Page 3 of Pirates in Calusa Cove (Everglades Overwatch #2)

CHAPTER 1

Keaton stuffed his marshmallow on the end of the stick and held it over the open flame, waving it back and forth, but that didn’t stop it from catching fire. “Crap,” he mumbled. He hated burnt white mush. He raised his stick, blew, and tried again.

This time, he had a little better luck. But not much. Damn thing still had a crusty outside.

Kind of like his mood.

“What’s got your panties in a twist?” Dawson tugged at his jeans and sat down.

“Long day.” Except, it had been an easy day—a sunrise tour for Everglades Overwatch airboat tour company that he owned with his three best friends, and then a lazy day working for Fish and Wildlife, and he hadn’t given out one ticket. He wasn’t even tired. But he was annoyed. He’d known Trinity Stevenson now for a year. One full flipping year. He didn’t deny—at least to himself—that he found her attractive, even if he didn’t go for chicks with painted nails, designer bags, and heels.

Okay, so what hot-blooded male didn’t like a woman in three-inch heels?

But he had kept his distance from Trinity for two reasons. First, she came off as a spoiled woman who cared more about her BMW than the environment or people.

However, that assessment had been proven wrong on a stormy night when she’d put herself in danger to help someone else. Noble but reckless, and the constant recklessness was the second reason he kept her at arm’s length.

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 had contemplated 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 own safety. 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 Trevor rolling 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.

But he would always have one big regret when it came to Petra. Well, two regrets, wrapped into one messed-up childish decision that had changed him forever.

Keaton didn’t often openly talk about what had happened, but there were moments it bubbled to the surface. Normally, he pushed them down.

However, this was one of those rare times that he believed sharing his personal, private hell might help one of his best friends past an important hurdle.

“I fought with Petra the week before she died,” Keaton said softly. “I was too stubborn to call her before we were deployed. It didn’t matter what the fight was about, we always said we loved each other before I left, and we didn’t that one time. She died without hearing those words come out of my mouth, and trust me, man, they are not just words.” Keaton sighed. The emotion stuck in his throat, then dropped to his heart.

Dawson knew there was so much more to this story. It wasn’t just that he’d failed to tell the woman he loved how he felt, but he’d also forgiven her for breaking his trust. He understood her reasons. He could have accepted they weren’t ready. But she’d never given him the chance, and he’d let her die believing he not only didn’t love her but wasn’t sure if they could stand the test of time.

He would always love Petra. There could never be another woman for him, which was why this thing with Trinity made him so crazy. The blond-haired beauty had gotten under his skin like a toxin. For the last year, she was all he could think about. He’d blink his eyes open in the morning and wonder what she’d be doing that day. Would he see her when he showed up at the docks? Or run into her in town? He found himself stopping at the local coffee shop almost every morning in hopes of running into her, only to get pissed off because he’d learn she was doing something stupid again.

Petra had died because she’d thought she was invisible. She’d lived her life on the edge. Adrenaline meant almost more to her than he did. At first, that’s what had drawn him to Petra. He’d loved how much she’d enjoyed the outdoors. She’d try almost anything. About the only thing she hadn’t liked was fishing because the woman couldn’t sit still unless she was strapped to something going a hundred miles an hour.

As they’d gotten older, a little more mature, her wild nature had become a concern. He’d wanted her to stop seeking out everything that could kill her. He’d started to worry she had a death wish that he hadn’t noticed before. And maybe she had. Maybe she’d gone up in that plane and performed those tricks with reckless abandon, not caring if she’d lived or died.

Her motto had always been, Babe, you only live once. Might as well live like you’re dying.

Trinity wasn’t like that. He knew she didn’t want to die—well, maybe Petra hadn’t wanted to either, but she also hadn’t been afraid of it.

Trinity wanted to prove she wasn’t some spoiled rich bitch who needed the world to serve her, that she could do what everyone else in Calusa Cove did. That she wasn’t afraid to take risks.

But this scuba diving alone thing was making him crazy. She could die under the water, and no one would know—and for what? To prove what? This wasn’t her battle. It belonged to someone else .

“I know you’re right about Audra. I’m just scared it’s too soon, and she’ll run,” Dawson said.

