Chapter 12

Seb got up to get another cup of coffee from the carafe on the sideboard. Leo was going over everything Alexis knew about Dr. Butler for the second time as they ate breakfast.

It hadn't taken Alexis long to fall asleep next to the edge of the mattress on her side of the bed. Seb had reached out and pulled her into the middle of the bed beside him, worried she'd roll off the bed. In the early hours of the morning, she'd rolled over and into him, groggily apologized, and fell back to sleep curled into the crook of his arm.

He could get used to waking up in the morning with Alexis tucked beside him, but he knew that wasn't possible. She wasn't like Nat. She hadn't grown up in a world where violence and loss were a normal part of life, and he'd never make her a part of that world.

His best friend growing up had chosen a different path to serve his country. He'd applied to the FBI. The man was a genius in understanding people and was a top profiler with the bureau.

During one particularly gruesome case, a perp had become obsessed with the man and had held his wife hostage. She'd killed her. Seb had seen it rip his friend apart. For the longest time, he'd blamed himself for his wife's death. He'd pulled himself together for their five-year-old daughter. She was the only reason he could move forward.

Seb refused to be responsible for someone's death or experience the pain and guilt his friend had felt. His mother was unaware of the measures he'd taken to ensure her safety at the vineyard. She'd be shocked to find out half of her employees had the same skills as him.

Seb knew Alexis felt the same undeniable pull he did. If he acted on it, he knew he wouldn't be able to give her up.

"So, what do you think?" Leo's question snapped him out of his reverie.

It didn't matter what Seb thought. It was Alexis's choice.

"I think it's a brilliant idea," Nat chimed in as she entered the room with a new carafe. "They won't expect Alexis to fly to France and confront Dr. Butler during the conference."

"If he was involved, he'd just lie," Alexis said, shaking her head.

"If you confronted him in Miami, he could just as easily lie." Seb took a sip of his coffee, not understanding her reluctance.

"Not if I'd already looked at his samples and research notes." She reached for a croissant.

Seb choked on his coffee. Nat deftly plucked the cup from his hand before he spilled coffee all over the floor.

"Give her a chance to explain," she murmured.

A chance to explain!? Seb struggled to draw in a breath. She'd had plenty of time to share this little tidbit.

"And when had you intended to mention this?" he croaked after his coughing fit subsided.

"When I had everything figured out," Alexis said, paying an unnecessary amount of attention to spreading butter and jam on the croissant.

"She has a point." Leo smiled as Nat topped off his coffee. "It would be difficult to deny his involvement if we had proof."

"We smuggle her onto our yacht in Marathon. Xenia makes a big deal of being bored and missing the Miami nightlife. Alexis is just another one of her bored, spoiled friends," Nat said, sounding like she'd already thought it through.

Seb scrubbed his face. This sounded more like an outing than a mission.

"Perfect, my love," Leo said and raised his coffee cup in a toast. "We have a plan. Seb and I will work out the details."

"Leo," Isandro entered the room. Leo had introduced Seb to his second-in-command yesterday. "I picked up two motorboats on satellite. They're headed in our direction. I enhanced the image. Ten men. Five in each boat. The image is blurry, but I'm sure they're armed."

"How long will we be dark?" The smile disappeared and Leo's face darkened.

"Thirty minutes. They'll reach the island in twenty."

"Ten men are overkill," Seb said, and Leo nodded.

"What did you do?" Nat's voice cut through the tension building in the room like a sharp, icy breeze, her eyes fixed on Xenia.

"Something none of you had the guts to do." Xenia shrugged, a self-satisfied smile on her face as she reached for a croissant. "They are not worth sacrificing our family and your business connections."

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Leo roared and rose to his feet, a loud crack echoing through the room as his chair crashed to the floor. "Your lover has sent ten men."

He reached out, grabbed the back of Xenia's chair, and threw it across the room. Xenia tumbled to the floor and looked up at him in horror.

"You didn't think I knew you were sleeping with the bastard," he growled and grabbed her arm, lifting her off the floor. Her breaths came out in short, labored pants as she grimaced in pain. "They're not here to chat. Antoine sent them to kill us."

"You don't know that," Xenia spat.

"He will not let us live for fear we know their secrets. We would have been safe if you hadn't betrayed us and given him the location of the island."

