26. Indiana
Tyler’s brows knitted together as if he were piecing evidence into place. “Isn’t that the guy whose boat you set on fire?”
I groaned. “That was an accident.”
Tyler returned his gaze to Kane’s massive yacht, which had released its anchor offshore. “This should be interesting.”
As a rubber dinghy carved a white path through the blue toward us, I said, “Kane’s a lying, sneaky bastard, Tyler. Don’t believe a word he says.”
“Copy that.” Tyler rubbed the stubble on his chin. “That won’t be hard. There aren’t too many people in this town I do trust.”
Standing with our ankles in the tumbling waves, we stood side by side, watching the boat approach. As the humming engine grew louder, my heartbeat thumped in my ears.
The boat slowed to a crawl, and the hull squeaked as Kane drove it right against the sand. Kane jumped off the raft, landing with the grace that always irked me.
“Indiana, babe, what a surprise,” he drawled with his cocky smirk that pissed me right off.
“Cut the crap, Kane,” I shot back, unable to keep the venom out of my voice. “Just get us out of here.”
“Tyler Kingsley,” Tyler interrupted, stepping forward and offering his hand. “Thanks for getting here so fast.”
“Kane Devlin.” He shook Tyler’s hand but grinned at me. “But I’m sure Indy has already filled you in on me.”
“Not really.” Tyler glared at me, maybe trying to tell me to be nice to the man who was saving us.
“How did you get stuck all the way out here?” Kane adjusted his mirrored glasses on his nose.
“It’s a long story.” Tyler was being so civil to the lying bastard that I wanted to scream.
Instead, I climbed onto the raft and faced his boat.
Tyler came to the side, and as he pushed the raft off the sand, he whispered, “Just keep it civil. This will be over in no time.”
Kane started the engine again, and as we motored toward his yacht, I tried to simmer my thumping heartbeat.
The dinghy slapped against the polished hull of Kane’s yacht, and we boarded the sleek vessel. Tyler’s steady hand on my back was the only thing stopping my world from tilting off its axis.
“Welcome aboard the Devil’s Fortune,” Kane said as he tied the raft to his yacht.
“Asshole’s Fortune, you mean,” I muttered.
“Nice boat,” Tyler commented, and then whispered in my ear, “Shush.”
“Isn’t she?” Kane beamed. “Okay, follow me. I’m guessing you two could use a drink.”
We followed Kane up a set of stairs and across a deck bathed in sunshine to the undercover seating area that I’d set on fire. There was absolutely no sign of the damage I’d caused.
“You been renovating?” I smirked.
Raising his glasses onto his head, Kane glared at me, showing his true colors. “You’re stunt cost me a fortune.”
The salty sting of the ocean air mingled with the anger burning in my chest. “It was an accident, but you still had me arrested. Bastard.”
“Your flare caught Border Force’s attention, not me.” He leaned his back against the wall and folded his arms in a smug stance that made me want to rip out his throat. “Did you set fire to Rhino, too? I always knew your anger would?—”
Tyler marched to him, gripped Kane by the shirt, and slammed his back against the wall.
My heart thundered. No man had ever defended me like that.
Holy smokes . . . that was sexy.
Tyler got right into Kane’s face. “We were attacked. Indiana’s father was murdered, Rhino exploded and sank, and Indy lost every fucking thing she owns.” He gave Kane another shove, then stepped back. “Now shut up and get the engines going. We need to get out of here before the bastard who ripped Rhino to shreds comes back.”
His tone was low and dangerous.
“Indy, is that right?” The tenderness in Kane’s voice yanked me back ten years, and I hated that I remembered.
“Yeah. I bet you get a kick out of that, too.”
The humor vanished from Kane’s eyes. “Oh fuck, Indy. I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Truly. Old Smithy was a good man. I’m really sorry to hear he’s gone.”
I turned away, refusing to let him see my stupid tears.
“Listen,” Tyler said, “we need to get out of here. And we could really use a drink.”
Kane rubbed his hands down his thighs. “What would you like? Scotch, rum, coffee, water?”
“Indy?” Tyler asked.
“Water,” I said, lowering my gaze to my leg that wouldn’t stop jiggling and staring at my jagged scars.
“Coffee for me. I’ll come help you.” Tyler pressed his hand onto my shoulder. “Have a rest. I’ll be back in a sec.”
The engines started and unlike Rhino, Kane’s boat kicked into gear without the entire deck rattling. As the wind whipped my hair across my face, I ran my hand over the scars on my thigh. It was all I had left. Scars and rotten memories. Images of Mom swept across my mind: her beautiful smile when she braided my hair, the terror in her eyes when she plunged into the water beside me, her golden locket.
“Oh fuck!”
Her gold locket!