Keaton smiled. “That chick isn’t afraid of much, and I’m pretty sure she feels the same way.” The sound of big-ass tires kicking up pebbles tickled his ears. He waved his finger toward Hayes’s souped-up truck. “Did you know that Hayes managed to get Chloe’s personal cell phone number and has been texting her for a week straight?”

“As in the FBI agent who’s been in town a couple of times looking for those missing young adults?” Dawson asked.

“That’s the one.” Keaton chuckled. “Talk about a man with a hard-on. The last time she showed up in town, his eyes nearly popped right out of their sockets. He’s not even subtle about it.”

“Looks like he’s got Fletcher with him.” Dawson stood. “Want another beer?”

Keaton closed one eye and peered into his longneck. “Yeah.” He downed the last two swallows, handed the empty to his buddy, and watched him walk away.

Dawson stopped on the front porch, took Audra by the hand, and led her inside the big house. They were about two months from the grand opening of Harvey’s Bed and Breakfast. Keaton didn’t understand why on God’s green earth they hadn’t changed the name. Granted, Harvey’s Cabins had been a staple in the community for years. It was a well-known name, but Dawson owned the establishment now. Turning that house into a B&B and slapping someone else’s name on it seemed strange .

“Well, dang. I didn’t mean say it right now,” Keaton mumbled.

“What are you babbling about?” Fletcher slapped his shoulder.

“Oh, Dawson’s about to tell Audra he loves her for the first time.” Keaton shook his head. This team didn’t have any secrets. Well, at least the living didn’t. They’d recently learned that their good friend Ken—Baily’s brother, the man who had died in combat and was one of the reasons they’d come to Calusa Cove a little over a year ago, had a few secrets.

One, they knew.

The rest? Well, a picture was forming, and it wasn’t pretty.

“Not the most romantic moment, but good on him.” Fletcher snagged a stick and the marshmallow bag. He plopped himself down in a chair and tossed the bag to Hayes. “I see that idiot Decker Brown is back in town.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I don’t like that guy.”

“You barely even know him,” Keaton said. “None of us do. Besides, Dawson did a basic check on the man. His story is legit.”

“I don’t care,” Fletcher huffed. “He’s a land developer. His job description goes against everything we all stand for, not to mention his current project is over on Marco Island. Why does he keep coming around here—specifically, showing up at the marina to have a cup of coffee with Baily?”

“Ah. I see.” Keaton leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. “You’re jealous. ”

“Not the right word,” Fletcher said. “I don’t trust him. It’s a long commute to deal with a project when he comes to town, which is way too often. Dawson should tell him he doesn’t have any vacancies.”

“Decker’s a paying customer.” Keaton shook his head. “Besides, Trinity told me Baily’s not interested.”

Fletcher arched a brow. “You managed a civil conversation with her? Wow. Impressive.”

“I have my moments.” Keaton chuckled.

“Hey, Baily, are you going to join us?” Fletcher called, waving to Baily.

“If I’m forced.” Slowly, she came down the steps. She strolled across the path and to the fire pit, taking a seat across from Fletcher. The tension between the two had eased somewhat over the course of the last year.

Baily and Audra had gotten close again, and that seemed to make things even better, but Baily still resented the entire team. It was complicated and Keaton understood better than most. He and the rest of the team were a constant reminder that Ken hadn’t returned.

Baily checked her watch. “Trinity should have been here by now.”

Keaton sat up taller. “Did she come back before you left the marina?”

“No, but?—”

“Jesus. She could still be out there.” Keaton jumped to his feet.

“Relax.” Baily held up her hand. “She called me to tell me she was going home first. Something about wanting to take a look at an image she took underwater. I just didn’t think it would take this long.” Baily jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “Knowing Dawson and Audra, they’re probably inside having a quickie, and I don’t want to be stuck alone out here with you three.”

“We’re not that bad,” Fletcher said. “And Dawson and Audra are kind of disgusting.”

“Leave Mommy and Daddy alone,” Hayes said. “I, for one, think they’re cute.”

“That texting with Chloe must be going really well,” Keaton said.

“Nah. Crashed and burned.” Hayes shrugged. “She told me her caseload was too much, and while I intrigued her, she wasn’t dating.”

