senseless. He wanted...a lot of things he was never going to have.
He took her slim fingers and guided them away from his mouth. “All right,” he said, resigned.
“Don’t be dreary, Alex. This is going to be fabulous.”
* * *
It was ten of midnight and Lili had butterflies of excitement in her stomach as they boarded the Lady Jane . At last, she and Alex would have a little time to themselves out in the open, like regular people. She planned to savor every moment of their secret getaway.
The cruiser was docked in the hold portside, concealed behind a hydraulic door, so no special precautions against detection by the paparazzi were required to get on the boat. Even so, both Alex and Lili wore black hooded coveralls over their beach clothes. Once out on open water, all in black, wearing their hoods, they would be harder for the ever-watchful press people to identify.
In the cockpit, Alex lifted the cushion on one of the benches to reveal the storage space beneath. Inside were orange life jackets. He handed her one and got one for himself. They put them on.
“Go below,” he commanded, gesturing toward the small cabin as he took the helm.
She dropped to the forward-facing seat next to him, put up her hood and tossed her canvas hat and backpack through the opening that led to where he’d told her to go. “I’m letting you drive,” she cheerfully informed him. “Be happy with that.”
He sent her one of his dark looks, but at least he stopped telling her what to do. Instead, he got on the radio and gave the order to have the hull door lifted and the platform beneath the Lady Jane lowered to the water.
In no time, they were on their way, sliding free of the platform and onto the softly rolling night-black waves. Alex had the cruiser’s engine going low and slow at first. They parted from the Princess like a lover slipping away in the night, sliding slowly eastward, the darkly gleaming waves lapping the hull of the cruiser so gently that the sound to Lili’s ears seemed caressing. Tender. As though the sea itself welcomed them on their midnight adventure.
To draw no attention to their departure, the helicopter with two of Alex’s best men in it wouldn’t take off after them until later, when they were in sight of their island destination. Alex was constantly in contact with his men, so it really wasn’t necessary for the men to be right on top of them.
It was a clear night, with only the faintest breeze to ruffle the surface of the sea. The moon was no more than a pale sliver in the starry sky. Once they were out of sight of the Princess, the night seemed very dark, the sea an endless expanse of shifting black. The sky above was silent. There were no other boats in sight.
She glanced toward Alex at the wheel. He seemed to feel her look. He turned to her. Beneath the shadows of his hood, she saw his white teeth flash.
Alex. Smiling. It was a good sign. A very good sign. She congratulated herself for planning this getaway.
As the Lady Jane picked up speed, Lili let the wind push back her hood and tipped her head up to the dark sky. Her long hair streamed out behind her and she felt happier than she had in months.
But then Alex said, “Listen. Do you hear it?”
She didn’t. Nothing but the wind rushing by, the rising growl of the engine and the churning of the water as the boat sliced through it. She opened her mouth to say no.
And then she did hear it. “Another boat...” It was coming from behind them.
Alex eased the throttle higher. The Lady Jane roared and the wind blew her hair out like a banner behind her. He shouted, “Go below.”
No way. She turned to stare back in the direction they had come and pretended not to hear him. That was when she saw the other boat, saw the glow of its lights. It was hard to tell the size of it, way back there, in the distance.
But it seemed to be getting larger, didn’t it? Gaining on them...
“Hold on tight,” Alex shouted. She grabbed the bar above
He took her slim fingers and guided them away from his mouth. “All right,” he said, resigned.
“Don’t be dreary, Alex. This is going to be fabulous.”
* * *
It was ten of midnight and Lili had butterflies of excitement in her stomach as they boarded the Lady Jane . At last, she and Alex would have a little time to themselves out in the open, like regular people. She planned to savor every moment of their secret getaway.
The cruiser was docked in the hold portside, concealed behind a hydraulic door, so no special precautions against detection by the paparazzi were required to get on the boat. Even so, both Alex and Lili wore black hooded coveralls over their beach clothes. Once out on open water, all in black, wearing their hoods, they would be harder for the ever-watchful press people to identify.
In the cockpit, Alex lifted the cushion on one of the benches to reveal the storage space beneath. Inside were orange life jackets. He handed her one and got one for himself. They put them on.
“Go below,” he commanded, gesturing toward the small cabin as he took the helm.
She dropped to the forward-facing seat next to him, put up her hood and tossed her canvas hat and backpack through the opening that led to where he’d told her to go. “I’m letting you drive,” she cheerfully informed him. “Be happy with that.”
He sent her one of his dark looks, but at least he stopped telling her what to do. Instead, he got on the radio and gave the order to have the hull door lifted and the platform beneath the Lady Jane lowered to the water.
In no time, they were on their way, sliding free of the platform and onto the softly rolling night-black waves. Alex had the cruiser’s engine going low and slow at first. They parted from the Princess like a lover slipping away in the night, sliding slowly eastward, the darkly gleaming waves lapping the hull of the cruiser so gently that the sound to Lili’s ears seemed caressing. Tender. As though the sea itself welcomed them on their midnight adventure.
To draw no attention to their departure, the helicopter with two of Alex’s best men in it wouldn’t take off after them until later, when they were in sight of their island destination. Alex was constantly in contact with his men, so it really wasn’t necessary for the men to be right on top of them.
It was a clear night, with only the faintest breeze to ruffle the surface of the sea. The moon was no more than a pale sliver in the starry sky. Once they were out of sight of the Princess, the night seemed very dark, the sea an endless expanse of shifting black. The sky above was silent. There were no other boats in sight.
She glanced toward Alex at the wheel. He seemed to feel her look. He turned to her. Beneath the shadows of his hood, she saw his white teeth flash.
Alex. Smiling. It was a good sign. A very good sign. She congratulated herself for planning this getaway.
As the Lady Jane picked up speed, Lili let the wind push back her hood and tipped her head up to the dark sky. Her long hair streamed out behind her and she felt happier than she had in months.
But then Alex said, “Listen. Do you hear it?”
She didn’t. Nothing but the wind rushing by, the rising growl of the engine and the churning of the water as the boat sliced through it. She opened her mouth to say no.
And then she did hear it. “Another boat...” It was coming from behind them.
Alex eased the throttle higher. The Lady Jane roared and the wind blew her hair out like a banner behind her. He shouted, “Go below.”
No way. She turned to stare back in the direction they had come and pretended not to hear him. That was when she saw the other boat, saw the glow of its lights. It was hard to tell the size of it, way back there, in the distance.
But it seemed to be getting larger, didn’t it? Gaining on them...
“Hold on tight,” Alex shouted. She grabbed the bar above
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