-Author-
LEE STORM

PROLOGUE​​

 

         All the way back to Trini’s house, Juan fumed with anger one minute and was ecstatic with his discovery the next. He dreamed of getting even with the couple that he believed cheated him out of Don Emilio’s treasure. The fortune the couple had stolen from his previous employer. They really hadn’t stolen it, but he preferred to believe that to justify his vengeance.

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          If Don Emilio’s right hand, Catalina, had not discovered his plot and intercepted him after he had the ten million in ransom money in his possession, he would not be under her thumb today. She told Juan that five million was missing from the ransom he had gotten back, which just added to his anger at the couple.

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I had it! He thought. I had it in my hands! The money would have started my own cartel. I would be even bigger than Don Emilio by now. That couple cheated me. They held back part of the money. Maybe even the cocaine. How else could they be living it up here in Dominica?

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          When he got back to the house, Juan grabbed a full bottle of rum and walked out on to the porch. He ignored Trini and was lost in his thoughts as he proceeded to get drunk.

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          “What’s going on, Juan? Why are you so upset?”

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          “Shut up and leave me alone.” 

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          Juan walked away carrying his bottle of rum and mumbling to himself. “That couple who cheated me out of Don Emilio’s treasure is living it up right here in Dominica. With the money that should have been mine. They must have somehow gotten it back from Catalina.”

Juan heard stories of how the man rescued the woman from South Africa and frightened Catalina into hiding out in Brazil. It must be true, he thought. “They have it!” He screamed and then went on mumbling, “They have my money. But I’m going to get it back. And they’re going to pay.”

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          He sat on the ground in the shade of the forest and made his plan as he proceeded to get drunk. The baby is the key, he thought. The baby is the key. I will get my money back and I will make them pay for what they have done to me.

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Another thought entered his mind. Maybe there is even a way to get Catalina off my ass if I can free her from her fear of the couple turning her over to Interpol. Get her to return the ransom money she took from me. Money that should rightfully be mine!

 

Chapter 1

 

Two months earlier. The waves washed up gently on the soft sand. The smells of the ocean and the tropical plants all around filled the air. The sea birds dipped and swooped, diving into the ocean for the tiny fish that swam near the surface.

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          The little cove was well protected, and hardly anyone ever visited it, even though it was only an hour’s drive from Roseau, the main city of Dominica. Carly and Mack loved the privacy and came here at least a couple of times each month to have a picnic lunch, swim, and sunbathe naked while they watched their baby play in the sand.

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          Annika was only ten months old, but she was precocious. She already said mama, dada, and doggy. Or at least Mack and Carly wanted to believe that was what her gurgled sounds were saying.

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          Annika loved Maddie, the lab/border collie mix that sailed with Carly and Mack through all of their adventures around the world. Maddie was very protective of the new member of the family. She often slept next to Annika’s crib instead of on the bed with Carly and Mack, where she normally slept before Annika came along.

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          Carly leaned over on Mack’s shoulder as she watched Annika try her best to dig a hole in the sand with the toy shovel she could barely hold. Half the time the sand ended up in her hair, which she didn’t like at all. Annika took her first steps just a week earlier with the help of holding on to Mack’s fingers.

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          Carly looked up at Mack and smiled. “Isn’t our baby just the cutest baby in the world, Mack?”

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          “Absolutely. She looks just like her beautiful mommy. Curly blond hair, blue eyes, and look at those terrific legs.” He handed Carly a chilled glass of Chardonnay and held up his own for a toast. “To great genes.” They clinked their glassed and kissed.

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          “Here’s to her wonderful, brave, resourceful daddy for getting us safely back to this island paradise,” Carly toasted. They clinked their glasses again. “I really missed wine while I was pregnant, but Annika was worth it.”

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          Mack rolled Carly back down on the beach towel and kissed her passionately. As their tongues explored each other, he grew aroused. His hands ran over her tan body as he caressed her. “You have such a great body, Carly. I can’t believe you got back into bikini shape so fast after Annika was born.”

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          “Down boy. Not here on a public beach in front of our baby. I know you like sex al fresco, so let’s get Emma to babysit Annika and Maddie next week and go back to that waterfall where we first made love.”

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          “Promise?” he said with a huge grin. “Just like the first time?”

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          “We’ll see. Think you can do a repeat? You were pretty amazing as I recall.”

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          “Count on it. I’m turned on like crazy just thinking about it.” He squeezed her breast and kissed her nipple. “Just couldn’t resist a little sample.” He laughed and kissed her again with even more passion.

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          They spent the rest of the afternoon playing with Annika and splashing in the surf to get her used to the water. Maddie romped with them and they laughed with abandon.