“Seriously? You’ve been chatting with her for an entire week. It took that long to hit the ground in flames?” Keaton asked.

“I tried more than once.” Hayes shrugged. “I just finally gave up today. There are more fish in the sea. Only, just not in this town.”

Dawson and Audra came out of the big house, all smiles, holding hands. Dawson carried a small cooler in his free hand. Thank God. Keaton could sure use that fresh beer.

It warmed Keaton’s heart to see his buddy so happy. Deep down, he was a hopeless romantic. He totally believed in love.

But that ship had sailed.

Dawson set the cooler down and flipped open the lid. “You idiots can help yourself.” He took a seat next to Baily, and Audra eased onto his lap, gazing into his eyes.

They’d said the words. Keaton knew it. Felt it deep in his bones. He gave them six months before wedding bells were ringing, and he and the rest of the guys were arguing over who would be the best man.

But they all knew how it would play out. All or no one.

“What are we talking about?” Dawson asked.

“Hayes’s love life, and the fact that the FBI agent turned him down.”

Dawson laughed. “Sorry, man. But I was struggling to see it anyway.”

“Trinity’s friend Mallary is single,” Baily said.

“Nope.” Hayes let out a long breath. “She’s nice. She’s intelligent. And she’s pretty. But she turned me down, too. Said she’s got too much going on with what happened to her brother, and I understand that.”

Dawson scratched his jaw. “I’ve been following that case. I even looked at the police file.”

“Does Trinity know you did that?” Baily asked.

“She asked me to.” Dawson nodded. “I can’t tell her much, but I did tell her and Mallary that I find some of the statements suspicious.”

“What do you mean?” Baily leaned forward. “Exactly.”

“You’ve all read the newspapers. Those boys all tell the same story. They thought they were going on a little fishing trip with their buddy. They were excited. But then came the reports of the storm, and they thought better of it. They told Jared not to go, but Jared got mad, called them names, and told them he’d never ask them to go fishing again. ”

“Something tells me you don’t believe them,” Baily said.

“Half the town says Jared was a sweet kid, who was kind to everyone and wouldn’t hurt a fly, much less steal anything.” Dawson cocked a brow. “The other half now believe he was a thief, made worse by the fact that one of the boys says he overheard Jared whispering about the jewels while on his phone, saying that he’d do it—that he’d handle it whether he had help or not.”

“There were many stories that came out right after the incident,” Audra said. “Jared had never been in trouble before. The other boys didn’t have glowing reputations, but they weren’t painted as bad kids who would lie.”

“Yeah, but since then things have snowballed. Other kids have come out to say that Jared had changed in the last few months before he died,” Baily said. “Even some very reputable adults have come forward with credible stories about Jared and his strange, secretive behavior.”

“Even the police chief on Marco Island told me that his own father stated that Jared had been late to work or had come back late from lunch and lied about where he was,” Dawson said. “His dad said that it was because he’d been seeing this marina babe, Valerie, but that girl has said more than once she never dated Jared. That they were barely friends.”

“Didn’t Mallary swear she set her brother up with that young girl?” Keaton asked.

“She did, and now it’s become a he-said/she-said kind of situation.” Dawson ran his hand over his face. “ It’s hard to figure out the truth when one of the players is dead.”

“There have been some so-called credible things said about me and my dad in this town.” Audra twisted her hair. “For years, people in Calusa Cove believed horrible things about me, and only about an eighth of them were true.”

“Don’t get mad at me, babe, but you didn’t help yourself with some of the things you said and did.” Dawson pressed his finger on Audra’s lips to keep her from blurting out a typical retort consisting of a few curse words.

Keaton stared at his friends. Sometimes, he found himself simply watching their interactions with each other. It was so nice to see two people who genuinely loved, valued, and respected one another.

“After looking at everything I could about the case and doing my own little mini-investigation, the circumstantial evidence points to Jared, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to believe everything I hear,” Dawson said. “Without the boat or the jewels, there isn’t much to go on.”

“What are you going to do about it?” Baily asked.

