude I met, his name is Setiawan, he was sent to rob me, I’m convinced of it. I gave him food and a little bit of cash. I think that’s why he helped me. I wish I could find out how he is. I asked Marta to see if she could find out, but I’m pretty sure she won’t be able to.” “Can you get the embassy man to check on him?” “I’m persona non grata over there, so no. I would think not. Hell, might even make it worse.” Quincy slapped her thighs. “Better get dressed. We’re going to Harrods to spend some of Percy’s money and then to a lunch from hell.” “Huh?” Quincy grinned. “Seems Mr. Hicks believes the way to a woman’s heart is an expense account and the most costly frock in the place. So,

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let’s go prove the man right.” “Sounds great.” Avery combed her hair and headed to the closet to grab an outfit. Quincy went to the shower. **** Once they were dressed, Avery in casual black slacks and a button up white shirt and Quincy more dressed up in a black jersey knit dress with a mandarin collar, they headed down to the street to hail a cab to Harrods. The ride was short and before they knew it, they arrived at the store. They went to the fanciest section where they were plied with wine. They had a blast trying on dresses and soon Quincy had to leave for her lunch date. She’d chosen a lavender dress for that evening and arranged for it to be delivered to the hotel. Before she left to meet Percy, Quincy whispered to Avery, “Buy the most expensive one. Hell, buy two and then go to the shoe department and get shoes for each dress. Get it all delivered to the hotel and be outside the restaurant in an hour. It’s just down the street about three blocks. You can’t miss it. There will be an array of expensive cars outside.” “Should I call Craig?” “Yeah. Tell him to rent a nondescript car and be ready to follow Percy.” “I’ll do it.” **** Percy sat in the restaurant waiting for Quincy. He couldn’t stand being left cooling his heels. Where the hell is she? She’s late. He looked down at his Rolex and drummed his fingers on the table top. For every minute that passed, his anger ratcheted a little higher. Quincy came in the door. Finally. As she walked toward him, he

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sighed in appreciation. Yes, she definitely was an asset. He wasn’t sure he liked the haircut, but she could have that styled to look more sophisticated. Her athlete’s body was striking and the slit in the dress that exposed her thigh, made him hard as he looked at her. I must get her back in my bed. Soon. Not after we marry, but straight away. A man like me shouldn’t be teased by a woman. She needs to come off it. Tonight. For sure. All that rot about no sex until we marry is just that. Rot. He stood as she got to the table. He stood and reached over to kiss her. If she turns her head again, I might have to spank her later. Ooh, spanking might be interesting. I’ll have to ponder that. She let him kiss her on the lips, and she smiled. They sat, and she said, “Sorry I was a bit late. I had to arrange for my new frock to be delivered. The saleswoman was slow.” “Who was she? I’ll see that she’s fired.” Quincy laughed. “You’re so funny.” He frowned. “I’m not trying to be witty, Quincy. I’m serious. I don’t like to be kept waiting. It doesn’t look good for me to be sitting here alone. It makes me look pitiful, a man like me eating alone.” “Let’s order, darling. I’m starved.” She picked up her menu and read it. “I ordered a bottle of champagne to be brought when you got here. To make a toast our wedding. Mother can’t wait to see you tomorrow at the rehearsal.” “Why don’t you ask her to come with us all tonight? I’d like to see her, too.” “No. I think we’ll make tonight a dinner and dancing evening. No mother tagging along. If you aren’t going to let me make love to you, I can at least hold you in my arms on the dance floor.” And hopefully, when you feel how much I want you, you’ll spread your legs for me in a dark alley in the back seat of my Bentley. She smiled. “That sounds lovely. I haven’t been dancing in ages.” The waiter came and poured the champagne. Percy ordered for

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them. He chose a mushroom omelet for her and a house salad for himself. He smiled at her and held his glass aloft. “Here’s to us, darling.” She clinked her glass against his. “To us. And thanks for remembering that the omelet is my favorite here.” “Darling, I remember everything about you.” He took a sip of his drink and swallowed. He leaned forward and added, “I even remember how you like me to lick the back of your knees. How it drives you wild. I dreamed about it last night.” She took a large gulp of her drink and looked at him blankly, a smile pasted on her face. She sat her glass down and fiddled with the stem as it sat on the table. What the hell is wrong with her? She’s acting very strange. She’s being almost as odd as she was at the airport in Los Angeles. She almost seems scared of me. Why is she here if she’s scared of me?” Percy reached over and took her free hand. “Want to hear about the honeymoon?” “Sure. That’d be great.” She nodded. “I’m taking you to the North Sea, the part in Norway.” “The North Sea? Why?” Her eyebrows arched upward. “Doesn’t sound very honeymoon like to me.” He shrugged. “I figure you’ve surfed all the warm spots of the globe and most of the cold ones, too. I decided to take you up there to check out the fjords and cliffs. I wanted to take you somewhere you hadn’t been.” “I always thought I’d spend my honeymoon on a warm beach somewhere. Just because I’ve been to a lot of them doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want to go back.” “But, darling, my thoughts about honeymoons are that they’re to be spent making love. In a cold climate, there’s nothing else to do. We can sit by the fire and make love on a bear skin rug. I figure we need the time to catch up on all we’ve missed with living on separate continents.”

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“Sounds like you want a sex slave, not wife.” “I’m going to be your slave, darling. I’m planning to love you until you scream for release.” The waiter brought their food, and Quincy took a bite of her omelet. Once she chewed the egg, she said, “Release?” “Sexual release, my dear. Not release from the marriage bed. I’m going to keep you so happy, you’re never going to want to leave that bed.” She took another big swig of her champagne. She sat silent and played with her omelet, shoving it from place to place on the plate. Percy nodded at her food. “Not hungry?” “Not as much as I thought, I guess.” “I can’t help but feel something is wrong.” He reached over and patted her hand. “Want to talk about it?” “Just curious. Are we taking your plane?” “My plane?” She nodded. “Yes, your plane. On the honeymoon?” “Yes. Why?” “Will it have guns in the hold?” She looked at him wide-eyed. What the hell is she accusing me of? Does she know? What game is she playing? He shook his head, “I don’t think so, darling.” “Why? Because you’ll be on board and can’t risk your own arrest?” “I thought you understood that thing in Bali was not my fault. Someone got on my plane and did that. I’m as innocent as you are.” She stared at him and pushed her plate back. “I need to go to the loo.” He nodded, and she left. As soon as she was gone, he picked up his mobile phone and punched in some numbers. “Guido, I need you to follow the lady I’m bringing back to the office with me. Get a good look at her when she gets there. Keep on her until I tell you to stop.” He didn’t wait for an answer and clicked the phone shut. When Quincy got back to the table, Percy stood. “Let’s go. I need

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to get back to work.” “Can I go with you? I’d like to look around at what’s going to auction next.” “Sure, darling, sure. You’re always welcome there.” He took her by the elbow and led her to the door. On the way out, he stopped by the maitre d’ and said, “Bill to my account. Give the waiter a twentyfive percent tip.” “Yes, sir. We’ll do it, Mr. Hicks.” They left the restaurant, and Miguel opened the car door for them. Quincy slid in first, with Percy behind her. As soon as the car left the curb, Percy leaned over and slid his hand along Quincy’s thigh, up the slit of her skirt. He nuzzled her neck and murmured, “You wore that dress just to tempt me. Admit it.” “Yes. I did.” Percy listened to the tone of her voice and felt how stiff she held herself. She was a liar. It made him furious and more resolved to find out what she was up to. He’d make her pay. He continued to nuzzle her neck and caress her leg. Just because he could. She grew more and more detached from him as the ride continued. She should be grateful for my love and welcome me like a hooker would, not hold herself like a stiff, frigid, old nun. **** When they got to the auction house, Percy led her in and said, “I’ve got to go to my office for a while, and then I have a meeting out of the building. I can leave you on your own to catch a cab back to your hotel or I can have one of my employees take you back.” “No. I’ll mill around here for a while and find my way back on my own.” He leaned over and kissed her. She returned the kiss, afraid she’d blown it at the restaurant. It cost her a lot to kiss the man, but she

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knew she only had to act like she liked him just a little longer. “I’ll see you tonight, then, darling.” “Yes. We’ll see you then. What time?” “Is eight all right? Where are you staying?” “The Thyme. And yes, eight is fine. We’ll be ready.” “See you then.” Percy walked away. Quincy went immediately to the ladies room and sat down in the antechamber on one of the plush navy blue floral patterned couches. She had to compose herself. Lunch had been one of the hardest things she’d ever sat through. And that car ride on the way back, dear God, what a nightmare. She shuddered at the memory and immediately began to plan how she could avoid dinner that night. Dancing with Percy would be awful. After a few minutes, she took a deep breath and stood up. Gotta get back to it. The job won’t get done sitting here. She straightened her shoulders and left the safety of the ladies room. Quincy spent a long time milling around the sales floor and made her way down to the basements. On her last visit, she’d met some of the appraisers down there, and she planned to pretend to be looking for one of them if she was caught where she shouldn’t be. No one was down on the bottom floor. It was a little creepy that the entire basement seemed empty. She didn’t see anywhere that anyone could have stashed any weapons, so went back upstairs. Quincy asked the receptionist at the information booth right by the front door if Percy was still around, but he had left. She stepped outside and hailed a cab. As soon as she got in, she called Avery. “Find anything?” “Maybe. We followed him when he left the auction house, and there was another warehouse. He met someone inside. He was in there a while and then came out. Mark said we should stay and see if anyone else came out. There were three other men. They were all big and Middle Eastern looking. We’re gonna go back tonight with tools this time.” She giggled a little.

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“I sure hope this is it. I can’t take much more of Mr. Percy Hicks. He’s making me nervous, and I’m afraid he’s not going to take no on the sex thing very much longer. In fact, he got awfully close to performing hand sex on me in the back of the Bentley.” She paused. “I don’t mind telling you, I’m very scared.” “Ugh. That sounds horrid. You’ve had a rough day. Come back to the room. Craig and Mark are in the same hotel. We’ll have a drink and relax.” “I quaffed enough champagne at lunch to be drunk, but I think the adrenaline is keeping me sober. He’s got me so tied in knots, I can’t think straight.” “Tied in knots why?” “Not because I care about him, if that’s what you think.” “No, no. I don’t think that. Don’t at all. Just wondered what you meant. See you soon. We’re almost back to the hotel now.” “Me, too.” She closed her phone and disconnected the call. Once she got back to the room and all the hugs were exchanged, she sat on her bed beside Craig. You guys think you found the right place?” “Not sure, but we’re going back tonight. Avery says you have a dinner date with Percy and a friend. Craig and I will go in while you’re there.” Mark was cool and confident. “I’m a little—no, a lot—nervous about that.” “Why?” Craig put his arm around her. “Because he was a little to amorous in the car today. I can’t sleep with him. Can’t.” She put her head in her hands and shook. Craig patted her on the back. “Avery will be with you this time. She’ll be like a buffer. Make the jerk behave.” “I hope you’re right. Percy looks thin and suave, but he’s quite muscular under those three thousand dollar suits. If he wants to force me, neither Avery nor I could stop him.” Mark looked at her, aghast. “Do you really think the man is capable of rape?”

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She shrugged. “A month ago, I didn’t think he was capable of smuggling guns and leaving me to rot in a jail cell for his crimes. I actually used to think he was quite charming. I don’t know the man at all, it seems.” “I’m not sure I want you two going with him tonight.” Craig said. “I don’t want to either, but we need to give you the chance to see what may be in that other warehouse. He’s not going to take any excuse either. He’s determined to spend time with me.” Avery said, “I agree with Quincy. We need to go.” Mark stood and held his hand out to Craig. “Let’s go so the ladies can get gussied up for their ordeal.” Craig stood and patted Quincy on the head. “Maybe you should’ve told macho man cop to come with us. He’d have your back on this.” She looked up at him. “No. He would’ve tied me in a chair in my house, and I’d have never gotten free.” “Being tied up by that hunk of man would be a pleasure. Too bad he’s not the type to look at me twice.” “What about me over here, Craig? Are you forgetting me?” Mark looked at him with a mock pout. “No, my love, never that, I could never forget you.” Craig put his arm around his lover. “Gonna go prove my love to this hunk of man, and we’ll be back when you’re ready to go.” Quincy laughed. “So glad you finally embraced your true self, my friend. I’m so glad for you. And happy for Mark, too.” He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks, mate.” They left and Avery and Quincy got dressed in their new frocks, courtesy of Percy Hicks. **** Percy and his friend William arrived right at eight. Quincy and Avery made a point of being in the lobby just before the allotted time.

