Where Tomorrow Leads (19 page)

A muscular hand reached for the tray, or perhaps her as fingers brushed against a fragile hand. She stepped back, almost knocking over the goblet. Warmth flowed through them, the feel of his hands on hers even more disturbing. As if he were coming in for the kill.

She was so aware of his presence. Something in the way he stood on the dock, moving towards her as if she needed him. She needed to run as far away as possible. Rule number two: Do not involve yourself with any guests.

“Thank you,” he said, the voice, low, husky, filled with an open invitation. She sighed, knowing she had to get him settled and remove herself to the safety of the houseboat.

“If you follow me, I’ll show you to your rental.” She turned, taking long steps away from the pier, expecting him to follow. When she didn’t hear his steps on the board walk behind her, she hesitated, slowing down and then stilled.

The whisper of her name fell from his lips in a low voice and yet it vibrated through the air. “Annie.”

The cool air crawled over her skin as adrenaline rushed to her head. She squeezed her eyes tight, allowing a moment to feel fear before she shut it off and turned to face him. This moment couldn’t be stopped. She knew someday it had to come full circle. “I’m sorry, who?”

He stood a bit taller than her 5 foot 7 frame and as the wind picked up, whipping his long, dark hair around, he looked savage against the back drop of the moon as it lit up the sky. She shivered. Something in the way he began to move towards her, as if he were aware of her desperation to escape, made her stand her ground. She wouldn’t cave in and admit anything. He didn’t know for certain, did he?

They would never find her here.

The dark form came towards her. She refused to budge even though she wanted to flee as fast as she could. He stood less than an inch away. Her body wanted to deceive her, it began to tremble. Bare toes clenched the wooden planks. She looked in to those alert vibrant blue eyes and it became clear. He knew.

“Not much of a life living here all alone, is it?”

A bare foot took a step back. “It’s fine here.”

“It doesn’t look that way to me. Surrounded by water, rocks, ocean. A person could disappear in the midst of all this, never to be found again.”

Another step back. But with each step she took, he came closer. “I’m not alone.”

“No? According to my sources, this island is all but deserted, except for the island keeper.” He stood so close his breath fluttered across her skin. He could kill her and no one would know. It’s a shame he had to be the one to come looking for her. Her eyes drifted to his mouth. It was the one thing she noticed when her brother hired him a long time ago.

The way he moved his lips when his soft spoken words tumbled out made her feel as if he was making love to her. How could one man cause so much desire with just the movement of his mouth? What a time for hormones to rise up. She almost smiled at the thought. “You’re assuming I’m alone, but I’m not.”

His head tilted at a slight angle, his large frame blocking out the moon’s rays. “I came to rescue you.”

“I didn’t know I needed saving,” she whispered. The warning signs went off in her head, yet instead of stepping back, those traitorous feet stopped moving. His mouth, next to hers, brazed her skin like a feather. Like a bad drug, she knew he was no good and would kill her in the end, but she couldn’t stop, not when the high felt so intense.

“I have to kiss you,” he whispered.

“I know,” she whispered back.

Then he crushed his mouth on hers. Annie couldn’t breathe. She dreamt of a moment like this with him ever since the first time she saw him. The fantasies she had of his mouth invading her own came to light, down to the very last detail. He pushed her lips open and delved in, his own desire evident in the way he kissed. His arms went around her. She had a euphoric feeling of safety in those arms and let herself go for a moment. It had been so long since someone touched her.

He either knew she was desperate for his touch or couldn’t help himself because his kiss became so urgent Annie couldn’t think. Soft bites nipped her lower lip and she could feel his warm breath inside her mouth. With eyes closed and her head flung back, he trailed tiny kisses down her chin and neck. She needed, oh, my, she needed to stop.

This couldn’t go on much longer, she couldn’t lose her grip on reality but he seemed determined to shake her to the very deepest part of her soul. “Stop,” she whispered.

“No. I’ve been dreaming of this forever,” he murmured, his voice husky, breaking up as if he were desperate for one more taste.

“I’m not alone.”

“Yes, you are.”

“I’m afraid not,” Annie said, a sudden determination to get away before getting sucked in too deep. He said he was here to rescue her, but the only thing her brother wanted was her dead. If he sent this man who worked for him, she had no choice but to save herself. Because she was all alone, almost. She reached in to the hidden pocket along the side of her white dress. Annie pulled the hard, cold steel out. “Mr. Colt is here with me.”

She cocked the gun and opened her eyes, resting the tip against his side. His blue orbs widened in surprise. “Then, if you insist on pushing me, Mr. Glock has arrived to accompany him.” She pulled a second piece of steel from the other pocket, placing it on his opposite side. “Now, back away,” she ordered.

He stood frozen as if trying to determine if she would indeed shoot. She tilted her head. “I wouldn’t even think about trying to take these away,” she smiled. “I’ve had nothing to do but practice here for a year and a half.”

His arms dropped away as he stepped back and the emptiness felt odd. Hands slid in to the pockets of his jeans. He cocked his head and stared at her. “Annie. You can point those guns at me all you want but it won’t matter. I came to help you.”

“What, to help me die?” she accused. “You work for my brother. He’s wanted me dead ever since Father left everything to me. Tony admitted to me he would find a way to get rid of me. He’s ruthless. I saw what he did to that man.” She backed away, her bare feet prepared to run for her life.

“How do you know I work for him?”

“I’m not an idiot, I was there when he hired you. Right before I found a way to escape before he did to me what he did to that poor innocent man. He knows I saw him, that’s another reason he wants me dead. I am the sole heiress of my Father’s company and I can identify a murderer. How did you find me?”

“It’s my job to find you.”

“Why did you kiss me like that? To soften me up so you could destroy me with your bare hands?”

