Summer Vows (Arabesque) (4 page)

Jason had surprised everyone once he’d announced that he’d
bought property in Oregon near the Cascades where he’d built a sprawling house
he dubbed Serenity West. It was where he spent months writing and recording
music, and he made it a point to spend at least half the year there.

Ana followed Jason into the living/dining area and sat with him
on a sofa covered with Haitian cotton. The seating arrangement faced a wall of
pocket doors that overlooked the patio and inground pool.

Shifting, he turned to face his sister. “They’re making plans
to send you away.”

Ana’s eyes widened until he could see the dark centers of the
golden orbs. “Send me where?”

“Diego said he has a friend who is a U.S. Marshal. It appears
the man has a house down in the Keys, and that he’s taken an extended vacation
leave, so Diego asked him to look after you.”

“Look after me!” Ana’s voice had gone up several octaves. “What
the hell do they think I am? I’m not a three-year-old that has to be looked
after.”

Reaching out, Jason caught her shoulders and pressed his
forehead to his twin’s. “Calm down, Ana.”

“Calm down! Would you be calm if someone decided to send you
away against your will?”

His eyes, so much like Ana’s, bore into hers. “I would if my
life depended upon it.”

There was something in her brother’s voice and expression that
made her pause. “What is it, Jay?” she asked, using her pet name for him.

Jason closed his eyes, a fringe of long, thick black lashes
touching high cheekbones. “That bullet was meant for you.”

She went still, nothing moving as Ana held her breath. “How do
you know that?” she whispered once she exhaled.

He patted his chest over his heart. “I feel it here.”

People had always asked them as twins if one felt when the
other was in danger, and the answer was yes. And even before he’d gotten the
phone call that Tyler was with Ana when he’d been shot, Jason had known
something was wrong. He’d been in the studio editing a song when he’d suddenly
felt as if someone or something had squeezed his heart, making breathing
difficult. He’d called Ana’s cell phone at the same time she was calling him,
and he was at the hospital minutes before Tyler was wheeled into the E.R.

Ana’s eyes filled with tears as she slumped against Jason, who
was rubbing her back in a comforting gesture. She could admit unequivocally that
she trusted her twin more than anyone. They shared a special bond that gave them
the ability to complete one another’s sentences and know when the other felt joy
or sadness.

“You’re saying I should go?”

“I’m saying you shouldn’t fight Mom and Dad on this.”

She eased back. “What about you, Jay? You’re also Serenity
Records.”

He shook his head. “Not like you, Ana. You’re front and center,
while I work behind the scene. You negotiate the contracts and handle all the
legal entanglements. I know that bullet was meant for you.”

“I go away for a couple of weeks, then what? What if the police
don’t catch the person who shot Tyler?”

“The police have made this case a priority. They’re going to
find the shooter.”

“What if they don’t?” she asked again.

“Dad and Uncle Martin have contacted a P.I. firm who employ
ex-military and law enforcement. They have their own methods of uncovering
details the police may overlook.”

Ana ran her fingers through her short hair. “What about
Serenity?”

Jason gave her a long stare. “It’s not going to implode because
you’re not there. I may not be familiar with all the legalese, but I do have an
MBA. I believe that qualifies me to know a little about running a business.”

Pinpoints of heat stung Ana’s cheeks. “I didn’t mean to imply
it would fall apart without me, Jason.”

He ruffled her hair as he’d done when she was a little girl.
“Everything is going to be all right.”

Ana sucked in a lungful of air, held it and then exhaled
slowly. “It’s not going to be all right until they catch the person who shot
Tyler.”

There was a light knock on the door and Jason and Ana turned to
find Diego Cole-Thomas standing in the open doorway. Folding his arms over his
chest, the head of ColeDiz International, Ltd. leaned against the frame. People
who saw photographs of Samuel Cole usually did a double-take whenever they
looked at Diego. He was his great-grandfather’s clone. Not only did he look like
the man who’d amassed a fortune growing tobacco, bananas and coffee, but his
approach to business was similar.

“Did you tell her?” Diego asked.

