Chapter Five
Arlo
Arlo had never been the type of man to second-guess himself.
When he wanted something, he went after it.
When he made a decision, he stuck to it.
And when he took a risk, he did it knowing damn well what the consequences were.
But as he sat in the living room of his condo, staring out at the rolling waves beyond his balcony, all he could think about was Violet.
She had been gone for hours, but her presence still clung to his space, her scent lingering on his sheets, her warmth still burned into his skin.
She had tried to run. Tried to convince herself that what happened between them was nothing.
But Arlo wasn’t stupid. He had seen the way she looked at him before she left. Shaken, breathless, and terrified.
She had been in her head too much. Trying to control something that couldn’t be controlled.
And that was fine… for now. He would give her space, let her pretend for a little while.
But one thing was absolutely certain. They were a done deal.
Now that she was in his life, he was never letting her go.
His shark thrummed beneath the surface, its satisfaction clear.
Mate. Ours.
For once, he and his shark were in perfect agreement. Arlo smirked, but before he could dwell on that particular thought any longer, his phone buzzed on the table and Logan’s name flashed across the screen.
Arlo grabbed the phone and answered. “Tell me you’ve got something.”
“We’ve got something,” Logan confirmed, his voice low and serious. “Voss has scheduled a meeting for tonight. On his yacht.”
Arlo sat up straighter. “With who?”
“Don’t know. Could be a buyer, could be someone in his network, but it’s happening at eight sharp. We need to know what they’re discussing.”
Arlo checked his watch. The meeting was taking place in a little over an hour. He ran a hand through his hair, his mind already working through the logistics.
“On his yacht? That complicates things. We can’t exactly roll up in a boat without them noticing us.”
“Exactly,” Logan agreed. “Which is why we need a stealthier approach.”
Arlo already knew where this was going, but Logan confirmed it with his next sentence.
“We want you to go in your shark form. Get close to the boat, listen and report back.”
Arlo smirked. “You guys just love throwing me in deep water, don’t you?”
“Would you rather Ezra go?” Logan deadpanned.
Arlo spluttered a laugh. “Let’s be real, none of us trust him near open water.”
Logan laughed under his breath. “I’ll text you the exact location once we of the yacht’s anchoring point. You’ll be on your own out there, so keep your head on a swivel.”
Arlo nodded to himself, the wheels already turning in his mind. He didn’t have to be alone out there… not if a certain dolphin shifter went with him.
“I’ll call you when I’m back.”
“Be careful,” Logan said, then hung up.
Arlo tossed his phone onto the table, rolling his shoulders as he stood and stretched.
This was the break they needed. If Voss was being careful enough to have this meeting in open waters, then it meant they had a real chance to learn something valuable.
But first? He needed to bring Violet in.
Because whether she liked it or not, they were in this together now.
When his phone buzzed again, he grabbed it and read the message with the yacht’s anchoring point. It was close to where they’d been the other night. He scrolled through his contacts and found the number he’d stored the day before. He smirked to himself before typing out the message.
Meet me at the docks in an hour. Same place as the other night. Near the water. No time to explain. Arlo.
He hit send then leaned back against the couch, waiting. It didn’t take long. His phone buzzed. I don’t want to know how you got this number. See you in an hour.
Arlo chuckled, running his thumb over his lower lip. He could imagine her saying the words around a sigh. She was pissed, but she was coming.
An hour later, Arlo was leaning against the side of a building at the edge of the docks, his sharp gaze scanning the area. The night air was thick with salt and humidity, the water beneath him lapping gently against the wooden beams.
He heard her footsteps before he saw her. The measured click of boots against the dock, the steady rhythm of her breath, the subtle shift in the air that came with her presence. Then she stepped into the glow of a nearby dock light, her silhouette framed against the water. Damn.
She was as lethal as she was beautiful, moving with purpose, dressed in dark tactical pants and a fitted top that hugged her body in all the right ways.
But it wasn’t just the way she looked. It was her energy, that barely contained storm brewing beneath the surface, her frustration twined with the undeniable attraction between them.
Despite everything, despite her resistance, she had come.
Violet stopped a few feet away, crossing her arms. “You really need to work on your communication skills.”
Arlo smirked. “What, you didn’t like the mystery?”
