Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Dove leaned against the doorframe of Trent's kitchen, phone pressed to her ear, watching through the screen door as red and blue lights painted the cypress trees in alternating strokes of color.
It was past midnight, and the swamp had gone quiet except for the occasional splash from the moat and the low murmur of voices carrying across the yard.
Trent stood at the edge of the bridge with Dawson and Chloe, his shoulders rigid, his hands shoved in his pockets.
Even from here, she could see the tension coiled in his body.
"Start from the beginning," her uncle said.
So she did, using the same tone she'd used for after-action reports in the Army. Facts, not feelings. Feelings could come later, when she wasn't standing in the middle of a house that felt like ghosts lived in it.
It was like a museum to those who were no longer here.
It wasn't the pictures that lined the walls. Those were normal things. It was the fact that the first time she set foot in this house, Trent had pointed out everything that had belonged to his father. The chair he made. His favorite fleece blanket that was still tucked under the coffee table. However, what stood out today was that his mother’s cardigan was still draped over the back of the couch as if she’d gone to the pub for a night with her friends and forgotten it, like she’d done nearly every time.
The faint smell of lavender still lingered in the air.
She watched Trent shake Dawson's hand, watched Chloe squeeze Trent's arm before heading back to her vehicle. Dove straightened against the doorframe. “Tell me about Gulf Coast Energy Partners and Trent’s father.”
“It was a layered trial. The CEO of the company, Edward Kirk, was indicted on bribery, racketeering, and money laundering, to name a few. Not to mention one of his associates was accused of murder. The DA had them, but then key evidence was burned in a fire. A witness recanted. Another died. Jack’s testimony alone wasn’t enough, and everyone knew it.
While the DA was assessing what to do, Jack and I were T-boned.
The case died after that. The DA tried to rebuild.
The feds watched the players, the company, and especially Kirk and his associates but could never find anything to bring charges against them. ”
Through the screen door, Dove watched Dawson's cruiser pull away, followed by Chloe's SUV. The taillights faded into the trees, leaving only darkness and the yellow glow from the porch light.
“You've never talked about the case that nearly killed you. Why did you all of a sudden just spill so much?”
“Because you asked, and I can tell it matters to you.”
“Bullshit.” Dove knew her uncle well enough to know that not only was there more, but she wasn't so sure he was going to tell her the whole truth. “Is Sovereign Resources the real reason you're here?”
“No, my visit was totally social. I wanted to see how my favorite niece was settling in.” Slade's voice softened with that sweet timber he had when he’d been there through all the fucked-up missions.
“But, since I’m here, and this all feels very familiar, with the mining company, yeah, I want to stick around for that town meeting and see who the players are.
But if you’d rather not have me underfoot for that long, I can get a room at Harvey's Cabins.”
"You can stay as long as you like, but I honestly don’t believe you.
And while we’re at it, I’d like the names of those who were involved twenty years ago, and I’ll do some cross-referencing between the current board of directors and those who were on the Gulf Coast. Same with the directory log of employees. ”
“I can help you with that while I’m here.”
“I won't say no to that offer.” Dove rubbed her eyes with her free hand. The adrenaline from earlier had long since faded, leaving behind the bone-deep exhaustion that always followed a firefight. “Why do you want to speak with Trent?”
“I wanted to give him my condolences for his mom, proper like. The bar wasn’t the place to do it. And I honestly just wanted to connect with him. Jack wasn’t just a job to me. He became my friend.”
“Trent might not be too receptive.” Dove watched Trent start back toward the house, his boots heavy on the wooden bridge.
In the moat below, something large shifted in the water, and she suppressed a shudder.
"Seeing you tonight affected him deeply. He’s a little on edge with everything that happened, and he’s concerned about other things. ”
“I can only imagine, especially if he's anything like his dad.”
Trent was halfway across the bridge. One of the gators—Dolly, probably—let out a low bellow that vibrated through the humid air. Dove watched him pause, turn toward the sound, and say something too quiet for her to hear. The bellowing stopped.
“I just want an hour of his time,” her uncle said.
"I'll talk to him.”
“Before you go, I want to ask you something.”
