Her Very Strict Captain by Carpenter, Maggie (best book club books of all time TXT) 📗

just finished driving around the hotel deciding where they should enter the building when the police car rolled in. As two officers had stepped out, Jack had immediately pulled into a parking space and cut the engine.

“The best laid plans,” Scott grunted. “I’ll check Dan’s room and see what he’s up to.” But as he pulled the phone from his pocket a call came in. “It’s Elizabeth,” he muttered. “I’d better take it.”

“Scott, I’m so glad you answered,” she said urgently. “The police just walked into Dan’s room, but David Clark is there too, hiding in the bathroom. Conchello sent him to make sure Dan didn’t take off.”

“David Clark is with Dan,” Scott repeated, staring at Jack. “Elizabeth, I’m putting you on speaker.”

“You have company?”

“Yeah, I’ll explain later,” he replied, hitting the icon. “Go ahead. What happened?”

“David Clark showed up about five minutes ago, then the cops arrived. I know you can see all this with your camera feed, but when I saw David go into the bathroom I thought I’d better warn you in case you missed him.”

“Thanks. What’s happening now?”

“The police want to take Dan to the station. It’s about the complaint you filed, breaking into your boat and harassing you. They’re leaving with him right now.”

“I’m glad you called,” Scott said gratefully. “You were right. It’s entirely possible I might not have seen David Clark.”

“I’m so relieved you got there safely.”

“I told you it was no big deal.”

“It looks like a big deal from where I’m standing, and it’s getting worse.”

“Don’t worry about me, just keep watching.”

“Okay. Good luck.”

“You like her,” Jack remarked with a grin as Scott ended the call. “You like her a lot.”

Scott rolled his eyes.

“Hey, I think it’s great,” Jack continued. “It’s about time you—”

“Jack, look,” Scott interrupted, spotting the two officers leaving the hotel with Dan between them.

“Shit. Are we screwed? Who’s David Clark? Do we know anything about him? Can we use him instead?”

“I haven’t had a chance to tell you,” Scott replied. “Elizabeth recognized him. He was one of the guys who searched my yacht, but he worked for the DEA under the same guy she did. He must have flipped to the dark side, so yeah, the plan is still doable.”

“Damn. How many of these crooked bastards are there?”

“Too many, are you ready?”

“You bet. Let’s roll.”

As the police car left the parking lot, Jack drove to the back of the hotel and stopped next to an outside stairwell. With the wind and rain whipping around them, they trotted up the emergency stairs to the second floor, pushed open the steel door, and moved swiftly down the passage to Dan’s room. With Jack keeping his eyes peeled, Scott tested the door.

Unlocked.

Luck was on their side.

Pulling out his phone, he checked the camera feed.

A stocky man was bent over a dresser rifling through the drawers.

After quickly showing the image to Jack, they donned balaclavas, drew their weapons, and crept inside. While Jack softly closed the door, Scott stole forward.

David’s body jerked.

With lightning speed Scott flew across the room, yanked David’s arm up behind him and slammed him against the wall.

“You’d better back off,” David snarled. “You don’t know who you’re messing with.”

“Wrong,” Scott growled, pressing his forearm against the back of David’s neck. “You’re David Clark, a DEA agent now working for Sonny Conchello.”

“Stop! You’re breaking my fucking spine,” David croaked. “What do you want? Who are you?”

“I’m your worst fucking nightmare, and if you don’t do exactly as I say, I’ll leave you with a bullet in each of your knees, then my friend will break your fingers—one by one. Do I make myself clear?”

“Fuck.”

“I repeat, you’ll do exactly as I say, capeesh?”

“Yeah, yeah, okay, just get off my fucking neck.”

* * *

Jim Parker couldn’t sleep.

Insomnia had plagued him since accepting one hundred thousand dollars from Sonny Conchello years before.

And the money had kept coming.

Jim loved the oodles of cash.

It made the restless nights tolerable.

But now Elizabeth had disappeared.

The thought of her being in Conchello’s clutches was almost too much to bear.

His cell phone rang.

Bleary-eyed and wide awake, he almost welcomed the distraction.

“Why don’t you turn that damn thing off and give yourself a break once in a while?” his wife grumbled as he sat up.

“I wish I could,” he replied, lifting it off the nightstand and frowning at the screen.

His heart skipped.

Unidentified caller.

Conchello?

“Hello?” Jim muttered, hastily climbing from the bed and leaving the room.

“Jim, it’s David Clark.”

“What the hell? Why are you calling me?”

“Our boss says you have to come to the islands right away.”

A cold chill pricking his skin, Jim tried to control his panic as he hurried down the stairs and into his study.

Conchello had just restructured his organization.

Jim was now in charge of the street dealers’ network.

He was about to become filthy rich, but it required him to remain in Los Angeles.

Why was the drug lord suddenly demanding his presence in the islands?

“Jim? Jim, are you there?” David asked urgently. “Hello? Are you there?”

“Yeah, I’m here,” Jim replied, entering the small office and quickly closing the door. “Let me speak to him.”

“He doesn’t want to talk. You have to catch the next flight out.”

“That’s impossible,” Jim exclaimed, breaking out in a cold sweat. “There’s no way I can just leave at a moment’s notice. It’s out of the question.”

“Hold on.”

With his heart racing and his hands shaking, Jim splashed bourbon into a glass and downed a large swallow. Not only did the summons contradict everything Conchello had told him, the drug lord didn’t want to speak to him.

“Jim, listen,” David began, his voice oddly hoarse, “he says if you’re not here by tomorrow night he’ll fly to L.A. and come to your house. He’d like to send your wife and daughter on a trip to the monastery.”

Horror rippling through his veins, Jim flopped on the couch.

“Did you hear what I said?”

“Yeah, I heard,” Jim managed, a terrifying tightness moving through his chest. “I’ll be there.”

“Grab a pen.”

“Uh… wait…” Jim mumbled, his entire body trembling