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“I promise not to make you say it veryoften.” She turned her head to kiss his hand, sighing as he nuzzledher shoulder. “Wouldn’t want you losing street cred.”
“I’ll make it up to you, baby.” His lipsbrushed hers. “I promise.”
“You already have.” She caught his shoulderand tugged him down. “But I’ll let you keep tryinganyway.”
****
DANE
Capri, Italy, October 23
This is stupid. What are we fucking doing?What the hell was I thinking? We should have kept going. But theymight track the boat. We need to ditch it now and disappear. Thisis the best choice. There are plenty of smaller things to rent herein the off-season. We hit Monaco, and I’ll check in with Pedro. Heowes me a favor or two. Then use the next ID sets, and disappear inSwitzerland.
Dane slumped in the biggest armchair in the cabinand stretched one leg over the ottoman, trying to keep his franticthoughts hidden. His foot tapped on the floor in an uneven rhythmcounter to the ship’s constant, faint rocking. He held a book—oneof hers—but hadn’t read a single word thanks to the alluring danceof bare skin, lace, and gauzy cotton happening right in front ofhim. The constant urge to get up and drag all Zara’s clothing backoff of her didn’t fade even when he was losing his mind,apparently. They needed to get the fuck out of this boat. Maybe theplanet.Besides, I can’t pull her through the streets ofCapri naked. I’d have to kill too many people.
She glanced over, and he smiled, then set his cheekagainst his fist to keep from reaching for her. Zara returned toher makeup, and Dane’s smile fell away, his tongue gliding back andforth along his teeth.It wasn’t like telling her to hurrywould help—they were stuck in a holding pattern until the boatcould reach the berth. And they’d been stuck for almost twohours.
He heard more than felt the engine kicking up.Cleared to dock? Thank Christ.He dropped the book in hislap and glanced out the window. The wait wasn’t quite as long as hefeared—not as many tourists this time of year—but the endlessdoubts and second guesses circled his skull the same way they hadfor twenty-four hours.
Standing up, he tossed the book on the bed andbrushed his hair out of his face. Capri was twenty minutes away,and they had no better option. Nowhere in Italy was far enough fromAdam Fitzgerald. At least here, if shit went south, they could getanother boat relatively fast and make a break to Santorini orEgypt. Anywhere, really. It didn’t matter. Not now.He onlyneeded breathing space to set up somewhere with the new identities.No matter where they landed, someone would be needing wet work andcleanup.
Meanwhile, Zara sat at the vanity, painting onmakeup like she didn’t have a goddamn care in the world. Like thiswas just a honeymoon, and they weren’t fleeing for their lives.
Dane jammed his hands into his pockets, wincing atthe cheap material.Fucking board shorts. Jesus.The pastelblue color didn’t help—but Zara thought they were hysterical, andhe’d lost the argument.Better than the flip-flops. I think.God, he could punch himself. Dressed like one of Z’s douchebagfuck-buddies. At least he’d drawn the line at Hawaiian shirts, nomatter how much she pouted. “Babe? About done putting on yourface?”
Zara grimaced at the mirror. “I’ll be done when theship stops. Being ready before won’t help unless you plan onjumping into the harbor and swimming for it.”
“I’m considering all options.”
She slipped whatever piece of cosmetic nonsenseshe’d been wielding into her bag and smudged something on hercheekbone before arching her newly emphasized brows at him. “Whyare you fidgeting? This is Capri. It’s off-season, but there’llstill be enough of a crowd to hide in, and you’ve gone over everystep past this one at least hundred times. I know it by heart.Including the fifteen different if-we-get-separatedoptions.”
“Maybe it’s the goddamn clothes. I feel like afucking idiot.”Or because Adam won’t hesitate to have one of usshot on sight. And I can’t even blame him.
“You’ve worn stupider things. Your old schooluniforms, for one.”
“That was a lifetime ago. I seared it out of mymemory.” He threw himself on the bed, glaring at the lightfixture.
“It’s not the clothes. You’re still worried Dad’stracked the ship, aren’t you?”
He bit his bottom lip. “And I can’t find mycoin.”
Zara huffed, muttering God-knew-what in French. Hedoubted it was a compliment. “The coin’s in your bag, in the leftside pocket. And I’ve seen you handle Gia, me, Hannah, and Ethanwalking into exposed arenas without ready backup more gracefullythan this. Not to mention our lovely excursion through St. Louis,Atlanta, and Madrid. So, tell me what the heck’s got you wound up,or I’ll drag my feet about leaving this boat for the next twoweeks.”
He gritted his teeth. “You’re all of ten pounds, Z.I’ll carry you.”
“Kicking and screaming loud enough to get outsideattention?”
“Chloroform is a hell of a drug.”
Zara snickered. “You don’t have any. Nicetry.”
He sat up and stared at her, his expressionsoftening as he took a steadying breath. “It was differentbefore.”
“Oh?” She gestured impatiently with her hand.“How?”
“I didn’t give a shit what happened to me back then.I wasn’t…” He knew the words he wanted to say, but saying them?Jesus, I’m a fucking child. “I wasn’t scared before.”
She frowned again, but this time she got up and camecloser, holding out a hand. Dane reached for her without thinking,drawing her to stand between his legs. Her rose-and-candy scentcaught his attention just before she leaned in and kissed hisforehead. She’d been buying new perfume at almost every stop theymade as some inexplicable accompaniment to her changing hair colorsand wigs. He’d only vetoed one that smelled like a hippy opened abakery. But, for all the wardrobe changes, she hadn’t put contactsin, so her familiar blue-and-green gaze bored into his. “Funny.Because I wasalwaysscared for you.”
