Chapter 13
The next morning, with sunlight peeking through the curtains at the window, Trent came awake slowly. He hadn’t slept so hard in ages. Reaching for Natalie, the reason behind this pure contentment, he discovered he was alone in bed.
Not cool.
He sat upright, wondering if last night had been an elaborate dream. But the pillowcase and sheets held Natalie’s scent and his body was well-aware it had been more than a dream.
Taking a fast, cold shower, he followed a strange mix of sounds to the kitchen to find Natalie at the stove talking to herself. “Are you making coffee the old-fashioned way?” he asked.
She turned, looking guilty as hell. But why? “Coffee’s over there.” She pointed toward the machine. “I’m not sure if I want you to have any though.”
“No caffeine?” He stepped closer. “Then I definitely deserve a kiss good enough to wake the dead.”
At last, she relaxed and her gorgeous smile bloomed across her face. “Yes, you do.”
Her lips were warm and willing, tempting him to toss her over his shoulder and carry her right back to bed. Or boost her up onto the counter… He got control of himself and studied her. “So why are you upset?”
“Because I’m not the cook in the family. Eggs can go from yummy to awful in a blink. If you’re sleepy, maybe you won’t notice my failings.”
“You could just ask me to take over,” he suggested, nudging her aside.
“No.” She gave him a hip bump. “Not a chance. You can’t have all the points.”
“Are we keeping score?” He didn’t see the need. They were getting along so well and whether they had another month or just today, he didn’t want to spoil a single minute.
“Not exactly,” she said. “Balance is important.”
“Tell that to Picasso.”
She sucked in a breath, her eyes going wide as she started giggling. “Brilliant.” She laughed some more. “You keep me on my toes.”
“Same goes.” He caught her chin and pressed his lips tenderly to hers.
“I’m sure the eggs will be perfect. And I’m sure we should schedule another date.
Soon.” He moved away just long enough to pour a cup of coffee and get the first hints of caffeine into his system.
He needed the formality of a specific date to give their time together some boundaries.
He wasn’t sure she realized that he would be her shadow until research gave him actionable intel on Royer, Corey, and any other local connections.
“I can do soon.” Natalie gave the eggs in the bowl another stir and then poured them into the hot skillet. “But I have a bunch of work to get done between now and then.”
“Me too.” He rested his hands at her waist, unable to resist the contact. “As long as we don’t let things slide into later,” he teased. “Do you like being out on the water?”
“Definitely!” She monitored the eggs as if the fate of the world depended on it. “Can you start the toast, please?”
“Sure thing.” He dropped bread into the slots and pushed the lever. “I was thinking about renting a boat today, maybe puttering around the island.”
“That’s always a fun day,” she said without altering her focus.
“Would you like to come with me?” he asked. “I’ll check the weather. Make sure it is supposed to rain.”
“That would be great.”
He managed to smother the laugh. Obviously, she wasn’t listening at all. “Good. I’ll set it up.”
“Uh-huh.” She sprinkled cheese over the scrambled eggs, watching it melt. “Let me know.”
He moved the plates closer, anticipating her request. And when the toaster popped, he put a slice on each plate.
As they sat together at the breakfast nook, Trent’s thoughts wandered.
He wanted to get out there, even without the latest intel, and get an up-close feel for the island terrain.
Not just hiding spots, but looking from the water inland, to get a sense of how the tide moved and potential escape routes.
He also wanted to chat with Corey and get a closer look at that repair shop.
From the start of Trent’s investigation, they’d suspected someone who serviced boats or worked within the marinas was involved.
It was the only logical way the crew had chosen their targets.
Natalie, and her penchant for making friends while she turned trash to gold, might have given them their best lead yet.
If Corey was the accomplice and he flipped on Royer, this case could be over sooner rather than later. Everyone would be safer, up and down the eastern seaboard.
“Is it that bad?”
He realized he’d been poking at his food. “No!” He took a big bite of the eggs. “Excellent,” he said once he’d chewed and swallowed. “Seriously. You nailed it, Natalie. I was just thinking about work.”
“Corey and Royer?” she guessed.
“Yes.” Why deny it? “And also about getting out on the water like we planned.”
“We planned?” she echoed. “When did we plan?”
He found her too damn adorable. “Somewhere between whisking in the pepper and sprinkling the cheese.”
She rolled her eyes. “That sounds about right.” Squeezing honey over her toast, she took a bite and licked her fingers. He would’ve sworn she did it to distract him. “Are you my personal bodyguard today?”
He cleared his throat, managed to bring his thoughts back under control. “Yes. We’re together until research gives me a target. I was hoping you might help me with a circuit of the island.”
“All right. I just need to price out a few supplies for the art booth first. And send that donation email to the local business owners.”
“No problem.” He sipped his coffee. “Didn’t you say Corey gave you enough parts and stuff?”
She nibbled on her toast, testing his control more with every bite.
“You haven’t known me long. I will always accept more discards for whatever project comes next.
It’s a good opportunity to remind folks what I do with the things they no longer need.
You should come by the gallery sometime for a closer look. ”
He smiled. “I’ll take you up on that.” Getting up, he brewed another cup of coffee for himself, then for her. “As for closer looks, why don’t we go down to the marina together today?”
Worries clouded her eyes. “Because Corey told me to stay away?”
“Not like that.” He remembered she hadn’t heard his earlier plan, so he spelled it out again. “It’s beautiful and clear and I’d like to do a circuit of the island with you. You probably know the coastline as well as anyone else. And you said you like the water.”
“True.”
“Unless you don’t want to be that isolated with me.”