“I didn’t like the bossy tone, either,” she shot back. “Or the fact that you somehow know my number.”
He chuckled. “I’m CIA, sweetheart. I know a lot of things.”
She exhaled sharply, but he didn’t miss the way her gaze flicked over him, quick and assessing, checking him out even if she was doing so unconsciously.
“You gonna tell me what’s so urgent?” she asked, arching a brow.
Arlo pushed off the building, stepping closer. Not too close, but just enough.
“My team got a lead,” he said, keeping his voice low and steady. “Voss has a meeting on his yacht tonight. Eight sharp. Could be buyers, could be someone high up in the ring, either way, we need to find out what they discuss.”
Violet frowned. “And you want to get onboard?”
“No,” he said. “We’d get spotted before we even got close.”
“Then what’s the plan?”
Arlo’s lips twitched. “We shift and swim.”
Violet stared at him, her eyes narrowing. “Excuse me?”
“No one’s looking for threats under the water,” he said simply. “We swim out to the yacht and eavesdrop. We just need to stay out of sight, learn what we can, then get the hell out.”
There was a beat of silence as she stared at him. “You’re serious.”
“Deadly.”
She sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. “Of course you are.”
Arlo smirked. “Something wrong, sweetheart? Scared of getting your hair wet?”
Violet shot him a glare. “Oh, please. I can swim circles around you.”
His shark loved that answer.
Yes, shift. Swim with mate! it all but ordered.
Arlo’s grin widened. “Prove it.”
She rolled her eyes, but he caught the way her lips twitched, like she was fighting a smile. She evidently relished the challenge.
She exhaled, glancing around. “No one’s here?”
“I already checked,” he confirmed. “We’re clear.”
Violet hesitated for half a second before bending down and taking off her boots. Next, she reached for the buttons of her pants. Arlo folded his arms, watching with unabashed interest as she shimmied them down her long legs, leaving her in a simple black sports bra and matching briefs.
She noticed him looking and her eyes narrowed. “You’re enjoying this.”
Arlo smirked. “Immensely.”
She rolled her eyes again but didn’t say anything further.
Instead, she continued to undress then folded all her clothes neatly before picking everything up and looking for a place to stash them where they’d be out of sight.
Then, she stepped toward the edge of the water and looked over her shoulder at him.
“You coming, or did you want me to do all the work?”
Arlo chuckled, taking his damn time to peel off his shirt. He tossed on the ground next to her neat pile before dropping his pants.
Violet was doing an admirable job of pretending not to look. But he caught the way her gaze flickered to his chest for half a second too long.
Arlo chuckled. “See something you like?”
“Not particularly.”
“Liar.”
Violet turned away and dove into the water without another word. Arlo smirked and followed, the moment his body hit the water, his shark stretched out beneath his skin, eager, and impatient. They surfaced at the same time, treading water a few feet apart.
“Shift?” Violet asked.
Arlo scanned the area first then nodded. “Shift.”
And then, for the first time, they shifted in front of each other. Arlo’s body rippled, and the air around them shimmered as the shift overtook them in a smooth, powerful surge. Arlo felt his limbs lengthen, his skin harden, his entire form transforming into something massive and unstoppable.
He had shifted hundreds of times in his life. But this time was different. Because when his powerful Great White form settled into the water, the first thing it sensed was her: its mate, in the water beside him and the huge beast preened.
Violet’s dolphin form was sleek, fast, and breathtaking, her silver body cutting through the water with effortless grace.
Arlo’s shark thrummed with satisfaction, surging forward instinctively.
It brushed its massive body against hers, rubbing against her side, a primal show of affection and recognition.
Mate. Mine.
Violet let out a playful click, darting around him in a circle before nudging him back.
Arlo’s shark shivered with delight. She could fight their bond all she wanted.
But in the water, like this? They were perfectly in sync.
Arlo sank deeper into the depths, keeping to the shadows, while Violet surged ahead, scanning the area.
The yacht was anchored less than a couple of miles offshore, the soft glow of its lights growing closer as they swam.
And as they neared the surface, waiting beside the massive vessel, Arlo knew one thing for certain.
This mission wasn’t the only thing he’d be fighting for tonight.
