Chapter 18
The intensity of the kiss surprised Jason. Even though he initiated it.
He was so overcome with relief Tayla was okay, that he lost himself in her embrace. In her lips against his. He wasn’t sure for how long. But he eventually became aware of Knox fake-coughing to get their attention.
“Come on, guys,” Knox said. “We’re still in the middle of something here.” He’d handcuffed Dylan to a chair that was bolted to the floor. And he’d taken control of the helm.
Jason eased back and Tayla’s eyes grew wide. “Leland!” she said.
Oh, he really didn’t want to tell her. “He’s . . .”
“He’s on that other boat with Gus’s killer! They took off! We have to go get them!”
Well, at least he didn’t have to tell her. He held out his hand and helped her up. “We know.” He glanced out a window. They’d left Rocky Point Pier. And Knox was looking pretty comfortable at the helm. “You think you can handle this thing? Can we use it to go after Leland?”
“Absolutely. Let’s do it.” He eyed Dylan. “How fast will The Sea Queen go?”
Dylan opened his mouth and shut it again.
Knox shook his head. “We’re doing this with or without your cooperation, man.”
Tayla pulled on Jason’s sleeve. “They left several minutes ago. How will we find them?”
Knox let out a low whistle. “Wow, that’s a fancy radar system for a tub like this.” He looked at Dylan again. “You just need that for navigating through fog, right?”
Knox laughed.
Dylan did not.
“Don’t worry, ladies and gentlemen,” Knox announced, as if he was addressing a crowd of passengers. “Captain Knox has everything under control.”
Tayla looked unsure.
“Don’t worry,” Jason nudged her arm. “he knows what he’s doing. Usually.” He shouldn’t have added the “usually.” It didn’t seem to bolster her confidence.
“However,” Knox said, “we could find them faster if we knew where they were going.”
Jason narrowed his eyes at Dylan. “Any ideas where that guy is headed?”
Dylan kept his mouth shut.
“I get it,” Jason said. “He’d be a dangerous man to cross. But he isn’t here. We are. And if your lack of cooperation gets our friend killed, we’re going to blame you.”
Dylan’s expression looked like he was weighing his options. He wasn’t sold yet, though.
It grated on Jason’s nerves to utter his next words—because Dylan was likely the reason Gus was dead—but he needed his cooperation—and he needed it quickly.
“Dylan, if you can lead us to him, we can protect you from him. This is your best offer. We’re going to find him with or without your help, and he’ll probably blame you for that, whether you help us or not.
So, if you want some protection, get us there faster. ”
“He calls him ‘Thirteen,’” Tayla said.
“Huh?”
“Dylan calls that guy—the guy who killed Gus—he calls him Thirteen. I don’t know his real name. That’s just what he calls him.”
Jason nodded. “Okay.” He turned back to Dylan. “So, where’s Thirteen headed?”
No response.
He stepped closer, guaranteeing Dylan Kitts could read his expression. “After we find Leland, we’re going to hand you over to Morghana Police or Thirteen. If you help us find Leland, we’ll let you choose which one.”
Dylan worked his jaw. “Fine,” he said through gritted teeth. “But I can’t guarantee exactly where he is. He rented that boat from the marina by the airport in Morghana City. He’s planning on leaving the country tonight. He’s headed to the airport. That’s all I know.”
Jason exchanged a look with Knox.
“On it,” Knox said.
“And in case it’s not obvious,” Dylan continued. “I’d like to be placed in the custody of the Morghana Police.”
“Huh uh, I’ll bet,” Jason said. “And your cousin Eric will have you out of there in less than an hour. Right?”
Dylan’s eyebrows hiked up. Then a sneer crept across his face. “I doubt you can do anything about that. You have the upper hand on my boat tonight, Mr. Jason Bridger—yes, I know who you are—but after tonight, you’ll have a hard time getting to me.”
Jason scratched his jaw. “I thought I knew who you were. But I was told Eric’s cousin, Dylan Kitts, died years ago. I guess I have bad information.”
The corner of Dylan’s mouth crept up. “You were fed the narrative I chose. You, the rest of WhiteRock, and law enforcement.”
“Except Eric? He apparently knew you were alive.”
Dylan’s half-grin didn’t falter. But he kept his mouth shut.
Jason marshaled his response. And everything he wanted to do to Dylan Kitts.
“For what it’s worth,” Dylan said, “I never planned to have Gus Branch killed. Thirteen was hired for my protection. He reacted when he caught Branch spying. I didn’t direct him to kill your associate.”
“That doesn’t make you innocent.”
Dylan shrugged.
Jason stared at the criminal enigma before him. A callous mastermind, or a simple cog in a larger wheel of evil? Why had he faked his death? And how involved is Eric?
