A Silverhill Christmas. Carol Ericson

fact that Rio wouldn’t have that secret lookout gave a big boost to her scheme. “Don’t blame me. You’re the one who yanked me off the edge of the hill and tackled me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have even known you were burrowed in your little hole.”

      They emerged onto the main street of the small town. Lights glowed from the shops up and down the street, op en for business for people returning from nighttime hikes or a visit to the volcano. The Christmas decorations looked incongruous against the backdrop of swaying palm trees and the smell of suntan lotion.

      She had no intention of spending Christmas in Maui.

      Rio pulled her back from the street, tucking her behind his solid back. “Hold on. Let me check things out first.”

      “Suspicious, aren’t you?”

      He glanced over his shoulder. “That’s a quality you should’ve exercised before you got married.”

      “Touché.” He got that right, although he didn’t have to rub it in. If she’d been more leery of and less flattered by Alexi’s attentions and frantic pursuit of her, she wouldn’t be in this mess.

      “Okay, coast is clear.” He grabbed her hand and made a beeline for the nearest clothing store.

      “What’s the worry?”

      “Those two guys on the hillside had to have left their car here. I don’t want to run into them. Who knows? May be they know you. You don’t want your ex to find out you’re here, do you?”

      Not yet anyway and not in the company of a CIA agent.

      “You’re right. Alexi had a lot of loyal minions.” Minions who’d spied on her and kept her a prisoner in her own home in Glazkova. “Some of the ones I knew might still be working for him. It’s kind of a lifetime employment gig. If you leave, you have to retire…permanently.”

      “I know you’re joking, but you’re not too far from the truth. Anyone who has any information about Alexi’s business is a danger to him.”

      “Who said I was joking?” She pushed past him and entered the shop.

      The young woman reading a magazine at the counter looked up when they walked through the door. Her eyes widened as she took in their underwear. “Looks like you guys need some clothes right now.”

      Rio shrugged and grinned. “We went skinny-dipping and the waves carried our clothes out to sea. We recovered everything but our pants.”

      The clerk’s gaze meandered over Rio’s half-naked body and the corner of her mouth lifted in a smile. “That’s one of the dangers of skinny-dipping. You have to make sure you leave your stuff on the dry sand.”

      “We were kind of in a hurry.” Rio curled his arm around Tori’s waist, pulling her in for a hug, hip to hip.

      Tori nestled close to his body, resting a hand on his buttocks, the muscles under the thin material of his boxers firm beneath her fingertips. He went there first. She may as well contribute to the reality of the lie.

      “Yeah, I hear ya.” The clerk scooted around the counter and as she brushed past Tori, she whispered, “Lucky girl.”

      Tori wished she and Rio had been skinny-dipping instead of escaping from Alexi’s thugs in the open ocean after a twenty-foot drop. She’d left those carefree days be hind her a lifetime ago.

      The woman gestured to a rack of men’s shorts and board shorts, and then pointed to a wall of women’s shorts. “We have a lot of new styles. The dressing rooms are in the corner.”

      After they both picked out some shorts and wore them out of the dressing rooms, Rio paid at the counter with slightly damp bills and they left the store.

      Tori had to admit the man still looked delicious even with a pair of baggy shorts hanging almost to his knees. He must work undercover for the CIA because he wasn’t as clean-cut as his half brother, Ryder McClintock, who also worked for the CIA. Strange coincidence that two half brothers, who didn’t know each other and didn’t grow up together, both landed with the CIA. Must be that protective instinct they shared.

      An instinct Tori intended to exploit.

      “Before I take you back to your hotel, do you want a shaved ice?” He pointed to a little shop on the corner. “Best shaved ice in Maui.”

      Tori figured he’d decided to sweeten her up. Pump her for information about Alexi. She had plenty to share, but she planned to do it her way and on her terms.

      “Sounds great. I am so thirsty.”

      He dug into his backpack and waved a bottle of water in her face. “You should’ve asked. If you don’t mind sharing germs.”

      She snatched the bottle from his hand and chugged the rest of the water. Hell, she didn’t mind sharing germs with this guy.

      They ordered a couple of shaved ices and settled on the bench outside the store to watch a handful of people wandering in and out of the shops on the street.

      “So how did you meet Prince Alexi of Glazkova?”

      That didn’t take long. “I was vacationing in Glazkova, and I met him at a private party at one of the casinos.”

      “You must run with the pretty people. Not every tourist vacationing in Glazkova rates an invitation to a private party with the Prince in attendance.”

      “I had a lot of friends in the international party set.” Tori shoveled a spoonful of ice drenched in sweet syrup into her mouth to get rid of the sour taste as she remembered those days of languid pleasure in Glazkova.

      “How long were you married?” Rio jabbed his spoon into the dome of red ice, scattering ice chips onto the pavement.

      “Two years, two months, and twelve days. Or at least that’s how long we stayed together. The actual divorce came a little later.”

      He raised an eyebrow. “How many hours?”

      “Umm, about nine.” She slurped some grape-flavored ice onto her tongue.

      “Did the excitement wear off or just the opposite? Did the fun and games get too hot to handle?”

      “You’re right. This shaved ice is the best.” He must’ve been smoking some Maui wowi on that hillside if he thought she’d cough up the dirt on Alexi for nothing in return. Besides, she had only old dirt on Alexi. If he wanted fresh dirt he’d have to pay.

      He laughed. “You’re sharp, Princess Tori.”

      “That’s ex-Princess Tori to you, McClintock. I can’t tell you anything about Alexi’s current operation, so you might as well find another lookout post.”

      He gripped her wrist so suddenly, she dropped her spoon.

      “Then what are you doing here? Do you miss the high life? Are you making a ploy to get back into Alexi’s bed? Because let me tell you, sweetheart, you have plenty of competition. He has scads of scantily clad beautiful women roaming all over that compound.”

      She snorted. “Is that why you’re keeping such a close watch on his house?”

      She tried to jerk away from him, but the strong fingers cinched tighter around her wrist. “Cut the crap, Tori. Why are you here? What kind of revenge do you want on Alexi?”

      Flexing her fingers, she watched a couple and their two children emerge from the T-shirt shop across the street. Time to ’fess up. She didn’t want Rio to think she was stalking Alexi so she could jump in the sack with him. That notion seemed to really bother him.

      Two men rounded the corner. Rio had loosened his grip on her wrist, but now it tightened. Still talking, the men got into a black Hummer parked at the curb.

      Rio tossed his cup into the trashcan next to the bench and pulled Tori to her feet. He dragged her into the doorway of a souvenir shop, closed for the night.

      The