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

He had people searching everywhere, and he was confident David, Elizabeth, and Dan would be found and brought to the estate. He’d let them sit and ponder their fate until the night of the party.

After the celebrated and famous left, the three mavericks would be escorted to his private quarters for a special gathering. They’d join Ewen, along with the businessmen sitting around the table.

Sonny smiled as he thought about it.

The monster who lived inside his soul would reveal himself.

A horrifying demonstration of his displeasure would ensue.

Any sinners would gratefully confess.

Those who survived would leave forever changed, and never dare to cross him.

Then the monster would withdraw.

But he was always waiting, just below the surface…

Chapter 22

It was the middle of the day and traffic was light. Knowing it would take a while for the speedboat to arrive at the marina, Scott drove over the hill at a leisurely speed, pondering Jim Parker’s untimely demise and Dan Miller’s dramatic escape. With the operation about to launch, the timing couldn’t be worse.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Elizabeth remarked. “Care to share?”

“I’m just thinking about recent events and their impact on the operation.”

“I wish I could say that, but I can’t,” she retorted. “Why, you may ask? Because I still don’t know any of the details.”

“Okay, okay. This is a good time to fill in the blanks. We’ve had agents embedded with a couple of catering companies for a while, and they’ve been in Conchello’s house several times. The problem is, when these companies are servicing an event at the home of a celebrity, the staff isn’t told who it is in advance. It’s a security issue. Famous people don’t want reporters milling around outside. That’s why the information Jim gave you about the party was so important. It’s a big event, and that’s what we’ve been hoping for—well, one of the things. Fortunately, Ewen MacDonald flipped. We sent him back looking a bit worse for wear. We now have eyes and ears inside the house.”

“He did? How did that happen?”

“He’s become terrified of Conchello, and he’s been looking for a way out. He knew the man was a bastard, but—and I’m quoting—I had no bloody idea he was the devil in human form.”

“Good grief, all I ever heard was rumors,” Elizabeth muttered. “I never saw that side of him.”

“Count your blessings,” Scott said solemnly. “Anyway, having Ewen inside is a major plus. He’ll be a snake in the grass when it all goes down.”

“Even so, how can you arrange something with so little notice?”

“The general plan has been in place for a couple of months, but now the other major piece has fallen into place.”

“Which is?”

“Conchello’s encampment, we need to take down simultaneously. As you know, he’s kindly moved his base to my little island. With the information David Clark has provided, we know exactly where it is, how many soldiers are there, and the security it has. Jack is leading that part of the operation. It’s remarkable how everything has come together like a perfect storm.”

“Amazing,” she said thoughtfully. “Sometimes things fall into place with flawless synchronicity.”

He was about to say, like you and me, but paused, worried it sounded too corny.

“Sort of like you and me,” she added with a giggle.

Glancing across at her, a chill pricked his skin.

“It’s just so weird that camp is literally down the hill from your house,” she continued. “Do we have to worry about dropping anchor off the beach?”

“We won’t be,” he muttered, trying to gather his wits. “I’ll be docking on the other side of the island and asking Emily to pick us up. Hey, Elizabeth…”

“Yeah?”

He took a breath. “I was going to say that.”

“About the camp being so close to the safehouse?”

“No, the flawless synchronicity being like you and me.”

“You were? Really?”

“Really.”

“I just got goosebumps,” she said happily, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek.

Not sure how to respond, he just grinned, but a rare wave of joy flowed through his heart.

“Scott, speaking of that island, why is it so lightly populated? The cove is gorgeous, but it seems like no one goes there.”

“Ah, there’s a very good reason for that. Apparently you missed the signs.”

“I guess I had my mind on other things. What signs?”

“Large, triangular metal ones that say Danger: Sand Bank in bright red letters, then details about what to watch for.”

“Does the tide come in really fast?”

“It’s not that kind of sand bank. You wade in, and suddenly the sand drops off, like a cliff edge. It’s extremely dangerous for youngsters. One minute the water is only up to their thighs, then suddenly it’s way over their heads. It panics adults as well.”

“Oh, my gosh.”

“If the conditions are right and you look down at the beach from the backyard, you can see the abrupt change in depth. The light aqua is the shallow part, then it’s much darker.”

“Now that you mention it, I did notice that. Shit. I’m glad I didn’t go for a swim the day I was down there.”

“It’s freaky. You’re swimming along looking down at the sand, then suddenly you’re over a bottomless pit.”

“The stuff of nightmares,” she mumbled, but they’d reached the top of the island, and she gazed out at the incredible view. “It’s unsettling to think of Conchello using this beautiful place to do his dirty work.”

“He won’t be in business much longer,” Scott remarked solemnly. “Others will try to take his place, but whales like Sonny Conchello don’t come along every day.”

“So, during the party, what will I be doing?”

“What do you want to do?”

“Can’t you guess?”

“I’m sorry to say I can. Joining the team and going into the house is out of the question. This won’t be like a raid. No smashing through the doors with all guns blazing.”

“Scott, I’ve been working to get Conchello for ages. I lost my partner and was almost killed in Los Angeles,” she declared, her voice rising. “You said yourself this operation came together because of me. Don’t you think I deserve to be