A gentle touch on his arm pulled his attention to Tayla.
She looked stronger than moments ago—physically and emotionally. “Jason, let’s focus on finding Leland.”
His name on her lips made him want to be worthy of her—which meant not tearing Dylan apart and throwing him overboard.
She was right. Dylan could wait. He squeezed her hand and joined Knox at the helm.
Tayla stood next to him. “Where is Eric? Did you see him?”
Jason hesitated with his response.
Knox leaned across him to address Tayla. “Yep. We found him. We chatted. A nice, calm chat among gentlemen.” He straightened his posture. “On a completely unrelated note, your boyfriend might not have a job anymore.”
Jason jabbed his arm.
“Hey, I’m steering this tub. Careful, there. Besides, she can handle the truth. She needs to know what she’s getting herself into.”
Knox always joked a lot during tense situations. Jason was used to it, and usually didn’t mind. But right now, he wished his friend would stop talking. He ran a hand down his face. And chanced a glance at Tayla.
“Do we need to worry about Eric?” she asked.
“Knox and I do,” he answered. “He’ll have a lot to explain to WhiteRock. But as far as your personal safety, no. He won’t put you in any more danger.”
She looked confused. “I thought he was in charge at WhiteRock.”
“He’s the director of operations. There’s a board he reports to.”
“Oh. So why would you get fired?”
Knox cleared his throat. “When asked, I will testify that the director of operations’ face accidentally fell on Jason’s fist.”
Jason felt her eyes on him.
“Those rocks are slippery,” Knox said.
Knox’s sarcasm—which was his language of choice during operations—was not doing him any favors.
Jason needed her to understand. He met the question on her face with confidence.
“I don’t know that I can trust Eric tonight.
He wanted to follow us onboard when we heard you scream.
I couldn’t take that chance. Not until we have time to figure out why he gave away our presence to Dylan—who happens to be alive, even though Eric has mentioned his death to me more than once.
” He inclined his head toward their captive.
“I hit him to keep him from following us, not out of anger. Knox and I were barely able to jump onboard as The Sea Queen was pulling away from the pier. No way he could have followed. But he’s not really hurt.
He’ll have a black eye tomorrow, that’s all.
And I might not get fired. That’s a problem for another day.
“ He held her gaze, praying she understood. “Let’s find Leland.”
“Okay kids,” Knox said. “We have a problem.” He handed Jason a pair of binoculars. “Two o’clock and eleven o’clock.”
“I see them,” Jason said. “It’s Enzo’s guys. And we don’t have time to deal with them.”
“Yeah, you go head and tell them that.”
Dylan Kitts fought with his handcuffs in a deluge of irritation. “Enzo? What’s he doing here? Are you sure it’s him?”
Jason watched the two boats make a beeline for their course. “Can you outrun them?” he asked Knox. “We really don’t have time to negotiate.”
Knox looked at Dylan. “Any advice? Right now, we’re trying to save our skin, including yours. Enzo’s guys won’t treat you nicely if they board us.”
Dylan let out an exasperated groan. “She’s faster than she looks. Push her, she can take it.”
Knox faced the helm again with a pleased grin. “Okay ladies and gentlemen, hold on to your hats.”
Dylan looked out the windows, squinting at the lights rushing toward them.
“We can stay ahead, but not by much. They’ll be on our heels the whole way.
” Desperation flashed in his eyes. “Let me get on the radio,” he demanded.
“I can get plenty of back up faster than you can. I doubt you have anyone nearby you could even call.”
Jason pivoted to Dylan. “What are you talking about?”
“The Morghana Police. They’ll protect me. Trust me.”
Jason wasn’t shocked, but the idea didn’t sit well with him.
“Don’t be stupid!” Dylan yelled, panic lacing his words. “Enzo’s men will kill us when we dock. We can’t lose them. We need some backup.” He flung his head toward two of the crates sitting near them. “You don’t want to die for this stuff, do you?”
Jason locked eyes with Tayla. “Stand back. Over near the door. I’m going to uncuff him.”
Tayla nodded. With that trusting look again.
He would not fail her tonight. He’d keep her safe and find Leland. Or die trying.
He uncuffed Dylan. And kept his weapon trained on him while he used the radio.
Tonight was not going the way he’d hoped. He hated that they needed Dylan’s questionable connections with the Morghana Police to get them out of this mess. But they had to do everything they could to find Leland—hopefully, before it was too late.
Dear God, I know we can only succeed tonight with your help. Please give me the strength and wisdom to keep Tayla safe. And please protect Leland. Help us find him quickly.
Tayla did nothing but pray—and fight the urge to hold Jason’s hand—as they sliced through rolling dark waves toward their destination.