Page 15

CHAPTER 14

Cooper held Nova’s gaze for one more heartbeat, noting the way her eyes had rounded when he’d mentioned the dock. What looked like fear before she’d schooled her features and nodded. He cleared the area one last time then they were through the door and sprinting up the path. Twigs snapped behind them, a couple of shots hitting the nearby trees.

Nova kept pace behind him, tackling him to the ground a moment later just as a missile soared over top, impacting the cliff off to their right — raining down stones and dirt across their backs.

Cooper tapped Whiskey, and the dog took off, jumping the guy a few seconds later as he tried to reload. Cries echoed down the path before it suddenly cut off. Cooper whistled, pushing to his feet as Whiskey came bounding back up the trail. He gave her a quick once-over, then motioned for Nova to go first.

“Not arguing, sweetheart. Go.”

She looked as if she was about to rip a strip off him then turned and started running, holding her right side as she followed the path down to the water. Cooper stayed on her six, downing two tangos when they popped out from the tree line, aiming AR-15s his way. They toppled backwards, but managed to stagger to their feet a minute later, those vests obviously Kevlar.

But he was already hoofing it down the trail, closing in on Nova as she made her way onto the dock. Ethan had the boat ready as Bellamy and Rusty closed in from the opposite direction.

Bellamy raced over to him, firing off a few shots before ushering him forward. “Fuck, Coop, we were just about to flank the cabin when all hell broke loose. We saw you book it out of there so we tried to sweep in behind you, but… They cordoned us off and we had to circle around. I swear there’re two dozen of the bastards. Which means they might have water resistance too.”

“All the more reason to get the hell out before they land a freaking missile on the boat.” Cooper ran over to the vessel, holding it steady as Nova climbed in. She stopped once her feet hit the deck, swallowing hard before moving over to the helm and gripping the seat until her knuckles blanched white.

He frowned, wondering why she seemed off before helping Whiskey jump in. Then he grabbed the rope and shoved off as he launched himself onto the deck.

Ethan hit the throttle, surging the boat forward as bullets flew through the air, whizzing past Cooper’s head and ricocheting off the frame. Rusty fired off several rounds, sending whoever was shooting at them scurrying for cover.

That gave Cooper a chance to dart in beside Nova and take Ethan’s position. Not that his buddy couldn’t pilot a boat but Cooper hadn’t been joking. He’d taken the same training as all the other Coasties, and there wasn’t a vessel he couldn’t make dance through the water.

Bellamy slid in beside him, shielding his face from the rain and the spray. “I’ve got a very bad feeling about this, because I swear I can see lights bobbing on the water off to our starboard side.”

Cooper snapped his gaze to this right, cursing the flash of white off in the distance. “Well, shit. I’m betting those are highly armored assault boats with bullet-proof glass and mounted machine guns.”

“Sounds about right. Any suggestions?”

“Only one. We make a run for more open water and hope they capsize when we hit the really big waves.”

“And what’s stopping us from doing the same?”

“Skill.” Cooper shrugged. “Probably luck. If you’ve got a better idea, buddy…”

“I’ll get the dogs rounded up so they don’t get tossed overboard when it gets really rough. Try not to kill us, okay?”

Bellamy was gone before Cooper could answer, Nova quickly taking his place. She didn’t say anything just wrapped her hand around a bar near the wheel, looking as if she’d rather be back at the cabin, taking on all two-dozen mercenaries by herself.

He gave her shoulder a nudge as he increased the throttle — got the craft really rocking. “It’s going to be okay.”

She slid her gaze toward him for a moment then back out at the open ocean. “I’m not a fan of boats.”

“Please don’t tell me you don’t know how to swim.”

“Of course I can swim, it’s just…” She swallowed, looked as if she was going to puke, then held her head up. “My parents were killed on a sailing trip when I was nine. That’s why I ended up in foster care. I haven’t been on one since.”

Well, shit.

“Nova. Sweetheart, I didn’t… I mean, I’m…”

Somehow sorry didn’t feel like enough.

“How could you know? I’ve never told anyone, not even Tate. Though, I knew it would eventually come up with you being ex-Coast Guard. And I’ve made peace with the fact I should probably try to embrace being on the water.” She gave him a quick glance. “Especially since I want to spend the foreseeable future with you. Just try to get us back in one piece, okay?”

Had they been blown up? Hit a reef and sunk? Because the rest of the world disappeared with those few words, just her face visible next to him. Her undeniable trust in him stealing his breath.

Until one of those boats actually fired on them and snapped Cooper back. Had him dodging left and right, riding the crest of one wave, then disappearing into the trough of the next. Using every trick he’d learned to keep them one step ahead. Hoping whoever was piloting the other boats didn’t have his experience.

Weren’t quite as motivated as he was to push the vessel as far as necessary to get the job done.

One of the tangos managed to jump ahead, closing the distance enough the assholes had a chance of doing some real damage. Either blowing a hole in the hull or maybe pegging their engine. What would be catastrophic and definitely a death sentence.

Cooper took a chance and turned the craft into the next wave — praying he got to the top before the thing curled over and took them with it. The jerk followed, realizing a bit too late how close it was going to be. That he’d never make it. The guy tried to change directions — punch his way out of it — but it was too late. Cooper’s boat soared over the top, catching air before splashing into the water, shooting up a curtain of water out both sides as it rocked back and forth, teetering on the edge of capsizing only to finally settle, then leap forward as he hit the throttle.

