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  The camera angle turned to reveal Sal’s door down the hall. Beck pulled up pictures of all three men from his private security footage and entered their images into face recognition. He waited for the information to process while eating nuts from the minibar. Little of interest came up on Matt and Luke, revealing nothing more than parking tickets. It would appear Luke had a bit of a lead foot with his sports car. The bodyguard, on the other hand, showed a police rap sheet. Most of the charges were assault and battery, although none went to court. Either deep pockets or some form of intimidation must have been at play. Beck groaned softly and leaned back in his chair. It was going to be a long, boring night.

  †

  Matt’s bodyguard saw the two men safely to their two-bedroom suite at the opposite end of the hall. Once Luke entered their suite, Matt handed the guard an envelope.

  “I want you to do a little checking on a few of the new guys in the morning,” Matt informed him. “My eyes only. If there’s something underhanded going on, I want to know about it.”

  “Yes, sir,” the guard announced.

  Once the door closed, the bodyguard headed to his room just next door, ran his card through the reader, and entered his suite. The door automatically closed behind him. The suite was unusually dark, considering the small alcove light usually remained on for the passenger’s return. He flipped the light switch, brightening the alcove and some of the living area. He cast the envelope aside and immediately headed for the wet bar. As he poured himself a drink, there was a strange metallic click. The bodyguard stiffened then reached inside his jacket for his concealed gun while spinning around. He had his weapon drawn but didn’t have a chance to aim when nearly silent shots were fired. He took both shots to the chest, throwing him backward against the bar. The glasses and bottles rattled from the heavy jolt, but it didn’t make nearly enough noise for anyone to hear. The large man collapsed onto the floor.

  The balcony door opened, allowing the sounds of the ocean and the ship enter the suite. A black gloved hand removed the envelope from the bar and stuffed it into the dead guard’s inner jacket pocket. The bodyguard was then pulled along the floor by his ankles toward the open door.

  Chapter Seventeen

  A shotgun blast echoed across the calm ocean in the late morning sun. The special edible skeet pigeon made from compressed feed shattered over the water, pelting it with the remaining particles while simultaneously feeding ocean life. Sal lowered the pump action shotgun and grinned at Pinto, who stood several feet away with noise reducing headphones on. She gave her smiling father a proud thumbs-up. They removed their headphones and turned to Matt and Luke, who stood near them.

  “It’s been a while,” Sal announced.

  “Eight out of ten,” Matt remarked cheerfully. “Not too shabby.”

  “My turn,” Luke announced then grinned at Pinto. “See if I can impress the ladies.”

  Sal glanced back at Pinto with a strange smirk on his face. Pinto raised her brow in silent conversation. Not surprisingly, both had to keep from laughing. Everyone positioned their headphones to drown out the blasts and watched as Luke shot nine out of the ten skeet pigeons, one-by-one. He beamed at his handy work and removed his headphones.

  “Bet you’ve never seen that before,” Luke announced to Pinto. “Want to give it a try?”

  Pinto hid her smile and shook her head. “No, I’m good, thanks.”

  “I’ll teach you,” Luke informed her. “I promise you won’t even ruin your manicure.”

  Pinto eyed her fingernails and the manicure she’d just gotten yesterday in the ship’s spa. Something inside her suddenly twitched. A strange smile crossed her face, and she approached the instructor holding the shotgun.

  “You know,” Pinto announced. “Maybe I will give it a go.”

  The instructor handed her the shotgun after loading it with ten shells. He grinned with pleasure as she took the shotgun. “You let me know when you’re ready by saying ‘pull’. No pressure to go fast.”

  She nodded knowingly then positioned the shotgun against her shoulder and looked through the sights. Pinto exhaled softly. “Launch them as fast as you can,” she informed the instructor, surprising him. “Pull!”