Ana pushed off the sofa and approached her cousin. “Why are you
talking about me as if I wasn’t here, Diego? And yes, Jason did tell me.” She
tilted her chin, staring up at Diego staring down at her. “Where exactly in the
Keys am I going and who’s going to babysit me?”

Diego flashed a rare smile, transforming his stoic expression.
“His name is Jacob Jones, he lives on Long Key and he’s not too pleased that he
has to
babysit
you, but he’s willing to do it as a
favor to me. As soon as you pack enough to last you a couple of weeks I’ll fly
down with you. Jacob will meet us at the Marathon airport.”

Ana’s stomach did a flip-flop. “You want me to leave now?”

“Yes. That’s what your folks want.”

She wanted to ask him if what she wanted figured into the
equation. Ana knew she definitely would’ve rejected anyone’s suggestion she go
into hiding if Jason hadn’t voiced his fear that her life was in danger. “What
time is liftoff?”

“Three.”

Ana took a quick glance at her watch. It was eleven-thirty. She
felt like crying, but refused to let her brother and cousin see her break down.
She knew her family wanted her safe as much as she wanted to live. At
thirty-three she had her whole life ahead of her. And like her sister Alexandra
she wanted to fall in love, marry and have children. She wanted what most normal
women wanted, but there was someone out there who’d decided they wanted her
dead.

“Do I have time to see Tyler before I leave?”

Diego nodded. “I’ll call the pilot and have him delay
takeoff.”

Ana knew they were flying down in the corporate jet, so she
didn’t have to concern herself with going through airport-security checkpoints.
“I guess I better go and pack.”

She walked past Diego and out of Jason’s apartment and into the
one that she’d occupied for years. The studio apartment rental and her condo had
wonderful ocean views but lacked adequate closet space, so she’d stored most of
her clothes in her parents’ house. When she entered her bedroom Ana saw her
mother sitting on a cushioned rocker. The strain of the past three days was
etched around Serena’s mouth.

Ana closed her eyes and when she reopened them she saw tears
making their way slowly down her mother’s face. “I don’t want to go.”

Serena stood up. “But you have to go, baby. And you have to
stay away until we settle this.”

She took a step, then another until she hugged her mother so
tightly both struggled to breathe. “Will you help me pack, Mama?”

Serena nodded, unable to speak because of the constriction in
her throat. It had been years since her wild child had called her Mama. Reaching
into a pocket of her slacks, she took out a tissue and blotted her face. She
kissed Ana’s cheek. “We’re going to get through this. It’s not the first time
we’ve had a family crisis and it probably won’t be the last. Your father, uncles
and the other men in this family will make certain nothing will happen to you.
They always protect their own.”

Ana held her mother as if she were her a lifeline. She didn’t
know why, but she felt as if she was going into exile without a hint of when she
would return. Diego had mentioned she should pack enough for a couple of weeks,
yet something told her it would be longer. She was leaving everything that was
familiar to live with a stranger who’d assured Diego that he would protect her.
She had to believe him or whoever wanted her dead would determine her
destiny.

No permita que nadie le defina ni
determine su destino.
It was as if Marguerite-Joséfina Isabel
Diaz-Cole was in the room whispering in her ear. Her grandmother had always
cautioned her not to let anyone define her or to determine her destiny. Ana’s
grandmother had been born during a time when women had little or no rights, and
even less when it came to selecting a husband. Cuban-born M.J. had defied her
father, married an American and left the country of her birth to become the
matriarch of a dynasty. Ana kissed her mother again.

“I’m ready, Mom.” And she was ready to do whatever she needed
to do so she could live her life without having to look over her shoulder.

Chapter 2

Los Angeles

B
asil Irvine pounded a fist into his open
palm when he really felt like punching the wall. Perhaps the pain would help him
forget the debacle that resulted in Tyler Cole being shot instead of Ana.

Turning a menacing glare on his brother, he narrowed his eyes.
“That’s what I get for sending a boy to do a man’s job.”

A feral grin spread over Webb Irvine’s scarred face. “Do you
want to hear I told you so?”

