CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
EARLY THE FOLLOWING MORNING, RAN SIPPED COFFEE AS HE LOOKED out the balcony doors at the ocean, a calmer sea than it had been for the past few days. Eve was still asleep in his bed. Though he’d wanted her as he always did, last night he’d just held her. He’d been surprised to find his own comfort in that.
Today, he had a plan to lighten some of the darkness around them. So far, the weather seemed to be cooperating. A few white clouds floated past a warm spring sun, the breeze brisk but not unruly.
Ran had phoned a friend in London who’d arranged for the use of a sleek little Bristol 30, floating in a slip at the Seaham Harbour Marina, less than ten miles away. Eager to be back on the water, Ran smiled. When you owned a string of hotels around the world, there was always someone, somewhere, willing to solve a problem.
He heard the bathroom door open and close, heard the shower go on. His body tightened at the thought of joining Eve beneath the warm spray; then his cell phone rang, putting an end to the notion.
Ran pulled the phone out of the pocket of the jeans he was wearing with the white deck shoes he never traveled without. Holding the phone between his neck and shoulder, he finished rolling up the sleeves of his blue denim shirt.
“Ransom King.”
“Mr. King, it’s Alec Summersby.” Alec had worked for King Enterprises for the last six years. Before his retirement, he’d been a senior intel agent for Interpol, working out of the office in Manchester, where he still lived.
Alec had proved to be invaluable in digging up information on potential investors and business associates, running deep background checks on just about anyone interacting with the company.
“I hope this call means you’ve found something.” Ran had phoned the investigator after Anya’s kidnapping, hoping the former agent could turn up a lead on the abduction ring and the wealthy man who had tried to purchase an innocent girl.
“Looks like there’s a gang working in that area,” Alec said. “Call themselves the East End Boys, and it wasn’t the first time they’ve abducted a young woman off the street. I believe the police have lately become aware of their activities, which should help put a stop to them.”
“I was recently made aware of that information, myself. Anything on the buyer?”
“Actually, finding him wasn’t as difficult as I imagined. His name is Carlton Fieldhurst. His sexual preference for underage girls is an open secret. From what I gather, a man named Evan Jeffers acts as his procurer. A girl fitting Anya Petrova’s description was purchased by Jeffers through an Internet site on the Dark Web just a few days after she disappeared from her home in Newcastle.”
Ran clenched his jaw.
“The trouble is Fieldhurst is a shirttail aristocrat, third cousin of Viscount Melford, a powerful man in Britain. Bringing him down won’t be easy.”
Depends on how it’s done, Ran thought. “I want everything you’ve got on him. You have my private email.”
“I’ll send the file as soon as we’re finished.”
“Nice work. Thanks, Alec.” Ran ended the call.
A few minutes later, as promised, he found the file attached to an email. Ran started to open the file, heard footsteps coming out of the bedroom, turned to see Eve walking into the living room. Ran closed his laptop, leaving the file for tomorrow.
Today he was doing something for Eve and for himself. Tonight, they would return to the asylum, refreshed in mind and heart.
Or at least Ran hoped so. The forces of evil were powerful. To defeat them, they would need all their strength.
* * *
The shore was a long, low slash of color on the horizon. A crisp wind blew Eve’s dark hair into her face. She laughed as she pulled it back into a ponytail and held it in place with a scrunchie.
Eve had been sailing before, at a boating party with her husband, Phillip, on a hundred-foot yacht reportedly once owned by J.P. Morgan. She’d been tense, determined to be on her best behavior for Phillip’s sake. She hadn’t relaxed until the yacht sailed back into Boston Harbor and its elite group of passengers disembarked.
This was different, utterly liberating instead of intimidating. The thirty-foot sailboat was as sleek and agile as a seal, cutting through the waves, the sails popping in the wind, following the skillful commands of Ransom King.
She had never seen Ran this way before, completely free, his burdens left behind, at least for today. She loved just looking at him.
As he worked the sails, he grinned like a schoolboy, making Eve laugh again. He was happy out here on the water. She was, too, she realized, inhaling the scent of the sea, feeling the warmth of the sun on her face.
When the boat began to lean into the wind, she settled herself next to Ran and just allowed herself to enjoy.
They sailed for several hours, soaking up the sensation of freedom, the sight of the white foam breaking against the bow, the feel of the fresh, stimulating breeze. Then Ran headed for a place called Nose’s Point, where he anchored in a quiet cove out of the wind at the bottom of the cliffs along the shore.
“Time for the snack I promised,” he said, and they ducked into the cabin, the low ceiling and light wood interior giving it a cozy feel. Bright blue canvas cushions brightened the galley nook and the bed in the bow of the boat.
Ran pulled a tray of gourmet cheeses, olives, pickles, nuts, and dried fruit out of the galley fridge, added an array of crackers, then opened a bottle of Pinot Grigio to enjoy with the food.
