Chapter 2

Chapter

Two

Nicholas Jacobs was captivatedby the beautiful woman he'd instinctively dived into the ocean for, but it had clicked instantly who she was and he could hardly believe this awful coincidence.

Darcy Saint was the ex-wife of Johnathon Trattori—drug dealer, murderer, and one of Nick's ‘pro-bono' projects of the past two years. Nick's boss and hero, Aiden Porter, supported him in his quest to take down criminals like Trattori, even if there wasn't a financial reward in it for their company.

Nick had wasted far too much time researching, profiling, and tracking the scum-ball and still couldn't give Interpol or the FBI proof and put Trattori and his drug ring out of commission. The man was slippery, but Nick would finish him. Nick took down drug dealers as his personal quest, knowing his birth mother had overdosed not long after she deserted him in a snowstorm.

Darcy Saint was going to be his partner for this reality television show. It was surreal. Some of his associates and government contacts believed she was innocent and clueless about what her husband did under the guise of Trattori International. Nick had also heard her labeled ‘Trattori's traitorous ex' from those who believed she knew the truth and was part of it, the sweet, innocent beauty all a ploy that Trattori had loved to use to his advantage.

How could the wife of a criminal like Trattori not have filth on her own hands? She'd gotten away from Trattori after they divorced and had moved to Mexico, but she should have gone to the authorities and shared any inside information she had. Unless she truly was clueless about her ex's criminal activity.

Who knew? Nick would have to be very careful not to let his guard down around her. Loose lips did indeed sink ships.

Could he get the break he'd been searching for on the Trattori case from being close to the angelic ex-wife this week? That felt a little slimy to him, especially as he was inextricably drawn to her ethereal beauty, big blue eyes, and charitable purpose.

It was unnerving that her charity's purpose was to provide a home, food, nurturing, and love for deserted infants and toddlers. A cause very relatable to him.

The story his adoptive parents had cautiously revealed to him when he was old enough to repeatedly ask why everybody in his family but him had red hair and blue eyes, was that he'd been left next to their back door in a snowstorm as a newborn. That Papa Pete had taken the garbage out was divine intervention in all of their minds. Papa Pete was a great man but not very observant. He'd never noticed an overflowing garbage can before or after that day.

Nick loved his Papa Pete and Mama Marie and each of his seven older siblings. His adoptive parents had been stretched thin financially and timewise, but they'd showered love and emotional support on all of them. His birth mother had left a note revealing she had no family and no hope of caring for her baby. Papa and Mama had gone through the proper channels to adopt him, claiming from that first moment he was their son and it was ‘love at first sight' at least Mama said that all the time. The police had informed them a few weeks later that Nick's birth mother had overdosed.

The only thing he had of his birth mother's was a gold medallion with a coat of arms and the name Corsini inscribed on it. Mama had helped him research and they'd learned that Corsini was a princely family from Florence, but they didn't find any living relatives. Nick wore the medallion to remind him of his passion—the fight against drugs. Which brought him back to needing to take down scum like Trattori.

The connection to what he'd lived through and what Darcy was doing to help deserted little ones had his neck tingling. Had Mercedes known about his adoption story? He didn't know how she could've. Mama and Papa had kept it quiet, always insisting he was their son. He adored them.

The exquisitely beautiful and possibly dangerous Darcy Saint had his entire body tingling. From all outside appearances, she was as angelic as she was gorgeous. What was she like on the inside? Innocent and duped by Johnny Trattori as most reports claimed, or using the orphaned children as a cover after she took her ex's money then tried to distance herself from Trattori and not go down with him?

Trattori's ex should not be appealing to Nick. He had instinctively dived in the water to save her, but every look, every brief touch had not only been intriguing but felt substantial, real, exhilarating.

Nick didn't experience real or substantial with women. He flirted and dated. Never anything serious. Women seemed drawn to him, but Mama was always worrying about his ‘trust issues.' She was right to worry. He didn't need any woman getting too close and wanting to delve into his psyche or cure him. He was busy with his career in security, working long hours with Aiden and doing his part to right the wrongs in the world. He didn't have time for a serious relationship while working night and day to be almost as good as Aiden fighting with or without weapons and deploying on assignments.

