Sweet Peril (34 page)

I was gnawing my cuticles when Blake barged in. His hair was flat on one side and stuck straight up on the other. He flopped down on the other side of the bed, pillow lines on his face.

“What’s up, drunkie?” he asked. “Was that Kai?”

“Yep. They got her.”

“Nice.” He reached out for a fist bump from where he lay. “See. Nothing to worry about.”

“Flynn is missing.”

He sat straight up. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. He thought he was being watched or followed, and then . . .”

“It’s all right. Don’t get upset.” He reached for my hand. “Come on. Let’s get something to eat and we’ll talk.”

I was too jittery at the diner Blake took us to, so we ended
up getting our food to go and keeping low-key at Kai’s apartment. We watched television and played video games but I couldn’t stop peeking at my phone, becoming antsier with each passing hour.

The call finally came.

“Hello?” I said.

“Everyone is safely on a plane,” came Dad’s voice. “The summit is over. I’m in Reno again. Some of the Dukes are heading home and some are staying in Vegas longer.”

“Flynn’s okay?” I asked.

“He’s fine.”

I took a deep breath and let it out. “What happened?”

“Two humans found him acting suspiciously and wanted to turn him in. He had to fight them to get away and lost his phone in the scuffle. He lay low after that, but he made his way back to Damascus and the airport without any more incidents.”

All I could do was breathe.

“They’ll be in L.A. tomorrow afternoon,” he said. “You’ll need to get Z settled at the convent and then head back to Georgia. I’m going back to Vegas to keep an eye on Sonellion until he leaves. I wanna make sure he buys the story of Z’s purchase by an unknown buyer. You okay there?”

“Yeah,” I whispered. “I’m okay now. I’m with Blake.”

“All right. I’ll be in touch tomorrow.”

I ended the call with a grin of relief. Blake’d obviously been listening because his pierced brow bobbed up and down.

“Wanna go clubbin’ again?” he asked.

“No freaking way!” I laughed. He was crazy.

“Okay then. Play me in the dance game?”

I groaned. “I suck at all these games. It can’t possibly be fun for you to play against me.”

“Why not? That means I always get to win. I love winning.”

I laughed again. “Fine. I’ll play whatever you want.”

The next morning. I got a text from Dad:

Something’s going on. Mammon has summoned Flynn to Vegas
.

My gut twisted. I thought about how Mammon had acted toward his son in Australia and texted back:
Maybe he just wants his company?

Maybe. Maybe not
.

Stay alert
.

That afternoon we waited in the car outside the arrival gates until Zania, Kope, and Kai exited the airport.

Zania let out a sob and ran to me.

“It’ll all be okay now,” I whispered.

She clung to me. My eyes darted around the skies, paranoid about stray spirits who might’ve left the Dukes for whatever reason.

I reached up with my free hand and stroked Kaidan’s smooth face, glad to see his blue eyes again while he drank me in. I sent a smile to the somber Kope as we made our way to the car. Everyone was okay. It would all be fine now. The more I thought about it, the more I was certain Mammon called Flynn to Vegas for entertainment purposes. He liked to show off his son, and Flynn provided him protection as well. Dad
was just being cautious. That had to be it.

When I climbed into the backseat with Zania, Blake called shotgun. Kope and I sat by the windows, with Zania between us.

“Where to?” Kaidan asked.

“The convent,” I told him.

Zania pressed herself close to me and whispered in a shaky voice, “I need a drink. Just one. Please. It will help.”

Her plea sent a pang of empathy through me, but I didn’t answer. Kaidan gave me a look of warning over his shoulder. I had a feeling this wasn’t the first time she’d asked. When she let out a weak groan, I put my arms around her. She slumped into my lap and cried, trembling.

Kopano watched a moment, sadness in his eyes, before turning to stare out his window.

I ran my fingers through her hair, just as Patti did to mine when I was hurting. I hoped the women at the convent would know how to handle this.

We were nearly there when my phone rang. Dad.

“Hello?”

“Are they back?” He sounded on edge.

“Yeah, they’re here.”

“I need all of you to get out of L.A. Get as far away as you can right now. Understand?”

All three guys turned to me with wide eyes.

“Okay,” I told him, my heart rate quickening.

