I do have to admire her resilience. Even under threat of death, she maintained her silence.
Which makes me wonder what it is she’s hiding.
In my profession, those with the most to treasure are the best at hiding it. But I have yet to find a vault I can’t crack.
And this vault is an especially tempting one with which to put my skills to the test. I smirk as I increase the speed, guiding the boat across the water.
I’m headed to Ibiza to meet with Ulrich, my second in command. It’s our ritual to meet at a bar for drinks after each heist. I still don’t know where he has his tangible assets hidden, nor does he know where I keep mine.
When Ibiza appears on the horizon after several hours, I slow the boat down to give myself a chance to think about what to do with the woman in my cabin. I have no idea how to handle her in the longterm, much less for the next few hours.
The port where I park my boat is too public to depend on her staying silent. Taking her with me is a risky proposition.
I sigh to myself as the obvious solution comes to me.
I round the island until I come to a familiar, secluded spot. After dropping anchor, I head back down to the cabin.
The woman glares at me expectantly.
“I have to go ashore. Don’t bother screaming, where I’m anchored there’s no one around to hear you.”
Her eyes widen and she squirms.
“What is it?” I ask, even though I have an idea.
She just squirms even more, the universal sign for having to go to the toilet.
I smirk. “I’m afraid I don’t understand? What is it you’re trying to say?”
Her arm shoots out to point toward the tiny bathroom on board.
I look past it at the small minibar. “Did you want something to drink?”
I turn back at the soft moaning sound stuck in her throat and grin again. “I’m afraid I can’t help you if you don’t talk.”
She stops when she realizes I’m teasing her. Both her jaw and her gaze harden. When one eyebrow insolently rises, I realize what she’s threatening to do.
“Do it, and you’ll be sorry,” I warn her.
She just darts her eyes to the bathroom again.
“Very well,” I say tightly.
I pull the key to the handcuffs out of my pocket, and grab the gun, then walk over. Before releasing it, I give her one more warning.
“If you try anything, I’ll shoot you in the leg.”
Her only response is to tighten those full lips in anger.
When I unlock the cuff, she huffs and makes a show of whipping the sheets around her before stalking off toward the bathroom.
I watch after her, just to make sure she behaves. Shooting her in the leg is an option I’m not entirely opposed to. But it would be a shame to ruin such shapely stems.
When she exits, I see her turn to look longingly toward the stairs leading up to the cockpit. I wait, daring her to make a move. Swaddled in those sheets, it would be a farce, and I wonder if she truly is that reckless.
Instead, she sighs and heads back toward the bed.
“Hand,” I order.
She gives me a pleading look, obviously wanting me to forgo this little precaution.
I laugh. “Perhaps if I had your spoken word that you wouldn’t flee?” I taunt.
She just glares and shoots her hand out for me to take.
“Good girl,” I say, slapping the cuff back on. “Now then, I’ll be a couple of hours. I’ll bring back some food and water for you when I do. I’ll be taking your clothes with me as well. Can’t be too cautious when it comes to you nuns.”
She just looks off to the side in sullen silence.
I laugh again and put the gun back into the drawer. I’m not stupid enough to take it with me to the city, especially now that I have to swim in. It’s far enough away from her that she can’t reach it, even if she could open it after I lock it.
I have no intention of taking her clothes with me. It’s going to be enough of a pain in the ass to swim the short distance to shore in nothing but my own clothes. Still, I do keep them hidden away in a storage bin up top on the off chance she does escape. It would serve her right to have to swim to shore naked.
I finish getting dressed and heave a heavy sigh before diving into the water. I’ve anchored the boat close enough that I don’t have to swim too far. The bigger pain is being wet once again.
By the time I’ve walked the distance to Ibiza town, I’m pretty much dry, even if I do smell like the sea.
As I approach the bar, I debate telling Ulrich about this morning’s little adventure. It would be fun to laugh about over beers. Perhaps he could even give me suggestions as to how to handle her.
Some bit of intuition tells me to keep the woman to myself. I have a feeling that whatever it is she refuses to tell me is a treasure worth keeping hidden.
Chapter Seven Enrique
“I see you’ve started without me,” I announce as I approach Ulrich, sitting at a table overlooking the beach. He’s staring at a group of sunbathing women, a few of whom are topless.
“You’re late,” he says with a grin, before darting his eyes back to the sun worshipers. “I was just about to seek out more tempting company.”
Ulrich’s charm and golden boy good looks are usually enough to win him over with the opposite sex. He looks like he should be playing an extra