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          As the sun started to set into another signature Caribbean sunset, they sat on the beach towels and held Annika between them. Carly looked up at Mack and said, “I will never get tired of these sunsets, Mack. I thought when we came back to Dominica it would be just for a short while, but I feel so safe here I haven’t wanted to leave. Do you think we are finally safe from Don Emilio’s successor Catalina and that asshole Juan who kidnapped us?”

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          “I don’t know for sure, but it has been over a year and a half and we haven’t seen any signs that they are still after us. Catalina got most of the treasure back that we found on Caribbean Treasure. I still can’t believe I bought a drug smuggler’s boat that was still full of cocaine and over fifteen million in gold, diamonds, and cash. If those first two creeps hadn’t attacked us and opened up the hidden compartments, we would have never known it was on board.”

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“Yeah, but you saved us, Mack. You killed those first two thugs and then took out the second pair of thugs who attacked us after we met Sophia and Alex in the Saintes.”

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“I really thought we would be safe after we left the Caribbean and sailed halfway around the world to the Mediterranean.”

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“We would have been safe if we hadn’t run into Don Emilio at Alex’s father’s party. I still hate that you had to kill him, Mack. He was evil and would have probably killed us after he got everything back, but I was really afraid we would be caught when that inspector kept snooping around.”

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Mack kissed Carly on the forehead as she leaned on his shoulder. “Listen, babe, I don’t care that we lost most of the fifteen million to Catalina. We’re living in paradise with a beautiful baby girl and a thriving restaurant. I’m just glad that creep Juan didn’t profit from having the Somali pirate kidnap us in the Gulf of Aden. I hope Catalina had him eliminated for trying to cheat her out of the ransom money we paid.”

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“I still have nightmares that he will show up again and try to get vengeance. He gave me the creeps. When Juan left Catalina’s estate in South Africa, he gave me a look that could kill.”

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“We can only hope that the life of a drug smuggler, like Juan, is short. He could already be dead for all we know. As for Catalina, I think Alex really scared her when he threatened to take her down if she ever bothered us again. She knows the money and power that Alex’s father wields.”

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          “I hope you’re right. Alex and Sophia were so terrific in helping you rescue me from those two after you managed to escape from the Somali pirates. We are so lucky to have them as friends. I just wish they were closer so that Annika and Marcos could grow up together.”

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“Me too. They are such special friends.”

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“Just don’t get any ideas about a repeat of our little sexcapade with them. That was a one-time affair.”

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“No way. You’re all I can handle, my little bombshell.”

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“Sure. I’ll be keeping an eye on you when Sophia flaunts her sexy little body in a bikini. And you are quite the macho man. I’m still in awe of you. For a guy who was never in the military, you have proved to be quite the Rambo. Juan should be terrified of you after you took out two sets of his thugs here in the Caribbean, then escaped from the Somali pirates, and even rescued me from Catalina’s compound in the middle of the African bush.”

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          “Aw shucks, twern’t nuthin,” Mack said while shuffling his toes through the sand.

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          Carly laughed and poked him on the arm. “My hero,” she said. She stared up at him blinking her eyelashes.

         

Chapter 2

 

          The next morning, Mack woke to the rhythmic sound of the waves lapping on the beach below their little bungalow. The house wasn’t much, just two bedrooms, one bath, and a combination living room, dining room, and kitchen. But it was charming and had a great view of the ocean from the deck that spanned the length of the house.

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          Mack and Carly rented the place when they first returned to Dominica. They originally planned to only stay two or three months to check on their restaurant and have some relaxation time in their new country.

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          Their life in Dominica turned out to be so relaxing and felt so safe after everything they had been through that they just didn’t want to leave. The weeks slipped away until they went to Houston when Carly was close to delivery.

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          Alex and Sophia went to Houston for the delivery, just as Mack and Carly had gone to Monaco when Sophia delivered their godchild, Marcos. Alex and Sophia happily agreed to be Annika’s godparents and both couples beamed with equal pride over their extended families. They all promised to make sure the two little ones had wonderful, adventurous lives if anything happened to the other couple.

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          “We are so jealous of you two,” Sophia said, holding tiny little Annika in her arms. “Alex can hardly wait for his father to turn complete control of the business over to him. Then we will move the corporate headquarters to the Caribbean where we can be close to you guys and raise Marcos in this wonderful idyllic lifestyle you two are having. The Med has some great islands too, but we prefer the laid back lifestyle of the Caribbean.”

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          Mack lay in bed thinking about Alex and Sophia. He missed them, even though they came for a couple of visits during the past year. They all loved the new sailing catamaran that Mack and Carly bought with a loan from Alex that he insisted upon.

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After Mack and Alex rescued Carly from her captors in South Africa, they decided to trade their original boat, Caribbean Treasure, for a newer one. Mack loved the boat, but it had become too well known by Don Emilio’s men, and they needed to get rid of it just in case they didn’t give up the chase for revenge.

