Under His Protection (21 page)

Ridiculous, but true.

Now he had her and he’d let himself go. He
hadn’t worked out in a week beyond the sex, though Lord knew, he
got a rather aggressive workout in that department. He was
surprised she hadn’t told him to shape up.

But she hadn’t. He’d always assumed image
was of the utmost importance to her. Back home, she never went out
in public without looking less than perfect.

Though she’d been looking pretty casual
lately, her hair in a haphazard ponytail most of the time, clad in
jeans or sweats and T-shirts usually covered with streaks of paint
by the end of the day.

Something had definitely shifted. They were
comfortable with each other. Happy. Like a normal couple.

He braced his hands on the cold tile counter
and took a deep breath. What they had between them, he didn’t want
it to end, not if he had any say in it. He couldn’t let her go when
they got back to DC, not like this, not when they still had so much
potential. He needed to tell her how he felt.

Now.

Tearing out of the bathroom, he went in
search of her. Surprisingly, the studio was empty. As was the
living room and kitchen. He searched every room in the house,
closets, the backyard even though it was pouring rain. Even ran out
to the small cabin he stayed in, thinking she might’ve gone looking
for him. But she wasn’t there.

She wasn’t anywhere.

Mason ran back into the house, through the
kitchen and into the garage. The car the Hewitt family kept on
island was gone.

“Shit.” He ran back into the house and
grabbed his cell phone, muttering a string of curses when he
couldn’t find a good enough connection.

Without a doubt, he knew where she was. Or
at least, knew who she was with. Suzanne Arnold or whatever the
hell the woman’s name was. Something had happened, he could feel
it. He didn’t like the unease that slithered down his spine.

A dark sense of foreboding washed over him,
leaving his skin chilled. And it scared the ever living shit out of
him.

He walked back out onto the back porch,
where he got the best reception, and typed in a url, waiting
impatiently for it to load. It was cold and drizzling, rain falling
heavily from the sky and he was standing outside in his underwear,
nothing else.

But he didn’t feel the cold. He was too
concerned for Blake’s safety to think of anything else. Entering
his username and password after the website loaded, he typed in the
information it asked for and then waited for a reply.

Thank god for modern technology. He’d rigged
the Hewitt family car with a GPS tracker. The thing had a thirty
day battery life, not a problem considering they were here only for
three weeks. He’d be able to locate Blake’s car in minutes.

And there it was. The map flashed onto the
screen, a little red light blinking her exact location. The address
appeared and he pressed a button, locking in the location. He
didn’t recognize it but it couldn’t be hard to find since the
island wasn’t that big.

He sent her a quick text then dialed her
number but it went straight to voicemail. No text reply either and
she was always quick on that thing.

Fuck.

Panic racing through him, he went into
Blake’s bedroom and grabbed the crumpled pair of jeans that lay on
the floor. Pulling them on, he then tugged on a shirt, shoved his
phone in his front pocket and ran a hand over his hair.

Why had she left without telling him? She
knew
how he felt about Suzanne. He’d expressed himself
pretty strongly on the matter last night. So strongly they’d even
argued about it.

Had she kept it from him because she thought
he would’ve tried to convince her not to go? She
always
told
him where she went, and she’d rarely left his side, especially the
last few days. She seemed to prefer to always have him by her
side.

The crappy weather didn’t ease his fears,
either. The storm was relentless, the pounding rain that sounded on
the roof would’ve made him reluctant to go out anywhere, let alone
want Blake out in it. Alone.

Letting loose a low growl, he grabbed his
wallet and shoved it in his back pocket. He’d rented his own car
when they’d arrived on island, though they’d hardly used it.

Walking into the garage, he hit the door
opener, wincing when he saw the downpour before him. Worry clawed
at his gut and he tried to push it off.

Should he call this in? Let everyone know
he’d temporarily lost track of Blake? Byron would kill him on
sight. And he didn’t even want to think about James Hewitt’s
reaction. When they questioned him about how he lost track of his
subject–and he knew they would—how would he answer?

Sorry, I was sound asleep after I fucked
your daughter all night long and she snuck out on me. I’m not quite
sure what happened, sir.

