Sadie sagged with relief.
“Thank you.” Calan guided her around Zhafa’s body.
“Clean up this mess,” Dervishi bellowed to his men. “I want to be home in time to see my daughter.”
M and the others took up the rear after she and Calan passed. Outside, Sadie felt a huge weight lift off her. Nothing was standing in her way of leaving now. She had her passport—her real one—and Calan had no reason to stop her.
But she wished he did. A nonviolent one. Her mood swung low again. When had she ever been that lucky? Never. So why would anything change now? She’d go her way and he’d go his. He’d probably drop her off at the airport now. And she’d never see him again.
Shouldn’t that make her happy? She’d risked a lot getting away from him. What was so different now?
Don’t ever leave me like that again…
Chapter 13
M
parked near the main terminal of Andoni International Airport. On the way here it had been decided that M would pilot them home. Along with his spying abilities, he’d somewhere along the line learned to fly planes. Sadie had told them she’d rather fly commercial, but M had insisted they personally see to it she made it home.
Calan sat next to her in the car. He hadn’t said much. He’d barely looked her way, either. His energy radiated the need to be away from her. Now that he knew she’d be safe, nothing buffered the tragedies of his past, the very things that kept his heart locked away from her.
She got out with the rest of them, going to the trunk to get her duffel bag. But Calan took hold of her wrist, careful to avoid her scraped hand, which they’d cleaned up and put ointment on before leaving for the airport. He pulled her back while the others gathered their things. She looked at him, startled.
M slung a bag over his shoulders and smiled at Sadie.
“Nice to meet you,” Merrick said, extending his hand and then remembering her hands and hugging her instead.
“Take care of our boy,” Owen said. “No more handcuffs.” He winked.
George chuckled. “Invite us to the wedding.”
“Wh—”
“See you in a couple of weeks,” M said to Calan, shaking his hand. “It’s been a pleasure working with you. I hope we have the chance again. We make a good team.”
“I agree. Thanks for everything.”
George gave a nod of farewell. Owen and Merrick started for the terminal. M tossed Calan the car keys and followed.
Watching their retreating backs, Sadie turned to Calan. “What…why…” She pointed to the men. “What’s going on, Calan?”
He grinned. “Get in.”
“Why? Where are we going?” He was making her go with him again?
“On vacation.”
She wasn’t sure she liked that. What did he think they’d do? Have a two-week affair and then split up?
“Get in.”
What else could she do? She didn’t want to try to fly home from this airport. A mobster’s airport.
She got in the car.
In Durres, they passed through customs with ease. The yacht they’d commandeered from Zhafa was now docked near the marina building. But Sadie hadn’t worried. She was legal again and on her way home. The ferry took the rest of the afternoon to reach Bari, and now she walked with Calan at the marina.
She’d stopped trying to get him to tell her why he was making her go with him. He wasn’t going to tell her. She did wish he’d put her out of her misery, though. At least tell her why he was doing this…keeping her with him just like he had before. Only now there was no danger lurking.
At a pretty seventy-five-or-so-foot yacht called
Bellamy
, he stepped onto the swim deck, turning to offer his hand. Sadie didn’t have to take it, but she did. He let her go ahead of him up the portside stairs leading to the aft deck, where a blue bench seat lined the stern with two wood-planked chairs and a table before it.
“Is this where M put the money?” she asked as she entered the main salon, with its grand ceiling and plush brown and blue sectional and a pair of chairs. Beyond was a modern galley with white cabinetry and a snack bar with stools. There was also a dining table.
“Yes.”
“Aren’t you worried how you’re going to get it to the United States?”
“It’s already there by now.”
She sent him a questioning look.
“We had a courier pick it up and ship it to TES.”
“That simple, huh?”
“Helps to have the right connections.”
She nodded, wandering toward the galley and the wine rack she’d spotted. When she picked out an Italian red, Calan took it from her and opened it for her. She watched his face as he worked. He poured her a glass and then himself one.
When he held his glass, his eyes moved to hers.
Going to one of the snack bar stools, she sat. He sat to her left.
“This brings back memories,” he said.
They were on stools, he to her left, just like at the hotel bar. Eyeing him askance, seeing the sparkle of flirtation in his eyes, she sipped her wine and then lowered the glass.
“When are you going tell me what this is all about?” she asked.
“Do you want to leave?”
She sighed. Yes, she did, but only to protect her heart. No, she didn’t because she was too curious and hopeful at the moment.
“I don’t want you to leave,” Calan said.
Sadie sipped her wine, uncertain.
“What is this, Calan? I’ve come this far with you. Tell me why I’m sitting on a yacht with you in Italy.”
“I thought we’d stop at a few places. Here in Italy. Greece. Spain. After a couple of weeks, we can go home.”
“You mean when you’re finished with me?” She had to know his intentions. Enough was enough.