Aiden would never settle down and marry. He'd confided in Nick that it wasn't fair to the woman he would marry to never be there for her, or to him to lose his focus on his goals to protect, help, and rid the world of filth.

Yet Aiden had assigned Nick to watch over the beautiful Chalisa Anderson last weekend and Nick had been blindsided, overwhelmed, and beaten by five thugs who called a drug lord their boss. He still had some bruises and scrapes to show for it.

Chalisa had been kidnapped. Aiden had humbled himself like Nick had never seen and called in every favor to find Chalisa. Nick suspected he loved the lady, but Nick had left for this show taping before he saw what the outcome was with his boss and Miss Anderson.

Nick still doubted Aiden would let down his guard and change his life plans. He thought his boss was spot on about not forming attachments. His security lifestyle took all his time and focus.

What if the woman standing next to him could make him rethink his priorities, question his revered boss, and change his own life plan?

No. He knew far too much about Darcy Saint to even risk letting down his guard around her.

Mercedes had bragged about Darcy earlier as Nick had cruised with them around the island then back to this dock for ‘maximum camera impact' of Nick and Darcy's initial meeting. To hear Mercedes boast, the lady was charitable, unselfish, and undeniably beautiful.

Nick would've agreed—if she wasn't Trattori's ex. But he couldn't deny that he felt both protective of her and drawn to her. If she was innocent, she needed his protection.

He should be edging the other direction, but he found himself brushing his arm against hers and then his hand. He instinctively wanted to protect her and soothe her anxiety about the challenges they would be involved in. It would be better for both of them if he kept a distance.

"Similar to Avalyn's death-defying and terrifying experience," Bridger continued, "Nick will compete in the same stunts I originally competed with Ramsey in—free-diving, skydiving, volcano surfing, and ultimate fighting. Your competition will be a little safer, since nobody will be threatening either of your lives."

"So I just have to survive"—Darcy's voice quavered on the word—"and let Nick rescue me each day?"

It would be more unsettling to be under the water waiting for someone to free dive to him, or hurtling at terminal velocity and hoping a rescuer caught up, than doing the events himself. He liked action and things within his control.

"Yes. It will be challenging for you as well, and you'll definitely be an active participant in everything but the sparring match."

"Oh. Okay." Her tanned skin turned pale. Her hands trembled, and she worried her lip.

Nick wrapped his hand around hers. She startled and looked down at their joined hands and then back up at him. Her eyes were an intriguing blue, deep and beautiful like a sapphire jewel. Their hands together felt more right to him than anything he'd experienced before.

"Don't worry," he said softly. "I've got you."

She smiled, albeit tremulously. "I'm trusting you, Lieutenant Nick."

Nick grinned to hide the unsettling churning in his gut at those words. His fellow marines and especially Captain Porter had trusted him, and he'd trusted them. He trusted Mama, Papa, and his siblings. He trusted the men and women he worked with under Aiden.

But he'd never trusted an unrelated female the way she was intoning. Especially one with a past like hers. He wouldn't trust her, but he needed her to trust him.

He trailed his thumb across her soft hand and assured her, "You can trust me."

Her eyes widened, and he had the unsettling feeling she was going to pull away, but Bridger started speaking again. She settled, kept her hand in his, and they turned to face the extreme athlete together.

Together. Had he ever had a together with anyone? Not like this. What was he thinking? Should he be telling Mercedes he couldn't be part of this week and running to call Aiden, or should he play his role as Darcy's protector and champion this week, spend a lot of time with her, answer the question of whether she was or wasn't in league with her ex and aware of all his filthy deeds, and possibly get an inside scoop on how to expose and dispose of Trattori?

"If you remember from my week with Avalyn, I only lost to Ramsey on the volcano sleds. You can only lose at one event and still win the million dollars for Miss Saint's charity," Bridger said.

