Chapter Four
Jackson watched in amazement as Trinity devoured her cheeseburger in no time flat. For someone with a slim build like hers, he figured she must stay very active in order to eat like that.
Then again, as an IAD agent, she’d have to.
With his military background and time serving in law enforcement, he’d obviously heard of the agency before. However, he knew very little about them. They were like the boogiemen of the intelligence community. The ultimate clandestine warriors, hidden in the gray areas outside the scope of the law.
For someone who believed in the rule of law as much as he did, he couldn’t say he agreed with the lack of restrictions IAD operated by. Still, he knew there was a need for such agents in the global war on terror. That kind of evil didn’t play by the rules, so those who hunted them needed a little leeway to stop them.
Despite the conversation he’d overheard, he’d shot off a text to one of his officers to have her checked out. The text he’d gotten back confirmed she was legit, but his people couldn’t get much on her. That in itself was telling. She was a covert agent, so it was understandable that her file was redacted.
He just didn’t know what the hell she was doing on his island.
Jackson had grown up on Crescent Island as the only child of his mother, Sandra, and his two fathers, Anthony and Brendan. Because of his rather unconventional upbringing, he had discovered at a young age that a ménage pairing was not for him.
His mother had come from a wealthy family. When she had fallen in love with the bad boy local cop Brendan Stone, her parents had been disappointed yet tolerant. But they’d cut her off, disapproving of their ménage lifestyle when Sandra had added rich Italian Anthony Vincenti to the mix.
Vastly different, Anthony and Brendan had both fallen in love with the striking beauty. For her, it had been an ideal relationship. Anthony had allowed her to continue living in the luxury she was used to, while Brendan catered to her wild side. She loved them both, but she couldn’t seem to stop trying to pit both men against one another, creating a very volatile home environment.
Jackson had grown tired of the strain her actions caused, so when he turned eighteen, he left the island and joined the Army. In the military, he’d found his calling. A natural-born leader, he excelled in strategic tactical planning and analysis. He had quickly risen in the ranks, becoming a lieutenant that those under his command had depended on and respected. His life had been going according to plan until the night he’d gotten the phone call telling him that his father Brendan had been killed in the line of duty.
Deciding to leave the military, he returned to Crescent Island and joined the police department in honor of his father. His mother had been inconsolable. She had begged and pleaded for him to quit, saying that she couldn’t watch another loved one die in such a violent way. But he wouldn’t, couldn’t do what she’d asked of him.
He was born to be a soldier.
A cop.
A warrior.
Unable to stay on the island now that Brendan was gone, his mother and father had left the island, relocating to their villa in Italy. They had given the secluded estate on the west side of Crescent Island to Jackson, where he currently lived alone. Serious in nature, he held to a strict moral code that often clashed with the free-spirit attitude of the island, and so he used his oasis to retreat from the world.
Determined, focused, and extremely devoted, he lived and breathed the job. Jackson was known as one of the go-to guys on the island, and people often looked to him for answers. Although he was only one of the proud members of the Crescent Island Police Department, Jackson considered the island his.
His to watch over.
His to protect.
And he couldn’t do that if he didn’t know what the hell was going on and why someone had tried to kill the hot little spitfire sitting across the table from him. His mood darkened as he thought back to what had happened earlier on the cliffs.
It was time for some answers.
Known for good food and cold drinks, Jackson had taken her to Siren’s Cove, a local pub run by the family of one of his fellow officers. It was one of the favored hangouts for both the locals and tourists on the island. There was a large statue of three beautiful sirens basking on a cropping of rocks near the entrance that looked like they were just waiting for a chance to lure passing sailors to their doom. The piece had been created by a local artist and perfectly suited the theme of the place.
Waiting until Trinity ate the last fry on her plate, Jackson leaned back and crossed his arms across his broad chest. Speaking of doom, he felt like he was being lured to his own when she smiled at him. Damn it, he could all but see the mischief stirring behind those bright hazel eyes of hers.
“Tell me what’s going on, Katrina.”
Trinity sat back with a satisfied sigh, and she studied him as she raised her glass of beer to her lips and took a long, slow drink. She was impressed that he had waited this long to ask. Jackson didn’t seem like a man who had been born with the patient gene, but she appreciated that he’d let her eat before attempting to interrogate her.
She liked the bar he had chosen. It suited the island with its casual atmosphere, and the steady stream of business, even during the off-peak hours, told her it did well. As she glanced around, she realized what the driver had told her earlier was true. There were several other couples in the bar. A few consisted of two women and one man, but most of them were two men and one woman.
The chemistry flooding the place made it clear these were not just friends out for a bite to eat, but rather intimate, committed relationships. It seemed like she had landed on a fantasy island, and she might as well get started on making her own fantasies a reality.
But first, they had some business to get out of the way.
Hoping to throw him off balance again, she braced her elbows on the table, propped her chin on her linked hands, and smiled sweetly at him. She watched his irritation clear as he simply blinked at her.
“Okay, here’s the basic rundown…”
She told him why she’d made the trip down to the island and what had happened during her visit to the construction site. She explained up until the point she had met him on the cliffs, then stopped as their waitress walked over to their table. The young woman was wearing dark jeans and a blue polo shirt with the Siren’s Cove logo on it, and she shot them a sunny smile as she bussed their empty plates away from the table.
