Chapter 18

Seb remained on the beach while Alexis hurried to the sailboat. She'd sensed he needed a minute alone with Caleb.

During his brief stay in Paris, they'd grown comfortable with each other. The past two days had brought them closer. Seb suddenly realized he would feel her absence when she returned to Paris.

He couldn't think about that now. Dwelling on the future was a luxury Seb couldn't afford. He needed to focus on the present and figure out a way to get Alexis to Miami.

They needed to leave the island without delay. It wouldn't take Alexis long to unfurl the sails and check that the only damage to the boat was the scorched deck. He only had a few minutes to warn Caleb.

"Antoine sent ten men," Seb said once Alexis was too far away to overhear their conversation. "The math doesn't work for me. I'd have sent twelve. Four in each boat."

"There's another boat still out there. Our radar didn't pick it up." Caleb nodded his head, agreeing with Seb's assessment of the situation.

"They won't make as much noise as their friends when they arrive. Their job is to assess the situation. They'll have two options," Seb said, spelling it out for Caleb. While the guy was capable, he didn't know him well enough to know if he'd be able to work it out himself. "They'll either leave and report back to Antoine or join the men on the island."

"We'll need to drag what's left of their boats to the other side of the island to encourage them to land," Caleb said immediately.

"It would be preferable if they couldn't report back." Seb didn't need to worry. Leo had chosen his men well. They'd do the job.

"We'll watch for them. If they show up, we'll take them out." Caleb's eyes scanned the water beyond the cove as he spoke.

"Twenty-six acres is a lot of space to hide. You sure you don't need help with the remaining three men?" They hadn't finished the job and Seb knew from experience the tiniest oversight could alter the outcome. An extra hand could make a difference. "It's going to be tough to get your men together with the communication systems down."

"We have other ways to communicate." Caleb grinned and pointed his gun at the smoldering motorboat. He fired three times, paused, and fired three more shots. "The sign to regroup at the cave. There's equipment hidden in a crate that will allow us to hook up with a satellite. We'll be able to locate Antoine's men."

"What about the house?" Seb asked. It would be a pity to destroy the place, but he knew Leo wouldn't want to leave any trace of his presence on the island.

"We follow the plan and dismantle the systems. There's a spot a half-mile away from the island. We'll toss the equipment into the sea and salvage later if we can. Everyone, including our dead, will leave on the fishing boat. If Leo can sell the island, he will."

A burst of submachine gunfire cut through the air. Caleb cast a worried glance at the jungle bordering the white sand. He must be concerned about his team.

Seb was impressed with Leo's planning and organization. It was a side of him they'd never seen on the SEAL team. He'd come across a doer, not a thinker. Loyalty kept his men by his side, not money. That said something about the mercenary.

If Seb had any hesitation about what he was going to propose to his partners, they were gone. Leo had proved he belonged in Shadow Defense and would be an asset to their team. Seb would make sure it happened.

"These guys were overconfident. They provided us with weaknesses to exploit." Seb met Caleb's gaze squarely. While the man displayed unwavering confidence, they would still be in danger once they left the island. "The next team Antoine sends won't make that mistake."

"We'll be ready for them," Caleb said, his face as grim as Seb's voice.

Seb nodded and turned to the sailboat. Alexis stood on the deck, waiting for him. They were ready to cast off.

"Good luck. Tell Leo I expect to hear from him," Seb said, as he extended his hand.

Caleb shook it and then waved to Alexis. Weapon raised, he sprinted across the sand to join his men at the cave.

"It won't be easy to find the remaining three men," Alexis remarked as Seb stepped onto the deck.

"Their plan is solid," Seb said, as he cast off the mooring lines. Alexis took the helm.

And they were highly motivated. Eliminating the men would blind Antoine and provide Leo with a brief opportunity to move freely without being watched.

The lush tropical island surrounded by clear turquoise water retreated behind them as the sailboat headed into the open sea. It was a deceiving fa?ade for the battle going on beneath the towering trees. It was the first skirmish in a larger conflict that had yet to reveal itself.

Gunfire shattered the silence, driving home the weight of Seb's thoughts. He turned away and walked over to Alexis.

"I'll feel better when we've put several miles between us and the island," Seb said as he stood beside Alexis and looked out into the ocean. He needed to level with her. She needed to know about the possibility of a third boat. "If it were me, I would have sent three boats. Four men in each boat."

"There's a third boat out here somewhere. A contingency plan." Alexis nodded as she turned the wheel slightly to catch more wind. "Someone to report back if things didn't go as planned."

"That would be my guess." Seb's gut said it wasn't a guess. The boat was out there.

"I set a course back to Key West." Alexis made a couple more adjustments to the sails and their speed picked up. "We'll need to come up with a better destination. I want to keep Maxwell and Daphney out of this."

So did Seb, but if Caleb was right, whoever Antoine answered to already had a list of everyone connected to Shadow Defense. He'd need to talk to Maxwell and warn him.

"I've decided to hand everything I have over to Finlay." Alexis's mouth pressed together in a tight line. "She can blow the case wide open with or without Dr. Butler's help. We just need to figure out a safe place to meet her."

Handing the information over to the investigative reporter was tempting, but it wouldn't get them any closer to finding out who was behind the creation of the genetically engineered algae. Finlay spent months researching before writing a word and she didn't hesitate to go undercover to dig for the truth.

Their lack of information forced them to operate under the assumption the threat was imminent. Time was a luxury they didn't have, among other factors.

