Ultimate Romance Collection. Rebecca Winters
country.”
“I figured you would lie. That’s why I’ve recorded your little confession to Swan detailing everything. I can’t wait for your father to listen to it.”
Suddenly the boat was surrounded by several naval vessels and sharp beams of light shined on them. A voice through a foghorn said, “Lieutenant Holloway, we are coming aboard.”
A dozen men wearing SEAL gear rushed on board with their guns drawn, immediately taking Georgianna and Rosie into custody. Bane, Viper, Coop and Mac boarded the boat as well. Mac rushed over to check Horacio and Rafe. There really was no need since they were both dead.
Flipper rushed over to Swan and Jamila to untie their hands. More than anything, he wanted to pull Swan into his arms and tell her he loved her. He wanted her to put out of her mind what Georgianna had said about him until she’d heard his side of things. However, he knew when she pulled away from him to give her cousin a hug that she didn’t want to give him a chance to explain.
He didn’t intend to let her walk away.
“We need to talk, Swan,” he said, looking down at her.
She glared up at him. “We have nothing to say to each other. Your assignment is over, Lieutenant Holloway. Now leave me alone.”
Two weeks later
“How long are you planning to be mad at the world, Swan?”
Swan glanced over at Candy. Her best friend had returned to the Keys after hearing about what happened and she’d decided to stay. Swan was glad Candy had returned home but she was saddened by what had brought her back.
“I am not mad at the world,” Swan said, taking a sip of her orange juice.
“But you are still mad at one particular man,” Candy said, coming to sit beside Swan on the sofa.
Swan couldn’t deny that was true so she didn’t. “And what if I am?”
“He had a job to do, Swan. He was given orders. Surely you understand that.”
Swan glared at Candy. “I’m sure none of my godfathers’ orders included sleeping with me.”
“I’m sure they didn’t but David didn’t force himself on you.”
“No, but he deceived me.”
“So did the others.”
Did Candy have to remind her? “And I’m not talking to them either.”
That wasn’t totally true since Swan had reached out to Georgianna where she was being held at a federal prison in Orlando. The woman had refused to see her. Swan knew Georgianna was undergoing psychiatric evaluations to see if she was fit to stand trial.
Swan’s godparents were heartbroken and she understood how they felt. Like her, they’d had no idea Georgianna harbored such hatred toward Swan, enough to do what she’d done. With both Rafe and Horacio dead, it was Rosie who was singing like a bird, telling everything she knew for a lessened sentence.
According to Rosie, Georgianna had manipulated a number of the men at naval intelligence into doing whatever she wanted them to do. When you were the admiral’s daughter, you could wield that kind of power. She had even threatened a few with blackmail. She’d deliberately recorded several of the men having sex with her and then threatened to give the tape to her father and accuse them of rape.
Some of the men were not only married but a number were high-ranking military officers. Fearful of court-martial, the men had done whatever Georgianna asked, including falsifying records. So far, more than twelve men had been named in the scandal.
“I take it David hasn’t called.”
Swan drew in a deep breath. She had seen him last week when they’d had to show up at the naval station to give statements. “Yes, he’s called. Several times. But I refuse to answer. Like I told him, we have nothing to say to each other. His assignment is over.”
“And do you honestly think that’s all you were to him, Swan?”
“Yes, but it doesn’t matter.”
“I think it does,” Candy countered.
“And you think too much,” Swan said, easing off the sofa.
The first week after the incident on the boat, she had closed her shop while naval investigators did a thorough search of Rafe’s tattoo parlor. She had used that time to take care of Jamila, who was still broken up over Horacio. Jamila had loved him and in a single night had seen him become an abusive monster, a man she hadn’t known. Then in the end, Jamila had watched him die before her eyes.
Swan knew Jamila was going through something that only time could heal. That’s why when Swan had reopened the shop this week and Jamila had asked for extra work hours, Swan had given them to her.
“So what are you going to do?” Candy asked her.
Swan glanced over at her. “About life? Work?”
“No, about David.”
Swan just couldn’t understand why Candy couldn’t accept that David was no longer in the equation. “I’m a survivor, Candy. Although it was hard, I made do after my parents’ deaths and I will make do now.” She glanced at her watch. “I’m getting dressed to go into the shop today. The cruise ship comes into port tomorrow, so business will pick up. I want to make sure most of my new pieces are on display.”
Another thing they had found out was that Horacio had been fired from the cruise ship months ago but hadn’t told Jamila. He had moved into Rosie’s place while the woman had been gone. The duplicity of the people she’d thought she knew simply amazed Swan.
“And I need to be on my way,” Candy said. “I promised my folks we would go out to dinner tonight. You can join us if you like.”
“Thanks for the invite, but I’ll pass. I just want to have a relaxing evening here tonight. I might go swimming on the beach later.”
Swan had called Jamila and told her she would bring lunch from their favorite sandwich café. However, there were no clients in her shop when Swan got there, so she decided to do something she usually didn’t do, which was close for lunch.
Normally, the shop remained open and she and Jamila would alternate lunch duties. But today she wanted to check on Jamila, talk to her to see how she was faring. Although Swan had been there for Jamila last week, they hadn’t had a real honest-to-goodness talk since Jamila had admitted to being her cousin.
“What are you doing?” Jamila asked when Swan put up the Closed sign and pulled down the blinds.
Swan smiled over at her. “New store policy. From here on out, we will close at noon for lunch.”
“What about the sales you’ll lose?”
Swan shrugged. “Sales aren’t everything. Besides, it’s just for an hour. Come join me in my office.”
“All right, let me grab some sodas out of the refrigerator.”
A few minutes later, she and Jamila were enjoying their lunch when Swan gave Jamila a long look. “How are you doing?”
Jamila shrugged. “Okay, I guess. Trying to move on. I loved Horacio so much only to find out he wasn’t the man I thought he was.”
“I know the feeling.”
“No, you don’t.”
Swan snatched her head up, frowning. “Excuse me?”
“I said you don’t know the feeling, Swan. David Holloway was nothing like Horacio. David intended to save you and Horacio would have killed me if that woman had ordered him to do so. Big difference.”
“But