"Leo." Nat laid her hand on his shoulder. Her voice was calm. "Set her down. We will deal with her later. You are wasting precious time."

Xenia dropped onto the floor and struggled to her feet. "I'll call him. Reason with him. Your friends' secrets aren't worth dying for."

Leo looked at her, his face grave. "Yes, they are."

"Do you have the sample and USB drive on you?" Seb asked Alexis. She nodded.

Nat was right. The seconds were ticking by. They needed to leave the island.

"Isandro, get the plane ready. Tell the men in the fishing boat to move further out. I want to know when Antoine's men are nearing the island." Leo turned to Seb. "I expected a visit, not a showdown, and wanted enough warning to be ready."

"It was something we should have discussed."

"I was leaving it for today." Leo's answer was curt and he turned to Nat. "Get the children, Galena and Ruslan. Alexis will go with you. Help her."

"If you move an inch, we'll leave you behind and you can find out how much Antoine loves you," Nat hissed at Xenia and then ran out of the room.

"My Viking Twin Otter is in a hangar at the other end of the island," Leo said as another one of his men entered the room. "There's only room for six passengers. Ruslan knows how to fly the floatplane. Alexis can take my place."

"No," Alexis shook her head as she stood. "Your place is with your family. Our scuba gear is on the sailboat. We can hide among the Mangrove tree roots surrounding the island while they search. They won't think of looking in the water."

"If my men don't kill them, they'll destroy your sailboat before they leave. Then you'll have no way off the island."

"Contact Javier," Seb said. Alexis's plan would work—they'd make it work. He wouldn't let his friend sacrifice his family for them. "Give him the coordinates to the island. He'll send a rescue crew."

"They can access the underground cave through the Mangroves. Antoine's men won't find them there," Isandro said and pointed to Xenia as he spoke to the man standing in the doorway. "Take her with you and make sure she doesn't cause trouble. Get everyone on the plane. Wait there until Leo arrives, and when the plane is safely in the air, come back here and hold this position."

The man nodded and wrapped a meaty hand around Xenia's arm.

Leo glared at Xenia. "If she becomes a problem, shoot her. Nothing serious. I'm sure it'll make her behave."

Xenia turned and stared at her brother as they left the room. She knew Leo had meant every word he'd said.

"You mean well, Isandro," Leo said and let out a huge breath. "But Alexis is more important than me. I will not abandon my friends."

"Nor will I," Isandro said, locking eyes with Leo. He squared his shoulders, a determined expression on his face. "Their plan is solid, and as your friend, I will shoot you to get you on that plane. As you pointed out, Ruslan can pilot the Twin Otter. He's taken the little ones on more joy rides than you."

"If he shoots you and I have to help him drag you to the plane, we'll just be wasting time," Seb said, his hands on his hips. He'd grab Isandro's weapon himself and shoot the man if it meant getting him on that aircraft.

"Follow the Mangroves until you reach the remains of an old rowboat. It's the marker to the underwater tunnel that leads to a small cave. It's our last safe place and we can access by land or underwater undetected." Leo said as Isandro tossed him the second machine gun he held. "I'll contact Javier. We're outnumbered, but my men are better than Antoine's."

"You knew Antoine was looking for us." This was what Leo had been hiding from Seb.

"He contacted me prior to your arrival." Leo nodded his head as he slung the machine gun over his shoulder. "I made the mistake of taking the first contract he offered. The men he's involved with aren't people you walk away from. They have more resources than you can imagine. Shadow Defense has been on their radar for quite some time, and they have been monitoring your activities. You have pissed off some very powerful people."

"It would have been easier to have turned us over to them."

"It would have, but that's not the man I am. We can discuss Antoine and his friends at another time."

"Shadow Defense takes care of their own," Seb said, realizing he'd never really known Leo. "We'll find a way to keep your family safe."

"I'm counting on it," Leo said as he left the room.

"Do you need anything from the bedroom?" Seb asked Alexis as they followed Isandro.

She shook her head. "The past couple of days have taught me to travel light."

"We need to hurry. I've met Antoine's people," Isandro said as they ran across the landscaped area surrounding the house to the path leading to the beach. "He won't be sending muscle. These men will be professionals."

Isandro meant men with the same skills as the mercenaries and Shadow Defense's employees. Trained to kill.