  The instructor seemed surprised but did as instructed. He sent one skeet pigeon after another with only a second between each. Pinto shot each one, skillfully pumping the shotgun without any hesitation. She shattered all ten skeet pigeons then lowered the shotgun and returned it to the instructor. She removed her headphones and looked at the shocked expression on Luke and Matt’s faces.

  “My boyfriend is a bit of a badass,” she informed Luke then grinned and walked away.

  Sal kept his hand to his chin while secretly covering his humored smile. “I think that’s lunch,” Sal announced and held back his laugh.

  †

  Once changed into something a little less casual, Sal and Pinto entered the private dining room on the Caribbean Deck and found their assigned table. Both remained amused by the earlier skeet-shooting contest and Pinto’s ability to show up the boys. When the novelty wore off, Pinto’s mood turned serious.

  “I think I’ve had enough of Matt and his son,” Pinto finally informed her father. “I hope they’re not at our table this afternoon. I can’t keep up the pleasantries.”

  Sal groaned softly and sank back in his chair. “Oh, thank God,” he announced with relief. “I was worried you were enjoying their company.”

  “Me?” she asked. “I was just putting up with them because I thought you were getting along with Matt.”

  Her father laughed. “I guess we need to work on our communication.”

  Pinto giggled along with Sal. Her father’s expression suddenly dropped, alerting her to something he must’ve seen. She followed his gaze. A woman in her mid-thirties approached their table, an expression of disbelief on her face.

  “I don’t believe it,” the woman shrieked cheerfully.

  “I don’t either,” Sal remarked and failed to breathe. He managed an uncomfortable smile. “Hello, Val.”

  Pinto stared at the woman a moment longer then held back her gasp. She quickly covered with a failed attempt at a smile, but she was obviously uncomfortable.

  “I didn’t know you were attending the wedding,” Sal announced.

  “I’m sure you didn’t or you would have sent your regrets,” Valerie announced with a humored look.

  “We’re adults,” he replied. “I think we can be at the same gathering and live to tell about it.” He gently cleared his throat. “I don’t believe you’ve met my daughter, Pinto.”

  Pinto uncertainly extended her hand to her father’s ex-girlfriend.

  Valerie shook her hand while grinning. “No, I wasn’t aware you two were on speaking terms,” she remarked and eyed both. “How wonderful.”

  Pinto shifted in her seat and avoided looking at the woman. It was unclear whether the remark intended to sound as snide as it had.

  “This should be an interesting lunch,” Valerie announced and pulled out the chair before her, surprising Pinto and Sal. “I wonder whose idea it was to put us at the same table?”

  Sal again shifted in his chair and gently rubbed his temple. “I’m wondering the same thing myself.”

  “My date will be along shortly,” she informed him cheerfully.

  “Oh, you brought a date,” Sal announced then chuckled softly in his throat. “That’s nice.”

  Pinto sprang up from her chair and looked at her father. “I’m going to find that nice lady with the drink tray.”

  Beck darted away from the open doorway to avoid Pinto seeing him as she crossed the room in search of a drink. He nearly collided with another man. Their eyes locked. Beck’s mouth fell open with surprise.

  “Dr. Sherman?” Beck nearly gasped then managed a nervous laugh. “What, uh, are you doing here?”

  Wade stared at Beck with the same stunned look then smiled and extended his hand. Beck hesitated then shook his hand but maintained his
surprise.

  “Beck,” Wade announced cheerfully. “What a surprise. Are you here for the wedding too?”

  “Oh, you’re attending the wedding,” Beck stammered while staring at the doctor. “I, uh, didn’t know you were friends of the family.”

  “Long story,” Wade announced then offered a soft chuckle. “Are you going to the wedding too?”

  “Yeah, uh, that’s a long story too,” Beck announced then gently scratched his brow. “Could you, uh, not mention to anyone that I’m here?”

  Wade stared at him a moment then smiled knowingly while nodding. “Oh, I get it,” he announced. “You’re on an assignment.” Wade laughed softly. “How I envy you. I hate parties when I don’t know anyone. Being undercover must make it more interesting at least.”

