Danger in Paradise Read Free

way across the room toward the bar. Seconds later he returned with identical beers.
    “Thanks,” Hope spoke to the bartender and took a sip of her beer. “Can you give us a couple minutes?”
    Again the man nodded then left them alone.
    “Come here often?”
    She shrugged. “My dad owns this place and Frank knows what I like.”
    “Frank would be the bartender?” The man had disappeared behind the bar and was shouting something at a rugby match on one of the televisions.
    “Well, he’s the bartender and manager.”
    “So your dad owns this place, too?” He turned back to face her.
    “Yes, in addition to the marina and this place, he owns one more restaurant.”
    “Is he the man you kissed earlier?” The question slipped out before he could censor himself.
    Her dark eyebrows rose, but she answered. “Yep, that’s my dad.”
    “You take after your mother?” The man he’d seen her with was about six feet tall, maybe in his fifties, and with his sandy blond hair and green eyes, they didn’t look the least bit related. He knew it was a personal question and normally wouldn’t have asked something like that, but he couldn’t help it. Finding out everything there was to know about Hope had jumped to the most important thing in his life at the moment.
    Her pale eyes narrowed. Instead of answering, she glanced at Frank, who was returning to take their orders.
    “Y’all need a couple more minutes?” The man’s thick southern drawl hung heavy in the air.
    “I want my usual. Luke?”
    “I’ll take the special I saw on the board,” he said and nodded at Frank, hoping for some kind of friendly response.
    The man grunted at him and took the menus.
    “Did I do something to piss him off?”
    She chuckled. “He doesn’t like strangers and he really doesn’t like it when I date. You and I know this isn’t a date, but he doesn’t.”
    “Look, I think we might have gotten off on the wrong foot, so if I’ve done anything to make you feel uncomfortable, let me apologize now. I don’t want my behavior to affect your decision to work for the Santiagos.” He couldn’t let her out of his sight until he knew if she had some sort of connection to them.
    A small smile played on her lips. “Okay, you did kind of freak me out earlier, but I had my dad run your information and you check out.”
    He nearly choked on his beer. “You had me checked out?” Sure, he’d had one of his guys do a basic check of her too, but it surprised him she’d done the same.
    She shrugged and her grin grew even wider. “Yes and I’d do it again. My agent said you were legit, but I wanted to be sure. Okay, let’s get down to business. I want dates, information on where I’ll be staying, the works. I don’t like leaving anything to chance.”
    “Well, I spoke to Sonja today and she’s willing to double what she was originally going to pay if you can leave tomorrow.” He waited for a moment as she digested the information. He thought she would have probably gone for it anyway, but his employer was desperate to have Hope and only Hope.
    Now he wondered if there was more to Sonja’s insistence than she’d originally let on.
    “Double? Why is this so important?” A discernable caution edged her voice.
    Hope obviously didn’t trust people and he couldn’t blame her for being wary of him. “The Santiagos will be celebrating their thirtieth wedding anniversary and Sonja wants to surprise her husband.”
    “With pictures?”
    He nodded. “Not just pictures. His home has been in their family for generations. Thanks to political contacts, even when Castro took over, they were able to keep their beach front property.”
    She let out a low whistle. “People would kill for real estate like that.”
    That was an understatement, but he chose not to comment directly. Instead, he gave her a lot more information than he needed to. He figured if he laid everything on the table, she’d realize he wasn’t lying. “Even though they own