"Transparency in this case would only cause worldwide panic." Seb scrubbed his face, wondering if that was the endgame. "Dr. Butler is our only lead. We have to go to Miami."

Alexis shook her head adamantly. "Antoine will have men watching Dr. Butler, his lab, and probably his home. We won't be able to get near him without being spotted. He'll probably have people watching the marinas."

"He won't expect us to head for the Everglades." A plan took form in Seb's head as he tapped the screen of the navigation panel beside Alexis.

"That just delays the inevitable." Alexis wore a puzzled frown. "We still need to contact Dr. Butler. They'll spot us the minute we set foot on campus."

"It buys us the time Javier needs to prepare a diversion." As plans went, it wasn't original, but Seb was sure it would work. He mimicked a news anchor's voice. "Accident leaves respected oceanographer Dr. Alexis Hayes in critical condition."

Alexis stared at him blankly.

"Wrapped in bandages, no one will know it's Vala lying in the hospital bed. The two of you are the same size. You both have black hair. As long as she keeps her eyes closed, no one will suspect it isn't you."

Though the minute Vala opened her eyes, anyone near would know it was a ruse. Alexis's striking violet eyes had captivated the world when she first appeared on the cover of the National Oceanographer. Her face had appeared on countless scientific magazine covers since, lending her support to various causes.

According to Finlay, Alexis had turned down a lucrative contract for a fashion photoshoot. The designer had paid her a visit to beg her to model for him. She'd told him he had five minutes to get off her boat or he could join them on their photoshoot of a school of Blue Sharks. He'd hightailed it out of there.

"We'll stay in the Everglades while Javier sets everything up. I doubt Antoine has men watching the university at night, but we'll wait until tomorrow night to break into Dr. Butler's lab. All eyes should be on Vala at that point." Seb would contact Javier when they were further away from the island.

"How long do you think it will take before Antoine realizes his attack on the island failed?" Alexis's fingers tightened around the wheel.

"We should be able to make it to the Everglades before that." He hoped. Seb's thoughts drifted back to the third boat. It was out on the water, waiting. "I'll be right back."

He headed to his cabin. The dip in the ocean water to distract the Tiger Shark hadn't been enough to fully wash away the blood on Alexis's wetsuit.

Seb had noticed she'd been careful to look straight ahead. Not once had Alexis lowered her gaze to her wetsuit.

Stress was taking its toll on Alexis. Fine lines crossed her forehead. Faint circles under her eyes matched the violet irises. Crossing the Atlantic solo wouldn't have been easy. It was sheer determination to end the threat posed by the algae that kept her on her feet.

Seb grabbed two thick towels and a hand towel from a cupboard in the cabin. He soaked them in the head's sink and wrung them out.

Her world differed vastly from his. Seb didn't know how to help her cope with the events considered normal in his world. Alexis thrived on predictability and routine. He thrived on chaos.

Pancakes. He'd google a pancake recipe and make them for her. An hour more on the water and they could relax. It would be lunchtime. He'd whip up a batch of pancakes while she showered. Seb smiled as he left the cabin.

"What are those for?" Alexis pointed to the wet towels.

"Turn on the autopilot," Seb said and motioned her over to the middle of the sailboat. He kept one towel and set the others on a bench.

"When we're further away, we'll find a spot to drop anchor. We can take a quick swim and wash the blood out of our wetsuits. This will have to do for now."

She stood in front of him, facing the stern, arms extended, and Seb wiped down her suit.

"Thank you." Her voice wavered. She stared beyond him, out into the ocean. A tear slid down her cheek.

Seb pretended he didn't notice as he wiped the blood off the front of her suit. She was carrying too much guilt, believing she was responsible for what had happened to the Granthams, Leo's family, and the men on the island. They would talk when she was ready.

Even in a wetsuit with her wet hair hanging down her back in a thick black braid, she was stunning. It wasn't just her physical beauty that took his breath away. It was her, the package deal, which attracted him.

"You can lower your arms now."

Seb threw the towel he'd been using onto the deck, the blue now stained with red, and grabbed the other towel. He walked behind her and started at her feet, careful to remove every trace of red he found.

The zipper on the wetsuit was partially open. Alexis hadn't done it up all the way when she'd pulled off her bra to create the makeshift pressure pads to stop Isandro from bleeding out. Blood smeared her neck and skin under the wetsuit along the length of the zipper.

Seb tossed the towel to the side and picked up the hand towel. He laid her braid over her shoulder and wiped the blood off her neck.

"There's blood under your wetsuit. May I?" Seb placed a hand on the zipper.

Alexis nodded.

He slid the zipper down and gently wiped the blood smeared over her tanned skin. When she'd unzipped the wetsuit to take off her bra, her hands had been covered in blood.

"I'm going to need to pull down the shoulders," Seb said, and Alexis nodded once more.

He gently tugged the tight neoprene and slid both shoulders down. He gently rubbed at the blood until not a trace was left.

Something intense flared within him as his rough fingers brushed against her smooth skin. Without thinking, he bent his head and kissed the delicate end of her shoulder. He felt her shiver.

Seb dropped the towel at his feet and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. He feathered kisses along her shoulder. She let out a soft moan when he playfully nibbled the delicate junction where her neck and shoulders met.

His pulse quickened as he kissed his way to her earlobe. He teasingly tugged at it with his teeth.

Alexis drew in a ragged breath, then stiffened.

"Uh… Seb. I think we may have a problem."

He looked up. She pointed to the gray line on the horizon and the small dot moving quickly toward them.