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Alex generously loaned them the money to upgrade to a new boat. They picked it up in South Africa where it was manufactured and sailed it back to the Caribbean. The boat handled beautifully sailing across the Pacific.

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They named the boat Caribbean Cache for the stash of gold, diamonds, and cash they buried on a tiny island in Iles des Saintes. They left it there as an insurance policy in case Don Emilio’s thugs caught up with them as they continued their adventure of sailing around the world. That turned out to be a very wise move. It now provided a security blanket for them since they paid ten million of the treasure to Juan as ransom.

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          Mack and Carly repaid Alex on their first visit to Monaco. Carly managed to hold back almost two million in gold and diamonds in the safe deposit box when Juan dragged her there to ransom Mack. The bank officer wouldn’t let Juan enter the safe deposit box vault because he wasn’t a signer for the box, and Juan had no way of knowing she left some of the gold and diamonds in the box.

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Juan still got over ten million from the safe deposit box and cash they deposited in a Swiss bank account. What Carly held back in the safe deposit box was her insurance policy in case Juan didn’t have the Somali pirates release Mack. She figured that what she left in the box could be used to negotiate directly with the pirates for Mack’s release.

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After paying Alex back for the loan, they converted the rest of the gold and diamonds from the safe deposit box to one and half million dollars. They deposited the money in an offshore account in the Cayman Islands.

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          Mack lay next to Carly and felt the morning sun start to warm the room. He reminisced about the good times since he had been so lucky to sit next to her on the flight down to the Dominican Republic, or the DR as islanders call it. He rolled over and Carly’s eyes opened sleepily. “You’re sure wide awake,” she whispered so as not to wake Annika.

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          “I was just thinking how lucky I was that your job at the resort in the Dominican Republic turned out to be less than you hoped. You were sure brave to take me up on my offer to help crew my new charter boat.”

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          “I was the lucky one. I couldn’t have found a better guy to spend the rest of my life with. Although, I wouldn’t mind having fewer pirates chasing us around the ocean in the future.”

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          Mack felt such love for this woman that a tear rolled down his cheek. How could I be this lucky? He thought. A gorgeous, fun-loving wife, a beautiful little girl, and enough money left from our found treasure to live comfortably in paradise. He couldn’t resist reaching over and running his hand down her side, feeling the dip of her waist and the curve of her hips.

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          Mack snuggled up against her and she moaned as she felt the warmth of his body. They made love quietly so as not to wake little Annika.

“What a nice way to start the day,” Carly said softly in his ear.

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          “Just couldn’t resist your sexy body,” Mack said with a grin.

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          Before they could get romantic again, Annika started to stir. She was a great baby. She was sleeping through the night now. When she awoke, she was almost always happy, cooing and waving her little arms in the air trying to swat the colorful fish mobile that hung over her head.

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          They got up, took turns showering, while the other fed Annika, and played with her. “I miss showering together,” Mack said when he came out with a towel wrapped around his waist and drying his wet hair.

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          Carly smiled up at him from the floor where she was playing with Annika. “You just miss groping my body and playing with these.” She squeezed her breasts and enhanced the cleavage showing at the neck of her robe.

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          “Yeah. You’ve got me there. Definitely one of the main things I like about showering. Can’t blame a man for that.”

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          Sitting on the deck that faced the ocean, they enjoyed a simple breakfast of peanut butter and toast, dill pickles, and strong coffee. “We sure are lucky, babe,” Mack said as he took his last sip of coffee.

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          Carly squeezed his hand. “Yes, we are lucky and resourceful. Speaking of which, we should go check on the restaurant. We need to do some planning for the coming year. Antonio’s done a good job with Carlyta’s Cove. We have been living mainly off the income since we returned and haven’t had to touch our cache of treasure that you buried on that little island in the Iles des Saintes. But Annika’s our real treasure”

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          Mack tickled Annika as Carly held her. “Yes, she is indeed our real treasure. I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to her. Do you think we are doing the right thing by raising her down here in the Caribbean?”

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          “I can’t think of a better place to raise her. The public education may be lacking, but we will make sure she gets a complete education at home as well as a zest for life that will be worth ten college degrees. And when she’s ready, she can go to the best university in the world if she wants to. Now let’s go and meet with Antonio.

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Reviews & Praise

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5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed by Patrick

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Book 3 does not disappoint.  Nonstop action in a fight for survival had me on the edge of my seat.

Couldn't put it down until I finished  Where is Book 4??????

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4.5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed by Sean S.

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Loved the action and continuing suspense of Carly and Mack's life.  Surprise ending sets the reader

up for the next read.