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

as he moved unsteadily behind his desk. “Okay, I’m ready.”

“Fly into St. Thomas. Text the arrival details to the number I’m about to give you. Someone will be there to pick you up.”

“Okay, I’ve got it,” he stammered, wishing his heart would stop its wild thumping. “So, uh, what’s this about?”

But David had abruptly ended the call.

Jim closed his eyes, praying when he opened them he’d find the entire episode had been a bad dream.

His prayers were unanswered.

A dark frown carved deep lines in his forehead.

What the hell could have happened?

He thought about the1962 Studebaker Hawk sitting in his garage. He’d been working on the project for years. Hidden under the back seat were brown paper bags full of precious cash.

He’d give every penny back if it meant returning home from the Virgin Islands alive, his limbs intact, and his wife and daughter safe and waiting for him.

* * *

While Scott had held a gun at David’s temple while he’d spoken to Jim Parker, Jack had dropped a pill into a glass of whisky. As the call came to an end, David gratefully accepted the drink, downing it in one gulp.

In less than a minute he was out cold.

Quickly retrieving the wad of money and lifting out the tracker, Scott popped it open, removed the tiny battery, placed both into a small envelope, and stuffed it into his zippered pocket with his phone.

Moving David’s unconscious body down the slippery steel stairs through the wild weather proved challenging, but the worsening storm had kept everyone indoors, leaving the rear of the hotel desolate. Placing him in the SUV’s cargo hold and tying his hands behind his back, they left the parking lot and headed out of town.

After a harrowing drive up a steep hillside, the wind and rain pounding the vehicle and lashing the tropical forest surrounding them, they turned down a winding, unpaved road, splashing through potholes and over ruts. As the modest home finally came into view, and the garage door rolled up, the two men breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Transporting their prisoner into the kitchen, Scott left him slumped in Jack’s arms as he unlocked the door to a subterranean, windowless room. Carrying him down the stairs, they left him on the floor with a low wattage lightbulb burning overhead.

“I’d better get back to the Shady Shack and check on things,” Jack declared as they returned to the kitchen. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Don’t forget the keys to your yacht.”

“Thanks for reminding me,” Jack said, reaching into his pocket and handing them over.

“Thanks. I won’t start interrogating him until you get here.”

“He’ll be easy to break,” Jack remarked with a grin. “He looked like he was ready to spill his guts before we even left the hotel.”

“I was tempted to let him. I’ll see you tomorrow. Drive safe out there.”

As Jack headed into the garage, Scott moved into the comfortable lounge, started the gas fire, dropped into an easy chair, then pulled out his phone and called Elizabeth. She answered just as a roar of thunder boomed overhead.

“Whoa, that sounded like a bomb going off,” she exclaimed. “I saw sheet lightning over the water a few minutes ago.”

“Yeah, this storm has picked up strength. I didn’t expect it to be this bad. Lower the window covers just in case.”

“I was thinking about that. Please tell me you’re not sailing back in this.”

“No, I need to stay here overnight.”

“That’s a relief,” Elizabeth said, letting out a sigh. “Where have you taken David? I saw you carry him out of the hotel room.”

“He’s in a place we can question him without being interrupted. I’m sure he’ll be very forthcoming.”

“Uh, Scott, the way you pounced on him. You were so fast. Where did you learn to do that?”

“How did you know it was me? My face was covered.”

She laughed.

It made him grin.

“Your body, of course,” she replied, still giggling.

“Ah, I see.”

“Speaking of which, I can’t wait to see it again, naked and about to jump my bones,” she murmured, lowering her voice.

“It won’t be long, and I will, but that’s not all I’ll do.”

“Tell me more.”

“Not now.”

“Then you have to tell me where you learned to fight like that.”

“I don’t have to do anything.”

“If you want to jump my bones, you do.”

He paused. “Elizabeth, that sounded like a challenge. Are you sure you want to go there, little girl?”

“Stop calling me a little girl!”

“I’ll make a deal with you—little girl,” he retorted. “I’ll tell you about my training, if you tell me why you pulled that stunt on my boat six months ago.”

“Stunt?”

“Walking out on deck without your lifejacket after I’d told you explicitly to put it on. Why, Elizabeth?”

She paused. “Tell me about your training first.”

He was about to refuse, but he was weary. “I was a Navy SEAL.”

“Wow, that’s awesome,” she exclaimed. “No wonder you have such an amazing body. I take it that’s what you’re involved in now. A covert op to bring Conchello down?”

“Something like that,” he replied vaguely. “Now tell me why you blatantly walked out on the deck without your lifejacket.”

“Shit.”

“Tell me.”

“Uh, well, uh… God, this is hard.”

“Out with it.”

“I, uh, I wanted to find out if you meant it,” she said softly.

“Meant what?”

“You’d threatened to spank me.”

“You were testing me.”

“Yes, Captain, I was testing you.”

She’d breathed the words.

He smiled.

“Will you be doing that again, Elizabeth?”

“Um… I don’t know.”

It was an honest answer.

Testing was in her nature.

Chapter 14

With the steel covers over the windows muting much of the noise from the ferocious weather, Elizabeth climbed into bed and reached for a pillow to snuggle. She missed being next to Scott’s warm, hard body, but exhausted from the drama, and relieved he was safe, she closed her eyes and quickly fell into a deep sleep…

Determined to find the cave rumored to hold a long-lost treasure, she trampled through the thick, lush foliage, but it was hot, and holding up her skirt became tiresome. It was already torn in several places, so