Page 9 of One Cry Too Loud (Coastal Crime Unit #9)

“ A re you absolutely sure this is necessary?” Sarah Jane asked me, rolling her eyes as she handed her cellphone to me.

I plucked it out of her hand and tossed it into the metal box with the others.

I shut it and sat the box on the ground, standing back up as she continued. “It seems like overkill.”

Looking around, I understood what my daughter meant.

There she was, standing there with my granddaughter on her hip, in a field on the outskirts of town.

There was an old bus sitting a few hundred feet away from us with the engine running, and a couple of people scattered around, all talking amongst themselves.

She had no idea where she was headed and neither did I. That was the point.

“It’s necessary,” I said, nodding at the woman who I’d loved more than anything in the world since the instant she came into existence. “If you knew what we were up against, you’d agree with me.”

“I don’t like hearing stuff like that,” Sarah Jane said, her forehead wrinkling with a mixture of worry and anger. “If something is so dangerous that you’re afraid about me and the baby even being in town, then I don’t want you dealing with it.”

“I get that, Sweetheart, and there was a time when I’d have lied to you to protect you from it, but that time has passed.

You’ve seen too much. You’ve been a part of too much.

” I looked at the toddler sleeping against her shoulder.

“And you’ve got too much to lose and too much at stake for me to keep you in the dark. ”

“But you are keeping me in the dark. Just tell me what it is,” she said.

“You know I can’t do that,” I answered, shaking my head.

“Why not? You don’t even have the government to worry about anymore?” She balked. “So why can’t you tell me/ Because your billionaire boss will be pissed if you do?”

“Because doing so will put you, your daughter, and everyone else who is about to be on that bus in danger,” I said.

“What we’re going up against has a big reach.

He’s got big eyes, and he has fingers that are capable of getting into anything.

It’s the reason we’re taking all of your phones.

So they can't be tracked or hacked. It’s the reason you’re going on that relic of a bus, because it can’t be remotely tampered with, and it’s the reason that I don’t have any idea where you’re going to be.

We don’t know what can be heard. We don’t know what can be seen.

We do know that our systems have been compromised.

We known that the intelligence that we’ve worked with for years has been exposed and studied.

This person knows our playbook. He knows that we’re usually successful, and he knows what we do in order to be successful.

We have to assume he’s prepared himself for that. So, we have to-”

“Try a different playbook.” she said, reading my mind. “Start all over.”

“Start from the start. That’s what your mother used to say,” I said, smiling at my daughter, seeing Denise’s eyes looking back at me.

“Is he dangerous, Dad?” She asked, blinking as her voice broke.

“They’re always dangerous, Sweetheart,” I answered. “But so am I.”

“And you can’t tell me more than that?” Sarah Jane asked.

“I can tell you one other thing,” I said.

“He did the one thing he shouldn’t have done, the one thing no one in their right mind should ever do.

” I put my hand on my daughter’s shoulders.

“He threatened you and he threatened Denise Katrina. He threatened the people we care about.” I looked around.

“That’s why all of these people are here.

It’s why Kat’s cousin is here. It’s why Nate’s manager, who apparently is also his best friend, is here. That's why Kyle is here.”

“Isn’t Kyle part of the team, though?” Sarah Jane asked. “Shouldn’t he be going with you instead of getting on this bus?”

“Kyle is still healing up,” I said, remembering the way he had been injured during our last mission. “And more than that, I want someone on the team there with you guys.”

“In case things go South?” Sarah Jane asked.

“They won’t go South,” I said.

“You said you wouldn’t hide things from me anymore,” she reminded me.

“They won’t go South,” I repeated. “But yes. In case they do, I want Kyle with you. He’ll keep you safe. He’ll keep you all safe.”

She blinked hard and looked away from me for a second. “And what about-what about Tex?”

“Taylor is out of state,” I said, mentioning the last name of her former fiance, the father of her child, and my current teammate. “He is working a different mission. He has been briefed, though, and he’ll keep himself safe.”

“Right,” she said. “I just ask because of the baby.” Her voice was cold.

“I know,” I answered. “But if it wasn’t just for the baby, that would be okay too.”

“Dad, I-”

“I’m here!” A voice shouted from a distance. “I know I’m late. I’m sorry, but I’m here!”

