Arel picked up the cigar box and held it open for Marco. “Smoke with me, and tell me about this woman you have been using so effectively, the one who told you about the journal. Shall we dispose of her as well?”

***

As much as Luke wanted to get the hell out of Dodge, if they left too soon, Arel would be suspicious. So he forced himself to mingle with the guests, thankful for Julie’s ability to talk to people, and proud of her for how smooth she was under pressure. What was the most shocking, with guards at the door, was how many of the guests seemed oblivious to the true career of their host, thinking him some type of investor they all used for brokering deals. Impatiently, Luke waited to make his exit until Arel and the judge returned, certain they would. It was nearly an hour before Arel returned without the judge.

Then and only then, and when he knew that Arel was watching them, did Luke pull Julie close and kiss her, and then head for the hallway. He led her down the hallway and into a corner near the kitchen entrance and leaned against the wall, pulling her soft curves against his body, and wrapping his arms around her.

He nuzzled her ear, skimming his hand across the soft curve of her neck. “What are you doing, Luke?” she demanded in a husky whisper, her hands pressed against his chest.

He kissed the soft spot under her ear. “They expect us to disappear and make use of an empty room. Wrap your arms around my neck and act like you’re into it.”

“I don’t like this kind of audience,” she objected.

“Me either, baby,” he promised, kissing her neck. “But you still smell like heaven and I won’t find it hard to be convincingly into you.” He laced his fingers into her hair and pulled her mouth to his. “Try to do the same.” His mouth closed over hers and she whimpered into his mouth.

“Hey,” a guard said. “Rooms are upstairs.”

Luke glanced up at him and drew Julie’s hand in his. “Just warming up.” He tugged Julie forward, confident anyone who missed them would be told they were getting the nasty on.

Luke glanced over his shoulder, making sure they weren’t being watched, and bypassed the stairs, following the rich, spiced scent of cigars he’d smelled when he’d been near Arel. It ended at a closed door he shoved open and prayed the room beyond was empty. They entered an office, where a low burning fire was giving its last breath in a massive white hearth, giving an orange glow to the room. Silently, he was thankful for the light it expelled.

His eyes scanned the room, resting on a large desk set against one wall. Pulling Julie behind him, determined to keep her near, he moved across the room, his eyes quickly adjusting to the dim light. Once they were behind the desk, Luke settled his hands on Julie’s waist and set her on top, making sure they had a cover if they were interrupted.

Luke bent down and flipped his heel open, removing the extra mic he had inside and sliding it under the desktop. He’d barely attached it, when when the door jerked open behind Julie.

Luke moved instinctively, stepping towards her, pushing her legs apart as he insinuated his body between her thighs. “Wrap your legs around my waist,” he whispered.

Even as she did as he said, he buried one hand in her hair, the other around her neck, and covered her mouth with his.

The door squeaked.

Footsteps echoed.

Luke broke the kiss without releasing Julie. He looked over her shoulder into Michael’s suspicious eyes. “Buzz off,” Luke ordered.

“You can’t do this in here,” he said sharply.

Luke’s laugh mocked him. “If she’s willing, I assure you I can.”

Julie let her legs fall from his waist, but he didn’t release her. Instead, he bent down and nipped at her lips.

“Hey!” Michael exclaimed insolently. “I told you no!”

Luke gave him a go to hell look. “Arel told me I could grab a room, man. Back off!”

“Upstairs. Not here. You must leave, now.”

Luke scowled at the man, and then looked down at Julie. “Let’s go, darlin.” He moved his hands to her waist and lifted her off the desk.

Pulling her under his arm, he said, “We’re out of here. Where do we go to get a ride?”

Michael’s eyes narrowed as he studied Luke curiously. “There are rooms upstairs.”

“Yeah, well,” he said, sliding his hand around Julie’s waist, “she’s the only hospitality I need the rest of tonight and I don’t want to miss the last ferry off Fantasy Island here because I forget the time.”

Michael considered them a moment, and said, “Follow me.” He unhooked a walkie-talkie from his belt and called for a car.

A few minutes later he and Julie were seated in the back seat of the same car they had arrived in. Luke was certain, compliments of Blake, the car now had a tracking device attached to its belly. If the car took a turn away from the ferry, he’d have men to back him up. He didn’t try to play the game of seducing Julie in the car this time. She seemed to relax next to him, as if she felt like it was over. What she didn’t know, and he did, was that if they were going to be taken out, it would be now.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Luke didn’t breathe again until he and Julie were out of the car at the ferry station. He took her hand and led her to the main building. He could feel relief shifting inside him, turning into something darker that had been beneath the surface since the moment he’d found Julie on the ferry.

“What happened back there with Arel?” she asked the instant they were inside the building. “I felt so in the dark while we were there and it was killing me not to be able to ask.”