Page 9

CHAPTER 8

Audra tossed the snake bag into the boat’s bow and climbed aboard. Three pythons. One five feet. One nine feet. And one twelve feet. Not too shabby for the second day. Actually, that was a fantastic day. She should be jumping up and down for joy. Many would come in without a single one in their bags. Catching snakes was not easy. It took patience. Skill.

And more importantly, luck. But she honestly had other things on her mind.

She glanced at her watch. Frustration needled her insides. It was almost two in the afternoon and still no word from Dawson. She pressed her fingers to her lips. Damn, that man could kiss.

She pushed the boat from Hog’s Island. She’d purposely kept her distance from the island past Gator Junction and stayed closer to civilization. She would have been combing that place for the shack if she hadn’t. But she’d made a promise to Dawson this morning over breakfast.

It was the least she could do after he’d not only made her pancakes but had given her two orgasms before she’d crawled out of bed. He certainly knew his way around a woman’s body.

She let the boat float in the open water and stared at the blue sky. What the hell had she been thinking? Jumping into bed with Dawson wasn’t the smartest thing she’d ever done. She needed his help. Nothing more, nothing less. Becoming involved would only bring trouble with a capital T . It could lead to more heartbreak, and Lord knew she’d had enough of that.

The death of her mother. Her father.

The breakup with Ken, though that had been for the best. No amount of love would’ve saved that relationship after her father had gone missing. Ken had never really understood her dad. He’d tolerated him. He’d pretended to accept his quirks.

But he hadn’t understood that Audra would never have left Calusa Cove as long as her father still breathed.

When her dad had disappeared, Ken had expected her to follow him to the Navy. As in, the second she graduated from high school, she was supposed to be on a bus to wherever he ended up stationed. All in the name of taking care of her.

Audra didn’t need anyone to be her savior.

What she’d desperately needed was someone to believe in her. To believe in what she’d seen, what she knew to be true, and that was her father hadn’t been crazy—and neither was she.

She leaned back and let out a sigh.

Her life after Ken had been riddled with one ridiculous bad relationship after the other. If Dawson thought he had bad luck, well, he’d just met his match.

Her dating history read like a serial killer novel. Not that she dated killers—because she didn’t. But they’d all turned out to be a little crazy. Of course, they’d blamed her for how badly things had ended up. And maybe they’d been right. She wasn’t an easy person. And she didn’t particularly like people.

One guy had described her as a constant ball of angst and anger.

Another one had told her she was emotionally detached—except for in bed. But the sex hadn’t been that great, so she’d happily walked away.

Oh, who was she kidding? People strolled into her life—then ran away because she could be an utter bitch.

The sound of a boat fast approaching caught her attention.

Freaking Silas. He was like a bad rash that wouldn’t go away. It was the second time she’d run into him today. At least she knew Hayes was somewhere close by.

Nice guy. Cute, too. Though not her type. Did she have a type?

Yeah. She did. Brooding, a little grumpy at times, with a wicked sense of humor and sexy as hell. Kind of like Dawson.

Silas slowed his boat down, but not quickly enough because he nudged hers. “Sorry about that, little girl.” He smiled, adjusting his cap and peering inside. “Ah. Caught yourself a couple, did ya?”

“Why do you care?”

“Other than those things don’t belong out here, I don’t.” He shrugged. “But then again, neither do you.” He cocked his head. “Heard you moved in with the chief of police. Got him snowed now, don’t ya?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She’d forgotten how quickly news traveled in this town. However, she hadn’t moved in with Dawson. She’d agreed to stay with him, freeing up one of his cabins so he could rent it to someone who’d had the unfortunate mishap of having car trouble. It was some fancy foreign thing, and it would be a few days before it was fixed—even with Trinity’s connection. Who was she to say no? So, she agreed to let Dawson move her into his place.

What difference did it make? She enjoyed his company. He was witty and good in bed. And he had agreed to help her.

“Right,” Silas sneered. “Tell me, after all these years, why did you come back?”

“Does it matter?”

“Of course it does.” Silas gripped the side of her boat as waves from another boat zipping by crashed into them.

It wasn’t an airboat, but a small flat-bottom Whaler. She squinted, staring at the man behind the steering wheel. He wasn’t a local. The boat wasn’t a rental. She had to question why he was out in these waters. She also wondered if he was the same man who had boarded her boat yesterday, but she couldn’t be sure.

