Chapter 16 #3
That didn’t make any sense. Why would Eric . . .
Leland’s vague suspicions about Eric echoed in his mind. He needed to find out what was going on. He prayed there was a redeeming explanation for Eric’s actions but, until he knew for sure, he couldn’t trust his boss tonight. That thought cut painfully deep.
“Jason, I’m so sorry.” He was still holding her hands, only now, she was the one holding his. She squeezed his fingers and her compassion washed over him. It wouldn’t solve anything, but he was surprised how much he appreciated the genuine angst in her voice—as if she was hurting for him.
“Thanks. But right now, you’ve got to get out of here. Where’s the car?”
“Way down the road. I didn’t want anyone to see me coming.” She pointed to the south. “But wait, did you see that the guy in the baseball cap—”
“He was on the video, yeah, we know.”
“Not just that. His name is Dylan Kitts. Rowan’s face recognition software identified him. He’s Eric’s cousin. And Eric saw him on the video but acted like he didn’t know him.”
That bombshell siphoned the air from his lungs. “Dylan Kitts? Are you sure he said ‘Dylan Kitts?’”
“Yes, positive. Why? Do you know him?”
“Never met him. He died five years before I started working for WhiteRock.”
“Died? Um, okay. Look, all I’m telling you is what Rowan—”
“Rowan knows his stuff. He’s probably not wrong.”
Dylan Kitts. Eric’s presumed-dead cousin was allegedly responsible for Gus’s death? Jason’s head was about to explode. He rubbed his temples, took a deep breath, and forced himself to refocus. “We need to get moving.”
He scanned the area. He wanted to get Tayla back to the car as soon as possible, but apparently, Eric poked some holes in his plan.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“If Eric has Rowan’s headset, I can’t radio Rowan to come pick us up.”
She looked confused. “Why do that? I’m already here with the car. I’ll drive you guys back.”
He knew she’d say that. He took another breath and prayed for a safer answer to his predicament.
She cocked her head. “I get it, Jason. You don’t want me helping. You want me out of the way. But I’m already here. It wouldn’t make any sense to—”
“It would make sense for you to go back to the hotel and send Rowan to get us, if we had more time. That would be safer. But we don’t have that kind of time.”
“I can help, Jason. Tell me what you need me to do.”
He ran a hand down his face. Dear God, please keep her safe. If anything—
Knox’s voice sounded in his ear. “Smoke, Jason. On the pier. You seeing this?”
What? “Not there yet. Hang on.”
He turned to Tayla. “Stay down. Don’t move. I need to check on something.”
She nodded.
“I’ll be right back.” He squeezed her hand, and—because the thought crossed his mind—he reminded himself not to kiss her.
He crawled just far enough to get an ample view of the pier and surveyed the scene with his binoculars.
This was the distraction. The one Eric suggested to the person on the phone—probably to his previously-deceased cousin, Dylan. Jason still couldn’t wrap his mind around all of that. A wall of smoke obliterated his view of the pier. Smoke, no fire. Clearly intentional.
Part of him wanted to run right through that smoke and tackle Dylan Kitts somewhere on the other side. But the more rational parts of him knew it was too big a risk.
“Knox, Leland, I’m calling this. Abort. Meet back at the rendezvous point.”
He knew Eric was listening, but it didn’t matter now. There were no good options. They’d retreat, then try to intercept the boat somehow. That would take a miracle. But he didn’t want to abandon all hope, so he pretended it was possible. He felt like kicking something.
“Roger that,” Knox replied.
A second later, Leland’s voice said, “Understood.”
Jason crawled back to Tayla. “We’re getting out of here,” he said. “Stay close, follow me. We’re heading to that large clump of bushes near the road, probably not far from where you parked. Knox and Leland will meet us there.”
She nodded, with so much trust in her eyes he could hardly stand it. He wanted to be worthy of that trust. But he didn’t know if he ever would be. That thought caused more pain than Eric’s betrayal.
Thankfully, Tayla stayed within an arm’s length of him all the way to their destination. So far, so good.
When they arrived, Jason used his binoculars to check on the pier again. Dylan Kitts came prepared—plenty of smoke still blocked his view. He couldn’t see any of the men, but the last time he had a clear view, more than a dozen crates sat on the pier, so the men might be loading The Sea Queen now.
He and Tayla sat in the middle of the thick foliage and waited for Leland and Knox.
He leaned toward her, keeping his voice low. “Hey. Just a heads up—Enzo is here. Leland and Knox have him tied up in the rocks over there.” He pointed toward their hiding spot. “He won’t be any trouble. I just didn’t want you to be shocked if they mention him.”
“Thanks,” she whispered, eyes wide.
