Convincing Derrick Read online

  “And what are you going to do with the jewelry, pay them off?” Cynthia’s condescending tone grated.

  “No. But they might be helpful in strangling them.”

  Kiki ignored the sputtering and pulled the razor blade from its hiding place in her shoe. She had to work quick. Edgar or someone else could come at any minute. She sliced the mattress, quickly stripping the wire from the edge. As she pulled the wire free, the door swung open.

  “Were you threatening—” Edgar’s question cut short as his gaze took in the room, his thick black eyebrows winging upward in shock.

  Without hesitation, Kiki stepped into Edgar’s space, slapping his reaching hand aside with one fist, and ramming the other into his chin just like Lena had taught her. Edgar’s eyes rolled back into his head and he flopped to the floor.

  “Quick! Grab the door before it closes,” Kiki hissed to Cynthia.

  With a squeak, she grabbed the door a second before it shut. Kiki flipped Edgar onto his stomach and pulled his hands behind his back. Motioning to Eva to toss her the mattress wire, she wrapped it tight around his wrists then his ankles like she had seen in the westerns Derrick forced her to watch. The wire dug into the sleaze’s skin, but she didn’t care.

  “Give me your scarf.” She pointed to the brightly colored accessory and wrapped Edgar’s mouth with it so he couldn’t scream for help when he came to.

  She unholstered his gun, checked that there was a bullet in the chamber, then pocketed the extra magazine from Edgar’s belt. She’d rather not have to use the weapon, but she would if she had to. After shoving the high heels into her back pockets, she motioned for Eva to join her and stepped toward her shocked mom.

  “Who are you?” Cynthia whispered, her tone full of awe.

  “I’m finally who I was meant to be.” Kiki cocked the gun. “You follow real close and keep a hold of Eva. If you don’t keep up or if you freak out, I will not hesitate to take her myself and leave you. Understand?”

  Cynthia nodded, her gaze darting to Eva. Could Kiki trust her? Probably not, but she needed her hands free to work the weapon. She gave Eva a quick hug, then stepped to the door.

  She could hear a holler of a score followed by cheering and groaning from farther down the hall. A man leaned against a doorframe, watching whatever game was playing in the room. Could they get down the corridor to the stairs without him noticing? She motioned to her mother to follow. With a deep breath, she stepped from the room.

  Twenty-Eight

  Derrick slipped from the engine room. The distractions he’d set up early ticked down, leaving him little time to locate Kiki before things started hopping. His scouting had told him if he could get to the second floor without being detected, he’d only have a handful of barren rooms to check. He cleared the hall and stalked down it just as the door to the security room snapped open.

  Derrick pushed the man back into the room, shoving him into the desk with a crash. Kicking a second man scrabbling from the chair in the head, Derrick slammed the first man’s head into the desk. Heaving hard, Derrick whipped the zip ties he’d found from his pocket and secured the men.

  A walkie lying on the floor sounded with static before Mattias’s voice spoke. “José, the boss wants you on the top deck.”

  Derrick’s window of opportunity had just shortened. He checked the hall and dashed out.

  Hustle. Second floor. Get the girls. Get out.

  He peeked into the stairwell, only to freeze. Kiki rushed down the stairs, followed by her mother carrying Eva. He stepped on the stairs in a daze. How had they gotten free? Cynthia squeaked, causing Kiki to flinch and raise a gun. Where had she gotten a gun? A slight moan escaped her before she ran down the remaining stairs and threw herself into his arms. Her kiss was quick but seared him to his soul.

  “How’d you get here?” She pulled back, her forehead crinkling in confusion.

  “I’ve been here all along.”

  “But the village, the explosion?”

  “Just a diversion.”

  She nodded, her face determined though her body trembled. “What’s the plan?”

  Man, how he loved her.

  “We take the helo. There’s a navy vessel south of here waiting for us. I set up more surprises that should go off any minute.” He glanced at his watch and cringed.

  Would they make it to the helo in time? That hadn’t been his original plan, but escaping in the helicopter would get them farther faster than the speedboat. She looked back at her mother, then turned to him.

  “I’ll bring up the rear.” She motioned for him to lead up the stairs.