Because Violet could deny their bond all she wanted.
But the moment she stopped running? She’d realize she had been his all along.
The water was calm, the soft lull of the waves lapping against the hull of the yacht, masking the danger that lurked just beneath its surface.
Arlo stayed low, keeping to the depths, his massive Great White form blending into the dark ocean below.
Violet moved ahead of him, her sleek dolphin form cutting through the water effortlessly.
They had no way to communicate like this, but they didn’t need to.
They moved as one, swimming just below the surface, their bodies silent predators in the night.
And then Arlo heard voices. He drifted closer, his powerful body hovering just beneath the waterline as two men stepped onto the deck above.
Their voices carried on the breeze, frustration lacing their words.
“This was a damn waste of time,” one of them grumbled. “Voss makes us come all the way out here, then cancels the meeting at the last minute?”
That was not what Arlo had hoped to hear. They just couldn’t seem to catch a break. Each hour that passed lessened their chances of finding the missing children.
The other man let out a low curse. “He’s too paranoid. Ever since that fool Diaz nearly got himself captured, Voss has been changing the plans every damn day. First, the shipment was supposed to leave tonight, then tomorrow, and now…”
“Now we’re waiting again,” the first man muttered.
A slow, simmering rage coiled in Arlo’s chest.
Shipment.
They weren’t talking about drugs or guns, they were talking about the children. They had to be. His shark stirred, the primal instinct to attack nearly overwhelming. These men deserved to die. Every last one of them.
His muscles coiled, his predator’s mind screaming for him to shift back, to launch himself over the railing of the yacht and rip these bastards apart.
But he didn’t move. Not yet. Because rage wouldn’t save those kids. Killing these two wouldn’t dismantle the ring. If they didn’t figure out where the children were being kept, they might never get another chance. Arlo forced himself to stay put, his instincts at war with his training.
Up on the deck, one of the men sighed. “Voss says we need to secure one more before we can transport them.”
His partner grunted. “Another one? I thought we were done.”
“Yeah, he said this one is important.”
Voss was going to kidnap another child.
Arlo’s shark snarled, slamming against his control, fury rolling through him like a tidal wave. He forced himself to breathe. He had to focus. They were getting what they came for at least. Information.
“Doesn’t matter,” the first man muttered. “Nothing we can do until he gives the go ahead. We just have to make sure everything is ready for the auction.”
There it was.
Confirmation.
Luis Ortega had been telling the truth. The auctions were a cover, the children hidden on the very yacht where the city’s wealthiest bid on overpriced items to support various charities with no clue about their host’s true nature.
Violet drifted closer to Arlo, her body tense even in dolphin form. She’d heard it all, too.
They had enough. Arlo was about to ease back down into the depths, motioning when he heard footsteps. One of the men had walked toward the railing.
Arlo’s instincts roared at him to move.
Go. Now. His shark spoke the words even though she couldn’t hear them.
Fortunately, before the man could glance over the side, Arlo and Violet dove in unison, disappearing below the waves.
They shot deep into the water, their bodies slicing through the ocean like a knife through butter.
Arlo stayed down, his darker form fading into the abyss, while Violet darted ahead, keeping watch.
They swam fast, not surfacing until the yacht was far behind them. By the time the shoreline neared, Arlo’s thoughts were a maelstrom. His shark was still on edge, still furious that he hadn’t been able to tear those men apart.
He swam the last stretch to the docks before kicking up, surfacing in the shallow waters.
Violet surfaced beside him, and in perfect unison, they shifted back.
Water poured from their skin, their bodies reforming, morphing back into human shape.
Arlo braced a hand on the dock, breathing hard, his pulse still pounding with adrenaline and fury.
Violet pulled herself onto the wooden planks, her wet hair clinging to her skin, her breathing as sharp as his. For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The air crackled between them, charged with everything they’d just heard.
“At least we have confirmation now,” Violet said finally breaking the silence between them.
Arlo grunted in reply. “My shark wanted to get onboard and rip their throats out.”
“My dolphin did too,” she said. “And it’s never violent.”
Arlo sighed. “So, the party.”
“The party,” she repeated with a nod.
No more words were needed. They both knew what came next and as far as Arlo was concerned, it couldn’t come quickly enough.