Chapter 4

CHAPTER

FOUR

Maddie quickly scanned the people around her.

Josh was here, of course.

Then she saw Brody. The man was probably in his early thirties with wavy blond hair that fell around his face. His skin was tan. His wet T-shirt and shorts showed a sculpted, broad physique, and his accent sounded Texan. He had a Matthew McConaughey vibe.

Adrienne stood beside him. She was a petite blonde with long hair, bright eyes, and a toothy smile. She wore white jogging shorts and a fuchsia tank top. If Maddie was going to continue making comparisons with actors, then she'd say Adrienne looked a little like Sarah Michelle Gellar.

The other woman—she'd overheard someone call her Bree—had a light brown complexion and long, dark hair. She wore leggings with hiking boots and a white shirt with an emu on it and the words "Do I Look Emused?" Threaded bracelets lined her wrists, and a crocheted headband stretched across the top of her head. Actress: Selma Hayek—if Selma was a crunchy hipster who liked emus.

Maddie instantly liked the woman—mostly because Maddie was a closet fan of emus also. Not many people could say that.

Josh's gaze slid to Brody, who still stood on the other side of Maddie. Josh raked his gaze over the man before turning up his nose as if deeming Brody unworthy.

A surge of protectiveness rose in her. "Josh, this is Brody, the man who saved me. I would be dead if not for him."

Realization washed over Josh as he extended his hand. "I see. Thank you so much for what you did."

"It's no problem." Brody straightened, his shoulders squaring. "Adrienne and I were out jogging when I saw something happening in the water. I'm glad I was here when I was. Just a few minutes difference?—"

"So am I. Of course, I would've saved her myself had I known she was going to be out here so early." Josh pulled out his wallet and brought out two one hundred-dollar bills. "Please, take this as a thank-you."

Horror washed over Maddie.

He wasn't really doing this . . .

But he was.

Brody stared at the money before shaking his head. "I, uh . . . I couldn't possibly take that. I was just trying to be a decent person."

"It's good to know there are still good people out there." Josh offered a stiff smile. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I'm going to take Maddie to get some water. If anyone needs to talk to her, she'll be over there with me." He pointed toward one of the patios where lounge chairs were stretched.

Maddie wasn't ready to move yet, but Josh pulled her away.

She glanced back one last time at the paramedics as they continued to stand around the man she'd tried to save. But the man's body remained lifeless.

Heaviness pressed on her chest.

Josh kept an arm around her as he led her back to the resort. He stopped by a lounge chair near the saltwater lagoon and nudged her into one of the seats.

"I'll be right back with that water," he promised.

Maddie nodded, grateful to have some space from him.

She wished when she'd tried to call off their engagement that she hadn't let Josh convince her otherwise. He'd begged her to wait to make any big decisions until after this retreat. He needed her by his side for the big event.

She watched Josh as he walked away, anxiety knotting her stomach. As soon as this trip was over, Maddie would call it quits between them. That was all there was to it.

The two of them weren't a good fit.

As for this week . . . well, it was important to Josh to maintain his image, and part of that image was having Maddie at his side. He needed to be the picture of stability.

That was what he'd told her.

He worked for Benchmark, a technology company that was the innovator behind a line of computers, phones, and tablets, to name a few. They'd developed products that rivaled—if not excelled—those of Apple. This week they planned to announce their newest project. Whatever it was, there had been a lot of buzz—but very few details—floating out there about it.

Four thousand people were employed at their New York headquarters. Of those, fifty had come on this corporate retreat, along with spouses or a plus one. They were board members and the top innovators—the core players in the company.

Meetings were scheduled. Excursions set up. A luau and concert planned. The event would conclude with a gala where the new CEO would be named and Benchmark's newest product would be launched.

It should be the perfect week in paradise.

So why did a feeling of dread swirl in Maddie's stomach?

"I thought that was you over here." Adrienne appeared beside her.

Maddie forced a smile and tried to push away her heavy thoughts. "It's me."

"I just wanted to check on you one more time," Adrienne said. "Are you sure you're okay? That had to be so scary out there."

Maddie nodded, still embarrassed that people were making such a big deal over her. "I'll be fine. My fiancé went to get me some water."

Adrienne nodded at the empty seat beside her. "Do you mind?"

"Go right ahead." Maddie rubbed a hand across her face and felt the wet hair on her forehead, the gritty sand on her cheek.

She must look like a mess.

But at least she was alive.

"I'm here for the Benchmark retreat also," Adrienne continued.

"Oh, are you? My fiancé?—"

"Is Josh Harding, and you're Maddie Waters," Adrienne finished before shrugging sheepishly. "I know. Not to sound weird, but when you work for Josh Harding, you kind of know about his personal life."

His personal life, which really meant his trophies. He delighted in shiny things. Flashy cars. Big houses. Beautiful women.

Or a beautiful woman. Her.

However, Maddie had suspected on more than one occasion that Josh had cheated on her. But she'd found no proof. It was probably just her paranoia talking. Of the three men she'd seriously dated in her twenty-eight years, the first two had been unfaithful. It seemed to be a pattern in her life.

She didn't want to simply lump Josh into that category. But there were some strange absences of time in Josh's schedule that made her curious.

Then there was the night she'd accidentally run into him on the way home from a work event. When he'd given her a kiss on the cheek, Maddie had thought for sure she'd smelled perfume on him.

And it wasn't Maddie's honeysuckle perfume. This one smelled fancy, like silk and crystal.

"What a crazy way to start this, right?" Adrienne said.

"That might be an understatement." Maddie closed her eyes, still trying to comprehend everything that had happened this morning. The text, the meeting that didn't happen, trying to save the man.

Being saved herself.

Adrienne leaned closer and lowered her voice. "By the way, who was the man who died? Do you know who he was?"

"I have no idea. I never really saw his face. It was too dark."

"It's so tragic . . ." Adrienne rubbed her arms. "I wonder how often terrible things like that happen here in paradise, you know? Do things like this usually get swept under the rug in order not to scare tourists off?"

She didn't know how to respond. But the woman at the airport . . . Maddie couldn't stop thinking about what she'd said.

Letting down your guard can mean the difference between life and death.

It was almost as if her words had been an omen.