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Craig and Mark sat on one of the couches in the lobby, drinking coffee and pretending not to look in the direction of the ladies. They went to dinner at a private club near St. James Palace. The place was large and airy, candle light and dim chandeliers made for a nice atmosphere. The walls had almost all floor to ceiling windows. The dining area had a quite elegant feel with navy blue upholstered chairs. A live band provided music for the dancers on the floor. Most of the tables held four diners. A few tables for two sat along the walls. Percy had them seated at a table for four. The crowd was sizeable, and Quincy felt herself relax. Surely no harm would come to her and Avery here, among all these people. They dined on spinach stuffed Dover sole with mushrooms in a white sauce. The fish was delicious, especially the white wine that accompanied it. The liquor tasted very expensive. Quincy felt herself relax even more. Until Avery kicked her under the table and hissed, “Don’t get too comfy.” Percy looked up from his plate. “What was that, Avery?” “Nothing.” “I thought I heard you say something about being comfy.” She laughed. “Oh, that. I was merely hoping we were going to dance. No point in getting comfy in the chair here if we’re gonna dance.” “Ah, so you like to dance?” “I love it.” Percy took a swallow of his wine and stood. He walked over to Avery’s seat across the table from him, held his hand out. “Shall we?” Avery put her hand in his and stood. She looked at Quincy and smiled. Percy led Avery to the dance floor that was a large tiled area in the center of the room. When they got to the dance floor, Percy took Avery into a waltz hold and held her close. “Glad I got to waltz with you. I wanted to ask you something.”

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Avery felt the strength in Percy’s limbs as he held her. His arms seemed to be made of steel. She looked up at him. “What’s that?” “Any idea what’s up with my bride to be?” “What do you mean? Wrong? She seems fine to me.” “I mean she seems distant. It’s like she’s upset with me.” “It’s probably just nerves. You know, getting married, moving away from home.” He pulled back and studied her face. “You think that’s it? Really?” She nodded. “Oh, yeah. I’m sure. I know she’s been a bit worried about moving. She’s lived in that little house forever, and it’s a real wrench for her to leave it.” He brought her back into the dance. “I hope that’s all it is.” “I’m sure of it, Percy.” The dance was over, and they returned to the table. Before Avery could sit, William stood and asked her to dance. They left to join the other dancers. **** Percy stood beside Quincy’s chair. Silent. Finally, she looked up. “What?” “Will you dance with your husband to be? Or will you embarrass me in front of the members of my club and snub me?” She stood and held out her hand. “Of course I’ll dance. All you had to do was ask.” “I was standing here like a lunk. What did you think I was about?” “Asking is always nice, Percy. Asking, not demanding. Not assuming, asking. Politely even. What’s hard about that?” He took her hand and walked her over to the dance floor. He pulled her into his arms. “After the way you rebuffed me in the car today, I wasn’t sure you’d even show up tonight.” “I’m here, aren’t I?”

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“That you are, darling. Now let’s enjoy this dance.” He twirled her around. In a few minutes, the band played another waltz. Percy hugged her closer. “It seems there’s a romantic in the band tonight. They keep playing songs for us to dance close to. I like that. I can hold my woman in my arms in public and feel her curves.” She just smiled and said nothing. As they made their way across the floor, he ran his hand up and down her back. The lavender dress had a scoop back and his hands on her skin made her want to vomit. She bit her tongue and held back the bile. I should’ve bought that high neck dress. Percy said, “I like this dress I bought you today. It’s lovely. It looks spectacular on you. I can’t wait to see how it looks on the floor when I slide it off your gorgeous curves.” He pushed her pelvis close to his. “Feel how much I want you, darling? I plan to have you. Tonight.” “I told you that I want to spend time with Avery before we marry.” “Why do you think I brought Will? He’s gonna entertain her while I have my way with you.” “Please don’t tell me that man’s a male prostitute.” Oh God, what am I going to do? Something needs to happen to save me. Pulling the fire alarm won’t work. What’ll I do? She looked around the room for an escape. Percy laughed. “No. He’s just a red blooded man who likes pretty women. And your friend is appealing, you know.” “She won’t sleep with him. She’s just met him.” “You also said she wouldn’t use my Harrods account, and she did.” She shoved him in the chest. “That’s different. I forced her to do that.” He shrugged. “So she can be forced into compliance? That’s good to know.”

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“Are you talking about rape?” “Of course not, darling. Why would you think that?” She turned and stepped away from him. She walked back to the table with him on her heels. She sat down and looked at him as he took his chair. He smiled at her and took her hand in his. He squeezed her hand till it ached, leaned over and hissed, “I’m smiling at you, bitch, not because I’m happy. I’m not. I’ll not be made a fool of. Don’t you ever leave me alone on the dance floor. Ever. You better act like we’re a couple in this club, or you’ll regret it as soon as we leave here. I’ll—” His phone rang and interrupted his creepy, smiling diatribe. He looked down at the caller ID “I have to take this, but make no mistake, this conversation is not over.” He held the phone to his ear, still with the fake smile on his face. Quincy listened to his one-sided conversation. She had to. He had a death grip on her hand. The longer he talked, the more scared she got. It seemed someone had broken into one of his warehouses. She started to quake inside. Was this call about last night with her and Avery, or had they found Craig and Mark? She tugged on her hand, and Percy let go. She stood up. Fast. He looked at he, and she mouthed, “Ladies room.” He nodded, and she walked past Avery on the dance floor. Avery excused herself from William and followed Quincy. When the door was shut, Avery said, “You’re white as an albino. What’s wrong?” “Percy just got a call. It seems someone has broken into one of his warehouses.” “Oh, no, that’s awful.” They heard a toilet flush, and Quincy covered her mouth. A tall, blonde woman came out of the stall. She said, “I’m Tara. It’s nice to see you. Aren’t you Percy Hicks’ fiancée?” “Yeah. I am.” “Couldn’t help but overhear you. Hope nothing got stolen. But

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I’m glad to hear how upset you are about it. It bodes well for the marriage, in my book, anyway.” The woman washed her hands and as she dried them, she added, “Nice to meet you. Guess next time I see you, you’ll be in white.” “Oh, are you invited to the wedding?” “Sure am. I’ve known Percy for years. I wouldn’t miss it.” She sailed through the door. Avery looked at Quincy. “That was close.” “You said it. By the way, just so you know, the plan is for Percy and me to make love while William keeps you amused.” “Oh, my God. How crazy is he?” “Which one, Percy or your date? And how we gonna get out of this?” “Dunno. And I hope the guys aren’t caught.” “Me, too. Me, too.” When they got back to the table, Percy had Quincy’s wrap in his hand. He gave it to her. “We’re going to have to cut the evening short. Seems I have an emergency at work. Hope you aren’t too disappointed, darling.” “I am, Percy, but I understand.” They walked outside to the curb where Miguel had pulled the car around. “I’ll have Miguel drop you two off at your hotel, and William and I will take a hack back to the office.” “I thought you hated cabs, Percy.” “I do, my dear, but I can’t very well put you in one and send you home. It wouldn’t look good.” “And that’s what it’s all about, huh?” “What?” “Your image.” He fisted his hands at his side. “You’re getting awfully sassy with me lately, Quincy, and I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all.” “Maybe we need to call off this marriage then. If you’ve decided you don’t like me.” Please God let him agree.

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“Not on your life, darling. This marriage is going to happen. Count on it.” He turned away from her and then turned back. “You’re never getting away from me. Never. You’re mine. Forever.” Miguel held the car door open and Avery and Quincy slid in. He shut the door and walked around to the driver’s side. Before he got in, Quincy looked at Avery who had gone white. “Don’t say a word until we are back in the hotel. In the room.” Avery nodded, her eyes as huge as charger plates.

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Chapter Fourteen “Revenge is kind of a wild justice” Francis Bacon, English lawyer and essayist (1561-1626) When Miguel let them off in front of the hotel, Avery said, “Dear, God, Quincy. The man is certifiable. He’s nuts.” “I know. How I didn’t see it before, I’ll never know.” “He was always on his best behavior. You only saw him when he came to see you for a few days or you flew in to see him. Or at the surf competitions where he met you. And you were busy competing then. Who had time to figure out your boyfriend was a psychopath?” “Yeah, who?” Quincy’s laugh broke on a sob. “Can’t you see my only chance is to have him go to prison? If I can’t get the goods on him tomorrow, I’ll be forced to marry him the day after.” “Speaking of that, I wonder if the guys are all right.” “Let’s go in and see if they’re back.” They went to the lobby and were thrilled to see their two cohorts there, lolling about on the sofa, drinking something from mugs. Just like they had been when Quincy and Avery left. Avery asked the question they were both thinking. “Did you boys even leave those seats tonight?” Craig grinned that grin that had wahines on every beach in the world wanting him. “Ah, yes, my dears. We have wandered from these seats this night. We had a very successful wandering indeed.” “Cut the crap, and let’s go somewhere private to talk.” Quincy pointed to the elevator. When they got to their room, Avery changed into her large T-shirt

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she liked to sleep in while Quincy waited for her turn to change. When both of them were comfy, Quincy sat in the chair while Craig and Mark reclined on her bed. Avery lolled on her own bed on her stomach with her ankles crossed in the air. Quincy started off. “So, what happened? Percy got a call that one of his warehouses was broken in to. That’s why we’re back so early. We were scared to death that they’d caught you.” Craig looked at her, incredulous. “You asked Percy to bring you back early so you could check on your friends who were breaking into his warehouse?” “No, you ninny. He brought us back because he had to deal with a break in. Do you really think I’d ask him such a boneheaded thing?” Craig grinned that sexy grin again. “Na. Just having you on a bit, mate.” “Well stop and tell us what you found out. We’re dying here. Spill it already.” “Let me cut through the idiocy of my friend over here and tell you what we uncovered,” Mark said. “Please do. I think I can feel my hair turning grey,” Avery replied. Mark made a face at Avery. “We went into a warehouse, and it was full of cast off furniture and frames like the one you told us about. We roamed around a bit and found a secret door in the floor under an old rug. It had a spring handle, and we opened the door and went into a small room under the floor. It was about ten feet by twelve feet. All that was in there was a desk and a bunch of papers. We lifted a few of them. They’re in our room. We glanced through them, and I think we can get to the storage area for the weapons. There’s an address on some of the papers. Someplace near the Wapping docks. We’re gonna check it out tomorrow.” “Then we’re coming, too. We have the rehearsal dinner tomorrow night after the rehearsal itself at five. I want to get this evidence in the morning. Then I don’t have to show for the rehearsal. I can take myself home. We can give what we find to Finn, and he can get the

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authorities over here to nail Mr. Percy Hicks’s ass to the wall. And I’ll be safe at home.” Quincy stood up. “Go back to your room, dudes. Set alarms for six a.m. Meet in the lobby at six-thirty.” Mark and Craig stood. “Yes, sir, boss.” Craig pulled his forelock and grabbed Mark by the hand. They left the room, and Avery and Quincy each got in their own bed. Quincy turned out the bedside light. As they lay in the dark, Avery said, “You really think this is going to work? Or should we just make a break for it? Get you safely away?” “If we don’t find something in the morning, I’ll get to Gatwick and fly home to Finn. Percy really terrified me tonight. He was creepy right before we got in the car. He also told me at lunch he was taking me to the cliffs of the North Sea for our honeymoon. Since he said he doesn’t like my attitude, I’m scared he’s going to push me over. Be the grieving widower who lost his bride on his honeymoon. What would that do for his image? Make him the man all the women want to comfort?” “You really think he could do that?” “After tonight, yeah. He freaked me out more than once.” “Go to sleep, hon. We’re gonna get you out of this.” Quincy spent a while looking at the ceiling, wishing she had Finn with her. He’d be able to protect her. **** The alarm at six came too soon. Once they were dressed in their trusty khakis again, Quincy and Avery made their way down to the lobby. The four of them walked out to the parking lot and to the car Mark had rented. Quincy looked up as she slid into the back seat and thought she saw Finn. It must be my imagination. I’m wanting him here so bad, I’ve imagined him.

