Danger in Paradise Read Online Free PDF Page B

hour after I started digging, the Deputy Director himself strolled into my cubicle.”
    “What?” An icy fist clasped around his heart.
    “The only thing I managed to find out is that Mac Jennings was a SEAL in ’Nam and he’s got friends in high places. Really high. And not just with the bureau. If you’ve got contacts with the CIA, be careful who you ask. I’ve got to go.” His friend disconnected again.
    Luke frowned at his silent cell phone. One thing he was sure of, one way or another, he was going to find out who the hell Mac and Hope Jennings were. He’d expected roadblocks, but this wasn’t even in the realm of what he thought he’d be up against.
    Which only intrigued him more.
    Maybe he’d go straight to the source and just ask Hope. He snorted as the thought instantly dissipated. If he did that, she was likely to split. Hell, there was no likely about it. She would. Then he’d never get his answers. And the Santiagos would never know the truth. More than anything their family deserved closure about their missing daughter. And if it turned out Hope was her… Luke wouldn’t let himself go there. Not yet.
     
     

Chapter 4
     
    Hope spent the next couple of hours walking the main grounds and the private beach, snapping shots from every angle possible. She doubted she’d need a full two weeks to photograph everything, but she wanted a solid week so she could shoot at different times during the day.
    As she walked across the backyard she noticed Luke standing on a small balcony. Without a shirt. He was on his cell phone and so engrossed in his conversation he wasn’t aware of her presence. She studied his lean form and flat, muscular profile. He was in good shape, but she doubted he frequented gyms. He didn’t seem the type. No, he probably got his exercise outside…or maybe in the bedroom.
    Her stomach clenched as the random thought of tangled sheets and their sweaty bodies intertwined made its way to the forefront of her brain. On impulse she took a few covert shots of him. With his structured face and defined body, the man was extremely photogenic.
    That wasn’t why she’d taken the pictures though, and she knew it.
    Sighing, she put the lens cap back on her trusty Nikon and went inside. She heard singing from somewhere as she worked her way through the house, trying to find where her room was. As she walked down a long tiled hallway, she couldn’t help but notice how bare everything was. Sure, the house was nicely decorated, but there were no pictures or mementos anywhere.
      Her sandals clicked along the floor until she found the source of the singing. A petite, dark-skinned woman was shaking her hips and moving around the kitchen as she cooked and sang. Hope paused in the archway for a moment, not wanting to disturb her. The woman in the ankle length dress had to be in her late sixties, but she danced around the kitchen with graceful ease.
    Hope stepped onto the mosaic tile and cleared her throat, meaning to ask for directions to her room. When the woman turned from the stove, Hope smiled and walked toward her. “Hi, I’m Hope. I’m staying here with Luke.”
    The woman’s face faded to an ashen gray. She then crossed herself, and grabbed one of Hope’s hands. She started mumbling something indiscernible and her grip tightened.
    Hope took a step back and tried to wrench free. What was it with strangers who thought it was okay to just touch her?
    “Zara.”
    Luke’s deep voice caused Hope to jump.  She hadn’t even heard him enter the room. The woman dropped her hand as he said something in a language Hope couldn’t understand. Hope quickly shifted away to stand by Luke.
    “I think she’s confused,” she murmured just low enough for him to hear.
    He stepped in front of her, half blocking her from the other woman.
    “Dinner will be ready in a couple hours. Do you want to freshen up?” Luke asked in equally quiet tones.
    She nodded and glanced back and forth between the other