“It’s not that anyone has forgotten your dad—because we haven’t. But we’ve accepted the mystery. It’s become part of our history. Having you show your face stirs up all the unanswered questions—the legends, both real and made up.” He arched a brow. “You frighten the town.”

She swallowed the thick lump in her throat. “Why? Because my grandmother was Native American, gypsy, and a dash of Irish? And my dad was a hundred percent Irish, making me this weird mix of red hair with a mom who’d stapled herself in her Native American history? Her people saw me as something unique, something special. Everyone else here saw me as a swamp monster.”

“What you fail to understand was that your behavior made everyone think of you as someone who practiced some weird kind of witchcraft.” Silas waved his index and middle finger between his eyes and pointed toward hers, mimicking what she used to do to people when she’d come into town as a small child, barefoot, in ratty clothes with wild, uncombed red hair, and everyone would stare.

They all forgot her mother had been dying. That she’d sat at her bedside, holding her hand, and had eventually watched her take her last breath. Her father’s mind had finally fractured between reality and fantasy. He’d known it and had done his best to keep one foot in the real world, but one couldn’t control mental illness on their own.

“If your father had only allowed me to help—if you had allowed me to help,” Silas said in the same kind voice he’d used when he’d found her floating in these same waters years ago. The same voice he’d used when he’d come by the house after her mother had died. It was as if the man cared.

But he didn’t.

He sighed. “Go home, little girl,” Silas said, “before something bad happens to you and your cop boyfriend can’t help you.”

“Are you threatening me?” She rested her hand on her air gun.

“Good God, no.” He pursed his lips. “I’ve never been the enemy. But I’d feel terrible if a snake got you. Or a gator. Not to mention, everyone in this town believes you got away with murder.” He leaned a little closer, gripping the side of her boat. “Did you do it, little girl? Did you murder your old man? Those questions have haunted me since you betrayed my trust and slinked out of this town like a coward.”

“I’m not going to dignify that with an answer.” She held his unnerving glare. “Now let go and leave me alone. There’s room enough out here for both of us.”

“Watch your back.” He raised his hands. “And be careful who you take for a bed partner. He’s not going to be able to help you if someone stabs you in the back.” He arched a brow before engaging the gas and zooming off.

Jerk.

“Audra? Come in, Audra,” the long-range walkie-talkie crackled.

Finally, she lifted the contraption. “Hey, Dawson.”

“Hayes tells me it’s been a fruitful day for you out there.”

“Did he tell you that Silas just collided with my boat?”

“Well, no,” Dawson said. “Are you okay?”

“Peachy. But Silas knows I’m staying in your cabin.”

“Everyone knows you stayed there last night.”

“No, I mean, like you moved my stuff in there today.”

“Interesting. But I don’t care,” Dawson said. “Give me a second and let me radio Hayes. There was a problem a half hour ago, and he might still be dealing with that. I know he’s not far from where you are. You’re still in front of Hog’s Island, right?”

“I am.”

“All right. Don’t move. I’ll radio you back in a couple of minutes.”

“Copy that.” She rested the walkie-talkie in her lap. Part of her felt like a sitting duck. Hayes’ job wasn’t to watch her like a hawk. No. He was to ensure the safety of the hunters. While she’d only done two Python Challenges, she was well aware there were always a couple of guides—or Fish and Wildlife—out on the waters. She’d been surprised that Keaton and Fletcher also had at least two boats out. Then again, she figured that was because of her—and not because of her lack of experience—but also because of the bullshit that had happened yesterday and maybe because of the idiots Dawson had arrested.

Damn, she wished she knew what had happened with that.

“Audra, do you copy?” Dawson asked.

“Yeah, I’m here,” she responded.

“Hayes is three bends over up the west second fork. Someone had an incident with a python. I’m at the docks. I should be over to you in about a half hour, tops. Can you either hang in that area or head in my direction?”

“I’ll put it in gear and start moving your way,” she said.

“Just make sure you keep your eyes open.”

“You sound like Silas,” she mumbled into the walkie-talkie.

“Excuse me?” Dawson asked with a little bite to his words. “What exactly did he say to you?”

“I’ll fill you in when I see you.” She set the device on the dash. She shouldn’t have gotten Dawson’s hackles up more than they already were. Everyone had pretty much left her alone. No matter how much they didn’t like her, no one was going to mess with the chief of police’s personal boat.

At least, that’s what she told herself.

A couple of eyes lifted from the water about ten feet from her boat. The creature moved slowly across the top.