He laughed, the deep rumble shaking his chest. “That’s a bit dramatic, Annie.” His voice lowered. “I know what I’d do with my bare hands if I could touch you again.”

Annie shivered. This was too messed up. She wanted to fall in to those arms, the pull was so strong and yet she couldn’t, afraid it was all a ploy. She’d done good the last year and a half to stay hidden away, now she’d have to find another safe place. She figured it would come to this someday, but never expected it so soon, or because of a man she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about since the moment she laid eyes on him. “You won’t get another chance,” she said. She took a few more steps back. “Don’t follow me. If you do, Mr. Winchester is also here, he’d love to take a shot at you!”

With those words she turned and ran, the revolvers clutched in her hands. She flew through the mangroves, her steps pounding the ground she walked every single day, desperate to get to the door of the houseboat. At least there she could pull herself together, think straight, because around him she became a puddle of mess.

“Annie, please. Don’t make this hard. I’ll be here waiting for you. I promise not to hurt you.”

She didn’t turn around, didn’t acknowledge whether she heard the words. Her chest heaved by the time she got to the boat and she threw open the screen door and dived into the comfort of the place she called home. Slamming the door shut, she pushed the locks in place knowing he could get in if he wanted to.

She needed a new plan. Jesse Storm was here, and she didn’t know if he was here to save her or kill her.

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Jesse watched her form scatter down the path, arms out, clutching a gun in each hand as her gown whipped about a slim frame. She ran as if the devil were on her heels. He chewed his bottom lip and let out a deep sigh. The well laid plans went out the window but he didn’t care. The moment he saw her standing on the docks he had to taste her, it couldn’t be helped.

When her brother ‘hired’ him almost two years ago, the first time she walked in to the room, something happened between them. He knew she felt it too because she stopped dead in her tracks and stared at him, her mouth open in surprise and those amber eyes widening in shock. Day after day, he felt her whenever she was close, but he didn’t dare go near. Every time they came in close range, the room filled with an electric current so strong he almost lost his composure.

Even now, when he stood on the dock a few feet away, nothing changed. The spark was still strong. They drew from each other and he wasn’t even sure why or how it happened. She tried to dye her hair darker and lost some weight, but the moment he saw her, he knew without a doubt it was Annie. All he had to do was look in to those amber eyes. He would never forget how they devoured him so long ago.

Her brother knew it too. It was why he sent Jesse instead of someone else. She’s lucky, if Tony Foster would have sent any other man, she never would’ve made it back to the houseboat to escape. Foster wanted it all and he would do anything to prevent Annie from someday claiming her share of the family fortune.

His phone buzzed. He pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the screen. Tony Foster. Right now, Jesse didn’t want to talk to him, but he had to keep him informed. If he didn’t, the man would send someone else. He grabbed his backpack from the boat and began to hike up the path towards his rental while flicking the button on the cell. “Yeah boss.”

“What’s going on? Why haven’t you called in yet?” Tony Foster’s voice bellowed through the cell.

“I just got here.”

“You haven’t taken care of things yet?”

That was the thing about Foster. He expected everyone to bow down and kiss his feet but Jesse never did and never would. He needed to stall for time. “I’m still looking for her. She’s very clever. The place we traced her to, well, she’s not there.”

Jesse heard the grumble from the other end of the phone. “Time is running out. Find her!”

Jesse heard a motor boat start up. The smooth sound of an engine running caught his attention. “Gotta go boss, I think I got a lead.” He hung up before Foster could utter another word and ran back down the path towards the houseboat. He pummelled the wooden deck with heavy boots as he made his way to the beach where the Island Keeper stayed.

The sound of a boat riding the waves as it ran through the water echoed in the distance. “Annie!” He yelled, his voice loud, distinct and clear. “Annie, don’t go running. You’re safer with me than anyone else.” At first he thought he heard the engine cut back. “Please Annie, listen to me. I’m not the enemy. Stay,” he called out in to the dark night. “Stay Annie, I won’t hurt you.” Then the motor roared to life again as the boat disappeared in to the dusk.

He stood on the bank, staring out in to the night. She had no idea how much she needed him. Jesse turned away, determined to get some rest before he began the task of hunting her down once again. But first he slid in through the door of her houseboat. He glanced around the small space and grinned.

She may pretend to be this tough, gun toting hard-core woman, but he saw frills and a romantic soft side of Annie all through the interior. A white linen cloth covered the small table, pretty spring flowers in a crystal vase on top. Lace curtains tied back with ruffles bordered two tiny window frames.

Her bedroom was tiny, enough room for a bed but he stared at it for a moment, picturing her curled up under the covers. He closed his eyes, imagining her there, arms stretched, beckoning him. But when he opened them, all that stared back was an empty bed. Even the window had a border of pastel blue flowers and lace curtains, heavier this time, to keep out the sunlight. Steel blue eyes darted around the small space and then he pulled a tiny button like fixture from his pocket. He hesitated for a moment, uncertain, before securing the tiny camera in the corner of the room where it would be hidden from view. With the dark panelling of the walls, it would be hard to locate. Next, he went back in to the living room and placed two more cameras in secure places, telling himself it was the only way to keep her safe.

Jesse made his way to the vacation house. He threw his back pack on the kitchen counter and went straight to the refrigerator. He pulled a can of cold beer out and popped it open. Taking a long slug he finished the beer and crushed the can with one hand, tossing it in to a trash can.

He grabbed the backpack and ran up the stairs to the top floor. The main quarters of the house, the living room, den and kitchen were there, along with a panorama view from the cedar balcony. He stepped outside through the French doors, hands leaning on the railing, looking over the property. Jesse would be able to get a better view of the property during daylight hours. Right now, all he could see was a black sea, moonlight rippling over the water, shadows and moving waves crashing against the island shore.