Basil’s gray eyes glittered like chipped ice. “If it will make
you feel better, then say it.”

Like quicksilver the smile faded and Webb peered down at the
toes of his spit-shined shoes. “I’m not going to say it because it’s not going
to change anything. I told you that I’d take care of the bitch, but you wanted
to do it your way.”

“That’s because I didn’t want you involved. You just got out of
jail—”

Webb waved a hand as if swatting away an annoying insect.
“Don’t worry about me going back to jail. That’s not going to happen.”

“I still don’t want you involved in this.”

Basil stared at his younger brother. They looked nothing alike,
but blood ran deep between them. He’d stomped a man to death for stealing from
him, and it was Webb who’d confessed to the crime. Webb, only fifteen at the
time, was tried as an adult, and pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter; he
spent three years in a juvenile facility before being transferred to
minimum-security prison for the next ten years. Webb earned a high school
diploma and, once paroled, he’d enrolled in college and had graduated with a
degree in computer science.

“I won’t be involved,” Webb said softly. “I know someone who
would be perfect for this project.”

Basil sat down on a leather love seat, knees spread apart. Webb
was the epitome of a successful businessman with his conservative haircut,
tailored suit, custom-made shirt, silk tie and imported footwear. He’d repaid
his brother ten-fold when he’d given him enough money to start up his own
security company that created and sold state-of-the art surveillance
equipment.

“Let me think about it. My man said he’s going to wait a while
before he begins hunting again.”

The dark brown eyes in an equally dark face flattened. “Do you
have an idea who told that reporter that you had threatened Ana Cole?”

Basil shook his head. He knew who it was, but he couldn’t tell
Webb.

Webb pulled his lower lip between his teeth. “What if it was
someone from Slow Wyne?”

“I doubt that.”

“Are you sure, brother?”

Running a hand over his shaved head, Basil chuckled under his
breath. “I’m willing to bet our mama’s life on it.”

“Intimidation doesn’t work on everyone.”

Leaning lower, Basil rested his elbows on his knees. “There’s
only one person who knows what went down when I was trying to get Justin Glover
to sign with Slow Wyne, and that is Omar Thornton.”

“Watch him, Basil.”

“Omar is trustworthy.”

“I can find out how trustworthy he is if you let me bug his
house.”

Basil sat up straight. “What the hell are you saying,
Webb?”

“Send him away on a business trip for a few days and my people
will bug his house and phones. After a while you’ll discover how trustworthy he
is.”

“You’re paranoid.”

“I am careful and thorough, Basil. I’m just trying to protect
your reputation. I didn’t do a bid for you to screw up because you’re pissed off
at a little girl who managed to get the best of you.”

“She is not a little girl,” Basil said between clenched teeth.
“She’s a shark masquerading as a piranha.”

Throwing back his head, Webb laughed loudly. He sobered when he
saw Basil’s expression. “Do you want Justin Glover?”

“What the hell kind of question is that? Of course I want
him.”

“I can get him for you, big brother.”

The buzz of the intercom preempted Basil’s reply. “Excuse me,
but I have to get that.” He stood up, walked over to his desk and punched a
button on the telephone console. “Yes, Camille.”

“Mr. Edwards’s secretary just called to say he’s on his
way.”

“Thanks.” When he turned around Basil realized he was alone.
Webb had left. He didn’t want his brother to do anything that could send him
back to jail. The person he’d hired to kill Ana Cole had shot the wrong Cole.
However, the hired gun vowed Ana Cole was as good as dead.

* * *

Jacob Jones maneuvered up to curbside at the Marathon
airport, showed his shield and photo ID to the man who came over to the driver’s
side window. The officer’s eyes shifted from the official photograph to the man
with a baseball cap pulled low over his forehead. He took a step closer,
glancing into the open window to see the holstered automatic weapon where his
right hand rested on his thigh.

“I’m on the job,” Jacob explained. “My party is on the ground
and should be here in a few minutes,” he said to the police officer. What he
wanted to tell the man was that he wasn’t officially on the job, but what he had
agreed to do was akin to witness protection. The difference was Ana Cole wasn’t
a witness to a crime, but the intended target of a sniper with possible ties to
the military.