Her eyes sparkled with interest again as she leaned across the table. “I will never turn down alone time with you.”
“Guess that makes me a lucky man.”
“Darn right.” Smiling, she started to clear the dishes.
Trent stopped her. “I’ve got this. You do whatever you need to do and then we’ll head out.”
“For a day on the water.”
“Please?”
She nodded and then kissed him lightly on the lips. “I’ll pack the sunscreen.”
With the kitchen cleaned up, and an email sent to headquarters outlining his plan for the day, he started looking for a boat rental while he waited for Natalie.
As much as he wanted to go straight to Corey and demand answers, Trent wasn’t an idiot. Royer already considered Natalie a risk to be neutralized. No sense making a known killer edgier.
His mind went right back to the “why now” questions. Why had Royer escalated now? When had the agenda changed from a successful theft ring? Had someone made a mistake or had Royer just lost his patience?
Those pieces needed answers, and fast. Especially with Natalie in the mix. She was being a good sport—and the new, personal fringe benefits were incredible—but she didn’t deserve to have her life upended indefinitely.
She certainly didn’t deserve to think his interest in her was solely due to convenience. Somehow, he’d make her understand this attraction was separate from protecting her in the course of the investigation.
He was reviewing the rental boat situation when his cell phone rang. Seeing the name on the screen, he answered immediately. “Hey, Connor. What have you got for me?” The Guardian Agency researcher was one of his favorites.
Trent started to step outside to pace and decided against it. Leaving Natalie alone wasn’t an option. Instead, he leaned against the counter, mentally crossing his fingers that this would be the update he needed.
“We have good reason to believe Corey is involved,” Connor began. “No proof yet. At least not with the money. The forensic accountant is still working on the bank records. So far, this guy lives pretty close to the bone, but I’m assuming Royer has some other leverage.”
“Probably so.” He paced the length of the kitchen, but his mind was on the beach and the body that had washed up. “Why are you convinced if the money trail doesn’t back up the theory?”
“Natalie,” Connor said.
Trent held the phone away from his ear, as if staring at the device would make sense of the conversation. “What the hell?” He could not be implying she was involved too.
Natalie had been thrown by the situation, but she hadn’t freaked out or panicked.
At least not in front of him. Even after digging into her background, all he could find was a good person with an extra dose of compassion for the world.
It was astonishing that she didn’t realize how wonderful she was.
Her self-deprecating comments and the subtle ways she apologized for being herself got to him.
Made him want to show her the incredible woman he saw.
Whoa. Intense but true. And honestly, he shouldn’t be surprised by the quick connection. It was part of her magic.
Outwardly, she exuded confidence in her work and herself, but he sensed that down deep, some wounds festered, undermining her. Everyone had baggage, himself included. But he’d never wanted to help anyone with the heavy lifting before. Then again, he’d never been close to anyone like her.
Her father was definitely one source of her pain. As much as he wanted to dig into that, to figure out why the man had walked away from Natalie and her sisters, his focus was needed here. Closer to home, he suspected her ex was an issue too.
“This have something to do with her ex?”
“Huh? No,” Connor replied. “Although that guy’s a conviction waiting to happen,” he added.
“Sooner the better,” Trent agreed. “Connect the dots for me?”
“Sure.” Connor paused, the soft tap of his keyboard the only sound for a moment.
“Cameras down at the marina aren’t the most reliable.
Some of that is gear aging out and some—more recently—seems to be on purpose.
I’ve searched as far back as I can get to find a baseline for Corey’s general day-to-day activity.
There’s the typical work schedule, and then I find him walking around, dropping things around the marina. ”
“Making it easier on Natalie when she ventures down to gather supplies.”
“If you say so.” More tapping on Connor’s end of the call. “Our research shows he used to stop and chat with her, but a couple weeks ago, the pattern changed. He planted more items further away from his shop.”
“Interesting.” And incriminating too, especially in light of that encounter Natalie described when she’d spotted the kayak near the sailing school. “Any location on Royer’s new hideout?”
“Not so far.”
Trent wasn’t surprised. It wasn’t as if there were loads of cameras off-shore, aimed at the Brookwell coastline. Still, the lack of information sucked. “Guess I’d better get out there and find him.”
“As soon as we have more info, I’ll be in touch.”
“Thanks, Connor.” He ended the call just as Natalie returned to the kitchen.
“I’m all set.”
Barefoot, she was dressed in quick-dry shorts, revealing her strong, slender legs and a rashguard to protect her from the sun.
In her hands, she carried a plastic bag with sunscreen, a small box of bandages, and her cell phone.
And she had him rethinking everything about his plans. He just couldn’t put her at risk.
Royer was a wild card. He didn’t know what kind of supplies or support the man had. If they went out for a cruise and Royer spotted her first, it could be a disaster.
“Don’t be mad, but there’s been a change of plans.” Trent wanted to speak with Corey, to figure out what leverage Royer was using. “Are you willing to hang out here while I deal with a couple of things?”
“Things you can’t discuss?”
“Not yet anyway.” He pulled her close, enjoying the feel of her hands in his. “I’m still renting the boat, but we’ll have a sunset cruise instead.” He pointed to the boat he had in mind, ready to book the rental.
After inspecting his choice, she tipped her head up, eyes dancing. “Sounds like a good time. I’ll call my sisters and they’ll help me get a picnic dinner ready.”
“You’re the best, Natalie.”
She grinned and gave him a swift kiss. “Thanks for noticing.”
He reviewed the security protocol with her, called Jess to clear it and get someone over here to keep watch, and then he headed to the marina to speak with a mechanic about a killer.