“A few of the Dukes are headed to LAX in Pharzuph’s jet with some women they picked up in Vegas. Mammon and Flynn are with them. Everyone scattered before I could get
any straight answers. At best, they’re just gonna play around in Hollywood for a day or two, but I want you out of there. Text me your location and I’ll send someone to let you know when it’s clear to return.”

“Yes, sir.”

He disconnected, and the air in the car thickened with worry. Zania sat up.

“Where can we go?” I asked everyone.

“Mexico isn’t far,” Kaidan said.

“Nah.” Blake shook his head. “We don’t have time to mess around with the border stops. Let’s get off the mainland. Head to the port.”

Blake started scrolling through the GPS.

Kopano leaned forward. “You suggest we go to sea? We could be out there for days.”

Kaidan’s eyes rounded as he looked to Blake. “The island?”

“Yup,” Blake said with a grin.

“What island?” I asked them.

“Blake’s father owns one of the Channel Islands,” Kaidan explained. “Never uses it. Total waste.”

He owned an island? I shook my head. Wow.

“Have you been there?” I asked Kaidan.

“Once.” He got quiet and shifted in his seat. Blake burst into laughter.

“He got so seasick! Puked his guts out the whole way there.”

Kaidan reached over and smacked Blake’s head. “The water was bloody choppy!”

This made Blake laugh harder.

“For real, though. We can stay there as long as we need,”
Blake said. “The whole island is a nature preserve, so there’s not much there. But it’s got one of those green-economic houses. I’ll charter a boat for us when we get to the docks.”

“But is the island far enough away from the mainland?” I asked.

“It’s fifteen miles out from Santa Barbara—even farther from here. No worries. They’ll never know we’re in the area. Think of it as a mini vacay.”

Zania slumped into my lap again as a vicious tremor shot through her. I held her while Kaidan wove through traffic, eliciting honks from surrounding cars. He stopped before the docks to buy enough food and drinks for a few days. He also bought motion-sickness bracelets and pills. Zania refused to take the offered pill or drink any water. She just moaned and curled herself smaller on the seat. I looked around at the guys, helpless, but they could only offer sympathetic glances in return.

At the port, Blake rented a luxury speedboat. More like a small yacht. I didn’t know anything about boats, but judging from the others around us, ours was big. And shiny. My hair blew in the breeze and the sun shone down as we climbed aboard. I might have felt like a rock star under better circumstances.

As Blake pushed away from the docks, I remembered Dad. I sent him a quick text saying,
Melchom’s island
. Then I called Patti.

“I’m going to be a few more days, and I won’t have cell service,” I told her.

“Are you okay? Did they get . . . your friend?” She wouldn’t say Z’s name.

“Yes and yes.”

“How’s she doing?”

I looked down at Z, who was lying next to me across the white-cushioned bench at the back of the boat with her head in my lap. “She’s . . . having a hard time.”

Patti sighed into the phone. “Poor thing. She needs a gentle hand right now. That’s all you can do.”

We said our good-byes and I promised to call as soon as I could. I watched from my comfy deck seat as the guys put things away and helped navigate us out to sea. The boat bumped and rocked, leading me to believe it might always be a little choppy on the Pacific. One particularly large swell turned my stomach and I closed my eyes.

I jumped at the feel of something touching my hand.

“Just me,” Kaidan said softly.

Zania slid closer to me at the sound of Kaidan’s voice. He pressed his lips together and pushed one of the motion-sickness bracelets over my hand, positioning it on my wrist.

The water and sky turned his eyes a shade of bright blue, and I let myself stare. Hair lashed against my eye, so Kaidan reached out, winding the tangled mass of strands behind my ear, then cupping my cheek.

“Do you need anything?” he whispered. I shook my head.

I caught Kopano watching us from where he stood on the raised captain’s tower. He held my eyes for a moment before turning away.

It didn’t take long for Zania to get sick. She dragged herself from my lap, sitting up and turning enough to lean over the side of the boat. I held her waist, afraid a big bump might send her overboard. I could feel her ribs protruding from all the weight she’d lost. After a bout of dry heaving, she lay her
cheek on the side of the boat and I brushed her hair back, feeling tears on her skin.

“There’s a bed downstairs,” I told her. “Would you like to go lie down?”