  “Yeah,” Beck muttered. “Something like that.”

  “No one will hear it from me,” Wade announced while chuckling. “You know our relationship is completely confidential. Actually, I prefer if no one knew of our relationship also.”

  “I can understand that,” Beck replied while appearing relieved. “Between us, okay?”

  “Absolutely,” Wade assured him without hesitation. “Catch up with you later.”

  Beck nodded then watched Wade cross the private dining room and head toward Pinto’s table. Beck groaned while placing his hand to his temple then quickly left. Dr. Sherman paused before Pinto’s table and smiled cheerfully.

  “Hey, honey,” he announced cheerfully.

  Valerie sprang to her feet and greeted Wade with a quick kiss then took his hand. “Wade, I’d like you to meet Sal Romano and his daughter, Pinto.” She then looked at Sal and Pinto. “This is Dr. Wade Sherman, my boyfriend.”

  Sal stood and shook Wade’s hand with a somewhat pleasant greeting.

  Pinto stared at the doctor a moment with a puzzled look. “Dr. Sherman?” she questioned. “Don’t you have an office in Denver?”

  “Yes,” he replied and eyed her. “Have we met?”

  “No, I don’t think so,” she replied. “But I know I’ve heard your name before. Maybe one of my co-workers has been to your office.”

  “Small world, huh?” he replied and joined them at the table.

  “Gets smaller every day,” Sal muttered and sipped his champagne and orange juice.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Katya remained hidden on top of crates piled high within the cargo hold. Her dark stalking outfit allowed her to remain practically invisible while listening to four men having a discussion in the tight aisle between the piled crates. She suddenly tensed and looked alongside her. Zack lay on his stomach next to her and watched the men as well.

  “Zack,” she scoffed softly in her thick Russian accent. “I thought I smelled napalm and gunpowder.”

  “I’m happy to see you too,” he teased and watched the four men across the cargo hold. “So what’s the ops?”

  “None of your business,” she scoffed while keeping her eyes on the men.

  “You realize it’s easier on you if you just tell me what you’re up too rather than play spy games,” he remarked. “Saves you the embarrassment of me finding out on my own.”

  “Same old Zack,” she remarked. “Sacrificing the foreplay and getting right down to business.”

  He cast a glare at her where she casually lay on her abdomen next to him. “You’re the one who always sets the pace, my dear Katya,” Zack remarked. “I’ve never missed my mark.”

  She snorted a soft laugh. “That’s a good one,” Katya informed him. “You’re a merciless killer. You haven’t got a passionate bone in your body.”

  “Well, now, that’s the AK-47 calling the Uzi black,” he scoffed.

  “I’m working here,” she snarled. “Go away.”

  “I’m working too,” he remarked. “I have to think about my client. What are those guys up to?”

  “Some sort of assassination plot,” she informed him. “I’ve been stalking them since before we boarded the ship.” Katya sharply eyed him. “And I need them alive for interrogation, so don’t get involved. I know you don’t play well with others.”

  “Unlike you,” he scoffed, “I’ve never sacrificed my own team.”

  “That’s because you’re the pawn,” she remarked. “You’re the idiot throwing himself on the grenade to save others. In my business, I’m the important one. I’m the one with the intel. I’m the one for whom others sacrifice themselves.”

  “You always did overvalue yourself,” he replied. “We’re all expendable in this game. We’re all just pawns.”

  “Including Jackie?” she asked while glancing at him and raising a mocking brow.

  Zack’s look turned hostile. “Leave Jackie out of this,” he snarled. “You don’t know anything about her.”

  “I know you fantasize about screwing her while banging other women,” Katya remarked. “I dare you to deny it.”

  “Can we just focus on the bad guys?” he demanded.

  “You are the bad guy, Zack,” she replied while smirking. “You’re just too stupid to realize it.”

  Before he could defend himself, they heard the men discussing their assignment.