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She shut the car door. Mark started to back out, and another car backed out at the same time. Quincy recognized the driver of that car. It was a man she’d seen at the auction house. She tapped on the back of Mark’s seat. “Stop the car. I think I need to stay here.” Craig whipped around and stared at her. “Huh? What?” “See that car? No, don’t look. There’s a car behind us. There’s a man in it that I recognize from Percy’s place. I think Percy must have him following me. I can’t risk going. If the man is tailing me, you’ll be safe to go. He’ll have to stay with me.” She opened the car door and slipped out. Avery yelled out the still open door, “Stay here at the hotel. We’ll be back as soon as we can.” “I will.” Quincy shut the car door. She turned and walked back into the hotel. She stopped to fix her hair in the reflection on the plate glass and used the glass as a mirror to view the man in the car. Good. He’s not following them. The man got out of his car and stood beside it, smoking a cigarette. Looks like I was right. Damn Percy. Sure glad the guy’s an incompetent and that I saw him. She went back to her room and settled down to read a magazine she had left from the plane. She knew she’d never be able to concentrate, but she had to do something. **** In a couple of minutes, someone banged at the door. Quincy’s heart leapt. Is it the man from downstairs? She giggled a little. Of course not. He was a tail. He wouldn’t come to the door. It was probably the maid. It was early, but maybe she’d seen them leave and wanted to knock the room off her cleaning schedule. She walked over to the door. She peered through the peep hole and saw nothing. There was no one there. She opened the door a fraction, and Finn shoved past the door. It bounced off the jamb on

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the other side. Dear God, it was him I saw. Quincy backed up a few steps until her knees hit the cushion of the chair under the reading lamp. Finn kept coming. He grabbed her upper arms in a vise like grip. “What the hell kind of game are you playing?” She looked up at his enraged face. “Why are you here? What are you ranting about?” She stared down at her arms where he held her. “You’re hurting me. Let go.” He squeezed harder. “No. I won’t let go. You think this hurts? How bad do you think you’re gonna hurt when your fiancé, the firearms exporter, gets his hands on you?” “I don’t know what you mean.” He shook her a bit. “Don’t lie to me, Quincy Holt. I know what you’re doing, and it’s a boneheaded, stupid idea. Dangerous.” “Finn. I know what I’m doing.” “The hell you do. This man you’re messing with is very, very dangerous, and he could kill you if he finds out what you’re up to. Kill you.” “Kill me? You really think that?” Oh my God, I was afraid of the very thing last night and now Finn is saying it. Maybe Percy really is as evil as I think he is. Finn let go of her, ran his hand through his hair, and paced the room. “Yes. I really think that. He has a multimillion dollar a year business. He’s not going to just let you destroy that because he’s engaged to you.” “Finn. Please stop pacing. Stop and talk to me rationally.” Taking up the distance between them in two strides, he grabbed her again and hugged her to him. “I can’t bear the thought of losing you. I already lost you once and almost lost you a second time. This may be the last chance we have. You have to let this go. Go home. Go back to Miami and let the professionals take care of Percy.” She pulled back and looked in his face. “I can’t let this go. I’m closer to him than anyone, and I think I almost have this solved. I

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can’t just walk away.” She stopped and thought about what he’d just said. “What do you mean, you almost lost me a second time?” “In Bali. You really have no idea how close you came to not getting out of Bali, do you?” Confused, she said, “Huh? Looked to me like you were able to walk in and get me out.” She snapped her fingers. “Just like that.” “Not so easy as that, Q. First, I had to go to my superiors, and they had to go to the State Department. My bosses had to practically guarantee that you’d cooperate with our investigation. Favors were called in. And I mean from the highest levels of our government.” “Really? I had no idea.” “I know you didn’t. And then, when I finally got there. There was that interrogator. He had a gut instinct that something was wrong. You almost slipped up and called me by name. He didn’t want to let you go. He almost won that battle. I trust my cop instincts, and I could tell he did, too. He was adamant that something was up.” Finn paused and looked at her for a full minute. “Remember when I slapped you on the plane?” She put her hand to her cheek. “Of course, I’ll never forget it. That was just mean.” “No, it wasn’t. I did you the biggest favor of your life. I heard that interrogator whisper to the warden for him to call ahead to the air security team. He wanted them instructed to take you off that plane for any reason they could think of. Any reason. You’re hysteria was something they would have used to haul you off, and I may have never been able to get to you again. I was terrified, so I slapped you, hoping it would calm you down.” “Oh, Finn, I had no idea. Why didn’t you tell me?” “I couldn’t. I had to be the cop. Had to make them think you were my prisoner. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Not to comfort you, I mean.” “Sorry I was such a pill. I was terrified, too, and thought you were taking joy in seeing me abased.”

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“Never, sweetheart, never.” He hugged her to him, kissed the top of her head, leaned back, and searched her face. “But back to now. Tonight’s your rehearsal dinner. Are you going to marry him or are you just pretending so you can try to bring him down? Is that worth your life?” Quincy pulled him over to the bed and sat. She tugged on his hand until he sat beside her. “I’m not risking my life. I’m merely trying to find his cache, his warehouse.” Finn turned to face her. He cupped her cheek in his palm. “Baby, you are risking your life. You might not think so, but if he catches you, you’re dead. I mean that. He’s ruthless.” She patted his hand. “I don’t think he’d kill me, Finn. I just don’t.” Yeah, I really do, but I can’t say it. Not to Finn. He leapt up again and started to pace. “Then you are stupid. Naive.” She stood up herself. “Get out of here, Fennimore Smith. I’ll not stand here and let you call me stupid.” He rushed back over to her and stood right in front of her, close enough to touch, but he left his hands at his sides. “I love you, you imbecile, and I’m scared to death I’m going to lose you.” She pointed to the door. Her hand shook. “Now I’m an imbecile? Get the hell out of here. Now.” He grabbed her in a bear hug. “I didn’t mean that. I just want you to think about what you’re doing. I love you. You love me.” He pulled back and stared into her rage filled face. “I know you do. You can’t deny it. Even furious at me, you know you love me. Please, I’m begging you, don’t do this.” She stared at him for what seemed like five minutes, stood stiff in his arms. She finally, through gritted teeth, said, “Please leave. I have a rehearsal dinner to get ready for.” He let her go, and she walked over to the door. “So, you going to marry him tomorrow if you don’t have the goods on him? Are you going to sleep with him to get the information?”

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“So, we’re back to that, huh?” “Back to what?” Puzzled, he gaped at her. “Your jealousy and thinking I’m sleeping with every man I meet.” “I didn’t say that.” “You just accused me of using my body for information.” He ran his hands through his hair again. Stood still as a statue and tried to think clearly. He really was screwing this up. “I didn’t mean it. None of it. I’m sorry. I’m just distraught. I can’t stand this. I need to know. Are you going through with the marriage?” She exhaled a deep sigh. “Of course not. As soon as I knew Percy was the one to get me arrested in Bali, I began to plan his downfall. I really am not an idiot, stupid, or an imbecile, Finn.” Before she could finish, he said, “I know.” “I knew I couldn’t tell you anything about my plans or you’d do exactly what you just did. Yell and carry on and try to stop me.” “You pegged that right.” He looked at her sternly. “Please promise me one thing.” She let out another sigh. “What?” “Don’t leave here without me. I mean, without knowing I’m following you. You need backup if you’re going to do this. You need me to help you.” “I have backup.” This time he sighed. “Let me guess, Avery.” “Yes, Avery and Craig. And also Craig’s friend, Mark.” “You mean his lover?” It was her turn to gape at him. “When did you find out?” “I am a detective, you know.” “Not anymore. And you weren’t such a good one two years ago either, or we wouldn’t be standing where we are now, would we?” He dipped his head. “Touché.” “So, when did you find out? That Craig is gay, I mean?” “The night we got back to Miami. Coop and I followed you home. To be sure there was no one tailing you.”

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“And you waited to see if Craig was going to stay over?” “No. I told you in LA that I was going to trust you. And I did. Still do.” She opened the door of the room as he still stood by the bed. “Thanks for that. But now I really need to shower and get ready.” He winked. “Need someone to wash your back?” “Not yet, but soon. I promise. Soon.” At that, he crossed the room in two strides and shut the door. He snatched her into his arms and plunged his tongue into her mouth. She returned his kiss like a drowning woman. She ran her hands through his hair and pulled his head closer to her. His hands ran up and down her back. Her hands trailed down his spine and cupped his butt. He groaned and ground his pelvis into hers. She leaned back and grinned. “Tonight, after the rehearsal dinner, after I tell Percy it’s over, meet me here. We’ll make love all night.” And I hope Percy is in jail by then, or he’ll follow us. He groaned again and held her close. “I can wait till then, my love, but only just.” “You won’t be disappointed.” She pushed back against his chest, winked at him and gave his butt a squeeze. “You better stop that, sweetheart, or I’ll never leave.” “After tonight, you won’t have to, my love.” “Your love? I’m your love?” She nodded. “Always have been, always will be. Even if you do call me names.” He kissed her lightly on the lips. “Sorry about that. I promise only to call you ugly names if you scare me to death, otherwise, they’ll only be nice names.” She laughed. “Guess I can live with that.” “I hope so, baby. I hope so.” She opened the door again and shoved him through it. “Scoot. I have to get ready to break an engagement.” He sketched a salute. “Yes, ma’am. Indeed you do.” He took her

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hand and kissed her knuckles. “See you as soon as you’re free.” He paused and kissed her knuckles again. “Be with you, I mean. I’ll be seeing you the rest of the day as I plan to follow you to the rehearsal dinner, but you won’t see me.” “Thanks, Finn. I appreciate it. I’ll feel safer knowing that.” “You’ll always be safe with me, sweetheart.” “I know. Now, go.” She shut the door to the room and headed to the shower. It was time to free herself of the millstone of Percy Hicks. Once her friends got back with the goods, and after he went down for his crimes, of course. **** Quincy fiddled around the room for a little while and finally decided she’d better get ready for the rehearsal. She’d been hopeful the others would find something quickly and get back before she had to leave for the ordeal. As the day wore on, she realized that was wishful thinking. She called down for a salad from room service and after she ate it, she put on the dress she’d chosen before she knew she was marrying a psycho. The dress, a deep mauve, had looked sexy and exciting in the store, but now that she knew what a crazy man she was engaged to, it didn’t seem like such a good choice. It was slashed to the waist and she’d thought it was very chic in the boutique when she’d tried it on. She ran her hands over the fabric where it exposed way too much of her breasts. There was no way she wanted to wear this in front of Percy. There was no other choice, though. When she decided not to marry him, she didn’t pack much in the way of clothes. This was all she had except for the wedding dress itself and the dress she’d worn the night before. It really would set him off if I wore that again. Two nights in a row. She shrugged. There was nothing to do but wear it and brave his ogling. There was a rap on the door. She tilted her head. Sounds like the

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way Finn knocked earlier. Why would he come back? Who cares? I need the courage he gives me. Her heart leapt at the thought of seeing him again. She slid on her backless mauve satin mules and walked over to the door. The rapping started again. “I’m coming, I’m coming. Hold on.” She opened the door to the man she’d seen earlier in the parking lot. The one she knew worked for Percy. She tried to shove the door shut in his face, but he was too strong. He pushed his way in, and she opened her mouth to scream. He pointed a gun at her chest and said, “I wouldn’t do that, Signorina. I’m supposed to bring you in alive, but if you set off an alarm, I’ll have to tell my boss there was a tragic accident.” “What do you want? I don’t have much money.” She walked backward toward the bed. He waved the gun at her. “Don’t play stupid with me. You know who I am and who I work for. Just shut up and come with me. And I won’t have to hurt you.” Shaken, she sat down on the bed. He waved the gun again. “I’m not playing with you. Get up and come on. You walk in front of me and, just so you know, if you signal anyone in the lobby, I will put a bullet in your back. Trust me on that.” He had a slight Italian accent, but it wasn’t enough to make her misunderstand him. She could tell he was serious. She decided to do what he said, stood, and grabbed her cell phone from the bedside table. When she got next to him, he snatched the phone out of her hand and threw it across the room where it shattered against the wall. “You won’t be needing that. And don’t think I don’t know there’s a GPS on it. I’m not stupid, Signorina.” She was even more scared now. Her thought was that she could turn the phone on and her location could be traced. Hopefully, Finn was outside and ready to follow them. He’ll save me. He said he’d tail

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me. She took a deep breath and felt better already. “Okay. Let’s go. I need to talk to Percy anyway.” The man laughed. “I don’t think it’s talking you’ll be doing.” “What do you think I’ll be doing, then?” “Dying.” He laughed a hideous laugh. “After he gets done with you.” She shuddered at the thought of what lay ahead. Please let Finn see us. Let him be downstairs like he said he’d be. The man waved the gun toward the door. “Let’s go.” She walked in front of him. He was very close behind her. So close she could smell his sweat. He reeked. His scent mixed with onions on his breath from what she thought was his lunch. She gagged. The man poked her in the back with the gun. “Keep walking. To the elevator, then off in the lobby and out the back door to the parking lot. Don’t say a word if you want to live. For a little while, anyway.” She did as instructed. She walked slowly so Finn could notice them and either rescue her now or follow them and rescue her later. They made it to the car Quincy had seen the man get out of before, and she was disappointed that Finn didn’t intervene. The man opened the car door and shoved her in. She gagged again. God this car smells worse than him. Must be a week’s worth of empty fast food bags in here. With the cigarette smell, it’s utterly disgusting. I think I’m gonna puke. Ugh. The man said, “I’m walking around the car now. Don’t make the mistake of trying to run. I can still shoot you. And I will.” He shut her door and walked around the front of the car, never taking his eyes off her. He got in the driver’s side and cranked the car. She looked at him. “Where are you taking me?” “It’s a surprise.” He just grinned. His grin was scarier than his laugh. The grin showed his two gold teeth surrounded by his others that were nicotine stained. She shuddered, and he reached over and caressed her cheek. “I’m

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hoping the boss will let me have some before he kills you.” He ran his hand down the center of her dress where it was slashed to show her breasts. He reached into one side and squeezed one. Hard. “I could stand sloppy seconds with you.” She pulled away from him. “I’m sure Percy will be upset when I tell him how you manhandled me.” The man laughed again. “I don’t think you understand the position you’re in.” “I’m his fiancée.” The man shook his head and stared at her as if she were insane. “So sad, you know. So sad that you have no idea what your betrayal has cost you. You’ll hear it from my boss soon enough, but you’re no longer his fiancée.” “What are you talking about? Tomorrow’s our wedding day.” “Nope. It’s not going to happen. But I’ll save the details for the boss to tell you.” He backed up the car and drove out of the parking lot and down the road toward the south part of town. “Can you tell me where Percy is?” “I’m taking you to him. To where you wanted to go. I’m taking you without a blindfold because you’re never leaving. Alive that is.” “What do you mean, where I wanted to go?” He just looked at her and winked. Quincy tried to pay attention to where she was being taken, but it seemed like they were almost going in circles. She saw several places at least twice. She also tried to figure out if they were being followed. Where is Finn? What’s he waiting for? Dear God, he better be following us.

