By Sea (9 page)

Chapter 21

Awed by her surroundings, Rayna had never been in such luxury. Everything on the one hundred and fifteen foot boat screamed money and pretentiousness; however, it was also comfortable and soothing. She imagined if she weren’t here to babysit Margarita, she would enjoy the trip very much.

She sat on the soft, white leather couch, smiling at the two women from the crew.

“Hi,” she said to both.

“Hello!” the older one chirped. “My name’s Katie, and this lovely, young lady is Heidi.”

“Hi, Heidi,” Rayna said.

“Hello,” Heidi retorted without a smile. It seemed she had the same disposition as Brody, and Rayna hoped she could appreciate this trip despite the two rude crewmembers.

Brody bounded down the stairs from the upper level as she heard her sister talking with someone at the front of the ship.

“Rayna!” Margarita called. “Come look at this gorgeous room!”

Rayna moved to stand, but Brody put his hand on her shoulder, keeping her exactly where she was. “No, stay here. I’ll go get her. We need to get underway, and then you two can tour the boat.”

Rayna nodded as he headed toward Margarita’s voice, her shoulder still warm from his light touch.

A moment later Margarita swooped into the room followed by Brody and the other male crewmember.

“Please, sit down, Ms. Garcia,” Brody said.

Margarita sat on the far end of the same couch as Rayna. “Please, call me Margarita,” she purred, her gaze raking over Brody.

Brody gave her a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Okay, Margarita. As you already know, my name is Brody. I’m the captain of this vessel. This is Jason,” he said, gesturing to the other man, “and these two lovely ladies are Heidi and Katie. Danny, our chef, is in the kitchen preparing a late lunch. We’re all here to make sure your stay with us is comfortable and safe.”

“Excellent!” Margarita nodded, standing and looking at Heidi and Katie. “Would one of you be a doll and unpack my bags leaving out the red bikini? Perhaps the other could whip up a Rum Punch or Cosmo for me? It’s been a long day and I’d like to sun myself and relax.”

“Sit down,” Brody said, his voice hard, but a smile on his face.

“Excuse me?” Margarita asked.

“I said, sit down. I’m not done talking yet.”

Margarita pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her ample chest. While Rayna was sinewy muscle, Margarita’s hourglass figure was luscious curves, reminding Rayna of the Kardashian women. “Let me make something clear here,” Margarita murmured, “I am the client, you are the crew. You just said the crew’s job was to make sure that I’m comfortable, and right now I’m not. I’m tired from my trip, and I would like a cocktail and to spend some time sunning myself.”

Brody’s nostrils flared, and Rayna bit her lip to hide her smile. A contest of wills was taking place, and she wondered who would win. If she were a betting girl, she’d place her money on Margarita. Brody stepped up to her sister, completely invading her space.  Margarita took a small step back, her knees flush with the couch. She had nowhere else to go.

“You’re right,” Brody growled, still smiling, “I did say that. But I also said we’re responsible for your safety. I need to go over the safety rules, so sit down.”

“Are you trying to bully me?” Margarita screeched.

“No,” Brody said, his tone glacially calm, “I’m trying to do my job. Now, sit.”

He leaned forward just a bit, forcing Margarita to be seated.

Rayna glanced over at her sister and could practically see the anger radiating off her.

“Do you know who I am?” Margarita hissed, staring up at Brody.

Brody smiled. “Of course I do. You’re Margarita Garcia, the person whose life is in danger. You’re the woman I’ve been assigned to keep alive.”

“That’s right, I’m the client!” Margarita shouted.

“And I’m captain of this goddamn boat!” Brody yelled. “I’m in charge here, so you
are
going to listen to me!”

Rayna had heard enough, and was glad she wasn’t a gambler as Brody had clearly won the battle. In Spanish she said, “Margarita, please just shut the hell up so we can get out of here. You’ll get your drink and your sun soon enough. Just take five minutes and listen to him.”

“I don’t like people telling me what to do,” Margarita huffed in Spanish, her piercing gaze never leaving Brody.

“I know, but he’s trying to keep you alive, so just listen, okay?”

Margarita nodded, sat back on the couch, and crossed her arms over her chest. She reminded Rayna of a pouting child.

“Now then, here are the rules,” Brody continued. “Most of it is self-explanatory. First, stay out of the engine room. You don’t seem like you’d be very interested in that anyway, right Margarita?”

She sniffed, and Rayna suppressed a smile. Margarita in the engine room was like a dead fly floating in wine: you didn’t want it there. Thankfully, Margarita had no interest in engines, noise or grease.