She groaned as the wind gusted, rocking the boat. In a moment Kopano was there, scooping her up into his arms.

“No,” she protested weakly. She opened her eyes and looked at him, becoming aware. She let out a yell and tried to push him away, kicking her legs, but he held her close and murmured something in Arabic. I took her hand.

“Kope won’t hurt you,” I whispered in her ear. “He’s going to carry you downstairs and I’ll be with you the whole time.”

Zania closed her eyes, crying silently, but didn’t struggle anymore.

Blake and Kaidan watched us as we passed, looking solemn. Kaidan handed me another bracelet.

Downstairs looked like a compact apartment. The space was cramped but somehow plush in its pristine cleanliness and miniature appliances. Kopano laid Zania on the full bed in the corner. She rolled, facing away from him.

“She needs to eat,” he said to me in a low voice. I was guessing food had been another battle they’d fought with her. I nodded at Kope and he left us. Before I could say a word, Zania spoke.

“Please, Anna. I cannot stomach food.” She reached up and I went forward, sitting next to her and taking her outstretched hand. I slipped the bracelet on her.

“Okay, Z, but you need to eat soon. When we get off this boat, I want you to try. Will you do that?”

She gave the tiniest nod. “Just do not leave me.”

Zania needed to be touching me at all times. I was grateful to have her at my side, even in her raw condition.

“Try to rest,” I whispered. “You’re safe now.”

I had no idea how long the boat ride took—an hour, maybe two. I stayed at Zania’s side while she dozed until the boat came to a stop. Blake poked his head down to give me a thumbs-up. Zania made no attempt to move.

“Do you want to come see the island?” I asked.

“No.” Her voice was hoarse. “You go. I will rest.”

It felt like an accomplishment that she was willing to let me leave her, but I worried about her lack of energy. She still had moments of trembling, or even full body shaking. I fished out a pack of crackers and a bottle of water and set them next to her.

“Promise me you’ll try to eat these,” I said.

She groaned and I squeezed her shoulder. “Promise me. You
have
to eat something.”

“I will try,” she grumbled into the pillow.

I stood to go, checking the cupboards on my way out to be sure there was no liquor hiding anywhere.

Kaidan was waiting for me on the deck when I came up. He leaned against the side of the boat, hair flapping in the gusting wind. I stepped into his arms, letting him shield me against the rough breeze.

The boat was tethered to the end of a long, weatherworn dock. In the middle of the dock was a boathouse, which Blake unlocked and went in.

When an engine purred to life Kai and I let go of each
other to look over the ledge. Blake sped up on a Jet Ski, slicing the water as he skidded to a stop next to us. He wore only a pair of black boxer briefs.

“I forgot these were out here,” Blake said. “Go get one, man!”

“Are you in your pants there, mate?” Kaidan asked, shaking his head at Blake’s undies.

“Yup. You better cover your girlfriend’s eyes.” He winked at me, and then I was the one shaking my head as Blake stared up with a mischievous glint. “Nah, she’s cool with it—aren’t you, Anna? Did you tell Kai yet about how you got drunk and I had to spank you to keep you in line?”

I gasped, my face suddenly on fire. That story sounded really bad out of context.

“Not funny, Blake,” Kaidan said. “Don’t make me kick your arse.”

Blake laughed and spun the Jet Ski around, spitting up water. “Gotta catch me first!”

My heart was beating too fast when Kaidan turned to me, half grinning. He frowned when he saw my face. “He was only taking the mick out of you, luv.”

Huh?

“Joking,” he clarified.

“Oh.” I dropped my gaze. “But, I mean, I
did
drink when you were gone. I haven’t had a chance to talk to you about it yet.”

“Anna.” He lifted my chin. “I trust you. And Blake may run his gob, but I trust him as well.”

I bit my lip and nodded. After the way Kaidan reacted to
the kiss with Kopano, I didn’t know if maybe it was because he was jealous by nature. Guess not. Only Kope made him feel genuinely threatened.

“Are you all right, then?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I feel weird.” I wrapped my arms around myself and looked out at the island for the first time. Beside the dock was an untouched beach, wild and uninhabited. I wanted to explore and appreciate this experience, but a sense of dread had settled into me after the call from Dad.