“I’m afraid to hear this,” Dove said.
“Is there something going on between you and Trent?”
Dove resented that she wished there were something real between her and Trent.
It was rare for her to care this much for a man.
It wasn’t that she didn’t have relationships.
She just didn’t do ones that lasted. Ones that required anything other than having a good time, and when they ended, it was no big deal because she hadn’t put down roots.
The Army moved her from one location to the next, and she’d welcomed the change.
Generally, the Aegis Network kept its operatives in one location, unless a request was made or a new office was opening. This was the first time since high school that she had her feet firmly planted in the ground.
But Trent was supposed to be a fling. When things had started to go sideways even before he’d been shot saving his childhood friend, Fallon, from the assholes who were trying to kidnap and kill her, Dove had to admit, it stung. It still stung. “We’re friends.”
“Is that all you are?”
“Yes.” And, in that moment, it was the truth. Didn’t matter that they struggled to keep their boundaries intact because they couldn't keep their hands to themselves. “I’ve got to go.”
“I guess that means I’ll see you shortly.”
Shit. “Probably not.”
“Right. That’s what I thought,” he said. “For the record, I’m glad you found someone. And if Trent is anything like his father, he’s the kind of man I might approve of.”
The line went dead before she could respond. Not that she even knew what to say.
Dove stared at her phone for a long moment.
Her uncle had always understood her better than anyone—including her parents.
Her mom didn’t know how to handle a tomboy.
Not that her mother didn’t love her—she did.
But she’d wanted a daughter she could dress up and take to the country club for mother-daughter brunches and fashion shows. That wasn’t Dove.
And her dad, well, he hadn’t wanted her in the Army. He hadn’t wanted that kind of hard life for his only girl. He’d lived it. Spent eight years in the Army. To him, it was utter hell, nothing more than a means to an end. He got an education and served his time, plus a little extra.
The screen door creaked open, and Trent slipped out of his water-soaked boots before stepping into the kitchen.
His face was drawn, exhaustion carved into every line, but his eyes found hers immediately.
"They're gone," he said. “Didn’t find anything in the tree line, so no idea what those men had, but if it was feed of any kind, some animal got it by now. Though, that doesn’t make any sense, because not all of the gators responded.” He moved past her to the sink, turning on the tap and letting the water run over his hands.
She watched the mud swirl down the drain, brown fading to gray, fading to clear.
"Chloe's going to run the two shell casings she found in the trees through the system," he said.
"See if they match anything on file. Dawson's put out feelers with the marine patrol, in case anyone spots the boat. "
"That's good."
"It's something." He turned off the water but didn't move, just stood there with his hands braced against the edge of the sink, head bowed. "Probably won't lead anywhere. If Karl hired those guys, he’s not stupid enough to use traceable weapons or registered boats."
“He was dumb enough to send a couple of yahoos to a natural habitat in the Everglades without telling them exactly what they were getting into.” Dove set her phone on the counter and crossed the kitchen to stand beside him. Close, but not touching. “I want to change the subject for a minute.”
“Do you, now.” He turned, sporting a familiar grin.
Shit. He was gonna be pissed. “My uncle would like a few minutes of your time.”
Trent's shoulders lifted. “I can’t imagine why.”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s twenty years of guilt. Maybe it’s something else.”
“I take it you believe it’s something else.” He pushed away from the sink, running a hand through his hair.
“I don’t know. But I think it’s strange that he showed up. That all this stuff is happening. That an ex-colleague of his is pushing to allow mining next to your property after he knew what happened twenty years ago.” Dove let out a long breath. “Will you talk to him? For me?”
“I can do that, just not tonight. I need…”
He trailed off, but his eyes were on her now.
Really on her. And the air in the kitchen shifted, thickened with something that had nothing to do with humidity.
He closed the distance between them in two steps, his hand coming up to cup her jaw, his thumb tracing the line of her cheekbone.
“I wouldn’t have turned you away tonight. ”
She should step back. She should remind him that they'd agreed this was a bad idea, that they were too different, that she couldn't date a man who lived surrounded by things that wanted to eat her.
She didn't step back. “We shouldn’t.”