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Chapter Fifteen “The prince of darkness is a gentleman” From King Lear, William Shakespeare, English Dramatist (15641616) The smelly man finally turned the car to the left and off the road. He drove off the street between two sets of buildings. Quincy got more frightened. Where was he going? Would Finn ever find her? The man steered the vehicle around to the back of one of the buildings and into a grassy area with trash, soda bottles, and even a rat or two. The man stopped the car in the alley, and Quincy recognized the warehouse where she and Avery had gone the night before. She peered out the window, confused. Why here? There was nothing in the place but old furniture. Why bring me here? The man got out of the car and came around to open her door. He jerked it open. He reached in and yanked on her arm. “C’mon, let’s go. You wanted to tell your fiancé what I did. How I felt you up. Manhandled you, I think you said, right? So, whatcha waitin’ for? Now’s your chance.” He pulled on her arm again. “Give me a second. I’m getting out. You don’t have to be such a jerk.” She jerked her arm away from his grasp. “Move it, Signorina. Move it.” Quincy climbed out of the car, and when she did, he grabbed her arm again and this time, he twisted it. Hard. He dragged her toward the back door of the warehouse. She tried to keep her footing as he pulled on her, but she tripped on an empty beer bottle and sprawled across the dirty lot, scraped her knees and calves and got a mouthful

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of grass and dirt. The man reached down and jerked her up by one arm. “If you can’t walk, take off the shoes.” She spat at him but came nowhere near to hitting him. She shook her head to get out some of the dirt and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “If you’d let me walk and quit tugging me along, I could stay on my feet.” He slapped her across the face so hard, her neck snapped back. “Don’t spit at me, puttana.” She opened her mouth to spit at him again, and the back door opened. There was Percy Hicks. He was dressed in a suit, of course, a three piece pinstriped suit hand tailored by his Savile Row tailor. “Guido, please refrain from calling my fiancée a whore.” He winked at the smelly man. “Not yet, anyway. It’s a bit too soon for that.” He turned to Quincy and bowed slightly. “How nice of you to come visit, darling.” She looked at him, aghast at his words. Whore? Not yet? What did he mean by that? “Do you have nothing to say, my dear? You’re usually quite the talkative bitch, aren’t you? Did Guido cut out your tongue?” He turned back to Guido. “Not that it wouldn’t be fine with me, but I really wanted to hear her scream.” Guido laughed until his cigarette damaged lungs made him wheeze. “No, boss, I didn’t cut out her tongue, much as I would’ve been glad to, I didn’t.” He wheezed again. “I do have a question, though.” “What’s that?” “Can I have a go at her before you kill her? After you, of course. She’s mighty pretty, boss. Mouthy, but fine looking.” Percy walked over to Quincy and pinched her chin between his thumb and forefinger. He turned her face toward him, leaned in really close and said, “Don’t you want some of that over there?” He tilted his head in Guido’s direction. “He more your type than me?”

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She spat at him. She was a better shot this time. Her spittle landed on his cheek. Enraged, he reached up and scratched her face with three of his fingers. The scratches were deep. “You’re going to regret that, darling.” He pulled out a linen handkerchief and wiped his face. Then he wiped her spit into the three gashes on her face. He rubbed the handkerchief hard on her cheek. Quincy winced in pain as she felt the blood trickle down her face. She put her hand to her face and could already feel the swelling, either from the slap or the fingernails. There was no way to tell which hurt worse, her face or her scraped legs. “Good thing you won’t be posing for bridal pictures tomorrow, darling. You’d look a bit ghastly like that.” He turned back to Guido. “Help me get her inside.” Once inside, Percy and Guido tied her to a chair that sat near the middle of the room. Quincy noticed that some of the furniture that was piled all over the room the day before had been moved to make an open space for the chair where she sat. It was a slat back chair that looked like it had been around since the middle ages. It was solid and sturdy, made of some kind of heavy black wood. The men tied Quincy’s legs to the massive chair, with the rope lashed around both feet and knotted at the side. They put her hands together behind the back of the chair, pulled the ropes through on either side the middle slat and tied them. Percy said to Guido, “Make sure you knot her hands especially tight. I don’t want her to work herself free and untie her legs. It wouldn’t do for her to get away before I can get back.” The two men worked silently for a couple of minutes while Quincy prayed for Finn to appear. Once she was secured to the chair, Percy said, “Guido. You can go now. I want some private time with my former fiancée.” “Yes, sir. Let me know when you need me again. I’ll be waiting for my chance at this beauty.” He leaned over and squeezed her breast

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again. “Keep your hands off for now, Guido.” Percy swatted Guido’s hand. “Go on now, and I’ll call when I need you. You know I have to make an appearance at my wedding rehearsal, and then I’ll be back to finish her off. I’ll need you then.” Guido grinned that creepy smile that showed off his nasty teeth, and Quincy shivered in dread. He left but not before sending a leer in Quincy’s direction. As soon as they were alone, Percy knelt in front of Quincy. He ran his hand through her hair. “I wish this could have turned out differently, darling, but you got too nosy. I couldn’t let you bring me down.” “What are you talking about, Percy? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m confused. Why are you tying me up and threatening me? What have I done?” He smacked her. “Yes, you do know. Quit acting like you have no idea what’s going on. You’re not that good of an actress, my dear. We both know you’re spying on me. You were snooping around my business.” He stood and stared down at her. She had to look up as he loomed over her. “Why do you think that?” No way he knows what I’m doing. No way. “Ah. I don’t just think it, my dear, I know it.” “Know it how?” “So, you admit it?” He sneered. “Gotcha.” “Of course not. I’m not admitting anything. I just want to know what you’re talking about.” “First, I know because you couldn’t resist saying something to me about my plane and guns at lunch when we talked about the honeymoon. That made me suspicious of you. I know you think you and your friend, Avery, got away with snooping around here, but you didn’t. Second, I have proof you were here.” “How would you?” “You think I don’t because there’s no security alarm? Is that it?”

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She shrugged as best she could with her arms tied behind her. Numb. “I can tell you this. A person like me doesn’t have to hire a security company. We don’t like law enforcement. I have my own security detail. And I have my own lab technician. A tech who took your prints off the screen you removed to get in here. Don’t know what you were looking for, but you didn’t find it here. Obviously. Or I guess I would’ve already been visited by Interpol, right?” She just shrugged again. He slapped her a second time. “Answer me, bitch. I want answers. What the hell are you looking to pin on me? Are you working with Interpol?” “No. I’m not working with Interpol.” She shook her head. It hurt like a son of a gun. She idly wondered if a person could get whiplash from being smacked too hard, too many times. She suppressed a hysterical laugh. Percy paced around the room and came back. He knelt and got right in her face. “Then who? Who are you working for, Quincy?” “Just me. I’m working for myself.” He shook his head, confused. “What do you mean? For yourself?” “Percy, I was incarcerated in a foreign country for a crime I didn’t commit. I wanted to see if there were guns here. Someone owned those guns on your plane.” “I told you it wasn’t me.” He stood up again. “I don’t believe you.” He practically screeched. “You don’t believe me? That’s rich.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” He looked down his nose at her. “It means I’m head and shoulders above you in society and you have the nerve to question me. That’s ironic.” She glared at him. “If I’m so beneath you, why did you ask me to marry you in the first place? Did you even love me?” She couldn’t believe her voice cracked at the question, nor the solitary tear that traveled down her cheek.

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He walked around to the back of her chair and put his hands on her shoulders. He ran his hands up and down her upper arms and then squeezed her shoulders. “I met you in Miami, and you were very appealing. Seemed like a nice girl. The best thing was that you traveled for your career. Be sure I could have married any one of a dozen blue blooded Brits, but I decided a girl like you who travels the globe would make more sense. I could get my merchandise in and out of the countries you traveled to with little problem.” He leaned over her back and slid his hands down her chest and inside her dress. He stopped when he got to her breasts and squeezed them. “And that athlete’s body was just a bonus. I could see myself enjoying my life sentence for a long time to come. It wouldn’t be a hardship to have you in my bed. And I guess that was love. I don’t know.” She shuddered at his touch. When he realized she was disgusted by his hands on her, he twisted her breasts and hissed in her ear, “Be sure you’ll be in even more pain before this night is over. I can’t tolerate your behavior any longer, and you will be punished. You and I could have had a nice life together, and I would’ve even given you those kids you said you wanted. But you blew it, darling. You couldn’t just be the quiet, obedient wife, could you?” He squeezed her breasts again and held them for a moment. He finally let go of her breasts and walked back around to the front of the chair. He had a knife in his hand. He ran the edge back and forth across his palm. She recoiled as he said, “Scared, darling?” “Will you quit calling me darling, asshole?” “You talk big for someone who’s tied up and at the mercy of an irate former fiancé.” He looked at his Rolex watch. “Speaking of fiancé, I better get to my wedding rehearsal. I have to play the part of jilted bridegroom. It’s gonna be so tragic. My love has left me, and I don’t know where she is.” He looked at her with a mournful stare. “How’s this for the grieving bridegroom look?” She stared at him, appalled, as he leaned over and put the knife to

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her throat. She tried to back away, but couldn’t. Percy laughed and sliced downward, cutting her dress but not her skin. He leaned in and licked her nipple that he’d exposed with his cut and bit her lightly. “Be back in a little while, darling. Think about all the fun we’re going to have. And don’t forget Guido gets a turn before it’s over.” At that, he turned and walked away. As soon as he was out of the building and the door slammed behind him, she took a deep breath and tested her ropes. There was no time to panic. She had to plan. She had to get free. Finn obviously wasn’t coming. Her hands were numb and the ropes tied to them were really tight. She could barely move them. Her legs, on the other hand, had been tied much looser. They seemed to be tied together almost carelessly. She grinned. This wasn’t over. Not yet, anyway. **** Finn left his post outside and dashed into the lobby of The Thyme Hotel when he saw Avery and the two men pull into the parking lot. As soon as the trio came in the entrance next to the lot, Finn walked over to Avery. “Can you check the room for Quincy? I’ve been calling, and there’s no answer.” Avery stared at him. “What are you doing here, Finn?” “I’m trying to make sure Quincy’s all right.” “But why did you follow her here? Why are you in London?” “Can we have this conversation later, please?” He gritted the words out and held himself stiff with his hands in fists at his sides. “Fine.” Avery put her hands on her hips. “What’s the problem?” “I asked her not to leave without me, and I can’t get her on the room phone. I’m worried.” “Why?” He lunged toward her, and Craig grabbed his arm. “Cool down, mate. I’m sure she’s fine.” He turned to Avery. “Scoot upstairs, luv,

