Chapter 13 #2
An exaggerated sigh filtered through the phone.
"OK, yeah, we can meet. That's fine. But not here, not on the yacht.
And Emil would flip out. How about . . .
um . . . Do you know where Pelican Cove Beach is?
It's not far from where his yacht is. It's a gorgeous beach, has big rocky cliffs but some sandy area too.
We had a picnic there once. Anyway, meet me down on the sand.
I'll explain. You'll see I'm fine. Then you need to get out of here.
You're the one in danger. Just meet me there.
But it needs to be now, before Emil gets back from the golf club.
Can you meet me there in twenty minutes? "
"Yes, yes, I'll be there. See you in twenty minutes." The call ended.
Nervous excitement surged through her. "It was her. It was really Cassidy. She wants to meet at Pelican Cove Beach in twenty minutes."
Her hands shook. A sharp contrast to Nash's stoic response.
He was almost annoyingly calm. "Yes, I heard most of it.
And I'm not going to waste time arguing with you.
I know you need to see her. But I'm going with you.
And I'm staying next to you the whole time.
I know you love your cousin, but that doesn't mean the situation is safe. "
She bristled. "You think Cassidy would . . . You think this is a trap or something?"
"I want to be cautious, but I doubt it's a trap. If Emil figured us out and wanted to confront us, there are easier ways to go about it since we're working for him and living on his property."
"True. Cassidy wouldn't put me into any kind of trouble. I know she hasn't made the best decisions, but—"
"I know. We can meet her." He checked his watch. "Do we need to get Nutmeg first?"
"They haven't texted yet. Let's just get out there and meet up with Cassidy, and then we'll come back for Nutmeg."
He grabbed his shoes. "Let's go."
They saw the hand-painted wooden sign for Pelican Cove Beach and pulled into the small parking area. The only other vehicle in sight was a golf cart parked at the edge of the lot.
"Hopefully, that's Cassidy," Lena said.
"It is," Nash said. "That's one of Emil's golf carts. He keeps it at the marina."
Pelican Cove Beach consisted of a small sandy area surrounded by towering rocky cliffs. Small and picturesque, it looked like a postcard. They exited the SUV and walked toward the steep, sloping path down to the sand.
Nash's jaw twitched, his stoic tension suddenly unsettling.
"What's wrong?" Lena asked.
He worked his jaw, scanning the area. "Because of the rocks, the beach is only accessible via the narrow access from this parking lot. And the cliffs flank the area on both sides."
He had a point. She bit her lower lip. "I see how it looks, but you said it's probably not—"
Motion near the bottom of the pathway snagged her attention. "It's Cassidy!"
Lena sprinted down the path, Nash's steady tread a breath behind her. She reached Cassidy and threw her arms around her. She held her in a fierce hug, then pulled away and leveled her gaze at her cousin.
"You need to leave with me today. Emil's not safe, he—"
Cassidy stared at Nash. "Who is he?"
"Oh, sorry," Lena said. "This is Nash. He's—"
"I'm here to help," Nash interrupted. "Please listen to Lena. Emil Van Horn is not safe. You and Lena both need to leave this island as soon as possible."
Cassidy looked annoyed at Nash's commanding tone, but not surprised by anything he said. "Look, I don't know who you think—"
Without warning, Nash grabbed both women by the arm and tugged them away from the path. "This way. Now." He pulled them closer to the base of one of the cliffs and stopped.
"I saw them," Cassidy said. She eyed Nash, one perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised. "The men on the cliff? Right? I don't know how you know they're dangerous, but yes, it's best they don't see you." She turned to Lena. "Who is this guy?"
Fear and frustration bubbled up in Lena's chest. "He's . . . he's one of the good guys. Not the time to explain." She grabbed her cousin's hand. "Who is on the cliff?"
"Emil's men," Cassidy said.
"Security from his yacht," Nash elaborated.
Cassidy looked impressed. "Yeah. And they don't need to see us together. They'll report to Emil. He's paranoid about who I talk to. I need to go. Now. If they walk down here, they'll see you. I have to leave before they know I talked to you."
But she didn't talk to them, not really. Lena wanted to scream. Cassidy appeared unharmed, but no questions had been answered, and Cassidy wanted to run right back to Emil. Why?
"We just got here, Cass. You need to leave with me! You're in danger with Emil."
Cassidy's familiar, stubborn posture infuriated Lena, and strangled her hope of a quick resolution to the deadly drama they'd stumbled into.
Cassidy held Lena's face in her hands. "Listen, Lena, we have to talk later.
Everything is going to be fine. I've got things figured out.
I know Emil took the jewels, but I also know I'm a suspect in the investigation in Houston.
I'm not going back home without the jewels.
But I know where they are. Don't worry, I've got a plan.
Emil said you're coming to the party, right? "
"Yes, but—"
"Okay, see you then." She took off toward the pathway without a backward glance.
Lena lunged after her, but Nash grabbed her by the waist. "Hang on."
"What? Why?"
"She's right about one thing—we can't let Emil's men see us talking to her before the party.
I have no idea what they're doing on the cliff, but we don't want them getting suspicious.
They might be checking on Cassidy. If she leaves now and they follow her back to the marina, they won't get close enough to see us or the SUV.
But if they come closer to check on her—"
"Okay, okay. I get it." Her words were clipped. She didn't want his logic. She wanted to run after Cassidy and drag her to the airport. How could Cass just leave like that when she knows Emil is dangerous? Waves of worry and exasperation threatened to drown her. She was stunned. Scared. Unmoored.
Nash's deep, steady voice broke through her thoughts.
"Let's move under the cliff until they drive off.
" When she didn't move, he placed a firm, gentle hand on the small of her back and guided her off the sand and onto the rocks beneath the cliff.
"There's a cave opening here." He turned on his phone's flashlight and shone it around the cave entrance.
He leaned close and spoke into her ear, presumably to make himself heard over the waves crashing on the rocks.
"This is a good spot for a few minutes. We'll be directly underneath them, out of their line of sight.
If they're just keeping an eye on Cassidy, they should be driving off soon. "
The cave looked dark. And wet. And creepy. She didn't feel like cooperating, but she couldn't think of anything else to do. Cassidy was being stubborn. And she was gone.
As much as she loved Cassidy, a scream of frustration threw a hissy fit in Lena's throat, wanting to rip through the inky, clammy cave that Nash was steering her into.
She'd come all the way to the Caribbean to warn her, to get her home.
And Cassidy wouldn't listen. The more she considered Cassidy's stubbornness, helplessness morphed into numbness, dulling her aggravation.
She let Nash lead her a few feet into the cave.
He brought his mouth close to her ear. "We'll hole up here for a few minutes."
An ironic thought bubbled up. She trusted Nash's judgment right now over Cassidy's. By a large margin. The realization felt surreal. But as she grabbed his shoulder to steady herself on the slippery rock floor, gratitude for his steadfast presence swelled in her chest.