I raced to the railing and searched for Wombat Island, but it was already a dot in the distance.
Tyler returned to me wearing a change of clothes and carrying a glass of water and a packet of chocolate chip cookies. “What’s wrong?”
My chin quivered. “Mom’s locket. I left it in my wetsuit, and that’s on that stupid beach back there.”
“Hey.” He put the food and drink down, tugged me to his chest, and wrapped his arms around me.
Tears spilled from my eyes, and my shoulders heaved back and forth as I cried. Losing that locket was like losing Mom all over again.
“We will go back and get your locket as soon as we can, but we have to get out of here. Back to safety.”
My whole body trembled, and completely losing myself, I let the hot tears spill down my cheeks.
Tyler held me, and as I sobbed, the salty sea breeze mixed with my tears. His grip was comforting and incredible, grounding me against the chaos swirling through my mind. After what felt like an eternity, my sobs subsided into quiet sniffles.
Tyler pulled back slightly and cupped my face.
“Are you okay?” he said softly, his eyes locked on mine.
I nodded, trying to compose myself. Wiping tears off my cheeks with the back of my hand, I took a shuddering breath and managed a small smile. “Thank you.”
Tyler leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead before handing me the glass of water and the cookies. “Drink up and have something to eat. It’ll help.”
Taking a sip of water, I glanced out at the vast expanse of ocean surrounding us. My beautiful ocean had stolen everything from me. Would I ever return?
“Here, put this on.” He handed me a T-shirt.
My jaw dropped. “Hell no. I’m not taking anything from that bastard.”
“Put the shirt on, Indiana.”
“Or what?” I folded my arms.
“Or I’ll make you.” He held the shirt toward me. “Believe me, I’d rather you didn’t cover up.”
His piercing blue glare told me that I wasn’t going to win this one.
I snatched the shirt from him. “Only because you asked so nicely.”
“Good.” He kissed my cheek, and it was so sweet and unexpected, all words vanished from my mind. “Get some rest.”
He strode away.
After that, as Kane throttled Devil’s Fortune at full speed toward Rosebud Marina, Tyler made it his mission to keep Kane out of my sight.
I spent the hours in the shade of the luxury yacht, trying to work out what I would do next with my life. The sun had vanished into the horizon, and the blackness of night had swallowed all light by the time Rosebud Wharf came into view.
Even by the time Kane drove into one of the double berths at the edge of the marina, I still had no freaking idea what I wanted to do now that Rhino was gone.
After the engines of Devil’s Fortune were shut down, Kane met us at the rear deck, and Tyler shook his hand. “Thank you. We appreciate this.”
“It was the least I could do.” Kane shifted his gaze to me. “Indy, I truly am sorry about your dad and Rhino. I know how much that boat meant to you.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
“But listen. If ever you want to go out to Pineapple Reef, I’m happy for you to use Devil’s Fortune.”
I frowned at him. “You mean you didn’t–”
“No,” he interrupted. “You got there first. Whatever is down there belongs to you.”
I blinked at him, hardly able to believe the words that came from Kane Devlin’s mouth. “You really didn’t check it out?”
“Cross my heart.” He flashed that grin that had stolen my breath way too many times.
“Oh.” I had no idea what to say.
“Anyway, I’m sure you have a lot to sort out. Give me a call when you’re ready, and I’ll take you out there.”
Yeah, I bet you just want me to find what’s on Siren’s Lure so you can lay claim to it.
“I’ll even let you keep whatever we find down there,” he said like he was reading my mind.
I couldn’t stop my jaw from dropping. “What’s the catch?”
He chuckled. “You really are too cynical for your own good. But you’re right. There is a catch.”
“Of course there is.” I rolled my eyes. “What?”
“I want you to introduce me to Aria.”
“Aria?” Tyler and I said at the same time.
“Yeah. I’ve been trying to arrange a meeting with her, but she refuses to talk to me.”
Tyler frowned. “Why do you want to talk to Aria?”
Kane wrapped his hand around a pole, and his bicep bulged, showing off muscles that weren’t there a decade ago. “Let’s just say I have some information for her that could help with her investigation into that missing Nazi gold.”
Tyler’s mouth fell ajar.
I frowned. “What information?”
He winked. “Set up a meeting with Aria, Indy. Then call me when you want to return to Pineapple Reef.”
He turned and strode away, leaving me to stare at his back.
“What’s that all about?” Tyler asked.
I shook my head. “That’s Kane Devlin . . . full of fucking secrets.”
“Well, we have a secret of our own.” Tyler tapped the pocket of his shorts. “Let’s get this hard drive to Captain Watts. I want to know why those bastards tried to kill us.”
Captain Watts and another cop, Officer Lacey Brooks, were waiting for us at the end of the pontoon, and relief was written over the captain’s face when he finally laid eyes on us.
