Hidden Away (KGI #3)(92)

Garrett’s arm tightened around her. “He won’t get away with it, Sarah. I swear to you he won’t.”

His vow comforted her even though she doubted Garrett would ever have the occasion to come into contact with Stanley Cross. She stretched her legs, tangling them with his. She rubbed her foot up and down his hair-roughened leg as her hand glided over his chest.

“Thank you for making tonight so special.”

Garrett kissed her again. “You’re wrong, you know.”

She rose up to look at him in puzzlement.

“It’s you who made tonight special,” he said in a low voice. “You’re pretty special, Sarah.”

She lowered her head until her lips touched his. “So are you, Garrett.”

CHAPTER 33

THE next morning, Garrett waited until Sarah went into the bathroom to shower before he rolled out of bed and hurriedly dressed. He needed a moment to talk to Donovan because it was time to quit f**king around and end this.

He took the sat phone and stepped outside the reinforced, bulletproof glass doors to the enclosed patio off the master suite. The windows were tinted and was the only room in the house that allowed a sweeping view of the valley below.

Still, he remained in the shadows, in the corner and dialed up Donovan.

“Miss us already?” Donovan drawled a moment later.

“It’s time,” Garrett said quietly. “Send an email to Lattimer. Pretend you’re Sarah and tip him off. I don’t care what you tell him, just get him here. Let Resnick know so he can be in place. I need this over with as soon as possible. There are too many risks and Stanley Cross is the wild card here. He wants Sarah taken out.”

“Allen Cross’s brother?”

“Yeah, Allen Cross is the son of a bitch who raped Sarah, but his brother was there. He watched. He participated. His story about hiring a recovery firm to bring Sarah in because she can help bring his brother’s killer to justice is bullshit. He wants her out of the picture so she can’t hurt him.”

“Damn,” Donovan muttered. “What a f**king ass**le. I vote that when this crap is over with Lattimer that you and I go on a little hunting trip.”

Garrett grinned. One thing he loved about Donovan was that he had a very personal sense of justice when it came to certain crimes.

“What are you going to do about Sarah, Garrett? It’s obvious she means a lot to you.”

“Let me worry about Sarah,” he said gruffly.

“I’ll send the email. You need to alert Rio and be on guard. It’s possible Lattimer won’t even show. He might send his men in after her.”

Garrett shook his head. “He’ll come. Sarah is personal to him. He killed Allen Cross because he hurt Sarah. Personally. He didn’t send someone else to do it though he could easily have done so. He risked a damn lot showing his face on U.S. soil again. Coming to Belize will be nothing to him.”

“Be ready, Garrett. Lattimer’s no amateur. He’s a ruthless bastard with a very gray sense of justice.”

Garrett thought back to when he faced Lattimer down all those years ago and felt the ripping sensation of the bullet Lattimer fired tearing into his leg. “You aren’t telling me anything I don’t already know. I’ve waited a damn long time for this, Donovan. I won’t f**k it up. And tell Resnick he better damn well be careful. If he barges in here like a f**king idiot, Rio and his men are going to take exception. This is our show and Resnick better play by our rules.”

“I’ll let him know. I’m sure he’ll be in touch.”

Garrett hung up the phone and then called Rio to relay the news.

SARAH hummed contentedly as she set out the plates for breakfast. She dished up the eggs and bacon and then went to the oven to pull out the pan of biscuits that had turned golden brown. It was easy to forget that they were in some way out-of-the-way place in Central America, or that she and Garrett had endured a harrowing captivity just two days earlier.

Peace that she hadn’t experienced in a long time settled over her like a warm and comforting blanket. She felt energized. She felt alive. And she felt hope for her future.

It was all silly. This giddy, feeling that gripped her. But it was fun and light and she wanted to laugh for the sheer joy of laughing. She smiled as she put the tray of biscuits on the counter and then she looked up and found Garrett across the room watching her with those intense blue eyes.

“Why are you smiling?” he asked as he ambled over.

A delicious thrill ran over her body all over again as she recalled the previous night. “I’m happy.”

There was a brief glimmer of tension that rippled across his face before he walked over to where she stood and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his back. He kissed the side of her neck. “I’m glad you’re happy.”

She rotated in his arms and leaned up on tiptoe to kiss him. “Thank you for last night. For listening. For just letting me get it out without judging or reacting.”

He squeezed her and kissed her long and lingering, his lips melting over hers. “He won’t touch you, Sarah. Ever again.”

“Have you let Marcus know what’s going on? I don’t want him to worry.”

“He knows.”

She stared up at him for a long moment as reality edged its way into her euphoria. Strange how it always worked that way. Thinking of Marcus had brought home the fact that her entire life had been upended. She was starting over with only Marcus to rely on for help.