Hell, no. He’d be fired for sure. Shit, he
deserved to be fired, sleeping with his subject, letting his
defenses down. Letting her get away without his knowledge.

He’d find her first, then call it in. And he
would
find her. This stupid little island wasn’t that big.
It would take him fifteen minutes, tops.

It had to.

* * * *

“Blake, please listen to me,” Suzanne
pleaded but Blake turned away from her.

She didn’t want to hear it, didn’t want to
hear the lies that would spill from her supposed friend’s mouth.
Rich had shoved them into a tiny bedroom and locked the door,
threatening to tie them up, though the fumbling drunk couldn’t find
a piece of rope in the house to save his life.

Blake was pissed. Angry she got pulled into
this situation because she wanted to help a friend in need. Had
been so duped she’d even neglected to tell Mason she’d gone which
was the thing she regretted most of all.

How freaking stupid could she be? She could
almost believe she deserved what happened to her, considering how
foolish her earlier actions were.

Had Mason figured out she was gone yet? She
had no clue how much time had passed since she arrived and Rich had
taken her purse. He’d been disappointed to find a measly eighty
dollars in her wallet and shoved the twenties in his front pocket,
a grim look on his face as he’d continued his futile search.

Like he could take her credit cards, which
she’d watched him contemplate. As if. He’d be caught immediately.
The guy was a complete and total idiot. And she was a complete and
total idiot for trusting Suzanne.

“Listen, will you let me explain? How it
happened? I only told him about you because I knew everywhere you
went, your secret agent man followed. How was I supposed to know
you’d come out here and for once, you wouldn’t bring him with you?”
Suzanne cried.

No kidding. Blake was silently berating
herself for the same exact thing. “So you were in cahoots with this
guy—your
husband
to bring me over here so you could get
money?”

“I tried to escape from him once already.
He’s crazy. Abusive, a drug user, a loser, I couldn’t stay with him
anymore. I was afraid he was going to kill me.” A sob escaped her
and she shook her head. “So I faked my own death, reinvented myself
and came out here.”

It sounded like a damn movie. Talk about
surreal. “So he found you.” Blake turned to find Suzanne crying,
tears streaking down her face. She couldn’t believe Suzanne went to
such lengths as to fake her own death just to leave the guy.

It must’ve been really bad. Terrible.

“He found me.” Suzanne sniffed and wiped at
her nose. “I didn’t think he would bother looking for me. I mean,
he thought I was dead. But I guess something came up with an
insurance policy he had on me I didn’t even know about. They never
found my body and when they became suspicious, he got suspicious,
too. I guess he’s smarter than I gave him credit for.”

That was saying something, since Blake
thought he was the stupidest man she’d ever met. “So why bring me
into this? I thought we were friends.” Despite the hardened shell
she was trying to display to protect herself, it still hurt,
Suzanne’s betrayal.

It hurt a lot.

“I know. And I’m so sorry.” She did look
sorry. Though Blake figured she could also be a really great
actress.

“He started raving how I owed him because he
didn’t get to cash in on the insurance. How I deceived him and
broke his heart and he wanted payback. I panicked. It was bad
enough I had him in front of me after I thought I’d gotten rid of
him forever.” Suzanne paused, taking a deep breath before she
further explained.

“I didn’t know what else to do, so I talked
about you. And I only mentioned you because I knew you always had a
tail. Rich was stupid enough to call you, saying all those weird
things to you but I told him that was a huge mistake.”

Blake remained silent. So it had been Rich
who called her, not Suzanne. Or whatever her name was. Close
enough…

“I figured I’d ask you to come here, the
agent would follow and he’d come right in and take over. I’d have
Rich arrested and then everything would be fine. Back to
normal.”

“It didn’t quite work out that way.” Blake
stared at the closed door, wishing she could just barrel through it
and tell the asshole to go screw himself.

But Suzanne had warned her when he shoved
them into the bedroom he was armed and not afraid to use whatever
means necessary to get what he wanted. She’d caught the glinting
flash of silver in the waistband of his jeans when he left the
bedroom and she knew Suzanne wasn’t kidding.