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and get Quincy. Mark and I will hang here with this dude. We’ll hold him back since he’s pretty tightly wound right now.” Avery left to go to the elevator, and Craig led Finn over to the couches where Mark stood. “What’s up? I have to tell you, that was not cool. The way you leaped at the girl. What’s going on?” Finn reined in his emotions and forced himself to be civil. “I remember you. You’re Craig Miller, right?” “Yeah.” Craig nodded. “I remember you, too. You’re the bloke who thought she was really sleeping with me, right? When I gave that stupid interview to make myself look like a ladies’ man.” “Yes, I’m the boneheaded idiot. The one who threw away his life. Over what you call a stupid interview.” Mark leaned around Craig. He held out his hand and said, “I’m Mark DeLand. Craig’s partner.” “It’s nice to meet you both, and I’m sorry to be frantic, but I think this Percy Hicks is a loose cannon. Avery can be brick wall. She’s tried to stand in my way before, and I have no patience for that right now.” He paced a few steps. What’s taking Avery so long? She should be back down here by now. He stopped pacing and faced Mark and Craig. “I’m really scared for Quincy’s safety. I hope I’m over-reacting, but I don’t think so. I know you two and Avery were trying to help her find the goods on Hicks, but I’m afraid he’s taken her.” Craig gasped. “Why do you think that?” “She promised me that she’d wait for me to tail her before she left for the wedding rehearsal. When she didn’t answer the room phone or her cell, I asked the woman at the desk, and she said she thought she saw Quincy leave with a man an hour or so ago. She wasn’t sure. Said she only saw the back of the woman, but she had blond curly hair.” “Why weren’t you here when she left? And why haven’t you tried to go after her?” “She told me she’d wait for me. I took ten minutes and went down to the coffee shop and grabbed a cream cheese Danish to go. Coffee, I

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can get here from the bartender, but I was hungry. Damn stomach betrayed me. Other than that, I was here.” Finn slammed his hand in his fist. “And I haven’t tried to follow her because I don’t have any idea where she went. Where the rehearsal hall is, where the place she sent you—” Mark interjected, “Craig’s not accusing you of anything, man. Keep cool.” He touched Finn on the arm and pulled him down onto the couch. “Sit for a minute. Let’s think about this. Isn’t it odd that you took a small break and she leaves just then? Right at the same time? How weird is that? Do you think you were being watched yourself?” “I hope I would’ve caught a whiff of that. I am a trained officer. Of course, I’m breaking the cardinal rule of trying to investigate a case that I’m personally involved in. I was so focused on Q, I forgot to watch my own back. That was really stupid.” He shrugged. “I guess I can see the reason for the rule now.” “Maybe—” Before Mark could finish his thought, Avery rushed up. “Finn, she’s gone. The dress she was going to wear to the rehearsal is gone. So she got dressed to go. We know that.” Craig said, “Maybe she just went on and thought you were behind her, Finn.” Finn shook his head, but before he could say anything, Avery held out Quincy’s cell phone. It was in three pieces. “This was on the floor. Like it was thrown and hit the wall.” Finn stood. “Let’s go. Where was the rehearsal?” Avery said, “St. Paul’s. In the chapel.” “Let’s see if she’s there.” He grabbed Avery by the hand and tugged her toward the back door out of the lobby. Mark said, “I’ll drive.” ****

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They all piled in the car, and Mark drove like a maniac through the traffic. When they got to the church, Finn said, “I’m going in with you, Avery.” He turned to look at her. “Since you’re a bridesmaid, you’re supposed to be there. I’ll be your date. If she’s there, fine. I’ll leave. If not, we’re going to search this city and find her.” Mark said, “I’ll drive around the block. You come back out and tell us what’s up.” Avery and Finn got out of the car and went into the church. Avery had to hold Finn back from running down the hallway to the chapel. She hissed, “Be calm. You don’t want to get arrested.” They finally got into the chapel and saw a group of people milling about. No Quincy in sight. Avery noticed Percy and whispered to Finn, “I’m going over to talk to him.” Avery sidled up next to Percy and whispered, “Where’s Quincy?” “You tell me. You’re her bridesmaid. I’m just the groom. She’s late.” He looked around. Made a big production of it. “Not here, as you can see. So, where is she?” Avery shrugged. “I’ve got no idea. She was gone when I got to the room. In the dress she’d chosen to wear tonight. I expected to see her here. With you.” Percy pulled her to one side. “You know I told you last night that I thought something was wrong between us?” “Yeah. What about it?” She shrugged. “I called to talk to her. Told her I thought something was wrong. She confessed that she couldn’t go through with the marriage. Said she felt different about marrying and moving to a foreign country since she went to jail. She said she wanted to stay in America. I actually think she’s on her way back to Miami. I don’t know that, but that’s what I think.” “I don’t think so, Percy. She wouldn’t have left without a note to me. She also left her phone and luggage in the hotel. She would never fly home without her cell phone. Never.” “Maybe she’s just off pouting somewhere.” He shrugged.

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“You don’t seem too concerned.” “She dumped me. No, I’m not concerned. I’m brokenhearted over it, but she’s embarrassed me for the last time.” He looked over at the others hanging around in the chapel. “And now I have to announce my grief to all of these people. My mother will be devastated. I really should be angry at your friend, and I guess when I get over my initial grief over the breakup, I’ll get to the anger stage. Isn’t that one of the stages of grief?” He quirked one eyebrow. Avery hissed at him. “You’re a pig, and I hate you. I’m glad Quincy wised up and left your butt.” She started to flounce away. He grabbed her arm and stopped her, held her arm tight and twisted it. “Who’s your friend over there?” He nodded toward Finn. “No one. Just a friend.” She jerked her arm out of his grasp. “Looks like someone I’ve seen before.” He grabbed her arm again. “Who is it?” “A friend.” “So don’t tell me, bitch. I’ll figure it out even if you don’t.” He squeezed her arm. “You may as well tell me.” She jerked her arm away from him again. “No.” She stalked off, and she and Finn left. As they walked back toward the exit, they could hear Percy making his announcement. He sounded truly sad, but Avery knew he was a lying bastard. When Avery and Finn came out of the church and hustled their way across the concrete steps, Mark and Craig sat at the curb in the car. Finn and Avery got in the back seat, and Finn said, “Quincy told me that you had a lead on the cache of weapons. Maybe she’s there. I feel it in my gut that he’s got her. I know it.” Mark drove away from the where he had idled to wait for the others. “There’s three places he could have her. I think we need to split up and search them all.” Finn said, “Yeah. I agree. I’ll take one, and the three of you stick together. I’m trained, so it’s better if you three are together. He can’t

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hurt all of you at once.” “That’s a comfort.” Craig’s laugh was a short bark. “You know what I mean. We need to get to her, and the more of you there are, the better.” Finn pulled out his officer’s notepad. He scratched two numbers on it and handed it to Avery. “This top number is mine. The other is the Interpol officer I’m working with on this case. His name is Franklin Longet. Call him if you see anything. And I mean anything.” “He’s French?” Avery stared at the paper. “Yes. He speaks English, though. It shouldn’t be an issue.” Mark said, “We’ll go back where we were earlier today. I think that’s where the weapons are stashed. It had covered windows and seemed more secure than the other two places. We can call your Interpol man from there. You check the place where Quincy and Avery went the other night. Then, once we’ve checked those places, we’ll meet back at the place Craig and I were last night. If we don’t hear from you in an hour, we’ll come to the place where you’re going right now. We need to check in with each other every twenty minutes. We’ll assume if you don’t call that you’re in trouble and vice versa.” He looked at Craig. “Write those addresses down for Finn.” He handed his phone to Finn. “Put your number in my phone and Craig can put mine in yours.” Finn took Mark’s phone and entered his number. He tapped Craig on the shoulder with it. “Looks like you picked a winner. As glad as I am that Quincy isn’t your type, I’m glad you found a good man for yourself.” Avery grinned at Finn and tapped him on the leg. “Quincy would be so proud of you. I know I am.” Finn chucked her on the nose. “Thanks, kid.” Mark stopped at another curb and turned to Finn. “There’s a cab stand over there.” He nodded his head and handed him the paper Craig had written on. “Here are the addresses. Call us in twenty.”

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**** Finn practically leaped from the car and jogged down to the taxi stand. He was frantic to find to Quincy. Hope it’s not too late. I hope that bastard hasn’t killed her. His ass is mine if he did. Or even if he didn’t. He’s toast. He jumped in the first cab available and gave the driver the address. The address he’d memorized the day before when he went to the same warehouse where he’d seen the Bentley drop off Percy. He didn’t want Avery to know he knew where it was, so he’d kept quiet in Mark’s car. To the cab driver, he said, “I’ll double the fare if you can get there in under five minutes.” The driver looked at him in the rear view mirror. “I’ll give it my best shot, gov’ner.” The man tore out and left half a tire’s worth of rubber on the street. Finn pulled his Glock out of his shoulder holster and made sure the ammo clip was full. The driver looked back at him again. “You’re not a London cop. You a criminal?’ Finn flipped out his badge. “No. I’m an American Federal Officer. You’re safe with me. I’m not going to shoot you. But you need to watch the road.” “Didn’t think you were going to shoot me. I can tell a lot about a man by the way he talks to me. Us hacks are good judges of character. You’re an all right kind.” Finn looked up from his gun. “Thanks man. I’m in a hurry to try to save a kidnap victim. Can you rush it?” “That’s brilliant, man. Brilliant. Can’t wait to tell the wife.” The man put the pedal to the floor and darted between the other cars on the road. Good thing the man was a professional as he took a lot of risks. Finn sat back in the seat and wished the car would move even

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faster. He knew the cabbie was doing his best, but it seemed like the car was barely moving. He felt like his time was running out. The longer the ride went on, the more scared he got. His heart clenched in his chest. I can’t lose her now. After all this time, she finally admitted she loves me. I need her. She can’t be gone. She has to be safe. I have to have another chance to make it right with her. I have to.

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Chapter Sixteen “See, the conquering hero comes! Sound the trumpets, beat the drums!” Thomas Morell, English librettist (1703-1784) As soon as the cab screeched to a halt in front of the warehouse that sat at the address Mark had given him, Finn had the door open. He tossed a hundred euros on the seat. “Thanks and keep the change.” “Good luck, man,” the cabbie yelled at him as Finn dashed around to the back of the building to see if he could get in. Finn made his way to the alley and crept around on his knees in the stench of the garbage back there, found the window with the loose screen and pulled it loose. He poked his head in and didn’t see anything, decided to explore further by going in and looking around. Once inside, in front of him was a massive wall of furniture, piled pell-mell about the place. He heard a noise, stopped moving, and stood very still as he tried to figure out what it was he’d heard. It was a kind of shuffling sound. What the hell is that? It sounds too large to be rats. What the hell could it be? Finn didn’t want to show himself until he knew the source of the sound but finally decided he was going to have to chance it. No way to tell what it was without making a move. He sidled down the side of some large oak armoires, his Glock at the ready. It ate at him that there was no back up, but he couldn’t help that. No time to call for assistance. Not if Quincy was here and at the mercy of Hicks. Finn made his way to the end of the line of armoires. He peered around them and saw a sight that made his heart soar and ache at the

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same time. It was Quincy, tied in a chair, trying to work her ropes free by twisting her legs to loosen the ropes. She looked pitiful. Her dress was torn and one breast was exposed. Her face was gashed and swollen. One side was almost purple and looked to have a hand print on it. It seemed she’d also have one big black eye in a day or so. But she was alive. She was blessedly alive and still fighting to be free. It was all he could do not to run to her. He had to be sure the place was clear first. He was torn between his training and his love for the woman who was clearly in distress. He slid back before she could see him. I’ve gotta check out the other side of the room. Be sure it’s safe to go into the open where she is. Hope to God Mark comes with Interpol when he doesn’t hear from me. It already had to be past time to call in. Finn pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time and to be sure it was on vibrate. It would be a disaster if it rang now. It took Finn about fifteen minutes to creep around the perimeter of the room. It seemed clear. The only problem was someone could have quietly come in to the other side of the room after he cleared it. Couldn’t be helped. An invasion force of one was not a good plan when there was a potential hostage situation, but there it was. You did the job as it lay. He stepped out into the open, his Glock in his hand, safety off. Quincy looked up, eyes wide. Finn said, “I take it the engagement is off?” She gasped in relief. “Thank God you found me. What happened? I thought you were tailing me.” “I stepped out for less than ten minutes for a bite to eat and look what kind of trouble you get in, sweetheart.” She burst into tears. “I’m so relieved to see you. Percy is crazy. He’s going to kill me. He said he was coming back to kill me. He’s going to play the jilted bridegroom at the rehearsal and then come back for me. He knows about my plan—”

