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EMMA DROPPED CAMILA off down by the beach a few days later before heading into work. “Are you sure you’ll be all right to walk around alone for a few hours?” she asked in her smooth British accent. “I can work from home again,” she assured her.
Camila glanced into the backseat at the pile of books and papers Emma had. The poor woman had done enough over the past few days while Camila rested. She needed to get out and get some fresh air as much as Emma needed to get on with her own life.
“I’ll be fine,” Camila assured her.
“All right,” Emma finally said, looking over her from head to toe. “I’ll meet you here in a couple of hours on my lunch break and bring you back home. Call me if you need anything—anything at all,” she stressed. “Hunter and the guys are on base, but they could get here too if you’re in trouble.”
After saying goodbye, Camila’s heart pounded slightly more than she wanted to admit as she watched Emma’s car drive off down the block. It was silly of her to feel skittish to walk around the crowded boardwalk area. She’d traveled alone in the past. She’d loved her weekends away in Miami. Just because her father’s men had turned on her didn’t mean she was in danger wherever she went.
Not everyone in the world was after her.
She turned back toward the beach, gazing up the long boardwalk that ran up and down the strip. Although it was the beginning of spring in Colombia, it was a warm fall afternoon in the northern hemisphere. Odd how the world was so different depending on which part of it you were in, Camila mused. Virginia Beach was nothing like Bogota or even the fast-paced Miami, where she loved to visit. There was something oddly calming about the families and locals wandering around the beach though. Presumably the summer months were filled with tourists, but right now it was relatively quiet and serene.
She walked along the boardwalk, enjoying the views of the ocean and the feel of the salty air whipping through her hair. The long sundress Emma had bought for her blew gently in the ocean breeze. It wasn’t exactly her usual style of clothing. She preferred trendy, short, and sexy—high heels, make-up, the whole nine yards.
Camila had trashed the flirty little dress she’d been kidnapped in though, right along with her designer heeled sandals. Never seeing either of those items again would be too soon.
Her dark hair blew in the breeze, and she clutched the strong cup of coffee they’d picked up on the way over in her hand. Emma had a large assortment of teas at the house, but it wasn’t nearly strong enough for Camila given how little shut eye she’d gotten the past few nights.
Her sleep last night had been fitful, filled with tossing and turning and nightmares. She’d awoken more than once in a cold sweat, tempted to call Colton. Trembling as she tossed and turned under the covers wasn’t going to get her any rest.
She needed to stand up for herself though—survive on her own.
She didn’t doubt he would’ve come if she’d called him, but then what? She still had an entire new life to forge for herself. She didn’t exactly trust him enough to confide in him or ask him for help starting over. Not unless her situation was life or death.
Her cell phone buzzed with an incoming text, and she scanned Hunter’s message in surprise.
Sounds like you’ll be able to access your accounts soon. Luckily some of the guys on base have friends in high places.
Camila let out a sigh of relief. Even if she didn’t have a cent to her name at the moment, she knew that Hunter and his SEAL team could help her get it sorted. They’d stormed into Colombia and rescued her in the middle of a field, hadn’t they? The fact that she’d agreed to meet with Pentagon officials providing as much information as she could about her father’s operations certainly helped smooth things over, she was sure.
She didn’t know much, but they appeared interested in any small detail she could provide.
The hotels became fewer and farther between the more she walked down the boardwalk. The busy strip eventually gave way to beachfront homes when the boardwalk ended. She glanced around, slightly worried, and realized she should have been paying closer attention when Emma dropped her off earlier. It was blocks and blocks from where she was supposed to meet her for lunch. Even if she hurried back right now, she’d probably be late.
And there was no doubt Emma would be worried.
A cool breeze began to blow in from the ocean as she turned around, and she noticed some storm clouds rolling in from the distance.
Perfect.
She didn’t have a coat or umbrella and was nowhere close to where she was supposed to be.
She tossed her empty coffee cup into a trashcan just as a few drops of rain began to fall. They sprinkled down on her cheeks and hair as she glanced skyward, and before long, fat water droplets were coming down. She looked around in disdain, realizing there was no way to avoid being completely soaked.
“Hey there!” a guy walking his dog called out as she passed a large hotel. “Can you give me directions to Seafare? I’m running late.”
She eyed him warily, shaking her head “no.”
He was just someone turned around like her, she reassured herself. A person asking her for directions didn’t mean anything was wrong. Or that someone was after her. The beach and boardwalk began to clear of people as the rain steadily fell, and she started walking faster, the cool rain beginning to chill her bare skin.
