Page 52

“Take your time.” Hayes eased into one of the chairs and unwrapped his bagel sandwich. “I’ll fill Keaton in on what we know so far.”
Dawson nodded and slipped out the back door.
“There’s news?” Keaton lifted his coffee and took a long, slow sip of the bitter brew. He needed the caffeine. He’d tossed and turned all night. Besides it being difficult to sleep with Trinity by his side and keep his hands to himself, he’d constantly woken to check his computer and his security cameras. He’d needed to ensure they were safe and that no one was lurking in the shadows. He believed without a shadow of a doubt that whoever sent Warren Harley would send someone else soon.
“Not sure I’d call it news.” Hayes took a massive bite. He chewed and chewed while Keaton sat there, crawling out of skin, waiting for his buddy to finally swallow. Hayes lifted a napkin and wiped his lips. “At a little after four thirty in the morning, Chloe got a call from a friend of hers with the Coast Guard. Theyboarded a vessel that was moving slowly around the area where Trinity and Mallary were diving. They were suspicious because the boat was using a spotlight, and they circled twice.”
“And what happened?”
“Nothing. The Coast Guard didn’t find anything out of the ordinary, and the captain—a guy by the name of Riggs Oppenheimer—said they had lost a cushion and were looking for it.”
“Seriously?”
Hayes nodded. “When pressed, they showed the Coast Guard where the missing cushion would go, and sure enough, one was gone.”
“Who else was aboard that boat?”
“Two other people, one by the name of Eddy Ives, and the other, Willie Avery. Chloe is going to run the names in every database she can, and she’ll let us know what she finds out.”
“None of those names rings a bell.” Keaton picked at his bagel. His stomach had suddenly soured. “Their story’s lame. Where were they headed? Why were they out there at four in the morning?”
“They said they were anchored north of Marco Island and wanted an early start for crossing to the Bahamas. The seas are expected to kick up later in the day, and they wanted to ensure they missed that.” Hayes raised his hand. “We checked the weather, and that was all true. Not to mention, the Coast Guard followed them for a good distance. They did continue in that direction. They gave Chloe the registration numbers for the vessel. She gave them to me, and now Dawson hasthem. He’s going to check in with immigration for when they hit the Bahamas as well as when they land back in US waters.”
“If they even make that call.” Keaton leaned back. “Do you know how many boaters don’t bother since there isn’t a port that requires small vessels to report into the States? The guys from the Aegis Network are always telling me that they see boats coming in from a crossing through the Jupiter Inlet, and they know damn well they never did a customs clearance.”
“That’s a major fine if you get caught,” Hayes said. “Either way, Dawson’s got the information, and if they don’t make it to the Bahamas, he’ll know it. Same if they don’t call in with the US Customs. If that happens, we’ll have Chloe call in another favor with the Coast Guard.”
“I’m glad your girlfriend has those kinds of connections.” Keaton raised his coffee and smirked.
“She’s not my girlfriend.” Hayes stuffed his mouth with another large bite of his breakfast sandwich and glared.
“Oh, really?” Keaton chuckled. “How is it that you know she got a call at four thirty in the morning?” He arched a brow. “And shortly after that, you drove her to my place to get her standard-issue FBI vehicle.”
Hayes took a gulp of his drink. “I’m not going to answer that question.”
“Did you spend the night at the cabin she rented from Dawson? Or did she stay at your place?”
“This coming from the man who took an entire year to finally get his shit together and ask out the woman he’d been drooling over.” Hayes cocked his head—as ifthat was going to divert Keaton from the third degree of his buddy’s current love life.
The back door opened, and Dawson zigzagged through the few people milling about, either waiting for their morning jolt or for a table. “I take it Hayes filled you in?”
“He did.” Keaton nodded. “But now he won’t give me the scoop on where he and Chloe slept last night.”
Dawson sat down, tossed his head back, and laughed. “I can answer that.”
“Shut up,” Hayes mumbled.
“I don’t see what the big deal is.” Dawson set his phone on the table. “It’s not like we all don’t know you’ve got the hots for her. So what if you crashed at the cabin? We’re not judging you for that. Just the fact that you’re being unusually coy about it—even for you.”
Hayes narrowed his eyes. “Maybe she doesn’t want all of you—or this town—gossiping about her. She is a federal agent, and she has a job to do. The last thing she needs is people spreading rumors.” It was rare that Hayes ever got defensive about a girl. The last time had been about eight years ago when he’d dated someone a little bit on the older side. She’d been only ten years his senior, but since they were all ballbusters, they’d enjoyed giving him shit about it. They probably shouldn’t have and realized too late just how much Hayes had liked that one.
But it was never going to last.
She’d had a kid, and that was breaking a major cardinal rule in Hayes’s book. He didn’t do kids. He liked them. He had lots of nieces and nephews, and thatwas one of the reasons—probably the only one so far as the boys could tell—that had him going home to visit his family. When he showed any pictures of his family, it was of those cute little buggers. Not of his siblings. Or of his parents. Just the youngsters and their activities.
Dawson rested his forearms on the table. “No one is gossiping,” he said in that kind, soft, older brother tone he got when he was trying to diffuse a potential argument. Not that this was where the conversation was headed. But Dawson had always been the man on the team who spoke the voice of reason. The one who kept them on task. Fletcher was always right behind him. While Keaton, Hayes, and Ken had tended to rush to action, those two were more thoughtful. More likely to pause and assess.
It’s what made their team so special. So unique. They had a good balance, and most importantly, they trusted each other.