Free Dark Tide (A Mated by Magic Novel) by Stella Marie Alden, Chantel Seabrook

her.
     
     

Chapter 11
     
    Maya paced between the widescreen TV and leather recliner in Josh’s rental. On the wall, the backlit clock ticked loudly, hands pointing to half past three. Damn . He still wasn’t back.
    Her stomach turned, having a pretty good idea of what he was doing and who he was doing it with.
    She wouldn’t even be here if she hadn’t found something on that yacht. Something he had to see. Maybe she should’ve brought it to her father, told him the truth of where she’d been, but her gut feelings had brought her here.
    But then, when had her gut feelings ever been right?
    A floodlight broke through the blinds, creating white lines that drifted across the dark room. She jumped, leaned over the back of the sectional, and gazed out the back window.
    Willy barked beside her.
    “Stop it.”
    He gave a small snort and crouched down at her feet, bright eyes expectant.
    How pathetic did she look, sitting there, waiting for Josh in the dark? But she couldn’t take any chances of someone else seeing her there.
    She continued to peer through the slats as Josh tied the boat to the dock and sauntered up the dock.
    Hell, even his walk was sexy. 
    She stood and hissed when the door opened, “Where’ve you been?”
    A huge red ball of flames shot up out of his right palm, bathing the open rooms in orange light.
    “Shit, Maya.” He shut his fist and the room went dark. “You don’t sneak up on someone like that.”
    Blinking repeatedly to remove the streak burned into her retina, she said, “Sorry. I’ve been waiting–”
    “Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re in?” The loose bow tie tore away from his neck and he tossed it on the kitchen counter.
    With open palms, she inched forward. “Listen. I know I shouldn’t have gone there, but when you hear what I found–”
    “I’ve spent the last three hours trying to track you down.” His hand raked over the stubble on his chin, and worried eyes regarded her.
    “I’ve been here.”
    He grabbed a bottle of Perrier out of the fridge, guzzled it down, and turned with furrowed brows. “And you don’t answer your phone?”
    Her right hand went to the empty back pocket of her jeans. “I must’ve left it in my boat.”
    “A boat that’s supposed to have a tracking device?” He put the bottle down, and her neck strained in order to meet his dark expression.
    “I turned it off. Hid it in the mangroves. Wait. How did you know that?”
    “Your father and I have–”
    “My father? You told him?” A moan escaped.
    “Yeah.” He took another step toward her, fire returned, this time blazing in his eyes. “When one of the most notorious Russian clan leaders is after his daughter, I thought it was a good idea to let him know.”
    “What’re you talking about? No one saw me.” To reassure herself, she retraced the night in her mind’s eye. She was certain.
    “Cameras. Maya. They’ve got you on video sneaking around below deck. If they haven’t identified you yet, they will soon.”
    Cold fear prickled her skin.
    She sat and mumbled, “I was wearing a hat.”
    It sounded lame, even to her own ears.
    He sat beside her on the sectional, making her bounce. “It’s not a matter of if, but when they come after you. You need to get somewhere safe.”
    “No.” She shook her head. “I’m the next in line to become clan leader. I can’t run.”
    “You can’t fight , either. These guys are strong.” His hand shot to her knee.
    She ignored the sexual heat and countered, “So am I.”
    He wouldn’t be able to imagine her strength, and she wasn’t about to tell him. Not now.
    “So you’re going to fight the Russians alone?” Josh sighed, as fingers tightened around her leg.
    “No. I’m going to fight them with you.”
    He lowered his chin and narrowed his eyes. “You’re incorrigible, you know that?”
    “I don’t know what that means, but I’ll take it as a compliment.”
    “It wasn’t meant as one,” he grumbled and