Her heart leaping, Elizabeth cautiously turned, only to find a short, gray-haired, elderly woman grinning up at her.
“Hello, Elizabeth. You can drop your arms now. My name’s Emily. I’m Scott’s housekeeper.”
“You scared me to death,” Elizabeth exclaimed. “Why didn’t you just say so? Why the drama?”
“I’m sorry, dear, I’ll explain, but please step carefully toward me.”
Instinct told Elizabeth to do as the woman said, and she stepped cautiously forward.
“Goodness, that was close,” Emily said with a relieved sigh. “I didn’t mean to frighten you, but I couldn’t let you make any sudden moves.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You were about to walk through a trip wire. Lord knows what would have happened. It could have dropped a net around you, shot off a gun, maybe even ignited a small bomb, like a landmine.”
“Oh, my gosh, I don’t know what to say,” Elizabeth muttered, her heart suddenly racing again. “How did you see it?”
“Experience. I bet there were cameras set up as well, but the winds would have taken care of them last night,” she remarked, squinting as she looked up at the foliage. “I certainly don’t see any. You’re very fortunate I came along when I did.”
“I assume Scott sent you,” Elizabeth murmured, feeling as though she’d just been scolded by a nanny.
“Apparently you sent him a message saying you were going for a walk,” Emily replied as they started back toward the trail. “He was worried about you leaving the house with the speedboats coming and going. He tried to reach you, but you didn’t answer your phone.”
“I have it right here,” she exclaimed, reaching into her bag. “Oh, no, I must have left it in the security room.”
“It’s not much help there.”
“I was going to put it in my pocket, but I dropped it on the desk while I was looking for something. I can’t believe I didn’t pick it back up.”
“Your mind must have been on other things.”
“It was, coming down here; speaking of which, how did you know where I was?”
“When I arrived I saw you heading down the path. You certainly have a quick walk.”
“I suppose I do.”
“I didn’t want to yell and draw attention to us in case those drug dealers were nearby. I’m glad you stopped for a few minutes when you reached the bottom. I was able to catch up. But then you followed those footprints. I had to make sure you didn’t get into trouble. I’d just reached you when I saw the wire.”
“Thank you so much,” Elizabeth said gratefully. “I take it you’re more than just a housekeeper. Are you part of Scott’s team?”
“Unofficially,” Emily replied with a smile. “I was in the game for years.”
“The game?”
“The spy game, and I loved it, but it was different back then. I’m not sure I’d want to be involved today. I’d be at odds with all the high-tech gadgetry.”
“You haven’t lost your touch,” Elizabeth declared. “I had no idea I was being followed, and I have eyes in the back of my head.”
“It was one of my specialties,” Emily said proudly.
“Did Scott say when he was coming back?”
“He should be on the water now, and I need to let him know I found you. I didn’t want to pull out my phone while we were exposed on the beach. Bad guys are paranoid, and if there were any eyes on us…”
“Yeah, I know,” Elizabeth muttered as Emily paused her step to send the text.
“He says he’ll be docking in about thirty minutes,” Emily declared after a moment or two. “That means he’ll be at the house within the hour.”
“Great, I can’t wait to see him.”
“When we get home we can have a nice cup of coffee. I’d love to hear about your work.”
“He told you what I do?” Elizabeth asked, surprised Scott had talked about her.
“Oh, yes, he thinks very highly of you, and apparently the feeling’s mutual.”
“It’s that obvious?”
“To me it is, but I can read people.”
“Another of your specialties?” Elizabeth inquired with a grin.
“Indeed it is. As a matter of fact, I was once known as a human lie detector. I used to win quite a lot of money playing poker.”
“I bet you did,” Elizabeth quipped, laughing out loud, “just like a female James Bond.”
“I must admit, I did have a few of my own Casino Royale moments.”
“Will you tell me about some of them?”
“You won’t be able to shut me up,” Emily replied happily as they neared the house.
“Uh, Emily, there’s something I need to take care of in the security room.”
“I’ll start the coffee and make us something to eat.”
“That would be terrific. I had a bowl of cereal, but I’m hungry again.”
“Cereal is nothing but reprocessed sawdust. I’ll whip up a tomato and cheese omelet.”
Entering the house, Emily continued on to the kitchen as Elizabeth stopped at the security room. Hurrying to the plantation doors, she returned the gun to its case and let out a relieved sigh.
She’d had a near miss with a trip wire—a horrifying thought—and suddenly borrowing the gun seemed like a terrible idea. Moving across to the windows and looking down at the tranquil water lapping on the pristine beach, no one would ever suspect the blissful island had been invaded by nefarious criminals.
The memory of Manny’s death flashed through her head.
Unexpected heat burned the back of her throat.
“I’ll have my revenge,” she muttered under her breath. “I’ll get Dan and Jim, and somehow I’ll get Conchello too.”
* * *
Gliding through the calm, clear water on Jack’s yacht, Scott approached the island and sailed close to the beach. There were no speedboats in the area, and the small cove looked tranquil, but hidden behind palm trees and exotic plants, Conchello’s soldiers had almost finished setting up a new base of operations.
Scott had no doubt Elizabeth had left the house on a reconnaissance mission. She was a skilled, trained undercover agent whose partner had been killed in her arms. He understood her desperate need for justice, and her