  “We’ll coordinate the attack as planned,” one of the men announced. “We wait until after the last of the guests have been served dinner. An hour afterward should do it.”

  “Are they talking about the island wedding?” Zack asked with surprise.

  “If my sources are correct,” she announced, “I believe so. There are some heavy hitters attending that wedding.”

  “I have to warn the guys,” Zack remarked. “It was never about Pinto. It’s always been about Sal Romano. Those men intend to carry out a hit on him.”

  “You may be right, but we have to be sure,” she replied. “We need to take those men down quietly and question them about the hit. You take point. I’ve got your back.”

  Zack nodded and was about to get up. She grabbed his arm forcing him to look into her eyes.

  “We need them alive.”

  “I’m not a two-year-old,” he scoffed. “You don’t need to keep reminding me.”

  Zack and Katya easily climbed down the crates and crept along the cargo bay, keeping hidden until they reached the four men. They went their separate directions around another stack of crates for a surprise attack from both ends. Zack somersaulted across the floor and swept the first man’s legs out from beneath him, signaling for Katya to attack from the other end. She expertly fought the two men on her end with amazing martial arts skills, although Zack was too busy with his own company to notice. With the first man down, Zack sprang upward and immediately threw his entire body into a roundhouse kick, taking down the second man. As the second man went down, Zack punched the first man as he attempted to make it to his feet.

  The third man jumped him from behind. Zack easily flipped him over his shoulder and into a crate with a loud crash. He captured the second man as he straightened and slung him over his shoulder and into the first man, who again attempted to stand. When the fourth man came at him, it became obvious Katya wasn’t holding her own and left him to fight the entire battle. Zack kicked the man in the gut and then in the face as he doubled over, throwing him backward into more crates. Zack finally straightened and glared at Katya, who hadn’t even broken a sweat.

  “Thanks for the backup,” he snarled.

  Katya approached one of the men on the floor. She stood over the dead men, shook her head, and glared at Zack. “Which part of ‘taken alive’ did you not understand?”

  Zack looked around and realized all four men surrounding him were dead. The outcome surprised him as he met her disapproving glare. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me lately,” he muttered shamefully. “I’ve lost control over my own strength. It must be from the concussion.”

  “Well, get your head on straight,” she snarled. “I’m not taking responsibility for your blunders.”

  †

  Zack leaned against one of the crates within the carg
o area only a short while later, his arms folded across his chest and an unpredictable yet frightening look on his face. Bogart and Kirk looked around the empty area where the four men once lie dead then exchanged strange looks.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Zack snarled, about ready to strike.

  Jackie leaned against one of the crates not far from Zack and silently watched him. He refused to look at her, but she could almost feel his gaze upon her, although indirectly. She watched his hand twitch several times. His rage was evident, at least to her. Monroe’s famous words echoed through her mind and now sounded accurate. ‘Ticking time bomb’.

  Monroe approached from one of the nearby aisles and shook his head. “There’s no one here, Zack,” he protested. “Dead or alive. No blood; no bodies.”

  “I’m not fucking hallucinating,” he launched as his hands fell from his chest and he took a quick step toward Monroe.

  The look in his eyes was psychotic and beyond unpredictable. Jackie took a step toward him and caught his hand. He shot a glare at her hand on his then met her gaze with frightening hostility. Jackie locked eyes with him, showed no judgment, and wrapped her fingers around his hand, holding it in hers. His hand gently squeezed hers and his look immediately softened. Jackie looked at the others, who now stared at them with moderate surprise.

  “Zack and I are going to the gym for a little workout,” she informed them. “We’ll catch up with you guys later.”

  Monroe tensed at the suggestion but didn’t comment. Jackie turned while holding Zack’s hand and effortlessly led him from the cargo hold.

  “Christ,” Bogart scoffed while shaking his head. “She’s like a Zack whisperer or something.”

  “If she ever has that sort of hold over me,” Kirk remarked, “please, shoot me.”

  †