By Sea (15 page)

Chapter 36

Rayna sat with Margarita, who chewed on her nails. The shooting had stopped, and Rayna didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Was everyone upstairs dead, or had the shooter left?

She heard footsteps descending to their level, and stood, aiming the gun at the door. There was a loud knock and she pulled back the hammer, surprised by how calm she felt. She could handle the situation.

“It’s me,” Brody said. “Don’t shoot.”

Rayna sighed, un-cocked the gun, set it down on the dresser and went to the door.

Brody’s eyes glittered with fury, his features hard and angry.

“Everyone okay?” he asked, his tone harsh.

“Yes,” Rayna answered as Brody looked past her to Margarita, who still sat on the bed.

“I’m fine,” Margarita said, her eyes wide.

Brody nodded and said, “I need to talk to you, Rayna. Alone.”

He didn’t wait for an answer, but grabbed her hand and pulled her into her own room, slamming the door behind them.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

Brody paced the room and Rayna leaned up against the wall to balance herself against the rocking of the boat.

“That wasn’t a fucking crazy fan,” Brody hissed. “That was professional.”

Shock registered in Rayna, and she put her hand over her heart. Professional?

“So, if it wasn’t a fan, and it was someone who knew what they were doing, that leads me to believe there’s only one explanation for all of this.”

“What’s that?”

“You. You
are
here to turn me in, aren’t you? You were just going to let them kill everyone on the boat to get to me?”

Completely caught by surprise, Rayna couldn’t say anything as she tried to process Brody’s words, and she was certain she’d never seen such rage coming from another person. For a moment, she almost wished she still held her gun.

He took her silence as an affirmative. “That’s what I thought,” he hissed. “The big CIA agent goes undercover to get the missing military freak show guy. You are a piece of work, girl.”

“Brody—”

“The big question is … how did you give them our location? The computers are locked up, but I’m sure they teach you skills like how to pick locks right after they teach you about fucking your target.”

“No, I—“

He stepped up to her, trapping her between the wall and his big frame. Mere inches separated them. “I can’t believe you went so far as to fuck me to get my trust. You are a goddamned slut who will do anything to climb the CIA ladder, aren’t you?”

His words cut deep, and she was once again rendered speechless.

“You, Ms. Hot CIA agent, are a bitch of epic proportions, and I’m trying really hard not to put a bullet in your head.”

That cut through her mind fog, and her anger rose. Before she knew what she was doing, she slapped him across the face.

Surprised, he took a step back, his fingers grazing his cheek.

“Don’t you ever talk to me that way,” she hissed. “And if you’d let me get a word in edgewise, you’d see how flawed your assumption is.”

Brody chuckled. “Okay, Rayna, let’s hear you talk your way out of this one.”

The rocking of the boat slowed as Brody sat down on the bed. Rayna took a deep breath. “I had nothing to do with the shooting,” she said. “I’ve told you this multiple times, and I’ll tell you again: I’m here for my sister.”

Brody shook his head, stood and began to pace the small space. “Don’t believe it,” he snapped.

“It’s true, Brody!”

“Nope. All the signs were there, Rayna. You spend some time with me, get to know me a little bit, strut around in a few bikinis, show me just a little bit of yourself besides the uptight CIA agent, and then move in for the kill when I least expect it. You really are heartless.”

“Brody, that’s not what happened!” Rayna exclaimed.

He stopped in front of her. “Yeah, you probably felt a little guilty about it tonight, and that’s why you looked so sad and didn’t want to sleep with me, right? And that’s why Margarita all of a sudden decided to sleep downstairs, correct? She’d be safe down there when the bullets started to fly. Too bad you didn’t know about the reinforcements that have been done on the boat, isn’t it? If it weren’t for them, you’d be tip-toeing through bodies right now.”

Rayna shook her head, not believing the words coming from his mouth. She didn’t even know what point to argue first, or if she could even actually convince him of her innocence. She had no idea who had sent their assailant.

“Do they teach you to be that cold and manipulative in the CIA, or is that something that comes naturally to you?” he asked, sitting on the bed again.

She gazed at him, so many emotions rumbling through her: sadness, anger and fear. How could she make him see she was blameless in this?

She sat down next to him so they were shoulder to shoulder. He didn’t move to put space between them, so she considered it a good sign. “Brody, I’m here for my sister,” she said, her voice just above a whisper. “I would never do anything to hurt you, or any of the crew. You have to believe me.”

He didn’t answer, and she took a deep breath. “I was upset earlier tonight because I-I have feelings for you, and I know that we can’t be together.”