“I doubt I’ll ever be finished with you.”
I don’t want you to leave.
“I don’t know what the future holds for us, Sadie. All I know is I don’t want to stop seeing you and right now I don’t think I’ll ever want to.”
Stronger hope pushed at her defenses. It’s what made her stay with him. “Calan, you’ve lost two women you loved.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I can’t love again. I see that now.”
“I don’t want to be a transitional phase to you.”
“You won’t be.”
“We’ve only known each other for a week.”
“Then let’s make it a month. A year. The rest of our lives.”
The rest of our lives…
Oh, to be able to explore that with him, to have a real relationship, with someone who genuinely liked her…
“Even if you leave now, you won’t be something transitional to me,” he continued. “You mean more to me than that. A lot more. I want to see where it leads.” He hesitated. “Do you?”
This was like choosing the people she associated with. Friends. Boyfriends. She hadn’t been very good at it before. Why would now be any different? Except Calan was different. Where the people before him hadn’t been worth the risk, he was.
“If you want to leave now, I won’t stop you. That’s why we haven’t left Bari yet. I need it to be your decision. It’s up to you.”
Sipping her wine, she made him wait. She had to be sure. She put her glass down and looked over at him. There was one more thing she had to do before she could put her uncertainty to rest.
“I need to call my dad.”
Calan studied her face but went along with her. “All right.” He reached for his duffel bag that he’d put on the snack bar and pulled out a satellite phone.
She took it and dialed her dad’s cell number.
“Robert Mancini.”
“Dad?”
“Sadie?” his voice boomed. “Is that you?”
“Yes.”
“Sadie Faye. Are you all right? I’m so sorry about leaving you in Albania. Please tell me you’re all right. Where are you now? I’ll make any arrangements you need.”
“I’m fine, Dad.”
“What happened? Why aren’t you home yet? When I hadn’t heard from you, I was so worried.”
“Well…” she looked over at Calan. “Something happened.”
Silence stretched over the line. “What is it this time?” There was that impatience again.
“I met someone.”
“You always meet someone. What’s he done to you?”
“He helped me. I met him the night you turned your back on me. I had to wait for a new passport, and now we’re taking a vacation together.”
Calan smiled when she said that.
“You just met this man. Are you sure you’re safe with him? I don’t want to get another call, Sadie.”
“You won’t. I’ll never call you again for help.” She wasn’t trying to be snide. That was the truth. She didn’t need to call him. She never had. It had only been an absurd need for his approval that had kept her so close to him. Being close to her father wasn’t the issue, but being close to him on her terms, was. He had to accept her for who she was, artist or not.
Calan had shown her that. She was fine on her own.
“Sadie.” She heard his contrition. “I didn’t turn my back on you. I know it was wrong to leave you in a country like Albania. You have no idea how I’ve regretted that. I’ve been going out of my mind wondering where you were and if you were all right.”
“I’m fine. That’s why I called. To let you know.” And to confirm that it wasn’t her choices that were wrong.
“Who is this man you’re with? How did you meet him?”
“Calan. He’s a…he’s a business analyst.” She nodded and smiled.
She could tell Calan was enjoying this.
“I’d feel better if you came home now. I’ll wire you some money.”
“I don’t need any money. I have my own.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m on a yacht in Italy.”
There was a brief silence. “Don’t tell me you’ve met another Adam Krahl.”
“No. This one is different.”
“That’s wonderful to hear, Sadie. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy. Do you know that?”
“We’ll talk more when I get back.”
“When will that be?”
She looked up at Calan. “I don’t know. I’ll call you when I do.”
She said her farewell and handed Calan the phone. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Swiveling on the stool, she faced him. “There’s something I need to ask you.”
“Okay.” He waited but she could tell he was on the edge of his seat. He was going to love her question.
“Are you a nice guy?” she asked.
He grinned, recognizing the question she’d asked him in the hotel bar. “That’s one way to put it.”
She smiled back, that crazy, delicious infatuation burning strong again. “Are you going to ask me to have dinner with you now?”
“How about if I just walk you to our room?”
This was going to be such a good night. “And in the morning, I want to meet you somewhere for breakfast.”
“Okay. I’ll have our crew set it up on the sundeck.”
She shook her head. “You have to call me from the restuarant.”
He chuckled again. “I can do that.”
Good. She had to hear his voice. She leaned closer to him. “And in case you haven’t figured it out yet, we’re starting over.”
He moved closer, too. “No, we’re taking this from where we left off.” He kissed her and her head swooned. With out danger looming, the only thing they needed to concentrate on was each other. And she was going to savor every moment.
“Go tell our captain that we’re ready to go.”
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0221-4
SEDUCING THE ACCOMPLICE
Copyright © 2011 by Jennifer Morey
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All McQueen’s Men