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Chapter 41: PART TWO
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Sunstroke Chapter 1: PART ONE
SUNSTROKEPart OneThe story beginsI won't jump on him the minute he gets here. I'll take my time.Bailey George paced back and forth in the tiny living room of the miniscule apartment she and Zack Wallace had been sharing for the past year. She had pinched herself every day since they'd moved in together. Her family hadn't been too excited about their baby girl, a sophomore, "living in sin" with a big bad senior, and a fifth year senior at that. But then they met Zack, and he won them over so smoothly, they had no objections left. She hoped when she broke her news to them they would realize she was as at fault as Zack.She was nervous about his reaction, but they loved each other. Underneath her nerves, she was secure in the knowledge that, together, they'd handle the situation. So maybe her plans might have to change a little, but that would be okay. Just as long as they were together.She stood in the middle of the combination living/dining room, checking everything for tonight
Sunstroke Chapter 2: PART ONE
Zack picked her up and sat down on the couch with her on his lap, turning her slightly so he could see her face.She laughed. "You'd tell me before you pop.""Well, you know how crazy I am about flying." He grinned. "Addicted, right?"She forced a smile. That was the damn truth. "Of course. And you're good at it, even if I did get airsick at first."One of the first things Zack had done when they started seeing each other was take her up in a small plane he'd rented from a nearby airfield. She knew his father and his uncle owned a private charter service and had taught him to fly when he was thirteen. He received his pilot's license at sixteen and never lost his hunger for flying. His father had passed away four years ago, and his uncle had sold the business and moved away. She wasn't sure where. Maybe he was going to give Zack some free flying time as a graduation gift."Remember me telling you last year how my uncle sold the business after my dad passed away?"What on earth? Of
Sunstroke Chapter 3: PART ONE
"Bailey?"Bailey George turned and looked across the busy lobby of Casa Blanca Resort and Spa to see Lacey Walker, the owner, threading her way through the crowd. She stopped and waited for her. In the past few years, especially since Lacey's architect husband had taken her son, Michael, under his wing, the women had become close friends."Hey, Lacey. What's up?""Whew!" Lacey juggled the large box she was holding. "We're really rocking this week. Just checking to make sure everything was set up the way you wanted and the menus are okay.""It's fine. Are you kidding?" Bailey laughed. "Everything is perfect, just as it always is."Lacey winked. "We want to be sure we're taking good care of one of our favorite law firms. We're just thrilled to have you here."As one of the junior partners in Blake, Rothbart and Padilla, it had become Baily's responsibility to plan the partners' annual retreat. A few years ago, she and senior partner Warren Blake agreed that the retreats did a lot t
Sunstroke Chapter 4: PART ONE
Zack Wallace handed his lone passenger over to Gabe Rossi and watched the black SUV drive away from Page Field. He'd been more than happy to do a favor for his friend Grey Holden, head of The Omega Team, a security agency that did a little bit of everything and most of it dark. Like this."I need you to do a little favor for me," Grey told him when he called."I know you and your little favors," Zack laughed. "But okay, lay it on me.""I have a passenger I need you to give a ride to, and it all has to stay under the radar.""Oh? Should I expect to be arrested at some point?"Grey laughed. "Nothing like that." Then his voice had turned serious. "She's a witness in a murder trial, and the killer would do anything to wipe her off the face of the earth.""Does that mean I need to be armed?" Zack wanted to know. With Grey, anything was possible."Only if you want to. She's in Atlanta. I need someone to fly her to Fort Myers, Florida. Gabe Rossi runs an operation there for situations
Sunstroke Chapter 5: PART ONE
Thirty minutes later, Zack's car was parked in the lot and he was in a luxurious suite with Moroccan décor and the biggest bed he'd ever seen. And then there was the view. When he looked out the window, he saw a long stretch of beach bordering the Gulf, smooth waves rippling the surface of the teal water. There were people on the beach, some sitting, some walking. A young boy ran down the beach with a dog following. And, right below him, he could see others on a patio enjoying drinks and conversation.He stashed his gear, wondering what to do next. He wasn't used to having time to do nothing. When he had any free time, he spent it deep sea fishing or getting his exercise doing sexual calisthenics with the female of the moment.Female of the moment. Doesn't that just make me sound like the biggest jackass in the world.The problem was, in twenty-three, no almost twenty-four years, he hadn't found a woman he cared to spend more than two days with. After all these years, he still had a
Sunstroke Chapter 6: PART ONE
Bailey was afraid she was going to throw up. Or pass out. Or scream. Or maybe melt into a puddle or something. What on earth was Zack Elliot, the man she'd walked away from despite the pain it caused her, doing here on Mimosa Key? And at the Casa Blanca? Why wasn't he in Nowhere, Alaska, immersed in his dream of a life of flying? And just like that, a truckload of memories slammed into her. She wondered if it would cause too much of a commotion if she just turned and ran from the lobby as fast as she could. Back to the villa. Back to...where? Naples?Don't be ridiculous.She drew in a deep breath in an effort to calm her skittering nerves, and wet her lips."What a surprise to see you here. Aren't you a long way from Alaska?" There. She sounded calm, didn't she? Not as if her entire life had just been turned upside down and sideways.He just stood there for a long moment, staring at her, apparently having as much trouble getting himself under control as she was."I, uh, flew a cli
Sunstroke Chapter 7: PART ONE
Bailey was desperate to say something to break the silence, so she blurted out the first thing that came to mind."So how do you like Alaska?"When he took a moment to answer her, she wondered if there was something wrong."I left Alaska," he said at last."Oh?" Smart answer, Bailey. Duh! "But I thought it was everything you wanted"He nodded. "It was, for a long time. Uncle Nate had bought a small charter company and steadily built it into one of the premier charter services in the state. God, Bailey." His smile said it all. "You wouldn't believe the places I've flown. Most of Alaska is accessible only by plane, so we were flying people and supplies into places so desolate, sometimes I thought I'd reached the end of the world." His eyes got a faraway look. "It was like being as close to heaven as you could get. Sunrise on all that pristine snow was incredible.""So why did you leave?" Maybe she could just keep him talking about himself and not about the two of them.He was quie
Sunstroke Chapter 8: PART ONE
"Bailey?"Bailey turned to Neil Rothbart seated to her left. "Yes, Neil?""Nothing, really. You just looked like you were deep in thought." He studied her with keen eyes. "Everything okay? Any problems at the firm I should know about?""No." She shook her head. "None at all. In fact, everything's great.""We were pleased to see you'd snagged Hyerdahl Industries as a client." Neil's voice broke into her mental conversation with herself. "That's a big one."She certainly knew that. She'd worked for a year to get Evan Hyerdahl to agree to switch to Blake, Rothbart and Padilla as his corporate counsel. She'd spent a lot of hours on his boat when he came to Naples, chatting with him and members of his board. She knew they figured in every major decision he made, so it was worth the investment of time. She also was aware he'd checked with two other conglomerates she handled and had done an intense study of the firm itself. That was okay. A man didn't grow a billion dollar enterprise wit
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