Standing he strode toward the door. “You’re amazing,” he grumbled.

“No,” she said. “Please don’t leave. Hear me out.” She wasn’t responsible for the attack, and she highly doubted Brody and the crew would stage an assault on their own boat, unless there was some type of crew politics she didn’t know about.

“I’ve got to assess the damage to the boat,” Brody snarled.

That left one person who could be responsible.

“Brody, please. From what I could hear and what you told me, I think it was a professional hit as well.” That was the point that unsettled her the most. Professional could describe a number of different organizations such as the mafia, the military, the government, and the Cartel.

“Great. Glad we agree on that. You’re to stay in here until we get back to St. Thomas, and then I’ll let my boss decide what should be done with you.”

“Wait, Brody,” she said, standing and going to the door. She laid her hand on his arm. “Please. I swear to you it’s not me. Why would I put my sister in danger? If it’s not me, and you’re certain that none of your crew would have a reason to want everyone else dead, there’s only one other person on this boat who could be responsible.”

He stared at her a moment, confusion overriding anger. “Your sister? What’s she doing, running from the mafia? Trying to get you killed for inheritance money?”

Rayna shrugged, trying not to let him see her discomfort. “I don’t know, Brody. But I think you and I need to go find out.”

Chapter 37

Brody gazed down into Rayna’s grey eyes, his anger dissipating a little bit. He wanted to believe her, but there wasn’t any other option as to who was responsible, besides Rayna. However, she had just thrown one his way, and he owed it to his sanity to talk to Margarita.

He wanted to trust Rayna and believe that what they had shared together was real; however, he found it hard to swallow. He had been looking at the easiest answer, but maybe the answer wasn’t so apparent. Obviously, there were things that he didn’t know about Rayna, and he knew even less about Margarita.

“Fine,” he said, opening the door, “let’s go talk to her.”

They found Margarita in the Main Salon drinking wine. She rocked back and forth on the white couch looking worried.

“We need to talk to you,” Brody said, pulling a dining room chair over and sitting down, crossing his ankle over his knee. Rayna sat by Margarita on the sofa.

“Not now,” Margarita mumbled, standing.

“Yes, now,” Rayna said, grabbing her arm and pulling her back down.

Margarita sighed and rolled her eyes. “I’m exhausted, Rayna. I just want to go back to bed and forget this horrible night.”

“If you’re up for drinking wine at 3 a.m., then you can sit here and talk to us for a few minutes. All of us are tired, Margarita, so put on your big girl panties and act your age for a moment.”

If he wasn’t so angry, he would have smiled. He liked the way Rayna didn’t tiptoe around her sister, as he guessed most of the people in her life did.

Rayna began to talk to Margarita in Spanish, and Brody interrupted her. “Nope,” he said, shaking his head. “Full English. I want to know everything that’s being said.”

Rayna gazed at him a moment, hung her head and sighed. “Okay, Brody,” she murmured, turning her attention to Margarita.

“Papa said you had a crazed fan after you and that’s why we’re here, so that you would be safe while the fan was taken care of,” Rayna said.

Margarita tensed and wouldn’t meet Rayna’s gaze. “That’s correct,” she muttered.

“Crazed fans don’t follow the object of their affection half way across the globe and ride up on the boat with a machine gun trying to kill everyone, Margarita. I think there’s more to your story than you’ve told anyone, including Papa.”

“No, what I said was the truth,” Margarita said, taking a sip of wine.

“I don’t believe you,” Rayna murmured.

Margarita turned to her, sitting up straight. “You don’t believe me? Are you not my sister, the one who is supposed to love me? The one Papa sent here to protect me?”

“Don’t try to turn this into something it’s not, or take the spotlight off yourself. I am your sister and Papa did send me here to protect you, but I don’t think you’ve told the truth, Margarita.”

Rayna took Margarita’s hand in her own. “Obviously Brody and the crew don’t want anyone firing on their boat, so them ordering the hit doesn’t make any sense. That leaves you and me. I’m here to protect you, nothing more. I know I’m not responsible for this, so that leaves you.”

“I don’t want to kill anyone!” Margarita shrieked.

“I never said you did,” Rayna said, her voice gentle as if she were talking to a child. “But maybe you know who does.”

Margarita sat very still for a moment, and then burst into tears. Rayna glanced at Brody as she put her arm around her sister.

Brody leaned forward, feeling awful for the way he’d doubted Rayna and the way he talked to her. However, curiosity ate at him. What did a spoiled narcissistic entertainer have going on to attract an assassination attempt?