Once she was gone, Jackson leaned forward. “Obviously there’s something going on there that’s dangerous. You need to leave this to the cops and—”
“Nope. No can do. I told my friend I’d figure this out, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
“Damn it—”
“Are you seeing anyone?” She took another sip of her beer as she watched him blink in surprise again. Damned if she didn’t love pushing his buttons.
“W–what?”
She smiled and blinked at him innocently. “I asked if you were seeing anyone. I didn’t see a ring, but I thought I’d ask if you were involved since we’re on a date and all.”
He clenched his teeth so hard that she was surprised they weren’t ground to dust.
“This isn’t a date.”
“Oh? Well, I guess you’re not attracted to me then. My bad.”
“I didn’t say that,” he snapped, then blew out a breath trying to regain control of his emotions. “Are you always this…forward?”
She shrugged. “When people are trying to kill you all the time, I figure wasting time is just that…wasting time. But I disagree. I would have to call this a date. We had food, drinks, conversation, and I might even let you kiss me later. Ergo…date.”
Jackson seemed completely at a loss for words, which pleased her immensely. She really did get a kick out of baffling him. When the waitress came back to the table, Trinity whisked the check away from her.
Winking at her dinner companion, she said, “This one’s on me.”
He frowned and reached for the check, motioning for it with his fingers. “If this is a date, then I pay.”
She playfully held it out of reach as she took some money out of her pocket. “Nope. I got it. You can treat me next time.”
Smiling as he grumbled in irritation, she slid the money into the book before handing it to the waitress when she came back to their table. As they made their way toward the exit, Trinity noticed how many of the patrons seemed to know Jackson. They smiled or waved at him, and he returned their greetings with a curt nod. She wanted to roll her eyes and tell him to relax, but she figured she should wait a little before trying to get him to loosen up.
When a man called out to Jackson, they detoured over to a table where three men and a woman were enjoying some drinks. The woman was beautiful, with long brown hair and dark brown eyes, and all three of the men were handsome. Two of the men looked similar enough that Trinity figured that they had to be related.
“Hey, Stone. Do you guys want to join us?” one of the men asked.
Jackson shook his head. “Sorry, Brody. Maybe next time. We were just leaving. Katrina Cross, this is Brody Collins and Adam and Ford West. We work together at the police department. And this is their girlfriend, Olivia Abbas.”
Ford’s blue eyes sparkled with humor. “Do my eyes deceive me, or is Jackson Stone out on a date? Has the world officially ended?”
Trinity couldn’t help but laugh as Adam reached out and slapped his brother on the back of the head. She could practically hear Jackson’s teeth grinding again.
“This isn’t a date,” he denied. “Katrina ran into some trouble earlier, and we were talking about the details over a meal.”
The four sitting at the table glanced at one another, then Ford said, “So, a date.”
“It is,” Trinity confirmed before Jackson could deny it again. Playing it up, she hooked her arm through his and grinned at the group. “Sorry, Jackson’s still a little put out that I pulled my gun on him earlier.”
The group gawked at her.
“You…pulled a gun on the Lieutenant?” Adam asked slowly in disbelief.
“Well, yeah, but it was a mistake. Okay, so not really a mistake since I meant to do it. But you know, a girl has to be careful when a man creeps up on her on a deserted road.”
“I did not creep up on you,” Jackson growled.
“Sure, honey.”
She batted her eyelashes at him, then smiled at the group again. She winked at Olivia, who choked back a laugh. The men watched her warily as if not quite sure what to think of her. Good thing she was used to that, or she might develop a complex.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. Are you new in town, Katrina?” Olivia asked with a warm smile.
“Call me Trinity. And yeah, just arrived on the island today. I’m staying at the resort.”
“The Palace? I love that place. They have a wonderful restaurant and spa there. You should stop by my store if you get a chance the next time you’re in town. I just opened a clothing and lingerie store a block over called Temptations,” Olivia said with a proud grin.
Trinity smiled. “Great name. I’ll definitely stop by. I think I’ll need to buy something sexy that a man can rip off me.”
Olivia laughed. “I think I have exactly what you need.”
“Excuse us, we’re leaving,” Jackson said stiffly as he grabbed hold of Trinity’s arm.
She turned to wave at the others over her shoulder as Jackson pulled her toward the entrance. She was pleased to see that his eyes had gone the color of a storm at sea but was sorry it was partly anger mixing with the lust she’d been hoping for.
When the door opened, they almost ran right into a tall blond man. The man all but snapped to attention as soon he saw Jackson.
“Sir.”
“Noah. I thought you were on duty tonight,” Jackson snapped out, making the other man straighten even more.
“I was. I am,” Noah said as he eyed Jackson warily. “I’m just stopping by to pick up some food for me and Carlos.”
Jackson blew out a breath. Damn it, there was no reason for him to be snapping at one of the men he worked with. Noah Diaz was a good cop and a good friend, but Katrina Cross had his dick going to stone in his pants, making it impossible to think clearly. He had to get them the hell out of the bar before he did something stupid. Like throw her onto one of the tabletops and yank her jeans down to see if her ass was really as perfect as it seemed.
They all turned when an older woman called out from behind the bar. “Noah, where is Carlos? Don’t think I don’t know my son is hiding from me!”
“Shit…” Noah muttered.
“That’s all you,” Jackson muttered. “See you tomorrow.”
“Umm, yeah. Night, Lieutenant.”
As Noah hurried away from them, Trinity frowned up at Jackson.
He used his anger to push the lust down. “Don’t say it.”
“Say what?”
“Anything,” he growled as he pushed the door open and led them outside. “Don’t say anything at all.”