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Finn took a step toward her to untie her, and Percy spoke from out of the shadows. He leaned casually against the door jamb and pointed a nine millimeter at Finn as he interrupted Quincy, “I told Avery I’d remember where I saw you. You’re that cop I saw in Los Angeles. You in on whatever plan my bride has?” “She’s not your bride anymore, Hicks.” Finn stood casually with his own gun hanging down by his thigh. “And she certainly won’t be yours.” Percy suddenly jerked his gun up and shot at Finn. Finn dodged the bullet and raised his own gun. Finn shot at Percy who darted back behind the edge of the door where he’d leaned just a second before. Finn’s bullet pocked the door jamb. Quincy screamed as another barrage of bullets from Percy’s hideout flew over her head. Finn yelled, “Q. Can you lean over so your chair falls? You’ll be safer.” Quincy leaned to the right, and her chair did tilt over. It knocked the breath out of her when she landed on the floor with a thud. She lay on her side, her feet loose from where she’d worked the ropes while Percy was at the chapel. Her surfer’s legs had made short work of the loosely tied ropes. Finn made a step toward her. I’ve gotta get her away from the line of fire. She’s not safe. He could hit her. Finn was concentrating so hard on rescuing his love that he didn’t react as fast as he should have. He darted to the right. His reflexes too slow, the bullet found its mark. Blood poured from his head. He collapsed and lay still. There was blood everywhere. Quincy screamed. “Finn! Oh, God, Finn, get up. Get up.” Percy walked over and kicked Finn. “Think your cop’s a goner, darling.” She yelled again, “Finn, Finn.” Percy walked over and sat her chair back up with her still tied to

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it. “There goes the big rescue plan. Too bad. He was trying so hard. Gotta give him credit for that.” “You bastard. You’ll fry for this.” “I don’t think so, my dear, no one will ever even know. Or if they do, I’ll make it look like a murder suicide. You killed him because he was trying to take you back into custody on the firearms smuggling charge and then, in remorse for what you’d done, you shot yourself.” Percy stopped and stared at her then nodded. “Yeah. That sounds good. And then, the bridegroom who thought he’d been jilted comes across the bodies and finds out he hadn’t been run out on. But, sadly, he also learns that his bride was a real criminal.” He patted her head. “So, no need to fret too much over the cop. You’ll be joining him soon.” He knelt in front of her and looked her in the eyes. He still had the gun in his hand. “But first a goodbye kiss, my darling.” He leaned in and kissed her on the lips. She bit his bottom lip. Blood poured from the wound. Shocked at her brazenness, he shoved her in the chest, and she took advantage of him being off balance and kicked him in the chest with both feet. Her years of training on a surfboard made her legs powerful, and he fell backward, hard. His head smacked the concrete floor, and his gun discharged. The bullet came back from the recoil and hit the floor beside him. Quincy screamed, and then three things happened at once. The door broke in, and a series of law enforcement officers streamed into the room. One of them shot Percy in the shoulder, and he howled in pain. Another of the policemen grabbed Percy and held him down on the floor, where he continued to howl and then protest his innocence. Quincy yelled, “Get an ambulance. Special Agent Fennimore Smith is down. That’s him in the pool of blood over there.” She nodded toward Finn’s body. Avery, Mark, and Craig came running in. Avery stopped and kneeled beside Finn. Craig and Mark rushed over to untie Quincy’s

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hands. As soon as she was free, Quincy stumbled over to Finn. Her hands burned and stung from the circulation returning to them, but she ignored the pain. All her anguish and pain was focused on her broken heart. Her broken Finn. “Oh, Avery, Avery, I’ve lost him. He died trying to save me. Oh, God, how will I live without him?” Quincy’s tears fell on Finn’s face as she leaned over him. He opened his eyes and looked at her. “I’m not dead yet, babe.” She gaped at him, stunned. “What the hell?” He tried to sit up, but an ambulance attendant pushed him back down. “Sir, sit still. We have to check you out.” Finn waved off the attendant. “Give me a second.” Quincy said, “I thought you were dead. Look at all that blood. And you were so still.” He took her hand and rubbed it. “You sound disappointed, darling.” “First of all, never call me darling.” She looked over at Percy who was in handcuffs and being held by two policemen. “I never want to hear the word darling again.” “And second?” “Huh? What second?” She looked down at him. “You said first of all; usually when someone says first of all, there’s a second of all.” “Oh, that. Yes. Second of all, no, I’m not disappointed. I’m thrilled you’re not dead. I adore you, and I couldn’t bear it if you were dead.” She leaned in and kissed him. “Ma’am, we need to take him to the hospital. It looks like the bullet just grazed him and knocked him out, but we have to be sure.” The ambulance tech looked at her. “And you don’t look so good yourself.” Finn said, “She can come, too. I’ll even volunteer to share my bed.” The tech said to his partner, “Let’s get a body board in here for

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this one.” He tilted his head toward Finn. “And this one,” he pointed at Quincy, “can walk to the ambulance on her own. Craig came over and helped Quincy to her feet while Finn was attached to a body board and loaded on a gurney. Craig took off his jacket and wrapped it around Quincy. “Sorry your dress got torn, luv. Use my coat to cover up. No need in these guys getting any more of a free show.” Both Quincy and Finn said, “Thanks, mate.” Craig said, “You do belong together, don’t you?” “Yep,” they both said again. Craig laughed. “Can’t wait to go on a double date with you two to see if you can keep this up.” The ambulance tech tapped his foot. “Can we go? Sometime today?” Quincy laughed in relief that her love was alive and her former fiancé was in custody. **** The medical technicians pulled the gurney Finn was on toward the door. Quincy and Avery followed behind. When they got outside the warehouse, Quincy was stunned to see the number of people gathered around. It seemed like there were a hundred photographers along with a large crowd of spectators. A man rushed over to the gurney and said, “I called the police for you, mister. I thought you were brave to rescue the lady, but you might need help. Which is your lady?” Finn pointed to Quincy. “That one.” He looked at her, “Q, meet my cab driver. Cab driver, meet my girl.” The cabbie held out his hand to Quincy. “Name’s Raul. And you are Q?” He laughed and added, “Sounds very James Bond, doesn’t it?” Quincy laughed. “Trust Finn to find the funniest cab driver in London.” She shook Raul’s hand. “I’m Quincy Holt. Thanks for the

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backup.” “Your man gonna be all right?” The ambulance tech interrupted, “No. He’s gonna die of old age if we don’t leave soon.” Quincy said, “We gotta go. Thanks again.” She tried to climb into the back of the ambulance with Finn on the stretcher, but the ambulance driver insisted that Quincy ride in the front. “It’s better. In case he needs some resuscitation.” She stared at him, shocked. “He seems fine to me. He’s talking and joking.” “Ma’am, he’s been shot in the head. He has to be evaluated. Be sure his brain hasn’t been scrambled or there are any internal injuries that need attention.” “So, it could be serious?” “Any gunshot is serious. Let’s get him checked out.” He put the ambulance in gear, and they took off down the street toward the closest hospital. When they got to the hospital, Quincy got out of the front seat and made her way to the doors of the emergency room. She could barely see the entrance for the number of camera flash bulbs snapping in her face. She heard her name being called. Puzzled, she turned to the closest photographer. “What’s going on?” “You tell us. We heard about the raid on Percy Hicks’s auction house and his warehouses. We all know you’re his fiancée. World champion who was arrested a couple of weeks ago now in the news again. Will you give us a statement?” “No.” She jogged into the emergency room and to the check in desk. She stopped in front of the woman seated there. “Which way did they take Special Agent Smith?” “I can’t say. But you look like you need assistance yourself.” She shook her head. “I’m fine.” The ambulance tech came back by on his way back out. He stopped at the desk. “Check her out, too. She was a kidnap victim.”

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He turned to Quincy. “Your hero is back there, demanding you be in his room with him. Go let them check you out. He’ll be in a room in a bit. He’s going to have to stay for observation, but you’ll be able to sit with him. You might as well be checked out. It’s going to be a while for him.” “Fine.” She turned to the woman. “I have no ID since I was abducted. Can I still be treated?” “Sure. I’ll get the nurse to triage you.” Quincy took a seat and before the nurse got to her, Craig, Mark, and Avery came in and sat beside her. Craig said, “I’m going out there to give a statement from you. What do you want to say?” “Do you think that’s a good idea?” “What have you got to lose? You can tell your side. Get it out there. You’ve already lost your big BongoMongo deal, but we can redeem your reputation here. Right now. Give me permission to go out there and be your spokesperson.” She shrugged. “Sure go ahead. Like you said, I’ve got nothing to lose.” Craig stood. “I’ll be right back.” The nurse came for Quincy. Before she went to the back, she said, “You all go on back to the hotel. I’ll be staying here with Finn.” Avery said, “See you tomorrow. Maybe you can call us later and let us know how he is.” “I will.” Quincy followed the nurse to the back. What seemed like hours later, Finn was finally in a room. Quincy came in and looked at him as he leaned back on the pillows. His eyes were closed, and he had a bandage on one side of his head. Her heart clenched as she thought of how close she’d come to losing him. He peered out at her. “I heard your shoes. You can’t sneak up on anyone with those.” “Yeah, I know. And I plan to leave them here in London when I go home. Along with a wedding dress I’ll never wear.” He held his hand out. “Come here, you.”

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Tears in her eyes at the huskiness of his voice, she walked over to his bedside. She took hold of his hand and brought it to her mouth. She kissed it gently and placed it back on the covers. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I was so scared when I saw you fall. And the blood. Oh, my God, the blood. I had no idea there was that much blood in someone’s head. And that a person can survive a gunshot to the head.” “It was a graze, baby. That’s all. I dodged it in time, or it might have done me in. Instead, it just skidded across my scalp.” He laughed, “I’ll probably have a gash on my head where hair won’t grow. I’ll look like a freak.” “But I’ll still love you.” He tilted his head. “You do love me, don’t you?” “I do. Always have.” She nodded as she leaned against the side of the bed. “Then why did you agree to marry Hicks?” “You know I’ve wanted a family since I lost my folks. I’d lost them, met you, and then lost you. I decided to settle with Percy since he seemed to love me. Seemed to want to have a family. I wanted so much to belong somewhere. I was stupid. Blind.” He patted the empty space on the bed beside him. “Come sit up here with me.” She took a seat on the edge of the bed and took his hand again. “I’d never have agreed to marry Percy if I thought you and I had a chance of getting back together.” He pulled her face toward him and kissed her lightly on the lips. “I promise to never be such an ass again.” She giggled. “Big promises, mister.” “Ones I intend to keep.” He leaned forward and pulled her into his arms. He dragged her back with him onto the pillows. “Finn, I don’t think I should be up here like this. A nurse will be in here soon to check on you, and she can’t find me like this.” “Sure she can.” He kissed her again lightly on the lips.

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He reached into Craig’s jacket that she still had on. He caressed her breast and leaned in to take her nipple into his mouth. His tongue flicked over it. Over and over it. Quincy moaned, and he captured her lips in his. His tongue thrust into her mouth as his thumb took the place his lips had just abandoned. He rubbed her nipple, and she moaned again. She pulled her mouth away from his. “Finn, we can’t do this. You’ve been shot in the head, you’re in a hospital. We have to stop.” “I seem to recall a woman in her hotel room this morning telling me that she was going to break off her engagement today and make love to me all night. Now I may have been shot, but I think I remember something like that.” He scratched the side of his head that wasn’t bandaged in mock confusion. She touched his bandage lightly. “Don’t you have a headache?” He roared in laughter. “Isn’t that usually a lady’s excuse? Not tonight, dear, I have a headache? I’m afraid that won’t get you out of your earlier promise, sweetheart.” “Not that I want to, but I can’t see how we can make love in a hospital bed—” “I can make love anywhere, baby.” He bounced on the bed a bit. “And this is a cushier place than many I’ve been.” She slapped him in the chest. “What I meant was, we can’t make love in a place where anyone could walk in at anytime to take your temperature or your vitals.” “What better way for them to take my vitals than to see me making love with the woman of my dreams?” They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Quincy raised an eyebrow. “See? No privacy.” She made a move to get off the bed, and his arms held her like bands of iron. “Come on in,” he yelled toward the door. The Interpol agent, Franklin Longet, came in the room. He grinned when he saw Quincy on the bed with Finn. “You look pretty comfortable. For a man who’s been shot, that is.”

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Finn laughed. “Yeah, I’m content. What brings you here tonight? I figured I had a little time before the debriefing.” Longet pulled up the only chair in the room and sat down. “This isn’t the debrief. We’ll do that when you get released. This is just a courtesy call to let you know what we found.” Quincy tried to pull away from Finn again. “I’ll go so you two can talk.” Longet waved his hand back and forth. “No. Stay. I want you to hear this, too. You’re a hero yourself in this and have the right to hear it.” “I’m no hero. I was just trying to clear my own name.” “Regardless. I’m not making you leave.” “So what did you find?” Finn asked. “We hit the mother lode. Found the one warehouse that your friends found, Ms. Holt, and then found additional paperwork to lead us to four more. They had rifles, handguns, automatics, semiautomatics, all kinds of ammo, extra barrels, Kevlar vests, and other items. It was like an all purpose shopping mall for terrorists and gangs.” “So Percy’s going down for all that? Will he be in jail a long time?” Quincy asked. “Oh, yeah, Ms. Holt. He’s not only going down for the munitions, he’s going down for your abduction and the attempted murder of Special Agent Smith. He’ll never see daylight again.” Quincy’s grin lit up the room. “Good. And I hope he ends up in a cell with a man as big and mean as the woman that attacked me in Bali, and I hope he’s terrified to take a shower like I was.” Finn looked at her with concern. “We need to talk about all that, sweetheart.” She smiled. “We will. I have lots to tell you about Bali.” Franklin Longet stood. “I’m going to let you both rest. You’ve had a long day. I’ll see you when you get out, Finn.” He shook hands with them both and turned to leave the room.

