Chapter 15
Lark’s hug stayed with Hoot long after he’d left her storefront. That was a problem.
The woman had a way of getting under his skin without even trying. One minute he was standing there telling himself he needed to keep his distance, and the next he was holding her close, breathing in the faint scent of her shampoo, wondering what it would feel like to do it again.
He’d barely made it back to Condor’s Overwatch before telling Flint everything, starting with the board and its ominous symbol.
They all recognized the symbol instantly and Calloway’s name was front and center once more.
They really needed Baker to come through for them and find something… anything.
Now he stood on the island in the middle of Bell Creek, boots sinking slightly into damp earth as he studied the area Lark had described. Spark crouched nearby. Eggs stood several feet away, hands on his hips.
“Definitely disturbed,” Spark said. “Something buried and dug up. Recently.”
“Yeah.” Hoot glanced around. There was nothing else. No crate, or pieces of crates. No equipment aside from what Lark had left behind for her sculpture. No fresh footprints. No indication anyone had been there recently.
“What do you think?” Eggs asked.
“Could have been someone hiding something.”
“Or retrieving something.”
Spark looked toward the river. “Maybe someone dumped something out here.”
“Then came back for it.”
“Could’ve been drugs,” Eggs theorized.
“Could’ve been weapons with the PSG connection,” Hoot volleyed.
Eggs scratched his jaw. “Could’ve been nothing.”
Hoot gave him a look. “That’s helpful.”
“I try.”
Spark grinned. “Maybe somebody buried treasure.”
Hoot snorted. “On an island in a Virginian creek?”
“Pirates weren’t exactly picky about geography.”
Eggs laughed. Hoot looked toward the bell still impressed with Lark’s handiwork. He could understand why she’d become so attached to it.
Spark nudged him. “So.”
Hoot knew that tone. “No.”
“I haven’t said anything.”
“You were going to.”
“How’s Lark?” he asked, ignoring Hoot’s attempt to avoid the subject of the woman he couldn’t get off his mind.
“Fine.”
Eggs chuckled. “That’s not what he meant.”
“Then ask something else.”
Spark grinned. “You like her.”
“Is that a question?”
“You gonna answer it?”
Hoot stared at him. “No.”
Eggs opted for a different approach, turning the same phrase into an actual question. “You like her?”
Hoot gritted his teeth. “I don’t.”
“You’re here because you’re worried about her.”
“Worry doesn’t equal like,” he tried.
“Keep telling yourself that,” retorted Eggs.
“What he said,” Spark concurred. Hoot glared, and his friends both laughed. “You should see yourself.”
“Funny.”
“Just telling it like it is.”
Hoot shook his head before turning the tables on them. “Wait until it’s your turn.”
Eggs’ smile vanished. “What does that mean?”
Hoot smiled. “Nothing.”
Spark’s eyes widened. “Oh, he’s talking about Meli.” Meli was the owner and bartender of Hooch & Harmony. They had all witnessed the banter between the pair on numerous occasions.
Eggs groaned. “Leave Meli out of this.”
Hoot raised an eyebrow. “Why should we?”
“There’s nothing between Meli and me. She’s the bane of my existence.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” Hoot retorted, using his own words against them.
“He does talk about her a lot,” Spark reasoned.
“I don’t talk about her.”
“Constantly,” Hoot said.
Eggs pointed at him. “Don’t.”
Hoot grinned. “You keep insisting you don’t like her.”
“I don’t.”
“Then why do you know her schedule?”
Eggs hesitated. “What are you talking about?”
“You always show up to Hooch & Harmony on nights when she’s working,” stated Hoot.
Eggs went silent. Spark laughed. “He’s got you there.”
“Shut up.”
Hoot smiled. For a few minutes, the teasing made the strange tension disappear. But eventually they left the island without finding anything. No answers. Only more questions.
* * *
Three days later, Haley’s computer chimed. Hoot looked up from his desk. Haley frowned at her monitor. “Fuck me.”
Everyone within earshot immediately paid attention.
“Must be Jester again,” Spark assumed. Jester was a problem.
A brilliant, infuriating hacker who had a particular talent for appearing inside Haley’s electronic defenses without permission.
She’d built some of the best cybersecurity systems Hoot had ever seen.
Jester treated them like unlocked doors.
“How the hell is he still getting in?” Haley muttered.
Voodoo grinned. “Maybe he’s better than you.”
“Fuck you.”
Hoot leaned over her shoulder. “What does he say this time?”
Haley read the message. “He’s been monitoring chatter about Lark and her Liberty Bell.”
Hoot’s stomach tightened. “What kind of chatter?”
“Someone’s been asking questions about why she’s on that island.”
Eggs’ expression hardened. “Who?”
“No name.”
“Can Jester trace it?”
Haley rapidly typed something before shaking her head. “Apparently not.”
“Or he’s not telling us,” Spark said.
Haley frowned. “That’s always possible.”
Hoot looked at the screen. “Why would anyone care about a woman building a penny bell?” Nobody answered. Because they were all thinking the same thing. Between the symbol, the island, and Calloway, there were far too many coincidences.
“Does Jester have any suggestions on what to do?” Flint asked.
Haley typed again, then scrolled. “Nothing yet.” Her computer chimed again. Everyone froze.
Haley stared at the new message. Her face paled, the color visibly draining away. “What?”
She sent the message to the big screen on the wall. A police report filled the screen. Lark’s address stood out, and Hoot’s pulse kicked. “What the hell?”
Haley swallowed. “Someone broke into her store.”
Silence. Hoot was already on his feet. “When?”
“An hour ago.”
“Was she there?”
“No.”
Relief hit first, then anger. “Anything stolen?”
Haley scanned the report. “Not that she can tell yet. Sounds like they left a mess behind though.”
Hoot’s jaw tightened. Nothing stolen? Then why break in?
He already knew the answer. Someone wasn’t looking for something valuable. They were looking for something specific. And suddenly the island didn’t feel like a mystery anymore. It felt like a warning.
Hoot was making his way to the door before he could stop himself.
“Eggs, Spark. Go with him,” Flint ordered as he went.