When Kayla left I turned and watched. She went down the stairs that led to the yacht's cabin rooms. If she only could understand that her safety was my number one priority maybe she'd stop fighting me every damn time I tried to keep her safe. I looked over at the Jacuzzi to get Big John's attention, but it would have been a miracle if he even blinked let alone saw me signaling to him. The two freaks in the hot tub had his undivided attention. I walked over to the lounge chairs where Big John sat and took the empty seat beside him.
"When I can't be with her I think you should." I said watching one of the girls disappear under the water and the bubbles of the Jacuzzi.
"Why? She is a grown woman she doesn't need me or you looking after her." He replied his eyes never leaving the show. Oh so he was aware of his surroundings.
"Then what the hell are you here for if she doesn't need protecting?" I asked careful not to raise my voice although that was a major test.
"To help her find Jamiah and to cover her back when it needs covering."
"You put way too much faith in her skill to handle a gun and her knowledge of a few self-defense moves that they even teach to senior citizens at the Y." I replied getting fed up with his nonchalant attitude on the subject.
"And you don't put enough faith in her. Chill out she's alright. Just worry about you." Big John exclaimed giving all of his attention back over to the live porn show that was being performed in the Jacuzzi. The loud sound of a chopper interrupted the natural noise of the sea. I looked up to see a helicopter on the helipad began to rise, and then fly off toward the east. Who the hell was that? Ten minutes later Roberto came from below and walked over to where Big John and I sat.
"Oh I see that Lola and Bella have been entertaining you while I finished up conducting some pressing business matters," Roberto said rubbing his hands together with a satisfied smile on his face.
"Yes, it is rather impressive that the one on the right can hold her breath for almost a full two minutes," I replied giving the red head a flirtatious wink.
"Ah, Bella is rather gifted in many trivial things that has the power to make a man forget his purpose," he said, pride dripping from his smug tone.
"Sounds promising." I responded, forcing interest.
"Just as our future business collaboration does." Roberto replied with a laugh.
"Yes I can't wait to get to the island so that we may start discussions." I said waving the carrot in front of his face but just out of his reach.
"We will make land in forty five minutes. I will give you and your beautiful Rose time to settle in before we start making plans. Where is your Rose by the way?" Roberto asked glancing around the yacht deck.
"She went below to get some much needed rest." I replied noticing the worried expression that touched Roberto's features and disappear just as quickly. What the hell was that about?
"Well would you like to amuse yourself with my little distractions?" Roberto asked me while taking hold of both Lola's and Bella's hand helping them out of the Jacuzzi.
"No, if I amuse myself with your distractions I'm afraid you will have two less distractions to worry about if Rose was to find out." I graciously refuse.
"Well I'm sure you want mind if I excuse myself for..." Roberto started letting his words drift off before he could finish the sentence.
"No, go right ahead. I'll see you soon." I assured him, leaving him to satisfy his appetite with his on board pets.
I watched as Big John longingly stared after Roberto as he led the two women away. I waited a little while after Roberto disappeared down the yacht stairs and followed him below. Once down I stared in confusion at the doors that lined the hallway not knowing which one Kayla was in.
"Hey, Antonio I'm in here." I heard Kayla whisper from one of the closed doors to my right. I quickly walked over to the door and she stepped back so I could enter.
"Why are you watching the hall?" She then put her finger up to her mouth indicating me to be quiet. She walked over to the headboard of the queen size bed and pointed at something on the back of the head board.
I followed her to where she stood and looked behind the headboard where I saw a small transmitter. Damn. So the room is bugged, well I guess he didn't have one hundred percent trust in us.
"I'm sorry Rose I didn't mean to wake you, I just wanted to check on you." Kayla looked at me and rolled her eyes.
"You didn't wake me. I was on my back up when I heard you coming down the hall. I didn't know if you realized which cabin was ours." Kayla replied motioning up with her index finger. She wants to talk and we can't do it here.
"Well since you're up would you like to go and enjoy the rest of the sail on deck while?" I asked already taking Kayla's hand in mine before she could answer.
"Yes that would be great, let's go." She answered beating me to the door. I followed her down the hall way and up the stairs unto the deck. She watched a couple of workers walk by and gave them a coy smile that pissed me off. Crossing the deck, she walked over toward the rail that was near to the sound where the yacht engine was loudest.
"You haven't discussed anything with Roberto yet have you?" Kayla asked in a whisper that was barely audible.
"No. Why?" I asked taking in where everyone's places were on the deck.
"He already knows who Caleb is and I don't think that it would be a good idea for you to continue on with the angle that you are trying to work." Kayla replied staring intently into my eyes.
"What? How do you know that?"
"I overheard him and a woman talking, she must've been on the yacht already when we boarded. They talked about some shipment or other that is supposed arrive on the island tomorrow," Kayla said, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me into a tight embrace whispering the rest in my ear when one of the crewmen got to close to where we were standing. Caught off guard I inhaled the erotic fragrance of her perfume. Dizzy from lust, I lightly traced the line of her spine until reaching the soft skin at the back her neck.
"When did you hear this?" I whispered into her ear trying not to give in to the temptation to kiss her on the neck.
