wouldn’t have known me,” she pointed out.
“But my heart would’ve felt a piece of it was missing and I would have searched until I saw your
eyes, then I would have known instantly you were the one.” Zack wrapped his hand around her
shoulders and kissed her temple.
Jordyn sighed. “You say the nicest things.”
“I just tel the truth,” Zack said. “Okay, let’s swim before the sun goes down any further.”
“I don’t know if this is a good idea,” she said hesitantly.
“I’l hold on to you tight, I promise. Trust me,” he said.
The thing was that she did trust him and Jordyn fol owed him into the water and, true to his word,
Zack held on tight. With her back to his chest, he put his hands under her arms and braced her
easily while she lifted her feet. He helped her to float and al the while his hands were at her back. An
hour later, they got out of the water and he wrapped her in a thick, warm towel and put one around
himself. Jordyn had to admit he was right. The tension in her back from the pregnancy had eased
quite a bit.
They walked the few blocks back and were coming up the sidewalk talking when they noticed a
car in the driveway. A black sedan with tinted windows. Fear instantly clutched at her chest. Zack
slowed his steps and stuck her securely behind him.
“Stay close to me, and if anything happens head up through the grove to Mrs. Pond’s, then cal
the police as wel as the MPs on base. I programmed the number into your phone,” he said in a low
voice.
“Zack, I can’t leave you here!” she whispered urgently.
“Do as I say, Jordyn. I can take care of myself, but I can’t if I’m worrying about you.” His voice
was harsh even though he kept his voice low. He looked down at her for a moment and those ice
blue eyes were deadly.
Two men and a woman got out of the car. Jordyn recognized Sergei’s mother instantly. Zack
moved toward them, but instructed Jordyn quietly to stay far enough away and facing in the direction
of Mrs. Pond’s pineapple grove.
“This is private property. I’l ask you to leave now,” Zack said.
The woman smiled before speaking in a heavy accent. “I’m sorry for the intrusion, but this is my
daughter in law and she is carrying my grandchild. We’ve been very worried about her.”
“I was never married to Sergei and is trashing my apartment how you show worry?” Jordyn said.
“Oh, my goodness, your apartment was broken into? Oh, my dear, you should have come to
me,” Sergei’s mother said. “You and my grandchild are my—”
“First off, cut the crap,” Zack interjected harshly. “Let’s get things straight. This is my wife, and
the baby she is carrying is mine. You have no claim on her, only the thought that the child may be your
son’s. No court is going to hold that up. Secondly, you’re a dime bag mobster and, trust me, the cops
and I know your name and the games you play.”
“Real y? Then you know the damage I can do. Hawaii is an island with few resources to stop
me,” Sergei’s mother said. Her voice was now cold. “If you want her, keep her. She means nothing to
me, but I wil have my grandchild.”
“You think Hawaii has few resources, huh, that it is just ful of little islanders?” Zack smiled
slowly, deadly. “Let me enlighten you. I’m not just some scared little immigrant you can terrorize. I’m
Commander Zack Hennessey, United States Navy and a SEAL. What that means is that when I step
into my house I’l be cal ing military personnel and tel ing them of your little visit. They wil in turn
contact the Oahu special task force and then New York and then the ICE authorities.”
The older woman opened her mouth to speak and Zack cut her off. “Shut up!”
The two men stepped forward and he snarled. “Try it and see how hard I put you down. The thing
about Navy SEAL training is that I’m trained for various types of warfare and, trust me, I have no
problem crushing your skul into my