Their pursuer wasn’t as lucky. The wave hit the stern lifting the ass end like a toy then curling over it and taking it under the water. There were flashes of white, of that light shining through the waves, then it was gone. Nothing but utter blackness left in its wake.

Not that Cooper had time to celebrate when the maneuver cost him some of the lead he had on the other boat. It roared in behind him, one of the mercenaries moving to the bow with what looked like a damn rocket launcher resting on his shoulder. A complication Cooper wasn’t sure he could overcome.

He called Bellamy’s name, hoping his buddy might be able to get off a quality shot when his radio chirped, a blast of static cutting through the howling wind.

“You know, only an ex-Coast Guard Lieutenant would be crazy enough to pilot a boat in this weather.”

Cooper shook his head, grabbing the radio as he searched the horizon. “Says the ex-Lieutenant Commander flying the chopper. Because you are flying in this shit, right Blake?”

She laughed. “I can’t let you have all the fun. Now, do me a favor, Cooper, and take your vessel hard to starboard, in three… two… now.”

Cooper didn’t hesitate, banking the boat hard to the right, praying he wasn’t sentencing them all to a watery grave. Water sprayed across the bow, nearly tipping them, again, when a helicopter materialized out of the darkness. Just appeared like a wraith, ten feet off the deck, screaming past them at some insane speed. Blake flared the bird into an aggressive hover, the tail nearly touching the water before it was sitting above the waves, someone hanging out the side.

There was a flash of green smoke then the other boat erupted in flames, continuing across the surface for a few feet before quickly sinking beneath the waves.

Cooper eased back on the throttle, turning the boat around until it was heading back toward the shoreline. A spot he hoped Blake would be able to land the chopper and give them a ride.

Blake moved the helicopter in beside them, close enough she could defend them without the downwash hampering his vessel,

Cooper clicked his radio, shaking his head as he looked over at her. “As crazy as ever, Crossroads.”

Blake huffed. “I swear, if you try and bring that nickname back to life, I’ll start calling you CT.”

He chuckled. “Always straight for the jugular. Glad to see some things never change.”

“Endeavor to do more, Coop.”

“Hell, yeah. And while it might not have been your favorite nickname, you’ve got to admit, you have crazy-ass skills. The likes of which seem awfully suspect.”

“I’m not denying the claim, just trying to keep my secret from getting out. And I’ll let you off the hook this once since you didn’t blow my cover when you first came to the island. But use it again…”

“Consider it buried. Now, you will give us a lift once I beach this baby, right?”

“Not that the ride will be any smoother but… I’ll follow along in case this weather gets any worse and you end up going into the water. But Kian won’t be happy if he and Waylen have to rescue your asses.”

“Copy that.”

Nova arched a brow once he’d replaced the handset. “I get the Crossroads reference but CT?”

He chuckled. “It’s short for Chew Toy. And yeah, I hated it, too.”

Bellamy, Rusty and Ethan gathered next to him, still watching the horizon in case there were more boats.

Ethan nudged Cooper’s shoulder. “That was some scary shit back there, buddy.”

Cooper shrugged. “Beats dying.”

“Damn straight. Which brings up the question… Why didn’t those mercenaries take out the cabin with that drone instead of targeting the generator shack? A betting man would have gone for the sure thing. Even if some of us had survived the initial hit, we wouldn’t have been in any condition to fight.”

“Beats the hell out of me.”

Nova cleared her throat, looking each of them in the eyes before sighing. “That’s because of the ledgers.”

Ethan frowned. “You mean ledger, as in one.”

She winced. “No, I mean ledgers.”

Cooper twisted to face her. “There’s more than one?”

“Two, actually.”

“And you’re just telling us this now?”

She straightened. “In my defense, I wasn’t really in any condition to talk when you picked me up. And the memory got lost in the trauma until an hour ago when you mentioned the possibility of another ledger. Not that it matters when we can’t exactly retrieve it.”

“Why not? Where the hell is it?”

She bit at her bottom lip, glancing around his team again before shaking her head. “In close proximity to the office.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“It’s not like I had many options. And I knew you’d eventually go there if I was killed. Would be able to track it down and find a way to throw Simmons’ ass in jail.”

“Because it’s coated in your blood, too, right?”

“The dogs need something to scent.”

Bellamy inched forward. “Let me get this straight. There’s another ledger hiding in the one place we can’t go because it’s still an active crime scene. Will probably be an active crime scene until they finally catch our asses.”

“It wasn’t my first choice, but beggars and all that. Though, based on the fact we’re all still breathing, I’m hopeful Simmons hasn’t found it either because if he knew we only had one, he would have destroyed the cabin.”

“But since it’s been a week, he knows you’ve had plenty of time to stash one or both and he needs you alive so he can torture that information out of you.” Bellamy shook his head. “I’m not sure if you’re brilliant or crazy but…”

“My money’s on both. Though, it does give me an idea.”

Cooper groaned, still keeping the boat on track. “Why do I get the feeling this is going to be some insane plan with you in the crosshairs?”

“Because you know there’s only one way we’re going to catch Simmons. And that’s to give him what he wants. It’s time we went on the offensive.”