The Achilles Heel (29 page)

“What happened in there, Annie? Why did you get sick?” he demanded. “Talk to me, baby!”

I pulled Mr. Vuitton onto my lap and removed one of the Crown Royal bags, opening
it a smidge and watching his eyes first turn to slits, wincing at the brightness,
and then growing wide, like two garlic bulbs had replaced his eyeballs.

“There are three of them,” I said, patting the bottom of the bag in my palm, feeling
the weight of the diamonds clinking together.

“Holy shit!” he exclaimed, dumbfounded.

“This is it; the explanation,” I said. “This is what Jamie wants. He must know about
these but had no way to get them because Andrea Bozeman is the only name on the account.
He needed me to get them out of lockdown, and I think he knows exactly how this scenario
is playing out. Jamie has been two steps ahead of me since the day Jack died. Let’s
get the hell out of here and get the bags into the safe at home. I have a feeling
he’s not done with me yet.” I speculated, more in charge of my emotions than ever.

We stood inside the wine room in Kessler’s basement, each fondling our own bag of
diamonds, letting the reality of this insane situation sink in.

“What are you going to do with them?” he asked as he locked the safe.

“These aren’t mine, Kessler. I don’t know where they came from or to whom they belong.
There has to be millions of dollars in these diamonds, and eventually, someone is
going to come looking for them‌—‌if they aren’t here already. There are no more clues‌—‌I’ve
collected them all, and this has to be what Jack wanted me to find, but I don’t want
them. My bank account is already filled with plenty of money, and with the right kind
of investing can last me a lifetime. My family was ripped apart over these diamonds
and I spent months wallowing in the foulest shit of daily life because of these goddamn
things. Finding you was the best gift I could have hoped for, and for me you’re enough.
I’ve been praying to God for the longest time, and he answered me with a gift, a
real
treasure‌—‌a normal life with a man I love and hope to grow old with, not these diamonds.
I’m happy in this new life, right now with you, and I don’t want to mess it up, not
over money.”

He grabbed me and kissed me hard, both of us getting emotional and professing our
love for one another in a room filled with mahogany and diamonds.

“Okay, then, what do you want to do with them?” he whispered.

“These diamonds could change a lot of people’s lives, so I’m going to do just that;
change some lives and make things right,” I said smiling, knowing exactly what I was
going to do.

ANNIE

T
he faint crash of the rolling tide seeped in with the sun through the patio doors.
Kessler’s lips softly kissed my naked skin and his fingernails gently scratched my
back as he whispered, “Annie. Baby, wake up.”

I let out a morning moan and popped an Altoid in my mouth; it was obvious what he
had on his mind.

I didn’t even bother opening my eyes because as soon as I turned over, he slipped
underneath the sheets and began kissing me, starting with my breasts and working his
way down my body. His erection slid the length of my leg, and it felt like he’d been
waiting for me awhile; he just couldn’t wait any longer. Kissing my lips and applying
pressure with his tongue sent my knees in opposite directions, spread impossibly far
apart, my fingers entwined in his thick head of hair, gently guiding the way. He only
had to put forth about three minutes worth of effort, when my orgasm snuck up on me
and struck without warning.

Morning sex is the absolute best! I haven’t figured out why, but then again, I don’t
really care; I’m just happy to be having it.

He popped his head out of the covers and stretched his legs, with a smirk hanging
lazily on his face; obviously awaiting his turn. I grabbed my clutch off the nightstand,
and pulled out the same red lipstick from the afternoon before, silently applying
the kryptonite as Kessler’s face lit up like a school boy watching his first dirty
movie. Kissing his ears and licking his lobes, I worked my way down his stomach, leaving
a cardinal trail, with only momentary pauses to escalate his excitement. Easing my
way back up, my nipples ran the length of his torso, barely touching his skin, and
I braced myself against his chest as I slowly rocked back into him.

“Gawd, baby, you’re so sexy!” he moaned as I straddled his manhood, his hands holding
onto my ribcage.

