Page 406 of The Romance Adventure

He leans against the wall as if knowing this isn’t going to be good.

“You know many of the pirate stories, but this one is personal. One of my ancestors captained the ship that laid siege to the Crimson Tide—on my father’s side. The legend was that the treasure aboard that ship was rightfully his.”

“Pirate logic.”

“He’s been seeking it ever since, and I thought if I found the treasure first, I’d be able to present it to him, prove to him that I’m a worthy daughter.” Silent tears fall from my eyes.

CJ crosses the room and takes me in his arms, hugging me for a long minute.

Through a sniffle, I say, “But he’s also a very bad man. I’m not above revenge on him. I’ve been on a case for a long time, years, tracking him. That’s how I figured out he’s my father. Probably was for the best that I didn’t ever get to know him. I planned to present the crown to him, watch him drool, and then arrest him with the full power of the IEA behind me.”

My husband rubs his hand down his face. “You’re an officer for the International Emissary Agency d’Concordia?”

I don’t answer because, rightfully, I can’t claim direct association, but we have a certain reputation among spy agencies.

CJ nods, taking in this information. “Wow. Have to admit, that’s pretty hot.”

I smirk because, as far as spies go, we have some sexy gear.

Then his expression dips because by now he’s put together my father’s identity—probably has had a hunch for a while now. “Your father is Jerkovic, if that’s his real name.”

This time I answer directly. “Yes. He has other names, too. The most recent one is Sir Kent Von Dräger.” Wiping away a tear, I add, “Please don’t think less of me.”

CJ’s jaw lowers. “Jolie, of course not! You can’t help who your father is. Now that I understand your mission, things make more sense. You were going to bait him into accepting the crown, show him you were worthy, then haul him in. It’s genius. But I have one question.”

I swallow, afraid of what’s coming.

“Did you leave the note and the bones on the beach to scare Lally?”

I frown. “What? No. That certainly wasn’t me. I’m deadly but not creepy.”

“But the French expression, well, translated to English...”

Shaking my head, I say, “No, but isn’t French the main language spoken in Martinique.”

“Captain J,” CJ whispers. “I have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of him.”

“Probably not. As for my plan, I can’t go through with it, but I’ll do whatever I can to help from a safe distance.” I eye my phone, eager to delete the message, but I have to keep it for evidence and get our tech team to trace it.

CJ nods solemnly and holds out his hand for me to take.

“Let’s go bring down the big bad.”

My smile is thin, because along with this, I have some guilt—for being party to what’ll likely be the rest of my father’s life spent in prison, withholding all of this information from my husband, and the selfish fact that I can’t face Von Dräger again.

We go downstairs where the others wait for us.

“How is this going to work?” Ryan asks.

“Only CJ, given his questionable acquaintances, will have the ability to broker the deal for our parents’ freedom,” Royal says snidely.

“In for a penny, in for a pound. We’re all doing this.” He goes on to share some details about travel and connections, along with an idea for how to draw Jerkovic out.

Isla bounces on her toes. “Ooh, ooh, ooh. Is this like in the movies when the caper crew launch schematics and plot how they’re going to rob the bank?”

“We’re not robbing a bank,” Harley says. “Are we?”

CJ laughs. “No, we’re robbing pirates.”