"We won't lose at any," Nick said.

Shawn laughed softly. It wasn't a laugh that Nick appreciated, and he'd like to teach the guy to never laugh like that again. He shot him a warning look, but Shawn only smirked at him.

"Who am I going to be competing against?" Nick asked, thinking it would probably be Shawn.

"Me." A man walked onto the back deck and tilted his chin up to them, folding his arms across his chest. He was built. Nick could give him that. But had this man been trained under Captain Aiden Porter as a Marine and then worked his way into the honor of Aiden's top security specialist? Nick highly doubted it.

Another man followed the first guy onto the deck, also strong-looking and obviously military. He hadn't seen these two on the yacht earlier, but it was a huge yacht. They were both tall, dark, maybe above average in the looks department. They weren't as handsome as him, though. He smiled to himself.

Mercedes gestured. "Captain Jagger Lemuel and Lieutenant Hays West, both active Navy SEALs and some of the most talented, impressive, competitive, and loyal men I've ever met." She looked at Shawn, who smiled at her.

Nick hadn't seen Shawn smile yet. Aiden had told him that his friend Cash Trapper had quietly warned him about Shawn. Cash thought something was fishy about the guy. Nick agreed.

"They are Shawn's close friends and here as a personal favor to him and on leave from their SEAL unit. They almost bested Captain Aiden Porter last week."

Shawn and the other men exchanged a grimace.

Nick was the one smiling now. "Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades," he said, meeting Captain Lemuel's gaze and receiving a level glare.

The men reached them on the dock, and each extended their hands. Darcy released Nick's hand to shake. He felt an intense letdown from not touching her. Odd and concerning. He had to keep his guard up better around her.

Lemuel stayed in front of him and looked him up and down. "You work with Captain Porter?"

"I'm his top specialist," Nick countered, pride filling him.

Lemuel cracked his knuckles and nodded with a satisfied smile. "Good. Porter earned our respect, and we gave each other a lot of bruises. It'll be a pleasure to destroy you."

Nick grinned. The only thing he liked better than taking down drug lords and traffickers was a little ‘friendly' competition. "Can't wait."

Lemuel chuckled softly.

"Captain Lemuel will be competing directly against you," Bridger explained. "Lieutenant West will be setting up each event with our staff, checking for safety, and assisting Miss Saint."

West gave Darcy what could only be termed as a ‘shy smile' and ‘puppy dog eyes.' Like a little boy experiencing his first crush. Nick didn't like it. He would've preferred the guy flirted openly with her or leered at her. Then Nick could shut him down. How could he counteract a tough Navy SEAL who appeared shy, approachable, and relatable?

Nick shouldn't even care if West was after Darcy.

He did.

His spine got even stiffer when Darcy smiled back. "I'm glad I'll have a friend watching out for me," she said. "We'll let them beat each other up for the sake of their pride, and you'll keep me safe. Right?"

"That's right," West said, his shy smile becoming a large, happy grin.

Nick's competitiveness flared. He wrapped an arm around Darcy's waist and tugged her closer. The towel she'd had wrapped around her fell to the dock. He let it fall. He was shocked by how incredible it felt to cup her trim waist with his palm and fingers and how she leaned into him. It felt as if her body was created to mold with his. Warm tingles broke out across his skin. Forget competitiveness. He only wanted to cuddle this woman closer.

"I'm protecting, rescuing, and fighting for you. I'll be the one to help you win a million dollars. Right?" He gave her the patented smoldering look he'd learned from watching Aiden get women to swoon the world over. Yet Aiden never had any serious intentions about any woman. Nick never had before this point. He still shouldn't. Trattori's traitorous ex, he reminded himself. The title felt disrespectful and incorrect regarding Darcy.

"How could I forget that?" She blinked up at him, those blue eyes sparkling like gems. "You rescued me when I fell in the water."

"Yes, I did."

"Have you already explained to Lieutenant Jacobs the different events I'll be besting him at?" Lemuel interrupted their exchange. Curse him. Nick would beat him this week, just as Aiden had last week. Nobody could beat Aiden but his brother Ike, but Nick was very close. Very, very close. Lemuel had no idea what was coming.