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Before he got to the door, Finn said, “Franklin?” Franklin turned around. “Yeah?” “Ask the nurse to stay away for at least an hour. Unless she wants to see an X-rated show.” At the same time Quincy slapped Finn’s chest, Franklin laughed. “Will do, mon ami, will do. Enjoy.” He went through the door, and they could hear him laugh all the way to the nurses’ station. Then they heard the nurses laugh. Quincy hit Finn again. “Great, now the whole floor knows what we’re doing.” Finn took hold of her hand she’d hit him with and whispered, “Just what are we doing, my love?” He pulled her hand toward him and kissed her palm. His tongue slid slowly down her wrist and up to her elbow. He pulled her on top of him and ran his hands over her bottom. She started kissing his chest, tugged at the front of the neck of the gown he wore, then reached around to the back of his neck and slid her hand up to his hairline. She scraped her fingernail gently down the nape of his neck, flicked the string where the hospital gown was tied, then pulled the string loose and murmured, “What do you have on under this dress, mister?” He winked. “What do you think I have on, sweetheart?” She slid her hand down the inside of the blanket and stopped when she got to his waist. She pinched his side between her thumb and forefinger. “I don’t think they let you keep your boxer shorts, did they?” He grinned. “They cut those suckers right off me.” He shook his head. “Don’t know why since I was hit in the head, but I think that cute red-haired nurse wanted to see my package. She was pretty aggressive with those scissors.” “Let’s hope she didn’t cut off any necessary parts.” Her hand continued its path down his side to his thigh. Her fingertips glided down his body very slowly, and he tensed. She looked in his eyes and,

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without turning her face from his, she yanked the blanket off and tugged at the bottom of the gown. She slowly slid the hem up with the flat of her hand. When the gown was above his pelvis, she ran her hand over to his groin and found what she was looking for. He was rock hard, and her hand brushed lightly against him. He shuddered and she slid her hand further down and cupped his balls in her hand. When she gently squeezed, he groaned. “Dear God, woman, you drive me over the edge.” At his words, she wrapped her hand around him and started to pump. Her hand slid up to the head and back down to the base. He grabbed her hand to stop her. “You have to stop, or I’m going to explode. I don’t want to come in your hand the first time we make love in two years. I want to come inside you.” He flipped her over underneath him and tossed off his hospital gown, all in one movement. He slid her dress up around her waist, jerked her panties down and pulled them off. She shivered in anticipation. Her body remembered what she’d forced her conscious to forget. Finn slid down and licked her, his tongue driving her almost to the edge. Because he knew her so well, Finn knew when she was ready for him. He whispered, “I don’t have a condom.” “It’s fine. I’m clean.” “Me, too.” The words were ripped from him as he thrust deep into her. Tears flowed from her eyes as she welcomed him back to her. She never thought she would make love with him again, and she was overwhelmed with emotion. He stopped moving in her, leaned down and kissed her tears away. “Are you all right? Am I hurting you?” “No. These are tears of gladness. I never thought we’d be together again.” “Oh, baby, I’m so sorry for all the pain I caused you. I adore you. Always have. I can’t forgive myself for what I’ve put us both through.

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I’m such an ass.” He kissed her eyes, forehead, and lips. She squeezed his butt, the butt she’d always thought was perfect. Nice and round and sexy in or out of his jeans. “Yep, you have a great ass.” “Quincy, I’m trying to apologize to you, and you’re making jokes.” She looked at him for a long moment, “No more regrets, no more apologies, Finn. Just love me.” He did. Inflamed with need for her, he thrust into her over and over as she grabbed on to his buttocks and moved with him. Like she’d always done. They moved together like they’d never been apart. Always combustible in bed, this time was no exception. They matched each other stroke for stroke. It was like coming home. Both reached orgasm at the same time and both had tears in their eyes as they lay together quietly when it was over. Finn lay on top of Quincy, still inside her, for a few minutes. He finally said, “Am I crushing you?” “No. It feels great. I always loved the weight of you on me. It makes me feel safe.” His laugh rumbled in his chest. “Safe huh?” He rolled off her and tugged at the bodice of her ripped dress. “Take this off and I’ll show you how safe you are.” She sat up and tugged the dress over her head, tossed it on the floor of the room and lay back down. “Show me, cop.” He growled at her and ran his hands over her body. “God, I missed you. You have the best breasts I’ve ever seen.” He kissed them. “Your stomach is pretty spectacular, too.” He kissed it. “And your knees.” He ran his hands around the back of her knees and tickled her. She giggled. “If you start talking about my feet and kissing them—” “Then what?” he asked as he grabbed a foot and kissed it.

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“Then you are crazy. That ambulance guy said they needed to check and see if your brains got scrambled. I think they did.” “Ah, no, my love, not scrambled. They’re as clear as they’ve ever been. You are the most exquisite woman I’ve ever known, and I plan to worship your body for the rest of my days.” “Really?” “Really. And let me start now.” He slid his tongue up her leg and to her sex. She was already ready for him again, and he entered her. It was a more gentle pace this time, but the heat enveloped them in a hurry, and they both found release again in each other’s arms. When they lay spent, Finn asked, “Will you tell me about Bali? I was upset to hear what you said earlier when Longet was here.” She laid her head on his chest. “Yeah. I’ll tell you about it. Let me start with a little boy named Setiawan.

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Chapter Seventeen “We should count time by heart throbs” Philip James Bailey, English Poet (1816-1902) Much later that night, Quincy put her dress and Craig’s coat back on and went out past the nurses’ station to get a cup of coffee. She was embarrassed as she knew they knew what she and Finn had been doing, but she wanted them to go in and check on him. On her way, she stopped at the nurses’ station and told the duty nurse that she’d be down the hall if they wanted to go in and check on the patient. The nurse grinned at her. “Not many gunshot victims get the level of TLC your patient got from you. At least not in this hospital.” “Not many gunshot victims are as persistent as that one.” Quincy smiled at the woman. “Or as hot looking.” “You got that right.” Quincy winked, content that the man was completely and solidly hers. She wasn’t threatened in the least by the nurse thinking her man was hot. It was the truth. He was one hot cop. Her hot cop. She made her way to the waiting area where she’d seen the coffee earlier in the evening. She poured herself some and added a packet of sugar. Once she had her coffee, she walked over to the paper vending boxes and paid for a copy. When she opened the door, it was the early edition and on the front was a picture of Percy trying to cover his face. Lights were in his face. The headline read, From millionaire auction house owner to jailbird. Quincy muttered, “The British tabloids always were cruel.” She

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sat down in one of the lobby chairs and opened the paper. There was an article on page two about Percy’s family history and his great grandfather’s opening of the auction house in the early twentieth century. The reporter was almost gleeful at the downfall of the man. How fast you fell, Percy. All your grandness is gone now. Too bad image is all you cared about. It’s gone now. What’s left for you? A lonely jail cell. I hope it was worth it. Farther back in the paper was a picture of her as she came into the emergency room. She cringed as she looked at it. God, I look like hell. Look at those scratches on my face. She read the article about her. Its title was Surfer Bride busts fiancé with illegal firearms. The sub title was Vindication after arrest in Indonesia. “Surfer Bride. What kind of title is that?” She scoffed. The article was refreshingly complimentary to her. She decided she’d keep this one for her scrapbook of clippings from her career. She kept the one about Percy as well. Not to gloat, never that. She made her way back to Finn’s room with the newspaper under her arm. She was pleased to see he was asleep. She sat in the chair and tried to doze. At six a.m., the doctor on call came by and checked on Finn. He signed the release papers, and they were on their way by seven. Finn had to report to the London office of Interpol to make his report. They took separate cabs to their destinations. Quincy went back to the hotel. She wanted to sleep in a bed for a while before her appointment with the local authorities to give her statement against Percy and Guido. When she got to the hotel, Avery was still in bed, and Quincy tiptoed in and flopped on her bed in a dead sleep. She didn’t even take off her clothes. ****

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Avery got up an hour before Quincy and tiptoed around her friend. She made her way down to the lobby and sat in the bar with a cup of coffee. Officer Longet came in, and Avery waved him over to where she sat. “Quincy’s still asleep. Can you give her a bit to rest? I know you want to talk to her, but can it wait a little longer?” He sat across from her. “I guess it can. Hicks and his gang are going away for a long time. Another hour won’t hurt anything.” Avery giggled. “Want a cup of coffee? My treat.” He took her up on the offer, and they chatted a while, until the bar television caught Avery’s attention. She stood up. “Excuse me a second. This I have to hear.” She walked over and turned up the volume. She backed up, too fascinated by the sight of Karl Murray, CEO of BongoMongo on the screen to turn her back. “We knew all along here at BongoMongo that Quincy Holt was innocent of the charges brought against her in Bali. We knew she was planning a sting of her former fiancé. We only pretended to distance ourselves from her to give her a good cover. She still is the spokesperson for our company.” Avery had sat down, and she slammed her hand on the table. “Good God, what an ass.” Finn had walked into the bar and said, “What?” Franklin Longet said, “That was going to be my question.” He stood and shook Finn’s hand. “I’m here to talk to Ms. Holt. I take it you had a nice night? You don’t look rested.” Finn looked at Avery, “Who were you calling an ass? Percy?” “No. Karl Murray from BongoMongo.” “What about him?” Quincy had now walked in. She looked fresh and rested in her jeans and pink polo shirt. Avery looked at her friend. “He was just on the television. Says they knew all along that you were innocent and that you were going after Percy. That you’re still their spokesperson.” “That’s just crap. They dumped me so fast, it made me dizzy. They’re gonna find I’m not so easy to woo back.” She sat down and

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signaled the bartender for a coffee. Finn sat beside her and kissed her on the cheek. “Don’t be rash, sweetheart.” “What do you mean?” “Remember you told me about the street kids in Bali? That they’re trained to a life of crime? That they’re forced to steal? That they are hungry?” “Yeah. I can’t forget them.” “So why not take the money from BongoMongo and establish a home for those kids? Teach them some skills? Feed them, get them off the streets? Give them a chance at life?” “Finn, that’s a brilliant idea. I love it,” Avery said. “But I’m persona non grata over there. How would I ever be able to monitor it?” “I’ll do it.” Avery nodded, enthused with the idea. “I can go over and help get it started. I can make trips over and check on it as time goes on. It’ll be awesome. I love it.” “Let’s talk about it some more before we decide.” Quincy took a large swallow of the black coffee the bartender had delivered. She stood and said to Longet, “I guess you’re here to take me in for my interview.” “Yes. I’m taking you to the local constabulary office as they need a statement, too. They’ve graciously allowed me to sit in. I think your former fiancé will be facing charges on many different levels.” “Fine. Let’s go.” She turned to Finn and Avery. “When I get back, let’s go home. I find I miss my little bungalow. And I need some salt water in my veins. I need a paddle out like no one’s business.” Avery laughed. “Some things never change.” Finn pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “And we wouldn’t have it any other way.” He patted her on the butt as she turned to leave with Longet. “I’ll have your bags packed. Less one wedding dress, of course.” “Thanks. Love you.”

