Chapter 9 #3
He tapped his lips, signaling her to hush, but he couldn’t seem to unwind his arm from her waist. The proximity was dangerously intimate, he could feel her lungs working, as he walked her back toward the Hargrave beach. Just out of reach of the surf, he eased back.
“What are you doing out here?”
“Why are you hiding in the trees?”
Their questions clashed as they stared at each other. “You first,” Trent said, folding his arms.
She shook her head. “I was…” She caught her lip between her teeth. “Being foolish. Again. But you.” She stepped in close. “You look like something out of a war movie.”
He scoffed. “Hardly.”
She arched one eyebrow and mirrored him, arms crossed. "You scared me," she accused.
“Because you were trespassing.”
“And you were invited?” she shot back.
“It’s not safe for you over there.”
“Then it can’t be safe for you either.” A gust of wind tugged at her hair and she pulled her sweater tighter around her waist.
“You have a point, but I have the training.” He spotted a spool of wire in one of her pockets and thought about the mumbling he’d overheard. “What’s this?” He reached for her pocket.
“I couldn’t sleep.” She pushed the wire out of sight. “My hands refused to stay idle.”
Parts of that might be true, but it wasn’t the whole story, not tonight. “Your feet too, since you’re all the way out here,” he pressed. She’d been so open in their previous conversations, why hedge the truth now?
“The house was dark. I figured you wouldn’t notice if I spent some time near the water.”
That he believed. And no, he didn’t have a problem with her taking time on her personal beach.
“But you were stomping through the trees,” he reminded her gently.
Something in the set of her chin, the slight tremor in her hands worried him.
He reached out, his large, calloused hands closing over her smaller, softer ones. “You can tell me anything, Natalie.”
“I know.” She sounded irritated more than grateful. “Why are you so easy to talk to?” She tugged her windblown hair back from her face. “Probably the training?”
“Wrong. Well, mostly wrong.” He guided her back, away from the water, to sit on dry sand. “I do have some communications training,” he explained. “When it comes to talking with you, I find it way too easy to share. Does it help to know that it goes both ways?”
“It does.” She scooted closer, her hip warm against his thigh, and he put an arm around her shoulders. Her heavy sigh seemed to flow straight into him. “I was on my way to break into the site office.”
What the hell? He managed to keep his mouth shut.
“I’m sure my ex-husband is involved somehow. Jackson didn’t show up a while back for no reason. If I can prove it, I can protect us from whatever he has planned.”
“That’s…” Crazy. Dangerous. “Admirable.”
She snorted. “Good save, but I’m aware it wasn’t the smartest of moves.”
“Definitely not,” he agreed. Though he wasn’t eager to reveal his full reasoning. “Isn’t Jess looking into it?”
“Yes. Veronica too, I’m sure.” Another sigh. “Ultimately, he’s my bad decision. I brought him into our world, and I need to keep him out.”
Trent understood her motives.
“He bilked my dad out of thousands of dollars. Dad always said it was the best investment if it got him away from me.”
Trent rubbed her shoulder. He also understood her dad’s determination to protect her. “He did what he had to do.”
“Because of me.”
She sounded so morose he wanted to soothe. Getting conned by an expert wasn’t her fault. Relationships failed all the time due to smaller problems. “No. Because—”
“Look,” Natalie interrupted in a whisper, clutching his arm. “What’s that?”
Trent’s gaze immediately followed hers toward the water. A light bobbed near the shore, casting brief flashes into the trees. He heard the scrape and slosh as some small vessel scraped against the rough shore. “Royer,” he grumbled under his breath.
“Who?”
“Later.” He held her arms gently. Too late to prevent another wave of trembling. He helped her to her feet. “Go back to the house. Don’t turn on any lights. I’ll explain everything as soon as I join you.”
“I can help. I’ll call the police, or Jess, or—”
“Please, Natalie,” he pleaded, his voice low. “To the house now.” He looked down at her, touched by the genuine fear in her eyes—for him. “I know what I’m doing, but I need you to promise me you’ll go straight to the house. Inside. Lock the door. Do you understand?"
She stared at him, her lips parted and for a second, he thought she might argue. “Yes.” She grabbed his shirt and pulled him down for a swift, hot kiss. “Be safe. And do not keep me waiting.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Despite the danger, he was smiling as she dashed away, blending into the shadows.
He did the same, silently moving back through the trees.
On the second floor of the nearest skeletal building he saw the glow of a faint, amber light.
Smart phone, he guessed, based on the steady, low intensity.
A figure was moving up from the water’s edge, carrying what was probably a duffle bag slung over a shoulder.
Trent’s instincts screamed this was the accomplice. He needed to get closer if he hoped to make an ID or overhear the conversation. On the second floor, the light changed, a flashlight app now as the person behind the screen started moving down through what would eventually be a stairwell.
The glare was such that Trent couldn’t be sure who he was looking at yet. The light stopped on the final step, aimed down at their feet. The corner pillar blocked his view of the faces. Cautiously, he moved until he could hear some of the conversation.
“Supplies for ya.”
“The GPS?”
“Inside. Dropped a pin on a better location.”
“Good. I barely got away this morning. Any word on the new boat?”
That was Royer. No doubt in Trent’s mind. He had to be referencing the recent theft. But who was helping him?
“Last check-in they said they’re clear to meet you on schedule.”
“Uh-huh.” Hearing the rasp of a zipper, Trent assumed Royer was checking out the supplies in the bag. “And the woman?”
Trent’s skin went cold. What woman?
The accomplice hesitated. “What about her?”
“She saw me at the marina,” Royer said. “I’m sure of it.”
The other man shook his head. “I don’t think so. Besides, I took care of it.”
“Pardon?” The menace in Royer’s voice was clear.
“I, um, handled it for ya.”
Royer’s feet stilled. “Did I ask you to handle it?”
Trent’s skin crawled and he wasn’t even in the direct line of fire.
“No, sir.”
Trent could sense the guy wanted to say more, defend his initiative.
“Then give me the information I asked for.”
He wanted to call the police, but a call would reveal his position and he didn’t think a text would be answered at this hour. He could move in for a takedown, but it was a safe bet there was a weapon in that duffel bag. Lousy odds. Especially with Natalie so close.
“Her name is Natalie-something,” the accomplice reported. “She’s sorta local. Works as an art teacher over in Charleston. Some private school.”
Wow. Whoever this guy was, he not only didn’t want his boss to find Natalie, he had enough courage to lie about it. Impressed, he wanted to assure the other man that Royer would never catch sight of Natalie again.
“That’s all you’ve got?”
“It ain’t enough?”
“Guess we’ll find out.” The flashlight winked out. “Let’s go.”
The men and hustled away toward the water, limiting Trent’s options. He could break cover and try a surprise attack or wait and keep hunting. Choosing discretion, he waited. With this new intel, and knowing Natalie might be a witness, the decision was easy.