Guilty Pleasures (27 page)

“Did I say that to you when you met Jake
”

Eva blinked several times. Yes, her and Jake's initial meeting was over the top, but that was different, and she told Rita as much.

“Why is it different, because it's you
Since when did you have a lock on making a relationship work
You have some kind of psychic ability that I don't know about
”

“It doesn't take a psychic to tell you that you don't move a total stranger into your house.” She paused when she saw the stern look of determination light Rita's eyes. When she got that look, the more you pushed, the deeper she dug in her heels.

Eva took a breath, eased back. “Hey, you're a grown woman. If that's what you want to do, you're right: Who am I to say different
Maybe he's the one.” She shrugged her sleeveless shoulders.

“He is, Eva,” she said with the childish joy of a love-drunk teenager. “You'll see.”

And they did.

Two nights before they were scheduled to leave, Jon apparently asked for money, said he needed it to take care of some business before they left. Rita balked, said she'd spent all her extra money on his ticket and that her credit card was at its limit. That didn't sit too well with him, and his gentle cajoling turned belligerent—then violent.

It was about three a.m. when Eva heard a faint knock on their hotel door. When she went to answer it, Rita literally fell into the room. He'd beaten her unconscious, taken the cash she had left in her purse, and dropped her body on the beach. When she'd come to, her clothes tattered and her purse gone, she'd somehow been able to make it back to the hotel.

Her beautiful face was a mass of dark bruises. Both her eyes were swollen, her lip was busted, and they didn't learn until they'd gotten home that one of her ribs was cracked.

Eva wanted to call the police. Rita begged her not to, saying it would only make things worse. He had friends. Eva didn't even want to know what that meant. Besides, Rita added, if they reported it to the police, they'd be forced to stay in Jamaica a few days at least, and all she wanted to do was go home.

Stomping down on her temper, thinking through the ramifications, Eva finally agreed not to call the police.

After tending to Rita's bruises and getting her settled in a hot bath, she contacted the airport, rearranged their flight, and had them on the earliest plane back to New York.

They never spoke about Jon and Jamaica ever again. Rita stayed closeted away in her apartment until her bruises healed. No one was the wiser. And the lie she told her doctor about falling down the stairs accounted for her cracked rib. It was a secret that they kept between themselves and left behind in Montego Bay.

That same look in Rita's eyes that was there for Jon had come back, for Xavier Suarez, this time. Jon was nothing compared to Suarez. If what they said about Suarez killing his own sister was true, he wouldn't think twice about doing the same to Rita if he found out that she'd set him up or crossed him in any way.

Rita needed to start thinking straight, and in a hurry.

Eva emptied an overflowing ashtray as she continued to survey the room and its occupants. All the reminiscing about steamy Jamaica had her a bit worked up. She put her tray down on one of the many serving tables and headed back to her cabin.

Maybe Jake was up for a little romp to christen their quarters.

“Rita, I'm going up to the cabin for a few. Any changes, let me know.”

“Sure.”

She knew she was supposed to stay on post, just in case and especially knowing what she did about Rita. The excitement of the hunt was getting to her, building like a slow boil, and she couldn't help herself.

But when she returned to the cabin and saw the look on Jake's face, she knew her plans would have to wait.

*   *   *

She shut the door.

“What is it
”

“Ingram just called.”

“And
”

“She wants to change the drop-off location.”

“What! She can't do that. It'll screw up everything.” She crossed the room to the small bar, took a glass, and fixed a quick drink of rum and Coke. She turned to Jake. “What are we going to do
”

“We don't have too much choice.”

“So if not Miami, then where
”

“The ship is scheduled to dock in Mexico for a day. That's where she wants to make the exchange.”

“That cuts our time down by two days.” She took a swallow of her drink and sat down in the chair near the bar. Immediately she got back up and started to pace, the reason for her impromptu return to the cabin pushed aside. “How are you making out with the codes
”