"Briefly." Bridger Hawk watched them all as if slightly amused. Nick assumed with his second child on the way and a beautiful and accomplished wife, he didn't get much into posturing or competition anymore.

"There are only four events, so tonight you can relax and get to know each other while the yacht takes you to your first location." Bridger smirked, as if ‘getting to know each other' would only ramp up the tension between the men.

If only Nick could be alone with Darcy and get to know her. It would be great research, or maybe it would just be great.

"Just as Ramsey and I did, you'll start with a free dive. Hays and Darcy will be waiting fifty feet down with a scuba regulator. Whoever reaches Darcy first and cuts her free from the anchor tied around her ankle wins the day."

Darcy tensed against him and at the same time wrapped her arm around his waist and hung on tight. "Fifty feet? An anchor? With a what kind of regulator?"

"You'll be okay," West hurried to reassure her before Nick could. "As a SEAL, I'm an expert diver. I'll take good care of you."

Nick's gut tightened.

"And as a SEAL, I'll have you out of there in no time," Lemuel said, grinning and giving Nick a challenging look.

Nick wanted to taunt back, but he decided to keep his cards close to his chest. They didn't need to know where his expertise lay or how widespread it was.

"On Wednesday," Bridger continued, "you'll compete in skydiving."

Darcy clung even tighter to him.

"You okay?" he whispered against her hairline.

"Unlike you three, I'm just a normal girl who takes care of my babies all day. I don't free dive or jump out of a perfectly good airplane. I stay in the airplane." She blinked up at him so beautifully that he swore he'd protect her from everything and everyone. Especially her ex. For that instant, he was convinced she was innocent.

The rest of the group chuckled at that.

Nick smiled. "I'll be right there to keep you safe." He kissed her temple. She all but melted into him.

"I'll be holding your hand the entire time," West interjected.

Sheesh, the guy was annoying.

"Until I catch up to you both, and then I hold Darcy close," Nick reminded West.

"West will be holding your hand," Bridger explained. "And making certain if neither of the men reach you before two-thousand feet elevation that you have deployed your chute yourself and are safe."

"Okay," she squeaked out.

"Day three, Thursday, you will be sledding down black volcanic rock in Nicaragua. Darcy starts on her own sled, and you both try to catch her and jump on."

They both nodded.

"Day four, Friday, is a sparring match on Daytona Beach. We'll spread the word and have a crowd for that one. Then you're done. Any questions?"

All the men exchanged glances, shook their heads, and focused on Darcy. She released her grip on Nick, straightened, and edged away from him. He didn't like it, but he needed to release her, get some distance and see things clearly. Darcy stood on her own and looked brave and beautiful.

"Thank you for this opportunity." She nodded to Mercedes.

"I'm so happy to give it. You're incredible," Mercedes gushed.

"Thank you for being willing to help me." She nodded to West and Nick.

"Of course," Nick said.

"It's an honor," West brown-nosed.

"Tell Avalyn that I adore her." She nodded to Bridger.

"I will. She'll be sad she missed out."

"And now I guess it's time to steal your line." She grinned at Bridger, looked into the camera and said, "What's a challenge and where do I find it?"

Everyone laughed. Nick had never been more impressed.

"You are the most beautifully brave woman I've ever met," he said to her.

She blinked up at him and leaned in close, whispering against his neck, "It's all fake bravado. That and my faith in Jesus is all I've got right now."

"Not true," he said. "You've got me."

Their gazes met and held, and he found himself lost in her blue eyes.

He meant his words. He would stand by her side and help her through this show. All the better if he got the inside scoop on Johnny Trattori in the process.

Now to make certain he didn't get too invested in Johnny's ex. She knew he worked for Aiden, but there hadn't been any indication that she was concerned about a security specialist getting too close to her. Maybe she was innocent. Or maybe she was as good at hiding her true intentions as Nick was.

Somehow, he'd get answers in the next five days.