  He hated that idea, but couldn’t help it. Tweaking Eva’s nose as he passed, he led them the way they had come. He could hear jovial shouting at the far end of the hall. He rounded the corner to sprint to the next floor as shots slammed into the wall behind him, followed by two quick return shots.

  No. Kiki. Cynthia clung to Eva as she turned the corner and climbed the stairs. Kiki jumped into the stairwell as chaos exploded from the other end of the hall.

  “Go!” she yelled, jerking him out of his panic.

  He cleared the next level, taking out two men rushing toward them. Why hadn’t his first diversion gone off? One more floor to get to the landing pad. Three, maybe four guns fired behind him with Kiki keeping constant return fire.

  “I’m out,” Kiki hollered as they reached the deck.

  “Kiki.” He tossed her the AR and darted for the helicopter.

  Bullets sprayed behind him, followed by another set of following feet. When he got to the helicopter, he grabbed Eva from Cynthia, pointed to the seat, and quickly went to work unfastening the tie-down strops from the skids. He vaulted into the pilot’s seat, flipping switches to fire the bird up. Kiki climbed into the door, sitting in the opening, on guard.

  “Stop!” Jackie emerged from the stairs, her gun pointed at the helicopter and fury etched on her face. “Get out of the helicopter now.”

  The rotor revved up, and the blades started their slow spin. Come on. Faster. Derrick opened the throttle completely.

  “We’re leaving,” Kiki yelled over the engine. “Don’t make me shoot you.”

  Derrick’s heart clenched at the anguish in Kiki’s voice. He glanced over his shoulder. Could he help her, keep her from doing something that would haunt her forever?

  “You don’t have the nerve.” Her aunt stepped closer, adjusting her grip on her gun.

  “You’re wrong.”

  An explosion filled the air and rocked the yacht in a violent heave. He couldn’t have timed the diversion better if he’d tried. Jackie tumbled to the deck, her gun skittering across the wood. Derrick lifted on the collective and pressed the left pedal.

  “Hang on!” There was no way to smooth out this take off.

  Bullets pinged off the metal of the bird as it lifted off. Derrick gripped the cyclic and propelled the helo forward. Another explosion ripped through the air as they cleared the yacht’s railing, flames shooting straight into the sky.

  Kiki slammed the door closed and was climbing into the co-pilot seat when the entire yacht burst into a ball of fire. What in the world? That wasn’t supposed to happen. Cynthia screamed in back as Kiki crashed into him. She scrambled off as sensors beeped and yelled in his ears. Regaining control, he circled wide to get them pointed south. He scanned the debris of the yacht for survivors, but found nothing. Could their nightmare finally be over?

  Twenty-Nine

  Kiki gaped out the window at the floating remains of the yacht. No one could survive that, could they? She should feel more remorse for Jackie’s death, but Kiki was too lightheaded with relief to process the complications of her sordid family tree.

  “Diversion?” She turned to Derrick, who piloted the helicopter farther away from land.

  His cheek flexed, and he shook his head. “I just set the two bombs.” He gazed at her, regret in his eyes. “They were just supposed to disable the vessel enough to get us free and allow the nav
y to make arrests. They must’ve been storing something I missed during recon last night.”

  Kiki checked on Eva. Her wide eyes bounced between Derrick and Kiki. With her knees drawn up to her chest, she appeared so small. Was she truly safe now?

  “We needed your aunt for information.” The desperation in his voice slammed Kiki’s heart like an anvil.

  “But Eva is safe, right?” She dropped her voice, hoping Eva wouldn’t hear.

  Derrick peered at her, tension stretching between them so thick she couldn’t breathe. He shrugged. No. She flopped back into the seat. This had to be over. There had to be a way to make Eva safe from the evil her family joined in.

  “Well, I can tell you all about Jackie.” Cynthia huffed a disdainful laugh, turning Kiki in her seat to see her mom’s face. “Your aunt thought she was so smart. Thought I was just some dumb arm candy her brother kept for looks. I was the one who told your father what to do. He didn’t have any real vision until I came along. Want to know why the boat blew up?” Her lip lifted in an unattractive sneer. “There were black market weapons in a secret storage compartment under the engine. I know where they were taking us. I know who her boss was. I know everything.”