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“Love you more, Sweetheart.” Quincy walked away with Officer Longet, ready to put this chapter of her life well and good behind her. **** Three weeks after they returned to Miami, Quincy was asleep in her own bedroom, naked, on her side. She was awakened by someone nuzzling her neck. She pushed backward with her bottom and felt strong thighs pressed against her. “Hmm.” she ran her hand along the hairy thickness of one of them. A tongue licked her on the top of her back, and she reached behind her head with her left arm, grabbed the back of the man’s head, and pulled him closer. “Hmm, can you go a little lower?” He murmured, “Yeah, and thanks for moving your arm.” “Why?” She grinned at his tone and at the feel of something else against her naked back. His arm snaked over her side, and a large hand covered her breast. “Because now, I can do this. I can reach the prize.” His huge hand held her breast. He kneaded it for a second. “Feels like a ripe melon. A small, but ripe, melon.” His hand then slid further down her side and to her hip bone. His hand continued its quest downward to her pubic bone and when it got near, it stopped to hover above her vagina. He brushed the air above her and lightly touched her. He moved his hand away and back toward her. He didn’t touch her the second time. He held his hand just above her skin. The heat emanating from his hand drove her wild. She needed him to touch her. She arched toward the heat. “You just teasing me, or are you going to do anything with that hand?” “Oh, yeah, baby, I’m gonna do something with this hand.” He cupped her sex and proceeded to show her what he planned to do with it. When she couldn’t take anymore and needed him inside her, she

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turned to face him and whispered, “Thanks for the wake-up call, but I think I’m ready for the main attraction.” He looked down at her. “Yeah, I think you are.” In one movement, he flipped her on her back and entered her. “How’s that for a main event?” “Pretty impressive.” She winked at him and then leaned up and licked his nipple. He devoured her mouth and started to move in her. All the joking around was over. They made love like they were never going to see each other again. The passion they felt for each other always made their lovemaking desperate. Had done even the first time they were lovers. When they were sated, Finn held her in his arms. “You think it’ll always be this way with us? Even after we get married?” She grinned at him. “Considering that tomorrow’s our wedding day, I have to say yes. At least I hope so. I hope we’re as passionate about each other when we’ve been married twenty years.” He slapped her on the butt. “Speaking of weddings, I—” He paused. “I mean Avery and I, have a surprise for you. We need to get up and get dressed. We have to go to the airport.” “I already know Marta is coming in today. That’s not a surprise, and I already know Avery bought a bunch of statues for Marta when she went to Bali two weeks ago to set up the Holt House for Children. So, what kind of surprise is it?” He winked. “Wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you, would it?” He leaned in and kissed her right breast. “No. I guess not.” She paused and held up her hand. “Wait. I know, it’s Franklin Longet. Avery has been emailing and talking to him, and I think they’re going to be a couple. Is he coming to be her escort at the wedding?” “Nope. He’s not coming that I know of.” Finn shook his head and kissed her other breast. “Wait, is it Craig and Mark?”

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“No.” He grinned. “Tell you what. Why don’t you get up and get your shower, and we’ll go to the airport and you can see for yourself? Besides, if you don’t get up now, I may never let you up and then you’ll never know what the surprise is.” She made a face. “Party pooper. Don’t know if I’m gonna marry you after all.” “Oh, you’ll be my surfer bride all right, you will.” He jumped up from the bed. “Race you to the shower.” She followed behind him. “Like you said, we need to hurry to get to my surprise. You know we’ll never get to the airport if we get in that shower together.” He turned back to her. “I promise to be fast. You don’t want to miss this. Trust me.” “So, it’s wham, bam, thank you ma’am.” She tilted her head and laughed. He grinned. “This time, yes. Next time, slow and steady. I know how you like variety.” She ran up behind him and pinched his butt. That butt she loved and adored. He grabbed her hand and led her into the bathroom. **** They finally got out of the shower. While she brushed her teeth, Finn opened the closet and grabbed a duffle bag out of it. “What’s in the bag?” “Never mind, it’s part of the surprise.” He tweaked her nose. She grabbed at the bag, and he lifted it out of her reach. “Pig.” “Hey, it helps to be tall, you know.” “I know. You don’t have to lord it over me.” He leered. “I’ll be your lord and master tomorrow, my dear.” “Don’t count on it, bucko.” “Never, sweetheart, equality is my middle name.” “Nope. Your mother didn’t give you one. She was crazy enough

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to name her three kids after a writer, but she didn’t stick you with Fennimore Equality Smith.” He stared at her naked beauty. “You gonna get dressed, or am I going to have to make love to you yet again?” “We could—” He grabbed her and kissed her. “Later. Later. Put on your duds so we can get going.” He swatted her butt again. Finn watched as Quincy put on her red polo shirt and khaki slacks. He threw on his own jeans and black T-shirt while he enjoyed the view. He could hardly believe she’d agreed to marry him and so fast after her bad experience with Percy Hicks. He counted himself lucky to have won her back. And tomorrow, she’d be his wife. As soon as she zipped her pants, he stood up and grabbed her hand. “Throw on your shoes, babe, it’s time to run.” I can’t wait to see her face. I hope she thinks this is as great as I do. “What’s the big rush? I’ve never seen you so excited. This must be how you looked as a kid waiting for Santa to come.” He pulled her into his arms. “This is better than any Christmas I ever had. I hope you think so, too.” He kissed the top of her head and dragged her into the living room of the bungalow. He carried the duffle with the secret contents. She laughed at his enthusiasm, and they left the house. When they got in the driveway, she said, “Your car or mine?” “Oh, I think the Willys needs to be taken for a spin.” “It’s not a pet, Finn. It doesn’t need to be walked or exercised. But it is a wonderful day for a drive with the windows down and the sun on our faces.” She looked up at the azure sky with big fluffy white clouds that were high enough to pose no threat of rain. “C’mon, you’re right, it is a nice day for it. Throw a board or two in the back. We may want to head to the beach later.” He tossed the duffle bag in the back seat. “There’s always a board or two in the back.” They got in, and Quincy drove to the airport. Finn fidgeted in the

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seat all the way there. She looked over at him a few times. Finally, she said, “Will you give it up, already? You’re over there acting like you ate a handful of Mexican jumping beans.” “Maybe I did, baby, maybe I did.” “You’re still not going to tell me what’s up, are you?” “Nope.” He shook his head and put his hand over his mouth. His eyes shone with mischief. She growled. “You’re so wicked. I hate you.” He laughed and reached over to squeeze her thigh. “No you don’t. You adore me and couldn’t live without me.” She shrugged. “Well, yeah, there’s that.” She pulled into the airport parking lot.”Long term or short term?” “More than thirty minutes.” She pulled into the long term area and grabbed the ticket that came out of the machine. She threw it on the dash and drove into the lot. They parked and got out. Finn came around and took her by the hand. They walked to the terminal and inside. Finn led her over to a waiting area near the arrivals area. He stood beside her and put his arm around her waist. In just a few minutes, Quincy noticed Nathan Clarkson, the man from the embassy in Bali, walking toward her and Finn. He walked with purpose. His stride was long. She started shaking all over and whispered, “Oh my God, oh my God, Finn, this can’t be your surprise. It can’t be.” She looked up at Finn and clutched his side. Her fingernails dug in to him, and her whole body shook. Before he could say anything to ease her mind, she shook her head. “I can’t go back. I can’t go back. Please, don’t let him take me back.” Tears streamed down her face. Finn held her tight and looked down at her. “Oh, Q, I’m sorry. I didn’t even think how this would look. I’m so sorry. He’s not taking you back. I never even imagined you’d see him and panic. I’m so sorry, baby. No one’s ever taking you away from my side again.

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You’re safe. I promise. Nathan is here for a good thing.” “What?” She was still shaking. “What kind of good thing? What can he want?” Finn was angry at himself for causing her so much angst. Good God, you’re an imbecile. You should have known seeing Clarkson would cause her to fall apart. You dumb ass. You don’t deserve this woman. You’re an idiot. Nathan Clarkson had reached them, and he held out his hand to Quincy. “It’s nice to see you again, Ms. Holt. And under much more pleasant circumstances.” He shook Quincy’s hand and then Finn’s. “It’s nice to see you, too, Special Agent.” “And what exactly are those circumstances?” Quincy asked, her voice cold as she looked from man to man. Clarkson looked at Finn. “You didn’t tell her?” “I wanted to surprise her.” Finn shrugged, embarrassed over his faux pas. Clarkson looked at Quincy with pity. “You really like this man? He’s a dolt. I’m sure seeing me wasn’t something you would call a nice surprise. He should have told you I was coming.” He looked at Finn and added, “Just for future reference, don’t ever try to surprise a woman. They don’t like it.” Quincy laughed a little. “I confess, I usually like surprises, but seeing you wasn’t a nice one. Sorry. I’m sure you’re a nice man, but I really have bad memories of the last time we were together.” He laughed. “I completely understand.” He took her by the arm. “Come sit with me a minute. I have something to give you.” He led her to a set of chairs and she sat. He sat beside her. Finn followed and stood in front of them. Nathan Clarkson handed her some papers. “What’s this, then?” “It’s a full pardon. We’ve gotten all charges against you dropped.” She smiled, her first real smile since seeing him coming toward her down the hallway. “Now, this is a nice surprise, but you could

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have mailed these. And it would have caused me much less trauma.” Nathan pointed down the hallway from where he’d come. “But I couldn’t mail that.” She looked where he pointed and saw Setiawan with a flight attendant. When he saw her, he broke into a run and yelled down the corridor, “Surfer lady, surfer lady!” She jumped up and ran to him. As soon as she reached him, she scooped him up and spun him around in the air. “Little dude, little dude.” She sat him down and knelt in front of him. “What’re you doing here, Setiawan?” “I tried to stop you from getting on that plane, lady. Why did you do it? I tried to warn you. Bad things happened. I heard. Why didn’t you listen to me?” She was so happy to see the little fellow was safe, she cried, “I don’t know. I don’t know.” She held on to his upper arms and smiled into his eyes. “How’d you get here?” “In a big airplane.” He held his hands apart to show her how big. “I had to take three big planes. It was a long way.” Finn and Nathan had reached them, and she looked up at the men. “What’s going on? Why’s he here? Is he in danger?” “Not anymore. He’s not in danger now,” Nathan Clarkson said. Quincy stood up. She held Setiawan’s hand. “Finn, what’s the deal?” Finn took her other hand. “Q, he testified against the men in Bali that were the buyers for Hicks’s weapons. The authorities there said he was in danger because of it. When Avery was over there setting up your charity for street children, she went to the consulate on my behalf. She found out he’s an orphan. The story he told you about his mother was the line he was taught to use to catch tourists off guard. When I learned he was an orphan, I offered to have him brought here to America where I could protect him.” He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “I want us to adopt the boy. Raise him as our own.”

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Her eyes shone. “Really? You’ve never even met him. Why would you do that? Why bring him here, sight unseen?” “Remember the conversation in the hospital in London?” She blushed. “I remember everything about that night in the hospital, Finn. What about it?” “When you told me about Setiawan, I could hear it in your voice and see it in your face, that you thought this child was special. You glowed when you talked about him. You were so concerned about his welfare.” He paused and took her chin in his thumb and forefinger. He looked in her eyes. “And you said all you’d ever wanted was a family. You said you were prepared to marry Hicks just for that reason, and I knew that I wanted to be the one to have that family with you. I wanted that for both of us. We can have babies, too, but I felt like this boy was meant to be part of our lives. I hope I was right.” She kissed Finn lightly on the lips and knelt back down to be at eye level with Setiawan. “You want to be my son? Live with me forever?” The boy nodded and laughed. “Can I be a surfer, too?” She hugged him. “Absolutely, little dude, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Finn looked at Nathan. “Looks like I’m outnumbered. I may have to get on a piece of shaped foam and be shark bait myself to ever get to spend any time with my family.” Quincy stood up and took both of her men by the hand. She looked from Finn to Setiawan. “Family. I like the sound of that.” Finn picked up his soon to be son and put him on his shoulders. He took his soon to be wife by the hand, and she reached up to hold her new son’s hand. “Clarkson, you’re invited to a wedding tomorrow if you’re sticking around but right now, I’ve got to take my family to the beach. I have a duffle bag with some swim suits in the Jeep. We’ve got some serious waves to catch. And I need to get some sand in my shorts, according to my bride. To make me more her type. Aloha.”

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Quincy smiled. “So that’s what’s in the duffle?” Finn looked at her. “You bet, babe, no skinny dipping with the boy around.” Setiawan asked, “What’s skinny dipping?” Finn and Quincy laughed and Finn said, “You’ll find out in about twelve years, my man.” Setiawan leaned down from his perch on his new dad’s shoulders and said, “Surf’s up?” Quincy nodded. “Surf’s up, dude.” She turned to Clarkson. “Thanks for bringing me this treasure.” She let go of Setiawan’s hand long enough to shake Clarkson’s. Finn shook Clarkson’s hand as well. “Hope to see you tomorrow on the beach for our wedding. Four o’clock at the gazebo.” They turned away from Clarkson. The three of them, hand in hand, walked off toward the exit to start their new lives, secure in the love they felt for each other.

THE END http://www.JillianChantal.wordpress.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jillian Chantal is the pen name of an attorney practicing law in Pensacola, Florida. She escapes from her high stress job by writing romantic fiction. She lives in a suburb of Pensacola with her husband, and two sons. She has lots of sand in her shorts having lived near the beaches of Northwest Florida for many years. This is her second book with BookStrand Publishers. She is also the author of Solo Honeymoon. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached at [email protected]

Also by Jillian Chantal Solo Honeymoon

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