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He couldn’t go down that road again.
“Is it that or the fact that one blond-haired female isn’t here?” Dawson leaned back, folding his arms across his chest, and gave Dawson that look. The one where he thought he’d hit the nail on the head.
Well, he had, and that annoyed Keaton even more.
“I saw her before she went out on her boat today. She said she’s coming after she’s done with her deep dive.” Keaton blew on his marshmallow before shoving it in his mouth. He set his stick aside and reached for his beer, taking a healthy swig. He sighed. “She shouldn’t be out there doing that alone. It’s dangerous.”
“We’ve both done deep dives alone,” Dawson said, cocking his head and arching a brow, daring Keaton to find some explanation for how what she was doing was different.
“We’re SEALs, and we generally don’t do that when our emotions are running hot.” Keaton hadcontemplated asking out Trinity when he’d first met her, but she’d had a boyfriend, and he didn’t insert himself into other people’s relationships. However, that excuse had ended pretty quickly, ruining his excuse to stay away.
But she also ran around town like she had something to prove to everyone. It was frustrating as hell. However, he could understand that part because the good people of this town still treated her as if she were that rich, bratty teenage girl no one liked because she thought she was entitled simply because she existed. Or that she was plain better than everyone else.
But Trinity Stevenson had depth. She was super smart. She often amazed him with the way she held her side of a conversation. Or the things she knew. It baffled him why she thought she needed to be so damned impetuous impetus all the time. That wasn’t how she was going to gain the respect she desired. Besides, she had it from the people who mattered.
Who cared what anyone else thought?
“That girl is about as obsessed with finding that wreckage as you are with her,” Dawson added.
“I’m not obsessed. What I am is tired of watching her do things that could potentially land her in the hospital or worse.” Keaton shot his friend a fiery glare. “She needs backup. She needs someone to temper what’s driving her to spend all her free time looking for a sunken ship, lost treasure, and a dead man.”
“That’s a crappy way to put it,” Dawson said. “Why can’t you admit you like her?”
“Never said I didn’t. I’m just not interested in asking out a woman who doesn’t give a damn about her ownsafety. Scuba diving alone might not be reckless for some people, but this is personal for her, and the more she goes out there, the more desperate she becomes to find answers.”
Dawson waggled a finger. “If you’re not interested, then she’s not your problem. You shouldn’t be so upset over it.”
“This coming from the man who can’t utter the words ‘I love you’ to his girlfriend.” That was a horrible analogy, but Keaton didn’t care. He wanted off the subject. Trinity had crawled under his skin and into every waking thought. She’d even entered his endless dreams. He couldn’t get rid of her, and boy, had he tried.
Dawson groaned. “It’s not that I can’t. It’s just that we decided, now that she’s moved into the big house and not crashing with me, to take things a little slower.”
Keaton’s lips curved into a massive smile. Laughter bubbled in his throat. He tried like hell not to let it roar, but it became impossible. “You and Audra have one speed. You’ll be living in the big house by the end of next week.”
“Half my stuff’s already there.” Dawson raised his beer. “And I can’t say I’ve slept in the cabin in the last week. But this thing with us happened so fast. It’s only been a couple of months. I’m still dealing with the fallout from the Massey case. He and his son managed to get some fancy high-priced attorney, and I hear they are talking plea deals for protection from the cartel. Agent Pope was able to put a good dent in the Mendoza’s operation—a big one, especially with Trevorrolling over on them. But Paul Massey still has information Pope wants.”
“Would trading that information be so bad?” Keaton asked.
“No, and it’s the same thing we promised Trevor, but I want justice for Audra and the murder of her dad. I want to make sure that’s not part of the deal. They got Paul and Benson on multiple drug and arms charges. But murder could keep them both in prison for life. I need to give that to her.” Dawson ran a hand over his mouth. “It would suck if that didn’t happen.”
“I get it.” Keaton nodded. “Any news on how involved Ken was back in the day? Or is that story still the same?”
“It’s shifted a bit, but nothing concrete. Trevor swears Ken only knew about what he and Benson were doing, and while I do believe Trevor, I’m not sure that our good friend Ken had been completely honest with us all those years. Anna and I have been searching for Trip’s notebook, but we keep coming up empty-handed. Trevor had some ideas on where his dad might have hidden it, but part of me wonders if he’s leading me on a wild goose chase. His dad could have intel in that book that could hurt Trevor. Or save him. No one knows.” Dawson glanced over his shoulder. “I’d rather not talk about all this with Baily so close. She gets upset when it comes to Ken.”
“Understood.”
“The whole case is a shit show.”
“It still has this town upside down. But it has nothing to do with you telling Audra you love her,because I don’t want to have to beat the crap out of you if you screw up the best thing that’s ever happened to you outside of me, Hayes, and Fletcher.”
Dawson chuckled, shifting his gaze. He waved to Audra, who leaned against the railing of the big house while she sipped wine and chit-chatted with Baily. “Neither one of us is the romantic type, but I want to do that right.”
“Don’t. You’ll make an ass out of yourself, and it won’t be authentic. Just look into her eyes and say it.”
Dawson tilted his head and stared into the fire. “The only other time I’ve said those words was to Liz. Besides not meaning them, I damn near choked on them. I do love Audra. I can say that to you. I can say it to myself. I don’t want to lose her, but I’m afraid if I move too fast or come in too hot, I’ll scare her away.”
“Take it from a man who’s loved and lost. The longer you hold out, the more you’ll regret not saying it.” Keaton reached out and gave his buddy a little love punch on the shoulder.
Dawson lowered his chin and his eyelids at the same time. Slowly, he nodded his head but said nothing. He didn’t have to. Everyone on the team had known Petra. They’d been there when Keaton had met her, and they’d stood by him when he’d buried the love of his life.