COLOGNE, GERMANY

Zach left Arianna to finish her packing while he joined the rest of the men in the outer-suite area. “Tell me about Miller. I want to know where he was and what he was doing during this attack.”

“I was pulled off on a wild goose chase,” Raul said. “You’ll have to talk to Kevin.”

“Actually,” Kevin began, “I can show you some of it. I managed to film for a minute or two before I went to help Arianna. She tried to fight them off, but it wasn’t working, and no one was coming to her aid, so I dropped the camera and did what I could to help.”

“Let’s see,” Zach said.

Kevin got his camera out and brought up the video of the attack. “Are you sure you want to see this?” He paused and looked at Zach. “It’s pretty brutal. They were all over Arianna.”

Zach nodded and circled his hand to indicate he should roll the tape. On the monitor, they watched as a shaky camera panned back and forth between Arianna and Miller and all the attackers. Three Middle Eastern men were groping Arianna as she valiantly tried to fight them off. Despite her best efforts, the camera caught the moment she hit the ground, banging her face onto the pavement. The men were ripping at her clothes and one man was trying to push between her legs in an attempt to rape her. Off to the side, Miller was in a losing fist fight with another attacker.

From audio running in the background Zach heard Kevin yell to Miller, “Do something. Where’s your fucking gun? Christ man. Shoot ‘em or something.”

“And be arrested for an illegal gun? I don’t think so,” Miller gasped, right before a fist landed in his face, causing blood to spew out of this mouth.

“Shut it off,” Zach snapped. “I’ve seen all I need to see.”

“Yeah, that’s even worse than I imagined,” Raul said.

“There wasn’t much more anyway,” Kevin said, packing his camera up. “Right after that I dropped the camera…surprised it’s still working…and jumped on the man who was trying to rape Arianna. I pounded the shit out of his back until he finally got off and went after me. A few seconds later, the local police came and broke the whole thing up. Thanks to them, we were all able to get the hell out of there.”

Zach’s phone buzzed. He answered it and listened to the caller then hung up. “Son-of-a-bitch. That was Veritas. He confirmed that the anonymous tip about Raul carrying an illegal firearm came from Miller. He’s the prick who brought the law down on him.”

“No surprise,” Kevin said. “As you can see by the video, he was more interested in saving his own ass than helping Arianna.”

Just at that moment, Arianna stepped out of the bedroom. “What’s going on?” she asked.

The men shrugged and mumbled a non-descript answer as they dispersed and started to gather their things to leave.

“Time to head to the airport,” Zach said, not answering her question. “Is this everything?” he asked, grabbing the handle of her suitcase.

She nodded, and the group made its way to the elevator and on down to the lobby.

“I’ll just be a second,” Arianna said. “I need to turn the keys in and check out.” She stepped to the registrar’s desk.

Zach looked over and saw Miller sitting in the hotel bar with a couple young fräuleins hanging all over him. He immediately started toward the lounge.

“Hold on, Zach,” Tony said, putting his hand on his arm. “If you do what I think you’re going to do, you’ll get arrested. Hold up. You’ll have your chance later.”

“If Arianna had been raped, he’d already be dead, ” Zach said, shrugging Tony’s hand off him. “Let’s just call this a mini introduction to justice.”

He entered the bar and headed straight for Miller. Seeing Zach coming his way, Miller, slightly inebriated, stood, and pointing at Zach said, “Look at this fucking fag. Big rich pretty boy, trying to act all tough.”

He barely got the words out of his mouth, when Zach smacked him with an open hand to the side of his head, causing him to hit the floor like a rock. Everyone nearby backed up and stood there with a shocked look on their face.

Miller bounced back to his feet and took a swing at Zach, but with all the precision of the trained fighter he was, Zach blocked the blow and swept Miller’s feet out from under him.

“Yeah, big tough Marine, and I’m just a pretty rich boy,” Zach said as Miller crashed to the floor. “Newsflash. US Navy SEAL here, so if I were you, I’d stay down there.”