I turned to the cause of the noise to find a woman who struck me as vaguely familiar running toward us with a bag in her hand.

“Oh God. What the hell is she doing here?” Sarah Jane groaned. The look on my daughter’s face jogged my memory, and I realized just who it was that I was looking at.

Yara, my daughter’s former best friend and Taylor's new fiancé, rushed toward us.

“You should have told me that she was coming,” Sarah Jane said. “I guess you thought I wouldn’t agree to this if I knew she would be here.”

“It’s not that. I just didn’t realize she would be here,” I said honestly. “I should have. I should have assumed that Taylor would want to keep her safe. I’m sorry that you're being blindsided with it.”

“It’s alright,” Sarah Jane muttered. “It’s not the first time I’ve been blindsided by this woman.

The woman in question was breathless by the time she got to us. Her chest heaved as she settled in front of me.

“I’m here,” she repeated.

“I can see that,” I answered. “Give me your bag.”

“My bag?” She asked.

“You can’t have anything where you’re going,” I explained. “Taylor should have let you know that.”

“Oh…I’m sorry,” she said, handing it over. “I just-”

“Is your phone in this bag?” I asked. “If not, I’ll need it too.”

“It’s in there,” she replied.

I opened the lockbox back up and dropped her stuff into it.

I closed it with my foot. “You’ll be able to get your things when all of this is over.

I understand you might be confused, and this might be jarring, especially if Taylor didn’t explain things to you very thoroughly.

I apologize if that’s the case. I hope you understand that this is an effort to keep you safe and I can’t give you any more information than that at the moment. ”

“I get it. Thank you” She nodded. Then, turning her attention to my daughter, she said, “Hey SJ.”

“Yara,” Sarah Jane answered coldly, rocking Denise Katrina a bit in her arms.

“It’s good to see you,” Yara said.

“Is it?” Sarah Jane asked.

“Is that hard to believe?” she asked. “After all, you’re my best-”

“Dad, I’m going to head on into the bus. Be careful. I love you, and I’ll see you soon,” she said.

“I love you too. I love you both,” I answered, giving my granddaughter a kiss on the top of her head as Sarah Jane turned and walked away.

“Do you think she’ll ever forgive me?” Yara asked as Sarah Jane left.

“He’s not the right person to answer that question.

” I heard Kat’s voice close to me. Turning, I saw her walking toward Yara and I.

“And not just because he’s SJ’s father.” Kat settled in front of the other woman.

“It’s also because he’s not a woman. So, he doesn’t really understand the depths of a female friendship.

He doesn’t get how deep, how complex, and how absolutely special they are.

He’s a man. He doesn’t understand how your best friend becomes your sister.

He doesn’t understand how deep and irrevocable the hurt can be when you find out that your sister has betrayed you. ”

“He was single,” Yara said. “When we started dated, he was-”

“Your best friend is your sister,” Kat cut her off. “I don’t know how much more clear I can be.”

“So, you don’t think she’ll ever forgive me?” Yara asked.

“I couldn’t say.” Kat shrugged. “She has a big heart, but she looks pissed. I will say this much. She grew up in a family of police officers. By the time that girl was six years old, she knew four different ways to break your arm. So, if I were you, I’d keep my distance on that bus. ” She winked. “Good luck Yana.”

“It’s Yara,” Yara said.

“Yeah. Whatever.” Kat shooed her on and stood beside me as she walked away.

“You know, men have deep friendships too,” I added.

“I’m sure they do. I just wanted to get her told off before she got on the bus,” she said. “I’m sure you can tell, but I’m not a fan of Taylor’s current girlfriend.”

“Fiance,” I corrected him. “And as much as I hate to admit it, she doesn’t seem awful. She seems-she seems almost nice.”

“Nice people don’t steal their best friend’s love,” Kat said. “Trust me. I should know.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“A story for a different time,” She said. “Right now, with everyone off and safe, we need to get to the business of finding this girl and stopping whoever took her.” She sighed.

“What is it?” I asked, looking over at her.

“I talked to Holly and it’s going to be more complicated than I originally thought,” she said. “I have a solution.” She bit her lower lip. “But I don’t think you’re going to like it.”