I pulled the ponytail holder off my wrist and tied my hair up into a large bun on
the top of my head as I slowly rocked him inside me. Apparently, naughty librarian
is his fantasy girl.

“Oh, that’s gonna do it,” he stated, pulling his knees up and pushing himself as far
into me as possible, letting out a massive groan. “How’s that for a wakeup call?”
he asked as he rolled over out of breath and with a goofy smile on his face.

We leaned our faces together with our foreheads touching, saying, “I love you, baby,”
over and over to each other until our overlapping lips quieted our words, but I meant
it; I loved him and felt lighter every time I said it.

“I’m gonna jump in the shower and then let’s get breakfast!” he gushed with enthusiasm.
“Wahoo! That’s the way to wake up!” he yelled, clapping his hands together, his naked
and perfect ass disappearing into the bathroom.

JAMIE

T
he waitress refilled my coffee cup, leaning over a little too far and exposing a healthy
amount of cleavage directly in my line of vision, giving me a wink when she caught
me looking. I was a lot of things, but never a cheat; at least not since I’d been
married to Liz, and that was one of my good points. It was also probably one of my
only good points, but who’s counting.

I set up camp in a sweet vantage point, the ocean in front of me and Annie’s two favorite
breakfast joints on either side of me. Kessler and Annie had been eating breakfast
at both of these restaurants for a few weeks now; they were already so predictable,
especially for someone in my line of work. Although I was used to being the man behind
the scenes, today was going to be fun, switching it up and watching this play out
from afar.

The chorus of birds became louder as the sun began to make its debut and people slowly
trickled in for coffee and pastries; no one but the waitress giving me a second glance.
I checked my watch.

Any time now.

In a few short weeks, the nightmare of the last six months was finally wrapping up,
and my family would be cleared to move away from Kansas City. We could totally start
over; new home, new location and new identities. This wasn’t the first time I’d left
my life behind me, but Liz and the kids would need some time to adjust, barring she
doesn’t divorce me. It might take them longer than I expect, but patience has become
one of my mastered virtues.

Ah-ha!
I watched a boat pull in close to the harbor, but mooring on a buoy far enough out
that a quick escape was inevitable. The massive, forty-five foot Beneteau Oceanis
sailboat was a seamen’s dream, and the sun gleamed off the stark white hull sending
fragments of light into the water around it. The name on the back read, “The Odyssey.”

“Right on time, Achilles,” I whispered into my newspaper.

He positioned his boat so a clear shot from the port side window was easily accomplished,
then opened the hatch in the cabin and inconspicuously peeked out the top. How I wished
I was a cup on the counter of that galley; watching him meticulously lay out his potential
weapons and narrowing down his choices after surveying the six hundred foot distance
from the boat to the restaurant. My estimation on the murder weapon would be a .308
Caliber Winchester, with a Swarovski scope for accuracy, but it’s just an educated
guess.

His marksmanship is renowned in certain circles‌—‌a steely eyed assassin, and his
precision is unwavering. If you happen to be the poor bastard in his sights, he’ll
ruin you either physically or financially, and surprisingly, most of the targets make
the choice of a physical death over suffering a social or political one; it’s much
less painful. The adage, “Hind sight is 20/20,” is not so true for everyone. There
are some that commit to a graveyard destiny from the first assignment, and these are
the scariest monsters among us‌—‌depending on which country you wor
Through my binoculars I watched him ready himself, scurrying around the boat, popping
in and out of the cabin door, and staying under deck a minute or two each time. All
the while, I had not lost sight of the patios I sat between, with no sign of the lovebirds
yet. However, they must be getting close, because the shades on the boat just dropped,
and Achilles is always one step ahead of his target.

I saw them approach the diner doors but lost sight of them until they emerged onto
the patio, taking the seat closest to the sand. It was strange to see Annie holding
hands with another man, watching him lean in close to kiss her or wrap her in his
arms. I surprised myself with the sympathy I felt for Jack. As a husband, I would
have killed that fucking guy the moment I saw Annie wrap her skinny legs around him
on her patio that night. At this point, I’m detaching myself from this mess, and normally
I’d tell Jack that it was his problem, but Jack Whitman is dead, and after today,
I’m officially retired.