"On my way down to the cabin, he was screaming at someone on the phone about not being on time, after I heard him slam the phone down he began speaking to the woman I was telling you about. She said that she was going to meet with someone named Ethan and that Roberto was to keep their dealings private because if Caleb suspected that they were involved with this in any way there would be no where they could hide to escape him." Forgetting about my lust I digested the information with a low whistle.
"Did you get a look at the woman he spoke to?" I asked wondering if the helicopter I heard earlier might have been the woman to who Kayla referred.
"No. I only got a glimpse of the back of her just before she went into one of the other cabins below. I doubt that she is still on the yacht, though. I heard her give orders to Roberto to ready the helicopter because she planned to take her leave," Kayla said pulling me close again so she could continue to whisper in my ear without the fear of being over heard.
"Kayla I don't like this, maybe I should've left you back in Miami with Kenyon. What if Roberto had seen you?" I asked.
She banged on my back with her fist momentarily knocking the wind out of me. "But he didn't, so let's worry about a real threat instead of the one you insist on creating." She hissed in my ear.
"From now on you don't make move without me or Big John you got that." I told her losing my temper.
She rolled her eyes, but refused to answer. Mad as hell, I wanted to shake her until I got her cooperation but I didn't want to cause a scene. I let my arms fall from around her and grabbed her hand. Dragging her over to a set of lounge chairs that sat facing the ocean, I shoved her down in one of the chairs. I had some thinking to do and the first problem was how to protect Kayla on the island and find time to do my job. Hormones was a motherfucker. I could get heated over a kiss and lose my damn mind. This was high school shit, only this shit never happened to me in high school.
"I'm trying to be patient with you and your insecurities to be able to protect me, but if your issues start to get in the way of me finding my sister then decisions will have to be made and the outcome will solve all of your issues concerning me." Kayla said staring out at the ocean with a look of resolve on her face.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean? Are you thinking of trying to find her on your own?" I asked, staring at her in disbelief.
"I think you already know the answer to that question." She replied slowly looking away from the scene of the ocean and letting her eyes fall on me. Our gazes locked for a full minute without either one of us wavering in our silent battle.
"The captain just told me that he sees the outline of the island in the distance and we should make land in the next twenty or thirty minutes." Big John told us not realizing that he had just walked up on some major tension that was far from being resolved.
"Thank you, Big John. Can you personally see to my chest please?" Kayla asked finally tearing her eyes away from our silent combat to glance at Big John.
"Sure thing." Big John replied walking away to the stairs that led down to the cabins below. I watched Kayla as she got up to follow Big John without saying a word to me, letting me know that as far as she was concerned the discussion was over. It may be the end for her but it was far from over for me.
The island that we approached was not very big but the house that sat on it was massive. As we drew near I was able to see the island without having to squint, I started to take note of all the weak and strong points of the house and island. I knew that if we had to get away in a hurry we'd need a boat or something moving by air. Swimming was out of the damn question. There was no land around for at least thirty miles.
The yacht was maneuvered towards a pier that held other boats. Two of them were speed boats. The kind billionaire playboys or fictional special agents drove on television. I turned to Roberto who'd joined Antonio and me on the deck.
"Are those yours?" I asked with open enthusiasm in my voice. Roberto looked at me and tried to keep the smile he gave me modest but failed miserably.
"Yes, everything that is on this island belongs to me sweet, Rose."
"Do you think it's possible that I may drive one of those? I've wanted to drive one ever since I was a little girl and watched the boat races on television." I pleaded, holding my hands together in front of my chest.
"Anything that I am in possession of that you may have use for is at your disposal, Rose for as long as you have need of it." Roberto replied with sincerity. I beamed at him and for measure I threw my arms around him. When I pulled away he had a pleased look on his face. Out the corner of my eye I saw Antonio frowning at me. Once the yacht was finally close enough to the pier for us to exit the yacht the captain dropped anchor. Roberto's body guard was the first to disembark and when they were assured by the men on the pier awaiting our arrival that everything was clear they gave us the signal that it was alright for us to follow. It felt good to finally be standing on solid ground again, not that trip on the yacht had me sea sick or anything. It just helped you to appreciate the stability of the earth.
Antonio came to stand beside me and possessively grabbed my hand giving it a firm squeeze that let me know that I had some explaining to do when we were alone. I paid no attention to his male ego I was too busy checking out our new surroundings and counting every person that we came across during our procession to the main house. So far it was ten but only seven of them were guards. I immediately noticed the security cameras that were strategically placed around the front of the house and around the parts of the island that we crossed to get to the house. By the time we were on the stairs that led up to the veranda the front door swung open and portly middle aged woman with salt and pepper hair stepped out on the porch with a warm smile on her face that instantly made me think of Ruby. She then began to speak in fluent Spanish that of course I could only understand bits and pieces of.
Roberto with a grin on his face stepped forward and grabbed the woman up in an affectionate embrace lifting her off the ground. She immediately began giggling and hitting him on the shoulder and protesting in Spanish for him to put her down. Finally with a laugh Roberto sat the woman back down on her feet.