  She pushed her shoulders back and smoothed her hair. Her expression mirrored Jackie’s when she’d so flippantly killed Kiki’s father that a shiver raced across Kiki’s skin. She didn’t know this person sitting behind her. Probably never had. Maybe Cynthia Payne held the answer to Eva’s freedom.

  Derrick leaned forward and tapped the dash. His forehead crinkled in concern. What could go wrong now? They were rendezvousing with the navy. They’d escaped, hadn’t they?

  “We have a little problem.” Derrick’s calm voice did nothing to ease the nervous energy rushing through Kiki’s body.

  “No. No more problems.” She shook her head, the roar of her heartbeat battling the thumping of the helicopter blades. “I’ve had my fill of problems.”

  “I know, honey. Me too.” Derrick’s term of endearment and the lift of the side of his mouth soothed her zinging nerves. “But, we’re losing fuel … fast.”

  “What?” She jerked her gaze out the window to look at the tail of the helicopter, like she’d be able to see a stream of fuel gushing to the sea.

  “Bullet must’ve hit the tank.” Derrick flipped switches and spoke nonsense into his headset.

  “Aunt Kiki?” Eva’s trembling voice pulled Kiki’s attention from Derrick. “Are we going to crash?”

  She shook her head, her mouth opening to ease the fear on Eva’s face, but nothing came out. What could Kiki say? What would happen if they ran out of fuel? Could they somehow jump before the death trap went down? Did the seats work as a flotation device like they did in airplanes? Kiki couldn’t answer Eva—couldn’t give her false hope.

  “Eva-mine, we’re not crashing,” Derrick hollered. “Your dad is close. Rented some fancy yacht to save us in. If we can’t make it to him, we’ll just land this hunk of metal on the sea and wait for him to come pick us up.”

  “Daddy’s here?” Eva uncurled and searched out the window.

  “Yep, not too far away.” Derrick glanced at the gauges before snapping his eyes back out the windshield. Was Zeke really close or was Derrick just saying that to ease Eva’s fears?

  “You can land on the water?” Kiki leaned over to peer at the red blinking light. The line hovered on the bottom of the gauge.

  “I’ll ditch it, if I have to.” He pushed her hair behind her ear, then gripped the stick again. “Pray that I don’t.”

  Kiki’s body shook as she sat back in her seat. Her eyes frantically scanned the sea, searching for whatever Zeke was waiting on. Her mind raced with gruesome scenarios and desperate prayers. Each minute stretched impossibly long as more alarms blared loudly in the cockpit. Something glittered on the horizon, and her hand jerked toward it.

  “There.” The word squeezed past the fear lodged in her throat as a croak.

  The helicopter shuddered as it flew toward the yacht in the distance. Sweat slid down Derrick’s cheek, his teeth gritting. Would they crash and die so close? No, please God, help.

  As they grew closer, she made out Zeke with his arm around Sam, and Rafe, Sosimo, and Jake on the deck watching them approach. Rafe waved his arm high, then clapped Jake on the back. Kiki relaxed her grip on the dash. They were going to make it.

  “Hang on.” Derrick’s muscles bunched as the helicopter finally hovered over the yacht.

  The engine cut, and Kiki squeezed the seatbelt in her hands. The only sound that reached her ears was the turning of the blades and her harsh breaths. Would they crash into the yacht and kill everyone? She wanted to squeeze her eyes closed but couldn’t.

  With smooth movements of his arms and legs, Derrick touched the helicopter down with a soft jolt. Eva’s screams pierced the cockpit as the helicopter skid across the deck, hooked into the railing, and teetered over the edge of the yacht.

  Rafe latched on to the skid beside her, the veins popping from his neck as he strained to hold the helicopter. Jake grabbed the skid next to Rafe. They couldn’t possibly hold an entire helicopter. The door slid open with a swoosh, and Kiki turned to see Zeke unbuckle her mom and lift her from her seat.

  “Daddy!” Eva’s frightened sob ratcheted Kiki’s own fear up another notch.

  “It’s going to be okay, honey,” Zeke choked out, rushing tears back into Kiki’s eyes.

  Kiki turned forward and fumbled with her seatbelt as Derrick climbed into the back to help Eva. The helicopter lurched, tipping more toward the ocean and sending a chill across her sweaty skin. They were going to plummet into the ocean after all.