Her expression shifted.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Jason, I’m so sorry about tonight. I know you’d hoped for a better outcome. And me being here is stressing you out more. And I’m sorry about Eric and—”
“Hey, stop. Just stop. Don’t apologize for anything—especially about Eric. He’s to blame for this,” he lifted his chin toward the smokescreen. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Her eyes softened. And she kept staring at him. Like he was supposed to keep talking.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yes. Yes, you coming out here stresses me out, but only because I care about you.” Might as well be honest. It’s not like she doesn’t know.
“This is dangerous. And I can’t . . . I just can’t .
. . I don’t want you to get hurt, okay? But, to be fair, you brought some very helpful information.
So, thank you. Coming out here to tell me about Eric was a brave thing to do. ”
The moonlight on her face was so beautiful he had to look away—before he did something he’d regret, like lose himself in another passionate kiss.
He stared at the dirt around his boot.
“You can’t what?” she asked.
“What?”
“You said ‘I can’t’ but you didn’t finish that thought. You can’t what?”
He pulled his gaze back to hers. Fine. If she really wanted the truth, he’d lay it out there. Maybe then she would understand.
“Tayla, I can’t live with more guilt. When my wife died, the guilt almost killed me. I can’t go through that again. It was my fault. You deserve better, Tayla. Maybe it’s selfish, but if anything happened to you . . . I might not survive what that guilt would do to me.”
Unshed tears welled in her eyes. He wanted to wipe them away. But instead, he refocused on the dirt around his feet again.
“Why do you think her death was your fault?”
He needed to make her understand. He looked straight into her eyes.
“I was right there, Tayla. Sitting right next to her in the restaurant. I didn’t see the shooter.
I didn’t sense the danger. She was falling to the floor before I had a clue what was going on.
I put pressure on her wound and called for an ambulance but .
. . She didn’t even realize how badly she was injured.
She kept saying ‘It’s okay, it’s okay, Jason. ’”
He covered his face, then forced his hands back down. And settled on staring at his boot. Nothing ever made those memories less painful. “She was in shock, I guess. Because she was not okay. She survived about an hour.”
A heavy silence inserted itself between them.
A minute passed. Maybe two.
“That’s not what she meant.” Tayla’s voice was clear. And confident.
“What?”
“She didn’t mean the wound wasn’t serious.
I know I wasn’t there. And you might think I’m crazy or overstepping, but I’m positive she wasn’t trying to say she wasn’t badly injured.
She was telling you that it wasn’t your fault, and that she wasn’t afraid of dying.
” She reached over and squeezed his arm. “That’s what she meant, Jason.”
Her words stunned him. “How can you say that?”
“I put myself in her shoes, mentally. It wasn’t hard. I’ve been in a fair amount of danger myself. And I care about you. If I was in that situation, I would say the same thing to you. I wouldn’t want you to worry about me or feel guilty. I would want you to know it’s okay.”
He wanted to believe her. But saying it didn’t make it true. The way she said it though . . .
She released her grip, but her eyes held his. “That verse—the one you quoted that night in the cottage. The one about chariots. What was it?”
Oh. Apparently, she wasn’t finished. He shrugged. “‘Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.’ What about it?”
Her face lit up. “You trust God to protect you in battle. You can trust him to protect your heart.” Her eyes begged him to understand. “Jason, my husband tried to kill me. But God healed my heart. And I still . . . I hope—”
Knox’s voice seethed in Jason’s ear. “We have a problem down here.”
He held up a finger, effectively pausing Tayla’s speech. “Hold that thought,” he whispered.
“Go ahead,” he answered Knox.
“The shooter showed up. Gus’s killer. Leland saw him pull up in a small speed boat when the smoke started to clear a few seconds ago. He and Baseball Cap boarded The Sea Queen together.”
“Are you sure?”
“Affirmative. And Leland took off after him.”
“What is he thinking!? Is he crazy!?”
“I’m not answering that one. I have eyes on him. They don’t see him yet. He snuck onto the back of the boat. The rest of the men are taking off. Baseball Cap must’ve paid them.”
Jason’s blood ran cold. Eric was probably listening to this exchange. Leland was in serious danger.
“Knox, meet me at the edge of the pier.”
A pause preceded Knox’s response. “Roger that.”
He turned to Tayla. “No one knows you’re here, right?”
She nodded. “Just you. And Rowan.”
“Good. That keeps you safe. They won’t be looking for you. Stay here and stay quiet.”
She looked panicked. “Where are you going? I thought—”
He remembered she hadn’t heard Knox’s side of the conversation. And he was thankful for that. Thankful she didn’t know how much danger Leland was in. “I don’t have time to explain. I need you to trust me. Okay?”
She nodded.
He kissed her forehead and took off for the pier without admitting to himself why he’d done that.