Page 82 of Goldilocks
The prospect of the family call seemed more distressing to Fionn than not ever finding out why his ship sank. He took two steps away, stopped, swung back around.
“And will youpleaseclear things up with that kid?”
“I’ll think about it.”
Fionn stared blankly at Sam. Then he threw up his hands and turned about, releasing a hoot of laughter. “‘Sam’s nice’ myass. Dickhead! I’ll catch you later.”
Sam grinned to himself as he made his way to the parking lot.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Sam stopped along the wharf, surveying the light posts above him. An upgrade years ago had replaced the wires with solar-powered lights, but the upgrade had never reached the security cameras. They were old, battery-powered, and the entire camera facing Sam’s pier had been taken for evidence during Connor’s kidnapping case and, for whatever reason, no replacement had made it back up.
Sam used to think that it was better that way, less chance for Adonis or Goldilocks to be spotted, but now it was a glaring problem that there was no camera when there was someoneout there saying he had tampered with Fionn’s boat.
Sam turned from the post, marching toward his car. He reassured himself that it would be okay. It was guilty until proven innocent, and what proof could there be of Sam committing a crime he had nothing to do with? An eyewitness account, for one. Sam cursed under his breath as he clicked open his car and climbed into the driver’s seat.
Did he need to get a lawyer?
His passenger door abruptly opened, and a silver-haired, pouty-lipped, slim guy climbed into the seat, plonking himself into the seat with a look of disgust.
“I need a lift,” Austin said.
Austin wore a plain shirt, cargo pants and boots, his hair uncharacteristically unkempt. Windswept. He smelled of brine and ocean air.
“Where to?” Sam asked.
“The old lab,” Austin said. He put on the seatbelt and leaned back, staring straight ahead as if Sam didn’t exist. As if Sam was his chauffeur, and he didn’t need apleaseor athank you. Sam could have pointed out that Austin had been nothing but a dick to him since they’d met, so he didn’t owe him any lifts. Mary would want him to do that, and Sam probably should. But all he really thought about was how all the mermen were total assholes to Austin already, and his dad had been a total psycho who made an experiment of him his entire life.
“Alright,” Sam agreed. He clicked on his own belt and turned the key. The engine started with a choke, coughing like it might splutter out but catching nonetheless.
Austin frowned. “You need to bring this to the garage. Or just get a new one. This thing’s a rust bucket.” He reached out to fiddle with the AC settings, ineffectually trying to change the heat with a dial that didn’t work.
“It’s getting on in years. It was old back when my mom had it, and that was years ago,” Sam agreed with him. “Do you drive?”
“Was never allowed to,” Austin replied, a chill in his voice. “Connor tell you that?”
“Connor doesn’t go around spilling your secrets,” Sam spoke mildly, and as soothing as he knew how. “He told me about what happened to him, and you came up in his story. That’s all.” Sam had told Austin this already, but he repeated it again, since Austin was clearly anxious.
“Why did he tell you?” Austin asked, his voice still stretched thin with unhappiness. “I get why he told his family, but why his ex? So what if you spoke up for him? Half the fucking world did that in the end.”
Why had Connor told him? Sam wasn’t sure if there had been any pressing reason. Perhaps it had been more functional than any reason to do with Sam personally? Or, maybe, Connor considered Sam a friend in the same way Sam did him. “Even if he hadn’t, I have mermen surrounding the boat every time I’m out on the water. After meeting them, I’d only need to look at Adonis once to realise something was up.”
Austin’s brow scrunched up. “Even if you knew about them, that didn’t mean he had to tell you abouthim. He could have just mentioned Adonis.”
Sam shrugged. “You’ll have to ask him that.”
“But why doyouthink?”
“I think he trusted me not to tell anyone,” Sam said. “Maybe since we’re friends he didn’t want to keep secrets? Or maybe he was just talkingatme because he was working through it all?”
“You seem annoying to talkat,” Austin muttered.
“Thanks.”
Sam flipped the indicator up, taking a turn off the main road onto the gravel-filled path that led toward the destroyed lab of Richard Cessair. Sam had seen the place from a distance many times. The chain-link fence remained a high and impassable barrier. Concertina wire coiled around the top to prevent anyone from climbing over, and every few feet, akeep outsign was stuck to the metal posts. Cameras lined the site.
A black and imposing SUV with dark-tinted windows waited at the closed gate. As they approached, a man emerged from the car, leaned against the bonnet and folded his arms across his chest.