Chapter 38

“I started dating this man about six months ago,” Margarita began. “He was darling, funny, and he worshipped me. He made me feel loved.”

Brody sat back in his chair. Apparently, he was going to have to listen to all the emotional bullshit before she got to the facts. After describing the whirlwind romance consisting of flowers, impromptu trips, making love on the beach, and snuggling up after her concerts with a bottle of wine, Margarita was in love.

“Why didn’t you tell me about him?” Rayna asked.

Margarita glanced over at Brody, her eyes red and puffy, and then met her sister’s gaze. “I didn’t want you to be jealous. I know you don’t have much in your life.”

Rayna flinched slightly and didn’t look at Brody.

“So what happened then?” Brody asked.

“I found out who he really was,” Margarita sobbed.

“And who would that be?” Brody asked.

“Miguel DiMarco,” Margarita whispered as she looked at Rayna.

Rayna’s face paled. “You’re kidding, right?”

Margarita shook her head and continued to cry.

“What happened then?” Rayna asked.

“I broke up with him! I couldn’t let Papa know I’d been dating him! He chased me for a week or so telling me he didn’t want to let me go.”

“Didn’t he tell you his name when you started dating him?”

“Yes, but never in a million years did I think this gorgeous, lively man would be
that
Miguel DiMarco!”

“Oh, Margarita,” Rayna murmured, putting her head in her hands. “What happened after you broke up with him?”

“The last time I saw him, he said he was going to kill me because he couldn’t watch me move on with my life without him.”

“Wait a minute. Who’s Miguel DiMarco?” Brody asked. The surname scratched at his brain, but he couldn’t place why.

Rayna sighed, starting at the floor. A moment later she met his gaze. “Miguel DiMarco is the son of José DiMarco, the head of the DiMarco Cartel.”

Stunned, Brody could only stared at Rayna. His stomach twisted when she looked as if she had more to say.

“He is the rival of our father, Daniel Gomez, of the Gomez Cartel.”

Brody sat back in his chair, stunned. When the explosion that had changed his life occurred, it was the Gomez Cartel warehouse they were investigating. How was that for karma, or fate?

“Then the bad things began to happen,” Margarita sobbed, “like my kitty being murdered, my house being broken into, the roses covered in blood . . . everything started to happen after that.”

Rayna stroked her sister’s arm, but Brody could see the anger glistening in her eyes. “And you told Papa you had a crazed fan,” she said.

Margarita nodded. “I wasn’t totally lying—he was crazy. I didn’t want to get in trouble with Papa for dating him, and I didn’t want a war to start between the Cartels.”

“Do you think Miguel knew who you were?” Rayna asked.

Margarita shrugged. “I never gave him my real name until we broke up. I was trying to explain to him why we couldn’t be together.”

Questions swirled through Brody’s mind. Was this an attempted murder of a lover, or was the head of the DiMarco Cartel trying to hurt his rival, Daniel Gomez, by killing his daughter? How had Rayna gotten a job with the CIA? How had they not found out about her father?

Rayna shook her head again. “I don’t even know what to say, Margarita,” she murmured.

“I’d really just like to take my wine to my room,” Margarita announced, standing. Neither Brody nor Rayna tried to stop her.

Rayna glanced at him. “We’re in trouble,” she whispered.

Brody nodded and suddenly had a thought. “How do they know where she is?”

Sitting back on the couch, she crossed her arms over her chest, staring out into space. After a moment she said, “I don’t know. It’s not like anyone knew where she was going. She’s scared, and I can’t see her being that dumb to tell anyone before she left. She’s got the son of a Cartel leader after her, for God’s sake.”

Brody stared at Rayna as she tried to figure out how the Cartel had their location.

“So if no one knows where she is, and we’ve taken away her phone and computer, how did this happen?”

“I don’t know,” Rayna mumbled.

They sat in silence for a moment, the tension between them almost palpable. Yes, Rayna’s theory made sense, but the fact of the matter was she didn’t have any proof to back it up, which led him back to thinking Rayna herself was responsible. He wanted her to find an answer that made sense.

She stood and paced the room, a crease forming between her brows as she concentrated.

“Think, Rayna,” Brody said. “How could her location get out to the rest of the world? It’s not like she’s been trolling social media or anything. We’ve had her contained. And if your theory is right, she doesn’t want anyone to know where she is.”

Rayna stopped in her tracks. “Oh, no,” she whispered, her eyes wide as she ran her hand through her hair.

“What?”

“Brody, we need a computer. I think I may have just figured it out.”