“Second, you’re welcome in the Bridge, but please don’t go in there unattended. We will also have a curfew for the boat. After dark, it’s imperative we are all inside.”

Rayna studied Brody as he talked about what to do if the ship were to go down. Good Lord, the guy was attractive. He pushed his black shaggy hair off his forehead, his dark eyes gleaming against his tanned skin. Once again, she noted he didn’t look like a solider, let alone a soldier who was the target of some government experiment.

She wondered what the outcome of the explosion had been. Why did the government want to keep him on such a tight leash? What had they done or altered within him that was so secret, so hush-hush that required him to be monitored on a monthly basis? And, how had he escaped it?

“If you see me running through the boat with a lifejacket, it’s a good indication you should do the same,” he grinned, and Rayna chuckled.

“Upstairs are the Sky Lounge and the Bridge. The floor above that is the hot tub and some large cushions where you can lay in the sun.”

He glanced at Rayna and Margarita as if he expected them to say something, but both remained quiet. “We have security cameras throughout the boat, except in the bedrooms, which are monitored at all times.”

Rayna nodded, liking the fact that someone would be keeping an eye on Margarita when she couldn’t, or when she needed a little time to herself.

“We also require you to turn in all devices that allow you to access the Internet,” Brody said. “We don’t want your whereabouts known to anyone.”

Margarita shook her head. “No. My fans will miss my posts on Facebook and my pictures on—“

“The last thing we want is you interacting with anyone on social media,” Brody said.

“But—”

“No. So please hand over your devices to Katie.”

Katie stepped forward with a brown box lined in black velvet. Rayna laid her phone in it, and Margarita did the same.

“She also has a laptop,” Rayna said.

“Rayna!” Margarita screeched, and Rayna ignored her.

Brody nodded. “Thanks for letting us know. After we’re done here, Katie will collect it. We’ll keep everything in a locked cabinet.”

“I can’t believe this,” Margarita pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. “This is just ridiculous.”

“No, it’s not,” Rayna countered. “It’s about keeping you safe.”

“Lastly, I highly recommend you take a seasickness pill every morning,” Brody continued, also ignoring Margarita. “We supply them, and they’re kept in that basket right over there.” Brody pointed to a brown basket sitting on the counter. “If you don’t have any questions, that’s about it. We’re here to make sure your stay with us is enjoyable, but also to keep you safe. We’ll be leaving in just a few minutes.”

Brody walked from the room, Jason right behind him. The rest of the crew scurried about, pulling plants from their shelves and securing them to the floor.

“Why are you doing that?” Rayna asked Heidi, who ignored her.

Katie turned to her and smiled. “We need to have everything on the floor before we set sail so that nothing falls and breaks if we run into choppy waters.”

Rayna nodded and watched them for another moment, then turned to Margarita. “Let’s take a look around, then we’ll unpack,” Rayna said, standing and stretching. Margarita hadn’t been the only one who had a trying day, and frankly, a Rum Punch and some sun sounded good to her as well, but first, she wanted to get a good layout of the boat.

“I think the crew should unpack my bags,” Margarita sulked.

Rayna turned to her. “Quit acting like such a brat, Margarita. You’re perfectly capable of unpacking your own suitcase.”

“I know, but this is a yacht. We are in the lap of luxury. Someone should wait on us at all times.”

Rayna rolled her eyes, “Come on, Princess. Let’s go.”

As the engine came to life, Rayna checked out Margarita’s stateroom, which was gorgeous. The big white bed definitely looked inviting, as did the shower. Rayna had never seen a shower stall with five separate shower fixtures: one above and four that sprayed water directly out of the wall. Katie came in and collected Margarita’s laptop.

They went upstairs to the Sky Lounge and heard Jason and Brody talking in low tones on the Bridge. Rayna opened the sliding glass door leading to the gleaming, white deck that housed the jet skis and other water toys, and turned to the stairway to her left.  When they reached the top of the yacht, Margarita finally smiled.

“This is beautiful,” she murmured.

“Yes, it is,” Rayna agreed.

The big, blue hot tub stood on the bow, empty. Rayna guessed they kept it dry for travel so water didn’t slosh out if they hit choppy waters. On each side of the hot tub and across the back of the deck were raised, large white cushions and pillows perfect for lounging in the sun.

The yacht rumbled beneath them as Rayna inhaled the warm, salty air, and they left the dock. Seabirds flew next to the boat as they passed other yachts, fishing boats and sailboats while pulling out of the St Thomas Marina. Margarita and Rayna watched in silence as the marina faded away in the distance, and glorious islands of green foliage appeared before them, the bright blue ocean kissing their shores.