“No problem, Marshal Jones. You have a good afternoon.”

Jacob smiled and nodded. “Thanks.”

When he’d gotten up earlier that morning he never would’ve
expected a call from Diego Cole-Thomas asking whether he’d be willing to protect
his cousin. It was the second day of a well-deserved eight-week vacation and
Jacob planned to do nothing more than sleep late, fish, cook his catch and view
several new movies in his extensive DVD collection.

Diego had also filled him in on the details of the shooting
that had put Dr. Tyler Cole in the hospital with a chest wound. He wanted to
refuse his friend’s request, but couldn’t because he was godfather to Diego’s
son.

He also wasn’t looking forward to sharing his home with any
woman. Whenever a woman crossed his threshold their stay was usually limited to
a few days. One had been fortunate to stay for an extended two weeks, but
anything beyond that had him formulating excuses to prepare them for their
departure.

The week before he’d received an official memo mandating he
take a vacation. Jacob couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually taken time
off just to kick back and relax. He’d bought the house in Long Key as a retreat,
a sort of safe haven where he could go and forget about the prisoners housed in
the Miami federal detention centers. He’d been promoted from the field to a desk
position and it wasn’t until he walked out of his office and drove south to the
Keys had he realized how much he did need a vacation.

He spied Diego coming out of the terminal, his driver and
bodyguard pushing a cart with designer luggage. His gaze shifted to the woman
holding Diego’s hand, recognizing her immediately. The first time he saw Ana was
at Diego and Vivienne Neal’s wedding, and then again at the baptism celebration
for their son. It was apparent she and the man who’d come with her to the
celebration following the baptism hadn’t been seeing eye-to-eye because Ana had
refused to talk to or even look at him.

There was something about the expression on the petite
dark-haired woman’s face that communicated to Jacob that she hadn’t come
willingly. Well, he thought, as he got out of his vehicle, the feeling was
definitely mutual. He wanted to dictate where and how he wanted to spend the
next two months of his life without having to consider another person. But, he’d
promised his friend he would look after his cousin, and for Jacob, if he gave
his word then he always followed through.

Adjusting the hem of the Hawaiian-print shirt to conceal the
firearm, he walked over to Diego, who’d released Ana’s hand. They shook hands
and pounded each other’s backs in a rough hug. He hadn’t seen the CEO of ColeDiz
in more than three months, and the first thing he noticed was he’d claimed a bit
more gray hair.

“How’s it going, buddy?”

“It’s all good,” Diego answered.

“How’s the family?”

“They’re good. Vivienne’s been asking about you.”

“I’d planned to take a few days off and come up to see you
guys, but that was before you called me.”

Diego put his arm around Ana’s waist. “Ana, do you remember
Jacob? He came to my wedding and the baptism.”

She stared at the tall man in the gaudy shirt and tattered
Miami Dolphins cap. Her gaze went from his face down to his jeans and worn
sandals before reversing to linger on his face. He wasn’t what she would
consider handsome; nonetheless he was attractive in a masculine sort of way
despite his tacky shirt and ragged hat. His dark eyes in a face the color of
golden-brown autumn leaves were mesmerizing.

“Yes, I do remember him.”

What she meant was she’d remembered him from the baptism, but
not the wedding. Then he’d worn a tailored suit and shoes. But that was all
she’d recalled because the man who’d come with her to the soiree that followed
the sacrament at the church had made it his intent to put pressure on her to
take their friendship to the next level. What he hadn’t realized was that there
was no next level, but that hadn’t stopped him from reacting like a spoiled
child when she’d told him it was to become their last date.

Jacob extended his hand, palm up. “And I remember you.” He
wasn’t disappointed when she placed her tiny hand on his, he giving her fingers
a gentle squeeze before he released them. He nodded to the taciturn
driver/bodyguard who’d removed his sunglasses and wiped his face and sable-brown
shaved head with a snow-white handkerchief. Despite the heat Henri wore a black
suit, tie and white shirt. He hadn’t removed his jacket, and Jacob knew the man
always carried a concealed handgun whenever he traveled with Diego.

