Kissing Fortune (Man Season) (7 page)

He entered the study, flung open a
shutter and began shooting.

“Oh, God!
It’s like a damned Stallone movie!”
Tierney shouted, lost in the din of bullets. One flew past her shoulder; she
ducked. Another nearly caught her in the side but a strong hand yanked her to
the floor before it hit.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay upstairs?”
Kiel
was glaring at her with moist eyes. She could just barely
see him in the strobe light streaks of the gunfire.

“I couldn’t! I had to be near you!”

“Well, stay down then! These bastards
mean business!”

“They couldn’t think they’d get away
with murdering us!”

“Oh, no?
The news boys could spin this as
just another drug war battle. They’re in the military’s pocket, too.”

“We’ve got to get out of here,
Kiel
! Could we make it to your boat?”

“There is a second exit that leads
down to the dock. But if we’re not shooting back they’ll get suspicious and
come looking for us.”

“Is there some way to rig up a gun or
two, to keep shooting until we are safe?”

“I’ve got a simulator, made it for an
operation in the
Middle East
. If I can set it up, it might give us some time.
Round up Travers and the servants, head them out that way. I’ll hook things up
and join you when I can!”

“I don’t want to go without you,
Kiel
!”

He put firm hands on her arms, kissed
her. “You won’t! I’m not about to die now when I’ve got so much to live for!
Get going!”

She kissed him in return, reluctantly
left his grasp and headed for Travers.

“Help me talk the servants into
taking us through the back exit to the boat!
Kiel
has a plan to trick the creeps
outside!”

Travers nodded, began to speak in
Spanish to the two men and three women. They eagerly led the way to the exit
then all seven of them crept like burglars down to the dock and readied the boat
for sailing.

Tierney watched the action from the
safe haven of the boat deck. The gunmen kept firing; seemingly determined to
crumble the house down to its foundation. They stopped suddenly; the night grew
quiet. Voices flew back and forth. She thought she heard someone call for
storming the boat.

“Travers!” she whispered. “I think
they’re coming this way!”

He stood, listening. “You’re right. I
guess
Kiel
couldn’t get his trick to work.”

“But we can’t leave him! What’ll we
do?”

“We can’t stay. They’ll take us all
out if we do! I’m starting the engine!”

“No, wait, please!”

“He can jump in and swim to us. You
know he’d want us to go!”

Tierney was near hysteria; but she
knew he was right.

“Start the engine.”

He hopped over to the bridge,
switched on the engine and steered them away from the dock. Tierney stood
crying as she stared at the
hacienda
. It could have been heaven there,
with
Kiel
. But now it would be just another
number on a long list of nightmares.

“Oh,
Kiel
, I don’t care about the house! We
can live anywhere! Please come to me. You’re all that matters!”

She hurried the servants below,
waited on the deck for any sign of
Kiel
. The gunmen were heading towards the
dock, their weapons raised.

“They’re going to start shooting,
girl!” Travers said in a low, desperate voice. “Get into the hull!”

“Wait, what’s that?” Tierney said.
She could hear a faint but growing clatter from the house. Lights began
flashing, bullet sounds whizzing. The gunmen turned back to the house, ducking
and shooting.

“He’s done it, by God!” Travers
laughed. “Look at those idiots squirm!”

Tierney was still trembling. Sure,
the gunmen were distracted but only temporarily.

“Where is
Kiel
?” she whimpered.

“Here!”

She was answered by a running shadow that
leaped into the inky ocean and splashed its way to the boat. Tierney’s heart
choked her throat as she tried to help him onto the deck. He finally had to
discard her shaky assistance, eased his big frame up and surrounded her with
cold, wet, wonderful arms.

“You made it!” she sobbed.

“Damn right I did! Get us out of
here, Travers, before they realize we’re not there!”

The boat careened out into the black
night, leaving Baja behind.

CHAPTER FOUR

“They won’t stop, you know,”
Kiel
warned as he and Tierney lounged in
his bunk, naked to the air and goose pimpled from the coolness of it. “I told
them their secrets would be released if I died. But I guess they think maybe
they can figure out my security system and keep the emails from being sent.”

“Can they?”

“It’s possible … anything is
possible. But it’s highly unlikely.”

She rubbed the soft hair on his
chest, played with his hard nipple. “They think they’ve won because everything
is so under the radar. If you could be out in the open, watched constantly …
like I was on my TV show … well, they couldn’t hurt you, could they?”

“What are you getting at?”

“I think I’m going home,
Kiel
. I’ll step out and show everyone I’m
still alive! Then I’ll restart my reality show … with my new fiancé,
Kiel
Fortune!”

He sat up on his elbow, examined her
with wary eyes.

“I can’t let you do that, Tierney.
Have you forgotten that somebody wants you dead?”

“No, but I’m going to be brave from
now on. I want to be worthy of a man like you. And I want to find out who’s
been trying so hard to kill me!”

