THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

has some major players gunning for her.”
    Sweat broke out on Zane’s forehead. Everything was so convoluted at this point. He needed backup, but that would mean bringing Vance in on this, which put Ben on the spot because of doing these favors for Zane off the record. There was protocol for everything. The last thing he wanted to do was tarnish Ben’s reputation. And he sure as hell wasn’t asking Ben to back him up in the field when Ben hadn’t even taken his wife and baby home from the hospital yet.
    The best he could do right now was call in a tip to local authorities or the FBI. And with Mason Lorde’s resources, that could well get Angel killed.
    Shit .
    Zane had no one to call.
    Traffic turned into a parking lot on the bridge.
    That left Angel running solo until he found her.
     
    Chapter 55
     
    The tropical depression had definitely disintegrated by mid-morning, turning Ft. Lauderdale into a sauna. Angel climbed out of the parts delivery truck in which she’d hitched a ride and thanked the young guy for the lift. He’d been kind enough to drop her close to the marina.
    She watched her back, jogging toward the far end. To enter through the front gates didn’t seem at all prudent with everybody and their brother after her. At the property line, she skirted the outside of the fence until she located an opening in the ragged box-wire.
    Not much of a deterrent.
    A few boats traveled from the direction of the bay down the wide canal toward the marina. More cars and trucks filled the lot than had the day she’d stopped by with Zane. People were still out celebrating the holiday.
    Easing over to the closest dock, she slipped into the bathtub temperature saltwater and found it refreshing compared to the humidity she’d endured since diving off the balcony.
    Training for triathlons meant swimming miles of rough currents, but little diving practice. Zane’s frantic scream had trailed behind her until she’d hit the water, jarring her teeth.
    She’d made a few dives over the years and would like to say she’d calculated the jump, but the truth was that luck had smiled on her.
    She just as easily could have broken her neck. The dive had been her last resort. From the look on Zane’s face after he’d heard her record, she’d known he was going to turn her over to the police. His suggestion that she turn herself in had pushed her onto the rail and over the balcony edge.
    Turning herself in would have been suicidal with Mason still loose.
    Her choices seemed destined to go from bad to unbelievably worse. Zane hated drugs. Worked for the blasted DEA. He had to be sickened once he heard she’d been convicted of transporting drugs, especially after spending the night making love.
    She’d been prepared for the hurt of walking away from him.
    That he immediately assumed the worst of her was a crushing blow, worse than anything she’d faced before. She tried not to fault him, but it broke her heart to find out, too late, that he was no different than any of the other people who’d turned their backs on her and believed what was easy.
    When would one person give her a break?
    She should be upset with him for deceiving her, for sneaking around behind her back to dig into her business. However, she hadn’t told him anything about her situation. In Zane’s shoes, would she have reacted the same way?
    Maybe, maybe not. She’d never been in love until now, but cared enough for Zane to give him the benefit of the doubt. And she’d prove her innocence to him before she left.
    First, she had to drive Mason away.
    A few marina inhabitants reclined lazily on the rear decks of their boats backed up to the dock walkway. They were clueless that a woman stroked silently through the water beyond their bows.
    Angel made the turn at the end of the dock so she could swim past each row until reaching the one for Zane’s boat. She dove under water, paddling hard, and surfaced at the next dock, then continued the same process.
    When she reached Zane’s boat, she floated to the rear and climbed up a short metal ladder. The first thing she noticed were the boat curtains, which meant he’d put the coins somewhere else, and finding them would be even more difficult.
    If they were even on the boat.
    With a fast check of the parking lot and dock, she scurried down into the cabin to search for the coins.
    She dug through cabinets and felt along cubbyholes, then stuck her head out carefully to see if anyone approached. Mason had