“Hello, Henri.”

“Mr. Jones.”

Pressing a button on the fob to the Jeep, the hatch lifted as
Henri carried Ana’s bags to the SUV, then returned to assist her up onto the
passenger seat. “I’ll take good care of her,” Jacob promised Diego.

“I know you will.” He leaned closer. “She’s not too happy about
this.”

“She’ll get over it.”

Diego’s eyebrows lifted as he stared at his cousin sitting in
the vehicle. She was so still she could’ve been made of stone. “I’ll call you
with updates.”

“I hope it won’t take too long to catch the bastard. By the
way, how’s Tyler?”

“He’ll be released tomorrow. He’s going to stay in West Palm
until he’s cleared to fly. His wife and children are here, so there’s no need
for him to worry about rushing back to Mississippi.”

Jacob rested a hand on Diego’s shoulder. “I know you have your
people on this, but tell them to concentrate on rogue professional snipers,
former-military or even SWAT.”

“We’re going to find him, Jacob, and hopefully there’ll be
something left to prosecute.” Diego saw Henri tap the face of his watch out of
the corner of his eye. “I have to leave because we’ve been cleared for takeoff.
I’ll call you later on in the week to check on Ana.”

Jacob smiled. “Have a safe flight.” He knew as soon as the
wheels were up that within minutes the Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation G550
would prepare to touchdown in West Palm Beach.

Turning on his heels, he walked to the Jeep and slid in behind
the wheel next to Ana. The hauntingly sensual, subtle scent of perfume filled
the interior of the vehicle. Sitting less than a foot away from her made him
aware of things he hadn’t noticed or had forgotten the last time they’d met.

He’d thought she was taller, her body fuller. And he’d
remembered her hair was longer than it was now. However, the pixie hairstyle was
perfect for her face, showing off her exquisite bone structure. “Do you have a
cell phone on you?”

Ana turned to look at Jacob, her gaze fixed on the shape of his
mouth. She hadn’t wanted to admit it to herself, but he had the sexiest mouth of
any man she’d ever seen. The top lip was firm, the lower fuller, sensual. “Yes.
Why?”

He held out his right hand. “Please give it to me.”

“Why?” she asked again.

“I’ll tell you after you give it to me.”

Reaching into her leather handbag, she took out the BlackBerry,
placing it on his outstretched palm. “Now tell me.”

“You are not to use your cell as long as you’re here. If you
need to make a call, then you can use the one in my house or my cell. Are you
carrying any credit cards?”

Ana blinked as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
There was no doubt Jacob wanted her to turn her credit cards over to him. “Yes.
I suppose you want those, too.”

“I do.”

She gave him the case with her cards. “What if I need to buy
something?”

A hint of a smile tilted the corners of Jacob’s mouth. “I don’t
know what that could be, because it appears as if you brought your entire
wardrobe.” The back of the truck was filled with at least half a dozen bags. Her
eyes narrowed, reminding him of a cat’s.

“I wasn’t talking about clothes, Mr. Jones.” She’d spat out his
name.

“It’s either Jake or Jacob. The choice is yours.”

“You didn’t answer my question, Jacob. What if I need to buy
something?” Ana asked again.

“I’ll buy it for you.” He held up a hand when she opened her
mouth. “Your father can reimburse me when this is over.”

“And I hope that’s real soon,” she said under her breath, “and
I will reimburse you, not my father. He stopped paying my bills years ago.”
She’d come into her trust at twenty-five and therefore had become independently
wealthy.

Jacob saw the stubborn set of her delicate jaw. “This isn’t a
walk in the park for me, either. When I put in for vacation I didn’t expect to
share it with someone who didn’t want to share it with me.”

Shifting on the leather seat, Ana gave him a lengthy stare.
“I’m sorry if the attempt on my life threw a monkey wrench into your plans. And
tell your girlfriend that I’ll give her a gift card so she can buy something
real nice to compensate for me taking up her boyfriend’s time.”