Miller lay there holding his face, glaring up at Zach.

“Make no mistake, you worthless piece of shit,” Zach hissed, “I’m your worst nightmare, and if I find you within a hundred miles of Arianna, you will disappear. Do you understand?”

Miller continued to glare at him, not answering.

Zach kicked him in the side. “I said, do you understand?”

“Fuck you,” Miller spat out, while struggling to get up.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Zach said, and shoved him back down and poured an unfinished drink on him.

Arianna stood in the doorway with a horrified look on her face. Without skipping a beat, Zach took her by the arm, spun her around, and together they hustled out to their waiting ride.

“What was that all about?” she asked, a look somewhere between perturbed and horrified plastered on her face.

Zach told the driver to take them to the airport. Turning toward Arianna, he replied, “Don’t ask.”

“Why not ask? You knocked Miller down and humiliated him. I’m surprised someone didn’t try to arrest you.”

“Never happen, I assure you,” Zach said, exhaling deeply to bring himself down from an adrenaline high.

“It’s about the attack isn’t it? You blame him.”

At first Zach didn’t answer. Finally he said, “That loser bragged about his skills as an ex-Marine and what a great security guard he was, but when push came to shove, he was worthless…today, during the attack, yesterday, tomorrow. He should have never been in that job.”

Arianna stared at him, still amazed at what she had just witnessed. “I’ve never seen you like this. You totally humiliated the guy.”

Zach stared out the window, ignoring her for the moment. No, she’d never seen him like this before, so he was sure she must be shocked. It wasn’t every day he laid someone out who was sitting at a bar. He did his fighting on the battlefield, but this was different. This was personal. He’d had a bad feeling about this guy since the first day he’d met him and as it turned out, for good reason. This whack today was nothing compared to what I wanted to do.

Turning toward Arianna, he said, “Miller’s the one who caused Raul to be pulled off the job. If he hadn’t filed a false report, Raul would have been there to help you. You think he was humiliated today? He’s lucky I didn’t kill him. Now can we drop this, please? ”

Arianna opened her mouth to say something, but the look on Zach’s face told her it wasn’t a good idea to say anything more. Somehow she knew he was serious about killing the guy. She’d just seen a dark and deadly side of man she loved that she hoped to never see again. The best thing to do now was to let it go.

COSTA LUNA: ISLAND IN THE CARIBBEAN

CALMNESS CAME over her as they drove through the security gate of Zach’s seaside mansion. There was no place like home, and she was happy to be returning to this quiet retreat, away from the turbulence of the past few days. She needed peace and serenity. Needed time to rest and heal from her traumatic experience.

Standing, waiting to greet them were Lisa, Tony’s wife and Arianna’s best friend, along with Pilar, Zach’s longtime house keeper and adopted family member.

“Welcome home,” Pilar said as Arianna stepped out of the SUV.

Arianna gave her a hug and said, “You look wonderful. Looks like your injuries have healed nicely.”

“Except for the permanent limp I’ll have, I’m doing well.” She reached forward and gently touched Arianna’s still slightly bruised face. “I’m sorry about what happened to you. I think your job is dangerous, and you should come home.”

Arianna took hold of Pilar’s hand and kissed it gently. “Aw, I appreciate your concern. That’s sweet of you to say. I know you worry about me, but I love my job, Pilar. I have to go back.”

Lisa flew into Tony’s arms, and they embraced like the newlyweds they were. Finally breaking away from Tony, Lisa turned toward Arianna and hugged her as well. While Tony gathered luggage, she and Arianna walked arm and arm into the house.

“I saw what happened to you,” Lisa said. “I’m so sorry. Are you all right?”

“Yes. No. Maybe. It was terrifying. Thank God the police came back when they did. I thought for sure those thugs were going to rape me.”

Lisa hugged her tight. “Oh, Ari, I can’t imagine how horrifying that was.”