"Everyone this is my housekeeper Ava, because she runs such a tight ship I never have to worry about things here when I'm away."
Antonio dropped my hand and stepped forward and took Ava's hand in his. He murmured something in Spanish before bring her hand to his lips. Ava blossomed with a lovely blush coloring her plump cheeks under Antonio's attention.
"This modern day Lothario is Julio Machado, a business associate of mind." I watched as Ava's smile evaporated and she snatched her hand out of Antonio's grasp. She then turned toward me and the other two women that Robert had brought along with us and spit not five inches away from my feet. After she turned and walked back in the house slamming the door behind her. I turned to Roberto in shock that a sweet lady like her could behave in such a way and in response he gave us all a smile and a shrug.
"She is not pleased with the way I conduct business, and anyone I conduct business with she considers lower than trash. No worries though, I will have a word with Ava later to ensure she is on her best behavior during your stay. Please come inside and I will have someone to show you to the rooms where you'll be staying." Roberto explained smoothly looking unperturbed by the tantrum that his housekeeper had just thrown. We all followed him into the house. Once inside we stood in a big open space that was too big to be a foyer and not narrow enough to be a hallway. When we walked further into the space it took on a circular shape that put me in the mind of some of the cul-de-sacs in Atlanta. There were doors that lined the walls leading to different parts of the house but what caught my attention was the double stair case that sat grandly in the center of the room. I stood there staring at the beautiful Italian marble that was carved into the railing of the stairs trying not to gawk, while the servants went around us taking our luggage upstairs.
"Close your mouth Rose before you start to drool." Antonio whispered nastily in my ear. I turned to glance at him and was taken aback by the expression on his face. He practically sparked flames. Slipping his arm around my waist, he guided me up the stairs after the servants who were handling our luggage. At the top we turned left walking down a hall that seemed to have no ending, until they finally came to a stop at a set of double doors much like the ones Antonio had back in his condo in Miami, only here these doubled doors seemed thicker and heavier.
One of the servants stepped forward an opened the doors letting them swing in a stepping back so that Antonio and I could enter. The room was huge with fluffy white carpet that our shoes sank into. The king size bed in the center of the room had four tall posts at each corner with a sheer white scarf that hung down over the bed obscuring the mattress. The servants scampered around us carrying our luggage into the walk in closet and stacking them neatly against one of the walls. About a minute later Big John and one of Roberto's men came in carrying my chest, which they sat down at the foot of the bed.
"Would you like us to put your things away for you miss?" One of the servants asked me in broken English.
"No we'll manage, thank you." I replied giving him a friendly smile, but he only dropped his eyes and took a step back to stand with the other servants. Roberto must have them on a tight rein around here. Too bad he had no control over his rude ass housekeeper.
"Is there anything else we can do for you Senoir?" The same man asked Antonio.
"No you may go." Antonio replied sounding as majestic as a king. With that the servants gave us a curt bowed and filed out of the room taking care to close the set of double doors behind them.
Big John started to say something an Antonio shook his head and began to give the room a once over. Satisfied that he had come up with no bugs or cameras he nodded letting Big John know it was okay to begin speaking.
"This island is locked down pretty tight and if it comes down to it, were going to have to get creative on finding a way off."
"Leave that up to me, I'm already on it. Do you think we're going to run into problems trying to conduct searches of the island and the house?" I asked already knowing that Big John had been observing as much as I had.
"It's going to be difficult, not only do we have to worry about guards, but the servants seems to be pretty observant." Big John replied looking from Antonio to me.
"Yeah and the cameras makes it next to impossible. I'm willing to bet he has cameras in every room throughout the house too, I spotted one in the hallway on the way here." Antonio added folding his arms over his chest.
"Do you think you could find out where the main frame is for the security on the island and the house?" I asked Big John as an idea formulated in my mind.
"I don't know if I can without looking like I'm looking for something. You know my ass isn't hard to miss." Big John answered shaking his head.
"Pretty much most of your time is going to be monopolized by Roberto. I guess that leaves me. No one will think twice about me if I blend in with the two bimbos that came with Roberto." I said looking at Antonio. He immediately began to shake his head.
"No, that shit is not going to happen."
"Look, it's the only way we are going to be able to find out anything." I replied feeling undone by his stubbornness.
"She's right man, it's the only way this is going to work any other way could get all our asses killed, besides I'll be watching her back in case one of these ese's want to try something." Big John said coming to my defense. Antonio face twisted up in disgust.
"I'm one of those ese's pendejo."
"You can get it too dog if you get the feeling you wanna switch teams." Big John replied with a menacing smile as he cracked his knuckles.
"Hey, gentlemen can we please get back on track and have this pissing contest some other time?" I asked fed up with both of their egos, anymore inflation in either one I would have to step out the damn room.
"Alright find out where all the security is connected. Report back to me as soon as you do. Don't take it upon yourself to disable it, you got that?" Antonio asked staring directly into my face waiting on an answer. Was he serious? I pressed my lips together and glared at him. He glared black, his resolve unshakable. I could tell he was not going to give in on this.
"Fine." I lied.