“Easy for you to say,” Austin said, acknowledging the kernel of terror still burning like a coal in his gut. “She’s not your daughter.”
“Once we start getting into the facts, you won’t be worried about her. But if you don’t uncuff me now, you’re going to have to worry about me in a very different way when they finally come off.”
Austin nodded to Decker, who uncuffed him.
Steele rubbed his wrists and gestured toward the broken windows. “And my men too.”
Austin was about ready to deny that request when one of Steele’s men called through the broken window, “No need, boss. We’re out.”
A shocked “What the fuck?” came from Ty, followed by the chink of metal against metal and one of Steele’s team members asking, “Who’s a fuckin’ Daisy now?”
Hearty laughter made Austin damn glad he hadn’t gone toe to toe with these men.
Now, he just had to figure out how to slip away from them.
16
Everly pulled the last two MREs from the box. She was going to have to wade out to the boat where she’d anchored it off the beach and grab another box soon.
“What do you think, Bella?” she asked the girl, who sat in the sand beneath the shade of tropical trees, drawing with a stick. “Southwest beef and black beans? Or chicken pesto pasta?”
Bella shot Everly a glare.
“That’s what I thought.” Everly
closed her eyes on a sigh. She felt another temper tantrum coming on, though whether that would come from Bella or herself, she wasn’t sure. “Should we go search for bananas and coconuts again?”
“No.” Her denial was quick and sharp.
“No, thank you,” Everly corrected. Her patience had thinned in direct correlation with Bella’s dipping mood.
The girl stabbed the sand with her stick. “I want Daddy.”
Everly heaved a sigh and scanned the horizon. “I know, honey.” Then, under her breath, she muttered, “And he’s taking his damn sweet time.”
She and Bella had been at his property named Last Resort for two full days. The sun would set in about an hour, and without any sign of Austin, Everly was beginning to wonder if she’d misjudged him. She’d expected him on the beach of Last Resort gunning for her within hours of leaving with Bella.
The fun had worn off for Bella about an hour after they’d come ashore. Even after Everly had made a hut worthy of a Better Homes and Gardens jungle edition, Bella was having none of it. Even snuggling with Pauli on the seat cushions and blankets from the boat, beneath the stars, the ocean lapping at the shore, she’d sniffled herself to sleep without her daddy for two nights straight.
Everly couldn’t even imagine the trauma taking her from him permanently would cause the girl.
“I’ll start dinner,” she told Bella, “then I’ll read you more stories.”
“I don’t want dinner or stories.” The girl knew how to pout and whine, that was for sure. And Everly had run out of ideas to soothe her. She was about at the hair-pulling stage. On the upside, their immersion of sorts had accelerated Bella’s learning curve. The girl was speaking in consistent full sentences—unless she was sobbing for her father.
If Austin didn’t show up before they turned in for the night, Everly would have to break out her last burner phone. As soon as she activated the phone, it would be game over. She was sure Sam was tracking all the phones for activity. She wasn’t afraid of her own men. Wasn’t even afraid of getting fired—again. But she was afraid that Roman would stick to the original plan and turn Bella over to Seaver.
Everly lit the camp stove she’d found in the boat and poured bottled water into a pan to boil. Then she sat next to Bella on the sand. The girl immediately climbed in her lap and curled up.
“I want to go home,” she whined. “I want Daddy.”
Everly hugged her close. “I know, baby. I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”
While the water heated, the sun dipped. And as dusk deepened, Everly’s gut tightened. She second-guessed this plan. Second-guessed her decisions. Second-guessed her feelings for Austin. She was really only sure of one thing—she was upside down and inside out. And she didn’t know how she was going to find level footing again.
The water simmered, and Everly moved Bella back to the cushions as she opened the MRE and read the directions. Even in the rare event she’d had to eat these on an op, the guys had always cooked them for her.
The thought made her smile. But realizing she’d probably exhausted Roman’s patience killed the happy memory. Everly pushed away the idea of being banished from the team. She couldn’t let herself cross that bridge until she got right with Austin. Until she got Bella back with her father, where the girl belonged.