Arianna sighed. “My emotions have been all over the place about this. Zach’s been a big comfort to me. Kevin and Raul, too. Having good friends around me has made all the difference in the world.”

They climbed the stairs to the second floor. “So are you going back to work?” Lisa asked.

She paused and looked at Lisa. Why does everyone think I should quit my job?

“Definitely. I love what I do, and I’m determined not to let this deter me from following my passion. I admit this made me stop and think, but, of course, I’m going back to work.”

“You are so brave.” They stopped outside Arianna’s bedroom door. “I’m proud of you. By the way, I saw your broadcast. What a great story, but I have to say, you looked like hell.”

Arianna shook her head and pursed her lips. “I wanted my story on the air no matter how I looked. But thanks for the compliment.” She gave her a slight shove. “Now, go on and find your husband. You two have some catching up to do.”

Arianna entered her bedroom and looked around at the opulence of it all. So heavenly and serene. Just the perfect place to relax and recoup from the stress of her job. It was now late in the evening, and she decided a hot bath was in order. She wanted to relax and soak her aching body in a warm bubble bath, with the Jacuzzi’s jets massaging her all over.

She poured herself a glass of wine and sank beneath the bubbles. Laying her head back, she sighed and felt her body totally relax for the first time in days. She had practically fallen asleep, when she felt someone touch her on the shoulder. She looked up and saw it was Zach sitting on the side of the tub.

“Thought for a moment you’d passed out,” he said. “Are you all right?”

She smiled and reached for him. “Very relaxed, babe. Want to join me?”

He hesitated. “Are you sure because, I mean, to be honest, Arianna, I don’t think I can be naked around you without wanting more.” He took her hand in his. “After what you’ve been through, I don’t want to press you into anything. Just being honest.”

She reached up and pulled him by the collar, sealing her to him with a kiss.

It was all the invitation he needed. Stripping out of his clothes, he slipped into the bath and nestled behind her. The message to go slow flashed in his head, while other body parts seemed to be on the fast track.

His hands slipped up and down her sleek body, kneading her breasts, sliding down her belly, coming to rest on that sweet spot between her legs. Not quite as relaxed as he usually was, he made a special effort to note any sign of discomfort or rejection. He had no first-hand knowledge of what victims of a sexual assault felt, but he knew he would stop should she show even the slightest sign of resistance or distress at being touched intimately.

Her soft moans told him all systems were go however, as she slid back into him, enjoying what he was doing. Before long, she turned to face him, straddling him, and allowing him to slip inside her as he let out an audible groan and fought for control. Slowly he thrust in and out, her breasts bobbing teasingly in front of his face. Capturing one taunt nipple in his mouth, he suckled and nipped at it, as he moved in and out of her.

She leaned in and kissed him, his tongue finding its way deep inside. Their breathing in sync, it was as if they couldn’t get enough of each other. His pace quickened as her breasts raked across his chest. He pressed her bottom tightly to him, and she moved up and down searching for her own release.

It was a clear green light. She gave herself completely to him so he held back nothing. In only seconds, she pitched forward, wracked by waves of ecstasy with him following close behind.

As they lay there holding each other in the warm soapy water, Zach asked, “Are you okay? I mean was this too much for you? Too soon?”

She rolled her head from side to side. “I’ll never totally be free of the memories of the assault in Germany, but I choose to block it from my mind so it can’t destroy what we have. Believe me, this was wonderful. You always leave me satisfied, but wanting more.”

Neither spoke for a moment, when Zach finally said, “You know I’m opposed to you going back to work. You don’t need to work. I’ll take care of you.”

Arianna stepped out of the tub and grabbed a towel. “Tsk. Tsk,” she said, “and I always hate it when you go to wherever you go, but let’s not ruin tonight talking about this again. I’m in the mood for love.” She dropped the towel, turned and flashed him her best “come hither” smile, and sauntered into the bedroom. He left the bath and followed her.