No way would she confront a lunatic with a
gun. He’d shoot her for sure.

“He’s coming to find me. Mason.” She knew
this, had faith in it, in him. Not only because he kept watch over
her but because he cared about her. He’d be worried.

And mad for letting her slip from his watch.
It was entirely her fault but he’d feel guilty.

Sadness rose within her and she tried to
tamp it down. She hated that she did this to him. That she did this
to herself. She should’ve never left the house, should’ve begged
off visiting Suzanne and blame the weather.

If she’d done that, she’d still be at home,
with Mason. Just the thought of him made her skin warm, her heart
rate kick up a notch.

She missed him. She needed him. She loved
him. Oh, how she wished she’d told him that last night.

“I hope you’re right,” Suzanne said.

“Absolutely, I’m right.” Blake nodded.
“He’ll be here soon. Trust me. It’s his job to follow me.”

“He didn’t do a very good job today,”
Suzanne muttered.

Blake shot her a dirty look. “It’s my fault.
I didn’t tell him where I went.”

“Where was he that he didn’t realize you’d
left?”

She didn’t want to tell. Did she?

No.
Suzanne wasn’t a confidant any
longer. She couldn’t trust her. Instead of answering, Blake ignored
the question completely. She stared out the window and watched the
rain fall, flooding out the small backyard.

This little house was awful, downright
depressing. And so was the jerk Suzanne had married. Made Blake
realize her life wasn’t so bad. She had parents who might not
always support her, but at least they loved her. And she could do
whatever she chose to with her life, her future. Like her
paintings. And making Mason hers.

Yes, she definitely wanted to make Mason
hers. She was madly in love with him.

The door suddenly slammed open and Rich
stood in the doorway, a frantic look on his face. “Someone’s at the
door.”

Hope rose within Blake but she kept her
expression impassive. “Expecting company, Suzanne?”

“It’s Amber. Get it right,” Rich snapped,
glaring at his wife. “And yeah, expecting company, honey?”

“No.” She looked at Blake. “Who could it
be?”

Blake knew exactly who it could be. “I have
no clue. Why don’t you answer the door?”

“Hell, no. The guy beat on it like he wanted
to break it down.” Rich ran a hand through his hair and she noticed
his shaking fingers. Reaching behind him, he pulled the large
handgun from beneath his waistband and held it in front of him.

Blake drew in a harsh breath. Did he plan on
using it on Mason? God, she hoped not. She knew he wore his
protection vest when they were in DC and he’d worn it when they
first arrived on island. But he’d become lazy, hadn’t donned it in
weeks. There’d been no need to.

Or so he thought.

“Where is he now?” Suzanne asked.

“I don’t know. He knocked, I didn’t answer,
and he stopped. I checked outside the window, hoping to get a look
at him, but I saw no one. Not even a car. And it’s raining like a
bitch outside.” Rich started toward the window, staring out at the
flooding backyard. “There’s nowhere for him to hide. I need to find
the son of a bitch.”

“Maybe he left.” Suzanne smiled, trying to
encourage him, Blake could tell. “I’m sure it was nothing. Just
someone at the wrong house or something. Don’t worry about it.”

“I should go and check.” He looked like the
last thing he wanted was to go outside. The rain would soak him in
two seconds flat. “Make sure everything is in the clear.”

“You’re being dramatic,” Suzanne started but
he silenced her with a quick slap of his fingers against her cheek.
The loud smack sounded in the room, followed by her startled gasp
and she fell back on the bed, grasping her cheek.

Blake sat on the edge of the bed, wide-eyed
with shock. He pointed the gun at her, waving it haphazardly and
she swallowed hard. She’d been so worried about Mason getting shot
she didn’t think this bozo would turn the gun on her.

“You backtalk me, you’re next. Got it?”

Blake nodded. “Got it,” she whispered.

“Good. I’m going outside. If either of you
try to sneak out, I’m shooting first and asking questions later.”
He exited the room, slamming the door behind him and Blake bent
forward, released a shuddering breath. She covered her face with
her hands but refused to cry.