Panic began to set in as she saw two men in the distance jogging toward her. They were muscular and fit, seeming unfazed to be out running in the pouring rain. Her heart began to pound, and she took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She was on a public beach with hotels and restaurants all around. She could run to any of them if she needed help. Her paranoia was only due to the events of the past week.
The cold rain began to soak through her sundress, and to her astonishment, she realized it had become nearly see-through now that it was wet. The pink lacy bra she’d put on showed right through the dress, and the two men jogging eyed her appreciatively as they approached.
Normally she relished attention of that sort, but right now?
She wished she could curl up into a little ball and disappear. There was nothing appealing about being vulnerable in a strange city—not after what had happened only days before.
“Hey there, beautiful!” one of the men who’d jogged by called out as he turned back around, heading over to her.
“I’m not interested,” she muttered, walking back toward the busier part of the strip.
“Do you need to get out of the rain?” he asked. “We’ve got a couple of hotel rooms a block over.” His gaze fell to her chest, and heated embarrassment washed over her.
“I’m not interested,” she repeated, picking up her pace.
“Hey beautiful, don’t be like that,” he said, lightly touching her arm.
She screamed and jumped away from him, watching as he backed away in surprise. “Chill out, lady,” he said.
She trembled, taking another step away from him, and then turned and ran. She didn’t even care where she was headed, as long as it was far away from both of them. Racing toward the first covered area she spotted, she ran into a large parking garage attached to a luxury hotel. She didn’t want to rush into the lobby and make a scene, soaking wet and panicked, but the garage would shelter her from the rain at least while she called Emma.
Rubbing her damp fingers on her soggy dress as she tried to dry them, she swiped the screen on the phone Colton had given her with a trembling hand. Hunter’s name was right at the top as her most recent contact, with Emma’s right below.
She glanced up as a car pulled into the garage, its headlights cutting through the dim light. Hesitating only a second, she scrolled down to Colton’s name.
She froze as she listened to it ring on the other end of the line, debating if she should just hang up altogether. She hadn’t even spoken to him for a few days, when she’d made it clear he’d betrayed her. Her heart pounded in her chest, and just as she almost lost her nerve, Colton answered, his deep voice ricocheting right through her. Doing funny things to her insides. Making her feel warm and safe despite the chill.
“Kitten, are you okay?” he asked. “Hunter said Emma was looking for you. You were supposed to meet up for lunch? Where are you?”
“There were these guys,” she gasped, choking back a sob. “I was on the boardwalk, in the rain. I was walking—” she cut off, taking a deep breath, realizing she wasn’t making any sense.
“What guys?” Colton asked, immediately sounding alert. “Are you okay?”
“They just—they were following me. They wanted me to come back to their hotel to get out of the rain. He touched my arm, and I panicked. Now I’m soaking wet in a parking garage somewhere—I don’t even know where I am. What if they come back?”
“I’ll come get you,” he said immediately. “Are you right by the beach? Did they follow you?”
“No, I got scared and ran away. I’m in a parking garage,” she repeated, looking around as she wiped her eyes. “I ran in here to get out of the rain. I’m not sure where exactly—I think it’s attached to a hotel. I walked and walked after Emma dropped me off—the boardwalk ended, and there were just houses.” Unable to stop herself, she burst into tears.
“Kitten, what’s the name of the hotel? Are you at the north end of the beach?”
“I don’t know,” she gasped, taking in big gulps of air. “I can go look, I guess. I’m scared. I just don’t know what to do.”
“I’ll ping your phone,” Colton said.
“What do you mean?” she asked, taking another deep breath.
“Track your location. We’ve got computer guys on base—should take just a minute or two. I’ll be there in twenty minutes”
“But why?”
“Why what?”
“Why are you willing to come? I told you the other day that I didn’t even want to talk to you, no? And now you’re willing to drop everything and come find me?”
There was a pause on the other end of the line. “I want you to be safe, kitten. Hell, if you don’t want to stay with me, I’ll drive you back to Hunter and Emma’s. Drop you off at another team member’s house. Wherever you want to go. Wherever you’d feel safe. But I’m not about to leave you alone and scared.”
“Okay,” she whispered, looking around as a car engine started. “Please hurry.”
That seemed to snap Colton back to attention, because suddenly he was all business again. “I’m on my way, kitten. Don’t move. I’m coming to get you.”