“I think it’s bikini time!” Margarita exclaimed as she headed for the stairs.

Rayna laughed, following her sister, completely agreeing with her for the first time that day.

Chapter 22

“Good God, look at that ass,” Jason mumbled as he stared at the security camera feed. Brody was looking at an ass, but he didn’t think it was the same one Jason had his eye on.

“Man, that thing is like a small mountain,” Jason said.

Nope, definitely not the same one Brody was checking out.

Brody glanced ahead and made sure he wasn’t about to run over a sailboat or run ashore on an island, and then turned his attention back to the screen at the two sisters lying on their stomachs sipping Rum Punch on the top deck, their faces away from the camera, but he could see them in profile.

Margarita’s ass definitely looked like a small mountain, and it was nice. However, it didn’t hold a candle to Rayna’s tight, athletic butt tapering down into long, taunt legs.

“Can you imagine getting your hands on that one?” Jason asked. “That’s so much more than a handful.”

Yes, it was, but Rayna’s cheeks looked like they’d fit in the palms of his hands just fine.

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. “Knock it off, Jason. They’re our clients, not women to ogle.”

“I’m not ogling,” Jason argued, never taking his eyes from the screen. “I’m appreciating. There’s a difference.”

Brody rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Get your ass up and down to the engine room and check that pump for me.”

Jason sighed, but did as he was told.

Finally alone, Brody opened up the side window and inhaled the fresh air, feeling invigorated. He loved this job, and he would do anything to protect himself and his livelihood.

He checked out the women on his screen, trying hard to ignore their butts. Margarita laughed at something Rayna said, and the smile on Rayna’s face indicated she was having a good time with her sister. Those two were so different; he didn’t understand how they were related.

Margarita seemed to be an entitled, spoiled brat. However, according to Jason, she earned her own millions through her music, but that still didn’t give someone the right to act like a complete and utter bitch. Yes, she was gorgeous, but as far as Brody was concerned, the second she opened her mouth, she lost about ninety percent of her beauty. No one liked a pretty a face with an ugly, entitled mouth. Rayna, on the other hand, seemed to be quiet and unassuming, except when she wanted answers. As he stared at Margarita and Rayna on the screen, they continued to laugh and talk. Not only were they vastly different on a physical level, but their personalities seemed to be on the opposite ends of the spectrum as well.

His phone call with Joe had eased his worries about Rayna. Joe had been monitoring the government, and although they looked for Brody, there wasn’t any indication they had found him. If Joe were to be trusted, which he was, it was just a huge, strange coincidence that Rayna ended up on the yacht.

Katie delivered another round of Rum Punches to them, and Margarita said something to Katie. Whatever it was, Rayna’s hung her head while shaking it back and forth. Katie laughed, and Brody could tell Rayna giggled as well from the quiver in her shoulders.

Brody had no worries about protecting Margarita. Her threat was a crazed fan, and a crazed fan couldn’t have followed her to the Virgin Islands. The guy was a psychopath, probably some thirty-something year old living in his parent’s basement jacking off Margarita’s videos all day long. Besides, how would he even know she was here?

Glancing at the ocean ahead, he tried to fully trust Rayna, but still found it a little difficult. He did, however, have full faith in Joe, and if Joe said everything was cool, he had to believe him. He reminded himself if the government wanted him, they had ample opportunity at the dock.

He hadn’t been lying when he told Rayna about the crew and its abilities. However, he hadn’t told her of the stash of weapons underneath the plush, white leather couches in the Main Salon, nor had he told her of the small room in the crew’s quarters holding another set of guns. Then there was the small arsenal under the bench in the Bridge he had also failed to mention. She had no idea about the true potential of the boat or its crew.

As he looked back at the screen again, Margarita was on her knees pulling the bikini string at her back and then laid back down, tossing her top to the side. He didn’t see anything, but her girls were definitely floating free in the breeze. Rayna laughed again, and he waited for her to do the same.

She never did, and Brody was happy Jason wasn’t around to see Margarita’s disrobing. The poor guy may have broken down in tears of ‘appreciation.’

He decided his main goal was to keep Ms. Hot CIA Agent at arms’ length this trip. He would sail the sisters around, show them the sights of the Virgin Islands, and when Joe Smith called and told him everything was taken care of, he’d schlep them back to St Thomas and dump them at the dock. After that, he’d move on to his next assignment.

Deep down, though, he couldn’t ignore the feeling that it wasn’t going to quite work out that way.