Thinking of what they could be facing that night, Eve looked hesitantly at her half-full glass.
“A little wine won’t hurt,” Ran said. “We’ll have time for a nap before we—” He broke off. By unspoken agreement, they were not discussing what they could be facing that night.
Eve relaxed and raised her glass. “To this beautiful moment on the sea.”
“The moment,” Ran repeated. Glasses clinked and they sipped. They nibbled and tasted the various cheeses, sampled the olives, pickles, and other delicious treats the hotel had assembled; then Ran took the glass from her hand and set it next to his on the galley table.
He drew her into his arms. “It seems like forever since I’ve touched you.”
Eve linked her hands behind his neck. The Band-Aids were gone, his cuts mostly healed. “You looked so sexy when you were sailing. I’ve been fantasizing all afternoon about getting you down here.”
Ran laughed and kissed her. What started as light and fun quickly morphed into deeper, wetter, hotter. His big hands cupped her breasts through her sweater, a promise of things to come. Desire washed through her, the kind of need she had never felt with another man.
It occurred to her that if the night went as planned, Ran would have finished what he had come for, and his time here would be over. He would be leaving England, returning to Seattle. Returning to the life he’d had before, a life that didn’t include her.
She managed to push the thought away as he led her to the V-shaped bed in the bow, kissed her, and began to strip off her clothes. Eager to feel the hard body she had been fantasizing about, Eve slid her hands inside his denim shirt, ran her palms over the muscles she had been admiring, and felt them bunch at her touch.
Ran was a big man, with wide shoulders, long powerful legs, and a flat stomach. Eve loved to touch him, to run her fingers over his pecs, his washboard abs, lower. When both of them were naked, he pulled her down on the bed, then surprised her by lifting her and setting her astride him.
Her breathing went faster. She could feel his arousal and hunger burned through her, the same desire that darkened Ran’s eyes and made his nostrils flare.
He caressed her breasts, rubbed her sensitive nipples, making them harden, making her moan.
“I can’t get enough of you,” he said, touching her exactly where she wanted him to, reading her mind as he managed to do far too often. She tried not to think about how much she would miss him, miss being with him this way.
She tried to tell herself she hadn’t fallen in love with him. It was just an infatuation. But a lie had no place on this beautiful day. She had fallen hard for Ransom King and because she was in love with him, she forced thoughts of a future without him aside and leaned over him, her dark hair falling forward, cocooning them as her breasts pressed into his chest.
Eve kissed him with all the feelings she had kept hidden in her heart until now, and Ran kissed her back. As she straightened, her eyes met his and she wondered if he were reading her thoughts as he had before.
Determined to make the most of the time they had left, Eve sat up, lifted her hips, and took him deep inside. Her body tightened around him, and Ran hissed out a breath.
“Sweetheart, if you had any idea what you do to me . . .” Resting his hands on her hips, he held her in place, giving himself time to adjust to the feel of her damp heat and bring his body back under control.
Eve inwardly smiled, enjoying the power she held. He felt amazing. So big and male. The fire burning in his blue eyes told her how much he wanted her. Eve wanted him, too, and this time she was in charge.
Slowly she began to move, rocking against him, taking what she wanted. She increased the rhythm, moving faster, her head falling back, her dark hair sliding around her shoulders. For long moments, the pleasure built. Eve took and took and demanded more, until Ran’s iron control snapped.
“My turn,” he said. Gripping her hips to hold her in place, he drove into her again and again, pushing her toward the brink, taking what she was more than willing to give.
“Eve . . .” he whispered, saying her name like a vow. Her climax neared and her body tightened. Bright lights flashed behind her eyes as sweet joy filled her. Ran’s jaw clenched as he followed her to a pounding release.
Long seconds passed as Eve slumped over his chest. He held her as if he didn’t want this moment to end, running his hand gently up and down her back.
Her eyes burned. If only things could be different. She swallowed, blinked away tears before he could see them. Whatever happened, she would never regret the time she had spent with him. She would never regret loving Ran.
After nestling her beside him, he rose and left the bed. They had work to do. Tonight she would return to the asylum. Lucas would be there. Violet would be there to give her support, along with Jesse, Kate, and Zane. Ran would be by her side every moment. She knew she could count on him, knew he wouldn’t let her down.
It was just another reason she loved him.
“I suppose we had better be getting back,” Ran said, returning from the tiny bathroom sailors called a head.
“I suppose.” She eased off the cushions, took her turn in the bathroom, then began pulling on her clothes.
Ran was already up on deck, making preparations for the journey back to the Seaham marina. From there they would return to the hotel to prepare for the night ahead.
Eve told herself she was ready to face whatever dark forces lay in wait for her. But every time she thought of it, her heart began to pound, and she felt lightheaded.
It was not a good sign.