“I thought you two were dead.” Watts shook our hands.
“So did we,” Tyler said.
“Are you okay?” Lacey asked me. She looked way too innocent to be a cop.
“I really don’t know.” I shrugged.
My hair never looked as finessed as Lacey’s short bob. During the boat ride here, Tyler had asked if I wanted to take a shower, but I didn’t want a damn thing off Kane. Seeing how beautiful Lacey looked, I regretted that decision. I felt like crap and probably looked it, too.
Tyler offered me a lopsided smile. “We’ve been through hell.”
His eyes softened on me, and for the first time in my life, I wished I looked better for a man.
“Do you want me to take you to hospital?” Lacey asked, scooping her perfectly styled hair behind her ear to show off a cute golden star in her lobe.
“No.” I met Tyler’s gaze. “I’m sticking with him.”
I wanted to know what was on that drive, too.
The marina was a swarm of activity, but Watts led us away from the chaos to his patrol car, and the four of us climbed in. At the station, all the cops watched us as we walked through the building I had visited way too many times for my liking. This time, their eyes didn’t leer with an accusatory glare; this time, their expressions were weird, like they had a sense of awe over our miraculous survival.
Then again, maybe they were looking at Tyler, one of their own, and not me, a known criminal, though, thankfully, not convicted.
Tyler showed me where the restrooms were, and I attempted to clean myself up with water and paper towels, but it was pointless. I needed a hot shower and about a week’s sleep.
But when I emerged, Tyler had performed some kind of miracle. He’d slicked back his hair, changed his clothes, and put white joggers on his feet. He looked like he was ready for work.
Watts waited for us at the doorway to his office. We followed Watts into his office, and he went around the other side of his desk which was covered in paperwork. “Sit down before you fall down.”
As I sat, Tyler handed the hard drive to Captain Watts like it was some kind of cursed relic.
Lacey stood beside Watts’ desk, and I was curious why she was in here rather than one of the more senior cops who knew me.
Tyler sat beside me. “This is why that drone attacked us. Indiana’s father was killed, and her boat was blown up and sunk. Whatever is on that thing, they think it’s worth killing over.”
“Tell me about the plane.” Watts leaned so far back on his chair I expected him to go ass over.
“Seaplane,” Tyler clarified, then turned his gaze to me. “Indiana found it.”
I shrugged. “You gave the directions.”
I shared the information on the plane’s location and its condition on the ocean floor. Tyler detailed the pilot’s bullet wound, that he didn’t find a gun, and his suspicions over what happened.
Watts eyeballed Lacey. “I want you to find out about that plane. Someone must be looking for it or a missing pilot.”
“Yes, sir.” Lacey’s blue eyes were so pale they were almost gray.
Over the next twenty minutes, Tyler and I relayed the rest of the information about the drone attack and how we made it to dry land.
“As soon as we reached Wombat Island,” Tyler said, “a chopper arrived, and two more assholes attacked us.”
“What the fuck?” Watts drove his hand through his thinning hair.
Tyler explained his fight with Briggs and how he fell off the edge. He explained that he had interrogated Clark, and how Clark had jumped off the cliff without warning.
“Ah, Jesus.” Watts looked like he wanted to vomit. “Why would he do that?”
“He was fucking scared,” Tyler said, nodding at me.
“Tyler gave him plenty of chances, but Clark just . . .” I used my hand to demonstrate jumping off a cliff.
“Scared of who?” Lacey asked.
“Whoever hired him.” Tyler tapped his fingers on the desk’s leather top. “Another thing, Clark said he got the job through Wax.”
Watts’ eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Christ.”
He jabbed a few keys on his computer.
“Maybe their fingerprints will give us answers to their identity. I can show you where the bodies are on the island.”
“No.” Watts pointed at Tyler. “Go home, Kingsley, and get some rest.”
“But, sir, I?—”
“That’s an order. I do not want to see you again until at least, oh nine hundred tomorrow. Understand?”
Tyler’s shoulders sagged. “Yes, sir.”
“This bullshit will still be here when you get back.” He tugged the plastic bag with the hard drive toward him. “I’ll get Aria’s team working on this.”
“Sir, some crazy bastards are after that, so?—”
“I hear you, Kingsley, loud and clear. I want this kept between us. Understand?” He glared at all three of us.
As we nodded, I wondered if Lacey was the only cop in here because he didn’t trust anyone else in the police station.
“Lacey,” Watts said, “organize some emergency accommodation for Indiana.”
“Yes, sir.” She drove her fingers through her hair.
I glanced at Tyler, and he lowered his gaze.
My stupid heart took a nosedive.
I expected him to offer his place for me to stay.
How did I get that so wrong?