The show was finally starting as Kessler yelled at the waiter; my adrenalin sent me
pacing back and forth in front of my table.

Any second now!

The lovebirds were up and out of their seats in a standoff with the waiter.

Kessler isn’t the biggest guy, but farm boys are some of the toughest men out there,
and I certainly wouldn’t want to take a punch from him. I’m sure he can hold his own,
unless he’s up against a trained killer, and then, it’s probably not going to turn
out too well for him.

My head nodded back and forth from the boat to the restaurant, like I was watching
a tennis match, but in this game, someone was going to die.

The silencer prevented me from hearing the gun go off, but two delayed seconds later,
he dropped to his knees with his arm reached out trying to grab ahold of Annie; her
screams pierced the boardwalk. The motor started and within minutes, his rifle was
broken down and put away, the boat trolling safely towards open water. I grabbed my
newspaper and wiped away my fingerprints from the outside of my coffee cup; better
safe than sorry.

Now that he’s out of the way, I’ve got to get back to Kansas City and convince my
wife that I’m not a monster.

KESSLER

F
or breakfast, I picked my favorite beachfront diner on the East end of the island
with panoramic views of the harbor from the deck. A plethora of boats littered the
docks of the marina and sailboats revved their engines as they pulled in and out of
the slips. The seagulls squawked furiously at each other while dive bombing abandoned
plates, and fighting each other over the scraps in the sand. I couldn’t stop staring
at Annie and thinking about how much I loved being with her; especially between the
sheets.

I don’t know how this happened to me, but I am a lovesick fool for this woman; head
over heels and shamelessly in love with her. I can’t seem to stop touching her; I’ve
tried and I just can’t stop. Mama D was right again; damn that woman’s always right.
Coming back to St. Croix, back to Annie, was worth my pride.

“Annie, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking the last few days about a problem I’ve got,
and I’ve finally come up with a solution.”

“What’s wrong, babe, what problem?” she asked sounding concerned, worry stamped across
her face.

“Well, your lease at the Cotton House is up soon; I’m usually heading back to Nashville
about this time to start a new album and spend Christmas with the Rutledge Family.
Even though I’m not with a record company now, I still want to record some songs at
my home studio. I can’t stay here forever; Nashville is my home, and I want to keep
it that way. You live in Kansas City, and for me, that’s a problem,” I said.

Her face immediately started falling, looking disappointed.

“Here’s my solution; I love you Annie, more than I ever knew I could love another
person. I’ve always seen taking care of someone as a chore, not a privilege. That
is until meeting you, and I would be a broken man to taste this kind of life with
you only to have it taken away from me. I can’t do it, and won’t do it. Come with
me to Nashville; start a new life in Tennessee with me. I know I’m not asking you
to marry me, but I’ll make those same vows of honor and cherish, in good times and
bad, right here to you, if you’ll just say yes.”

Of all moments, the waiter picks the exact worst time to take our order. He caught
me off guard, with his two blackened eyes and fat lip, the cut in the middle still
fresh and barely starting to scab over.
Damn, that guy got his ass kicked.
He went on about the breakfast buffet and drink specials, with an accent so thick
I could barely understand him. I just wanted him to go the fuck away, but of course,
Annie was too nice to shoo him off.

“Hey, man, I don’t mean to be rude, but we’re in the middle of something. Can you
please give us a minute?” I asked as politely as possible.

He looked confused about my request; stumbling over his words and looking around the
patio, not sure what to do but still standing there.

“Dude! Please! A second!” I yelled.

He darted back inside, but his eyes stayed focused on us.

“I’m sorry about raising my voice,” I said calmly, taking her hands, “but this moment
has been planned out in my head for days now, and it’s not going as smoothly as I
thought it would. Annie?” I said, shaking her hand and trying to get her attention,
but she kept looking at the door the waiter ran through. “Annie!”

She finally turned and looked at me, her face as perplexed as our waiter.