Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Saylor sighed as she followed Chase up the path to Foster’s backdoor, Zain’s hand resting on the small of her back.
Her body still hummed from the way he’d kissed her in the bathroom — from the promise of how the night would end.
While she loved hanging with Mackenzie and Zain’s teammates, the unrelenting need burning low in her core dampened her usual enthusiasm.
Zain leaned in once they reached the door, holding it ajar after Chase had sauntered inside. “You, okay? You seem a bit preoccupied.”
Saylor shrugged. “Nothing an all-night tumble between the sheets won’t fix.”
Zain coughed. “We’ll make this quick.”
She stopped short of going inside, tiptoed up and ate at his mouth. No preamble, just her lips crushed against his, her fingers sliding into his hair.
He wrapped his other arm around her waist, tugging her flush against him before resting his forehead on hers once she’d finally come up for air. “Is that your way of saying you’ve changed your mind about dinner?”
She eased back and brushed her thumb across his mouth. “I just needed something to hold me over.”
“Was that enough?”
She accepted his challenge, practically climbing into his arms in an effort to get closer.
To have more of his muscled strength wrapped around her.
Zain shifted his arm under her butt, then spun, pressing her back into the wall — trapping her between him and Foster’s house.
She inhaled, then pulled away as ice sluiced through her veins, cooling all that heat.
A flash of Keith Watson’s face clouded her vision, the faint scent of alcohol and sweat making her gag.
Zain froze, staring down at her as if he wasn’t sure whether to let her go or step back and tug her against his chest, when the door opened. Nyx trotted out, nuzzling her way between them as she leaned against Zain’s leg, tongue hanging out one side, her soulful brown eyes gazing up at them.
Kash tripped to a halt behind her, his mouth curving into a smug grin. “At least, you’ve both got a good reason for all the food getting cold. You coming in, or…”
Zain flipped Kash off. “Don’t be an ass.”
“Don’t get snippy because you got caught making out on Foster’s back porch.”
“We’ll be right in.”
Kash chuckled. “Right. We’re starting without you.”
He whistled, and Nyx yipped, then darted into the house. Kash gave them one last glance before ambling back inside, yelling out to everyone that they’d be in as soon as Zain found a way to untangle himself from Saylor.
Zain sighed. “And here I’d hoped Jordan might help with all that social awkwardness.”
Saylor nodded, a bit too fast, but at least the worst of the flashback had faded. “We should head inside before they all come out and start taking photos.”
Zain snagged her hand. “Are you okay? Because something definitely changed as soon as your back hit the wall.”
She toed at the concrete stones. “It wasn’t…” She huffed. “Can we chalk it up to past issues encroaching on the present and leave it at that? Because I’m really not ready to have that conversation.”
His eyes narrowed as his breathing kicked up. “Did someone hurt you?”
Another flash of Watson’s face, the stench of his breath stronger. More vivid. She swallowed, coughed a few times when it didn’t quite go down right, then sighed. “Zain.”
“You don’t have to tell me anything you’re not ready to, but I’m here when you are.” He stepped back — took her hand in his. “You know I’d never hurt you, right? Under any circumstances.”
“Of course, I do. That doesn’t mean some ugly memories don’t bleed through, sometimes.”
Zain looked as if he was going to question her before nodding and walking through the door and into the kitchen.
Foster looked up from the table, grinning at them. “ If it’s not Bonnie and Clyde.” He focused on Zain. “Please tell me you put at least as many bullets into their boats as they did into Saylor’s.”
Zain held out a chair for her. “I wasn’t aiming at the boats, other than the engines, and I nailed them.”
“Was that before or after Saylor got hit?” Foster looked at her. “Which was why we should have gone together.”
Saylor groaned. “Hand to God, if anyone else calls it a hit, I’m going to kick their ass. It was a scratch. One Zain would’ve gladly taken in the shoulder, but I pushed him out of the way before he had a chance when that second boat showed up.”
Jordan frowned. “There was a second boat?”
“Smaller and faster.” Saylor pointed at Foster.
“Which would have caught your slow-ass cruiser in a heartbeat. I’m fine.
Their numbers were reduced, and with any luck, the Coast Guard picked up that first one before it made it to shore.
With the amount of damage Zain did, I’d be surprised if it got more than a mile in before it was dead in the water. ”
Foster placed his hand on his chest. “Did you really insult the family boat? That’s cold, Saylor.”