  Her hands shook so violently she couldn’t get the buckle unlatched. The screech as the skids scraped on the railing raced down her back like fingernails on a blackboard. She yanked on the belt as the guys yelled, and Sosimo pulled Rafe and Jake away from the helicopter.

  “Hold on!” Derrick hollered above the crash of the railing collapsing.

  Her eyes widened and her stomach floated into her throat as they fell toward the cerulean blue beneath them. Why hadn’t Derrick jumped out? They were about to crash, and he wasn’t buckled in.

  The windshield splashed into the water, jerking her forward. The slam of her body against the harness knocked the air out of her. Her scream cut short as water rushed around her and filled her mouth. She spat out the water and tipped her face up, gasping in one large breath before the water came up over her head.

  The sudden envelopment of water floated her in her seat. Would she drown when they’d been so close to safety? She thrashed at the buckle, but it still wouldn’t budge.

  Oh, God, please.

  She didn’t want to die.

  Derrick’s hand settled over hers, stilling their frantic fumbling. Her scream filled her head and threatened to push out, but she kept her mouth shut. He’d get her out. He wouldn’t let her drown.

  He worked the buckle. When it didn’t budge, he jerked it hard. Dark spots swam before her eyes. At least she wouldn’t die alone.

  Derrick pulled a knife from somewhere and hacked at the straps. Her ears popped, and the cockpit darkened. They were sinking too far. He had to go before he drowned down here with her.

  She needed to breathe, to open her mouth and let air in. She swallowed the urge but didn’t think she could hold out much longer. Her lungs burned like hot lava. She should just give in.

  One less Payne populating the world.

  The sudden release of the strap almost caused her to gulp. Strong hands pulled her from the seat, then she was clamped against Derrick’s body and moving fast. She wanted to help, wanted to hold on or kick, but all her muscles were limp.

  Hands grabbed her from behind. Were they angels taking her to heaven? No. She thrashed and clung tight to Derrick’s neck. She wasn’t ready to die, wasn’t ready to leave him.

  They broke the surface, the sudden bright sun blinding her. She sucked in blessed air, only to violently c
ough so hard she was sure her ribs would crack. She didn’t realize she was sobbing until Derrick pushed the hair out of her face and shushed her.

  “It’s okay.” He pulled her close, his legs scissoring below hers. “We’re safe now.”

  Kiki’s chin trembled as she glanced around and noticed the guys had dived in after them. Eva hollered for Kiki from the safety of her mother’s arms on the yacht’s deck above. They’d made it. They were safe. She closed her eyes as relief trembled through her. Derrick’s large hand skimmed along her cheek, wiping a tear from her skin.

  He pressed his forehead against hers. “We’re safe. It’s all going to be okay.”

  “Okay,” she whispered against his lips.

  “Kiki, I—”

  He crushed his mouth to hers, searing her with his need for reassurance she held in her own heart. How she wished she could stay with him forever. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, needing to be as close as possible. She wanted this memory of him to carry her through the difficult days to come. Selfish thought, just like a Payne, but she’d steal whatever moments with him she could get to keep with her when she disappeared. She wouldn’t risk her family ties hurting anyone ever again.

  “Finally.” Rafe laughed and clapped Derrick on the back, sending a spray of water over them. “We’ve been taking bets on when you two would get it together.”

  Derrick chuckled, his fingers flexing on her waist. “You have not.”

  “Yep. I’m happy to say your little misadventure makes me the winner.” Rafe swam backwards to the boat, a satisfied smile on his face. “I was worried I was going to have to use my impressive skills of persuasion to push you together.”

  Kiki tucked her head as her face heated. She couldn’t let the joy settle in her heart, not when she’d be leaving the first chance she got. She pushed away from Derrick and swam to the boat.

  Heart heavy, she climbed the ladder to the deck, her mind calculating possibilities. She had plans to make. Her mother would probably spend the rest of her life tucked away in some jail or something. Her depth of involvement had to be too much to get out of punishment, even if she cooperated. The rest of Kiki’s family was dead, all except Eva. A lump of grief formed in Kiki’s throat, for those she had lost and those she would have to let go. She had to be dead to Eva as well, in order to keep her safe.