After Ethan suffered gruesome torture at the hands of a Colombian drug lord, my muse decided that he, Jazmin, and their best friend, Ryan, needed a long vacation in the Bahamas. (Yes, she’s the motherly type who cares even for book characters.)
While on a boat tour, the motor fails, but luckily, the captain of a large yacht rescues them. Everything’s fine until pirates seize the yacht. Once again, Ethan and Ryan must prove themselves and save the day.
On a side note, the Lürssen Werft Bremen kindly provided pictures and useful information about one of the largest yachts ever built. Therefore, all details, including rooms, staircases, and hiding places, are correct. I had a poster of the decks that was enlarged to an enormous size pinned to my wall for the duration of the writing process.
When we finished the work, my muse told me that she immensely enjoyed the character development, not only of the main characters, but also of those created solely for this novel. She liked one of the yacht owner’s bodyguards so much that we changed his job. He became a member of Ethan’s team in a later novel.
Excerpt
The airport concourse at Nassau, Bahamas, was filled with hundreds of joyous people on their way to a warm and sunny vacation, waiting for their baggage. Even though they were there for leisure time, Jazmin felt the slight tension running through Ethan’s body like an electric undercurrent as he scrutinized the throng. His profession as a bodyguard demanded constant alertness while working and was hard to switch off. She had an arm around his waist, feeling wonderful and at ease, and hoped she could persuade Ethan to loosen up a bit. Ten days of sun and fun lay ahead of them. Ryan, his colleague and best friend, took his backpack off the belt to place it beside Ethan’s larger suitcase on the cart.
“That’s all?” Jazmin asked, amused.
“Hey, what do I need besides board shorts and some underwear?” Ryan made a face
and ran a hand through his short-cropped blond hair. He held up a finger.
“Okay, I brought one dress shirt—a really good one—and pants. But that’s about
it. I’m here to dive and swim and sunbathe. And, well, you know, get my lady
between the sheets.”
He wiggled his brows and Ethan inhaled noisily. “Thanks for not over-sharing.”
He looked out for the second suitcase while Ryan grimaced.
“Thanks for understanding that my fun might be different from yours.” Ryan
pulled out a Zippo and started playing with it. The distinct sound of opening
and closing the brass lighter attracted the attention of a young boy until his
mother gathered her luggage and pulled him away. “Tell me, Ethan, you got one,
too, don’t you?”
“Yep.” Ethan stretched his six feet three inch frame to scrutinize the entire
luggage belt, but still couldn’t make out Jazmin’s suitcase.
“You both don’t smoke.” Jazmin looked from Ryan to Ethan, who pulled his Zippo
out. It was a matte-finished black one with the small sign of the US Army. “So
why carry a lighter?”
Ryan took it for comparison to his shiny silvery one and gave her the look.
“You never know when a breathtaking woman comes along and wants you to give
her… fire.”
Jazmin rolled her eyes, giggling. “Oh, I see where this is going. But honestly,
is this still a subject these days? I mean, women no longer depend on men
offering fire.”
“Ah, depends on the fire, my beautiful lady.” Ryan gave a gamy grin.
Jazmin boxed his upper arm and he pretended to be hurt.
“All soldiers get one when they begin their training,” Ethan said without
turning. He shrugged. “And you just carry it with you—like your keys, penknife,
pants.”
“Yeah,” Ryan agreed, waving a finger at his friend. “Better not lose your
pants, pal.”
“You’re making this up.” Jazmin laughed.
“No. Zippo produced these lighters especially for the army. They catch fire
everywhere because they don’t work with gas. They’ve got a wick that is
constantly powered with fuel, so it keeps the flame steady even if it’s windy,
wet or whatever.” Ethan showed the construction to Jazmin, then put it back in
his pocket.
Ryan upturned his eyes. “I just wanted you to show me yours—which is a great
one, by the way—and not get a history lesson.”
“The lesson was for Jazmin,” Ethan replied evenly. “Not for you. I know you
wouldn’t listen.”
Ryan opened his arms wide. “I love you, too, pal!” He laughed when the people
around him looked irritated or grinned. “You don’t have to make it so difficult
for me!”
Ethan’s smile got wider. “You don’t have to tell everyone around that the kid
has arrived.”
“I’m like that.” Ryan nudged Ethan’s side. “Come on, you knew what to expect
when you accepted Cheryl and me on this trip.”
“I had hopes that—maybe just for her—you’d behave like an adult.”
“Been there, done that. Didn’t like it. Boring. And don’t—” he nudged him
harder—”behave like Walter. I’m on vacation. I don’t need another boss.”
“Well, I see what you do when you got none around.”
“Right, that opens up a lot of possibilities.” He looked as if he was actually
pondering something serious. “Can’t wait for Cheryl to arrive.”
“Does she take Walter’s place?” Ethan chuckled. “As far as I remember she at
least looks better.”
“She’s not my boss, you crank.” He playfully boxed Ethan’s chest. “She loves
me. We’ve been together for a year already. If she had trouble—”
“Being a boss?” Laughing, Ethan evaded Ryan’s attempt to punch him and brought
up his arms in defense. “Yeah, next time you should take a vacation with
Walter.”
“You’d want to see that, hmm?” Ryan cocked his head. “I remember he spent three
weeks with me… on a boat. We were pretty close.”
“I remember him taking a vacation soon afterward.” Jazmin lowered her chin
while she arched her brows. “Alone.”
“But seriously,” Ryan went on, making a face in Jazmin’s direction, “if Cheryl
wanted Mr. Super-serious, she’d have taken one of those manager-boss guys she
works for.”
Jazmin looked at the emptying luggage belt. “My suitcase isn’t here. Damn it.”
***
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