She rolled her eyes as Zain’s buddies fell into an easy conversation. Or maybe just a safe one, only the odd comment about her and Zain getting caught kissing working its way in. They’d finished eating when Chase’s cell rang.
He glanced at the screen, then stood. “I’ll be right back.” He answered it as he stepped into the other room, “Hey, Greer,” sounding before his voice faded .
Kash smirked. “Now, we just need to work on Chase, and maybe all this sexual tension will finally ease.”
Jordan swatted him in the chest. “Ignore, Kash. He’s still learning how to read a room.”
Kash snagged her hand and held it against his chest. “I meant just the unrequited kind. I swear if Chase and Greer spend another six months giving each other all those longing glances, I might have to shoot him in the ass.”
Mac shook her head. “That was you a couple months ago.”
“And I finally grew a set.” Kash looked at Jordan and damn, he beamed. Actually beamed. “Best decision ever.”
“If you discount Rook trying to kill us a few times over, sure.” Jordan winked. “Definitely my best decision.”
Zain groaned. “And now, I think I’m gonna be sick.”
Kash flipped him off. “Based on what I interrupted outside, I give it a week before we’re the ones who want to puke.”
“Unlike you, I’ve got restraint.”
“If that was restraint, I don’t want to see you unhinged.” Kash looked over at Chase when he walked back in and slid onto his chair. “Well, buddy?”
Chase placed his phone on the table. “Obviously, that was Greer.”
Saylor perked up. “Any news on that salvage vessel?”
Chase glanced at everyone else before releasing a slow breath. “The Coast Guard just called her. Unfortunately, the ship was gone by the time they got there.”
“What?” Saylor pressed her palms on the table, barely stopping herself before she’d stood and made a scene.
“The ship was dead in the water. I tried the engines. It wasn’t going anywhere.
And it wasn’t sinking that fast, even with the shitty conditions.
” She raked her fingers through her hair. “What about the registration?”
“Apparently, it came back to a ship that sank a decade ago.” Chase held up one hand. “All I can do is repeat what Greer was told. They didn’t find even a trace of that vessel, or the pirate boats.”
Saylor groaned, sparing Mac a quick glance. “I knew that second boat was too small and nimble to be shore-based. The bastards had a mother ship.”
Kash coughed, pounding on his chest a few times as if he’d swallowed funny. “Mother ship? As in beam me up, Scotty? ”
Mackenzie laughed. “Not that kind of mother ship, Kash. It’s what they call the main vessel pirates use so they can attack boats farther from shore.
It’s usually an old platform boat, or even a decommissioned cutter that can hide in plain sight.
One that holds a bunch of those small boats, or skiffs, which they use to do the actual assaults. ”
Saylor nodded. “Damn ship was likely just out of sight and hauled ass once their crew reported we’d been onboard. Probably towed the salvage vessel just far enough to avoid the Coast Guard before scuttling it.”
Chase sighed. “Sorry it’s not better news. Greer still needs us to make official statements, in case they connect the bullets to a crew, but that’s doubtful.”
Zain huffed. “It also means we won’t identify that guy we found. After seeing those armed assholes, I bet my ass he was one of them and not part of the crew. Might have helped steer the investigation in the right direction.”
Footsteps echoed in her mind, that eerie tone sounding inside Saylor’s head, again, and she had to physically stop herself from racing to the window — scanning the grounds.
Zain placed his hand over hers, arching a brow when she snapped her gaze to him. “You, okay?”
She forced a smile. “Fine.”
He frowned but didn’t press. “Hey, Chase, did Greer find anything at Saylor’s place?”
“She searched the property and the boathouse, but everything looked untouched.” Chase leaned back in his chair. “She was thinking about stopping by later, so you can ask her yourself, if you haven’t carried Saylor off to your place, yet.”
A round of chuckles eased some of her nerves, until Chase glanced at Mac. “Didn’t another vessel disappear along the coastline this time last year? Some kind of Coast Guard ship.”
Mac locked gazes with Saylor, her lips pressed tight, eyes wide before she glanced at Chase. “It was a contract research vessel.”
“What ship was it?”
Mac stared at her, again, silently asking Saylor if she wanted her to answer .
Saylor forced herself to swallow, her heart already kicking into overdrive. “The Vigilant .”
The name sparked another round of hinges creaking and lights bobbing on the water. That face staring at her from the shadows as a dull pop echoed through the air.
She pushed away the images as she stared at the table — focused on breathing. In, pause, out.
Chase grunted. “That’s right. Similar scenario, wasn’t it? Bad weather. Engine trouble.”