“You don’t have to put on a brave act
for me. I love you. I’ll admit that. I felt it right off, though I tried to
ignore it, and smother it, and kill it. Be who you are, Tierney. That’s good enough
for any man. Or it should be. And what’s this about your ‘new fiancé’? I don’t
recall asking …”

“I know. I always assume these
things. But if somebody has to actually do the deed …” she got down on one
knee, “will you marry me,
Kiel
?”

He laughed, raised her nude body up
and sat her on his chest.
“Only if you keep me satisfied.
Think you can?”

“Honey, just watch me!” she giggled.

***

Once back at the marina in
Pierpont
Bay
they made a hasty but affectionate
goodbye to Travers.

“Call me if you need an extra gun,
Kiel
. I’m ready and able.”

“I know you are, man! Thanks for all
you’ve done.”

He hugged him. Then Tierney did the
same.

“Will you be safe here?”

“Sure. I’ve got a sweet little cabin
in the
Malibu
hills, bought it in the Sixties before
the prices went through the roof! I’ll hole up there until all this dies down.
You take care of
Kiel
, now. Keep him on the straight and
narrow …”

“I will.”

They went their separate ways;
Tierney turned to watch Travers go.

“He’s the closest thing to a father
I’ve ever had.”

“That’s rough. My old man was the
affectionate type, made me feel like I was the center of his universe. My mom
was the same way. When they died I thought something was wrong with the whole
deal. I thought I should be dead if they were.
Took me years
to get over that feeling.”

“I don’t like my parents. I honestly
never believed they ever loved me. People shouldn’t have kids if they’re not
willing to nurture them. They should give them to somebody who cares.”

He put an arm about her shoulders.
“No use fretting about the past, Tierney. I’ve wallowed in that cesspool
myself. We need a clean, fresh start!”

“Yeah, we do. But we have some
business to settle first. Are you game,
Kiel
?”

“Whatever you say, baby. This is your
territory. I’m a rookie.”

“And I’m the pro? Ha! I’ve been
called worse.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I know. I was only joking. I was
thinking we should head to my retreat up in
Santa Barbara
. It’s a dreamy place. We can flesh
out our plans there … and I can slip into some of my own clothes. This black
nightgown is making me stick out like Lady Gaga in a church choir!”

“Lady who?”

“Wow, you are out of the loop! Come
on!”

She started to run towards a taxi
parked at the marina clubhouse. He followed her, admiring the way her round
butt jiggled with every barefooted step.

***

Tierney’s retreat was an ultra-modern
beach house with sleek wood floors, glass walls and a flat, metal roof. Inside
she had decorated it in a minimalist, rather Asian style; the furniture sturdy,
functional yet very artistic. The seating was lean but comfortable.
Kiel
sank into a black leather sofa; put
up his sore feet and closed his eyes.

“A man could get used to this too
easily. You know what Travers said, ‘keep him on the straight and narrow’.”

“And what does that mean, anyway?
You’re rich too. You’re already used to this lifestyle.”

“Not really; most of the time I live
on my boat. Before that I had a simple
Cape Cod
in
Virginia
, where I lived with Jeri. I rarely
visited the
hacienda
, it reminded me too much of my folks.”

Tierney sat down beside him; handed
him an imported beer. He frowned at it, sipped it, set it on a glass coffee
table.

“Tell me about her. Was she
beautiful?”

“Sure. Like an angel. And her heart
was good. She wasn’t callous towards one soul, no matter how they treated her.”

“You think I’m callous, towards my
parents?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“But you think it.”

“I get that you have this idea about
them, how they are, who they are. But people just need a second chance
sometimes, to prove they’re worth knowing.”

“But what if it was them that hired
those goons to kill me?”

“Why would they, Tierney? Be
logical.”

“I don’t have to be logical. I follow
my instincts, and they say I can’t trust them. I’m going to take a shower. Want
to join me?”

She threw off the black nightgown,
headed bare to the glass shower in the bedroom’s en suite bath. He shed his
clothes, chased her in.

The water was gloriously warm and
soothing, erasing the tension and fatigue from their muscles.
Kiel
soaped her up with a heavenly
lavender bath gel; the scent invigorating and soothing at the same time. They
were both slick as the glass – their bodies slipping against each other,
working up a devilish friction. She rinsed him down with a showerhead then went
at him like a starved cannibal, nibbling, biting, devouring. He had to grab the
door handle to keep from falling as her actions carried him off to a higher
plane. He grunted and hissed and growled and begged for more. But before she
could finish he lifted her, wrapped her soapy hips around his and thrust into
her sharp and deep. Tierney gasped, then settled into his rhythm, impaling
herself gladly on him. Her breasts ached for touching. She began to massage
them, knowing what the sight of that would do to him. He watched her, his eyes
on fire. He caught one nipple in his mouth then the other, going back and forth
until she was about to burst.