“Not much I can do. Everyone thinks the jewelry is back at the bottom of the ocean, and Jared’s the one responsible.” Dawson wrapped his arms around Audra, who rested her head on his shoulder. “I’ve spoken to the lead detectives. They did everything by the book. Unless that boat is brought up from the bottom of the sea, or the jewels are found, Jared is, right now, the only plausible suspect. ”

“I feel so bad for Mallary and her family,” Baily said. “Her father’s business has taken a big hit because of this. Even if Jared did do it, they shouldn’t suffer more. Right now, it’s just rumors. I wish I could say I didn’t believe how fast a town could turn on someone, but we all did the same thing to Audra.”

“The worst part is all the speculation is twisting partial truths into absolute facts,” Audra said. “That marina babe—Valerie—her story did change a little bit. She first indicated that she and Jared were closer—until her parents got involved. I get they want to protect her, but they’re doing so at the expense of a potentially innocent dead kid. And for what? To maintain her popularity status?”

“That’s harsh,” Baily said.

“But not necessarily untrue.” Audra cocked her head. “Mallary swears Valerie and Jared had sex. Valerie’s still in high school. She’s head cheerleader. Class president. Besides virgin status, she has a reputation to maintain.”

“I wouldn’t want to be a teenager again,” Keaton said. “The pressure to be cool, to be popular—it’s exhausting.”

Hayes tossed a marshmallow. It bounced off Keaton’s nose. “What are you blustering about? You were always popular. Class president. Captain of the football team. Voted most likely to succeed. You were even voted most popular.”

“That may be true, but there are pressures in being the kid everyone thinks they want to be. Or wants to be friends with. I hated it most of my youth. I’d look at the kids in school who weren’t popular and often wished I were them. I wanted to blend into the woodwork.” He smacked his forehead and chuckled. “I remember once thinking if I went out for something I wasn’t good at, people might see me as normal, instead of some kind of superhero. So, I started with the chess club. I had never played the dumb game, but it turned out that I’m great at it. I went out for three different things that I’d never done and?—”

“Oh, shut up,” Hayes said. “We get it. You’re the golden boy. Good at everything you touch, even flipping gymnastics.” He jerked his thumb. “You know, this guy was actually on the team his junior year of high school. Competed and everything.”

“No way?” Baily laughed. “You did a floor routine? I’d like to see that.”

“Absolutely not,” Keaton mumbled. “And for the record, I wasn’t that good, just good enough to make the team.”

“And get a couple of silver medals, or whatever they call it at the high school level,” Hayes said.

“And he can still do a backflip.” Dawson wiggled his finger. “I’d give it a seven. His form sucks.”

“You’re all assholes.” Keaton downed half his beer. His teenage years had been rough, but it was difficult to explain why. He’d had everything growing up. Loving parents. Great siblings. A cool older cousin named Foster, who, to this day, he still looked up to, even if he couldn’t get the guy to move to Florida now that he’d left the Air Force. No, Foster had decided on the Oregon Coast. Well, it was a nice place to visit, and Keaton had spent his first few years as a boy living there. Not that he had any ties to Oregon, because he didn’t, but he had a bond with Foster.

Keaton’s family wasn’t rich, but they weren’t poor either. He’d wanted for nothing.

And yet, he’d craved everything.

Mainly, he hadn’t wanted to be seen as special.

The day he’d enlisted in the Navy, he’d discovered he was just another sailor. He might have joined the elite SEALs, but especially there, he wasn’t anything to write home about, because every man was the best, and no one was treated as though they were “better than.”

He’d found home.

And he’d found Petra.

For some reason, that brought his mind right back to Trinity. Damn woman wouldn’t get out of his thoughts.

As if on cue, her pretty BMW SUV rolled into what would be the parking area of Harvey’s B&B.

She flew out of that vehicle as if it were on fire. Her blond hair was pulled back in a high ponytail with a few strands dangling around her face. Her pale-blue eyes sparkled against the flames reaching toward the clear night sky.

And those damn freaking wedge heels, or whatever they were called… She was going to break her neck running on gravel like that, but of course, she managed to make it look graceful.

“Sorry, I’m late.” She waved something over the top of her head. “But I think I might have found something out there today.”

Keaton closed his eyes and counted to ten, promising himself he wouldn’t argue with her tonight—but knowing he’d break that promise the second he lifted his lids.