“Wow. You’re massive.” She guessed the gator to be about fourteen feet. She wouldn’t want to screw with that guy, no matter how beautiful he was.

A second later, two babies surfaced.

“Aw, aren’t you cute?” But now, she definitely wanted to keep her distance. Mama alligators were worse than mama bears. That was until their babies got to a certain age, then they ate their young.

She shivered.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

She jumped, falling off the bench and landing on the bottom of the boat. At least she didn’t land in the water. Her heart thumped in her chest like a jackhammer. Leaning over the side, she searched for the alligators, but they were long gone, lurking somewhere in the dark, murky waters of the Everglades.

Glancing toward the sky and scanning the area, she searched for the source of gunfire. The roar of an engine tickled her ears. An airboat came into view as it rounded the bend. It slowed as it approached.

Tim O’Toole stood behind the helm, waving his fist. “You are fucking crazy, woman. What the hell are you doing?”

A second boat maneuvered around Tim’s, going a bit slower. It wasn’t someone she recognized. Whoever it was, they pointed and hurled a couple of obscenities in her direction.

Her heartbeat pulsated in her throat like a python wrapping around its prey, constricting and slowly killing it.

“I don’t know who you think you are, but you won’t get away with this.” Tim raced off.

She exhaled sharply, clutching her chest. Sixteen years ago, everyone in town who saw her coming would walk on the other side of the street. They’d point and whisper.

But this was crazy.

She tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ears, adjusted her baseball cap, and eased the boat forward. She knew better than to be a sitting duck in open water.

* * *

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Jesus, did you hear that?” Dawson’s heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. They had been going slow, mainly because airboats made a significant amount of noise. But also because there was no reason for them to drive like maniacs when there were no known issues that needed tending to. They had no reason to draw attention to themselves.

Keaton eased up on the gas. “Sounds like it was north of us, but it’s hard to tell out here.”

“Don’t slow down.” Dawson glared. “Hayes is twenty minutes from Audra. Haul ass.”

“On it.” Keaton opened up the throttle.

Dawson reached for the walkie-talkies. “Audra, come in.”

“Did you hear those?” Audra’s voice crackled over the radio.

“I did,” Dawson said. “Are you okay?”

“Just ducky,” she said. “I’m headed toward the docks, but those gunshots weren’t too far from me.”

“We’ll meet you halfway.” Dawson adjusted his ear protection. He scanned the area as Keaton made a sharp turn around the second bend.

A man came flying around it at top speed, his arms frantically waving over his head. A smaller boat zipped right on past. It wasn’t a local, and he shouldn’t be driving like that either, but right now, Dawson had to deal with the man waving him down.

He pulled his ear protection off and tossed the set on the console. “That’s Tim O’Toole.”

Tim jumped to his feet. “Oh my God. That woman is crazy. She’s a goddamn Stigini,” he said. “And she’s a cheater. A fucking cheater, I tell you.” He pointed his finger. “Those two up ahead will agree with me. They saw it, too.”

“Calm down, Tim.” Dawson stood, leaning over the side of the boat, catching Tim’s before the two collided. “What and who are you talking about?”

“Audra McCain, that’s who.” Tim stared at him with wide, angry eyes. “Didn’t you hear those gunshots?”

“We heard them,” Keaton said. “That’s where we were racing off to, trying to figure out where they came from and why.”

“Well, I can tell you. I saw the entire thing. The damn insane woman was on Hog’s Island, shooting pythons. I watched her with my own eyes.” Tim pointed to his face, wiggling his index and middle finger in front of his bugged-out eyes. “When she saw me, she tried to dump the snakes back in the water real slick and coy-like, but I saw it. I swear. So did the guys from Pimp Creek who just drove past. Then she waved her gun at me. I raced off as fast as I could.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I’m shocked she didn’t try to chase me down to stop me from reporting her. I would’ve taken a picture of her crime, but I was too afraid she was going to kill me or something like she did her father. She had that wild look in those green snakelike eyes. You know her grandmother had eyes like that. She was half-gypsy, half-witch.”

“That’s a big accusation,” Dawson said.

“Are you calling me a liar?” Tim huffed.

“I didn’t say that.” Dawson knew damn well the man was lying. Audra was a lot of things. Feisty. Fiery. Passionate. A little left of normal. But she’d never use her weapon to kill a python. It wasn’t considered humane. Not that drilling a spike through their brain was nice, but it’s how they were told it must be done.

He might have only known Audra for two days, but that was long enough for him to make that kind of judgment call. Besides, he’d spent part of the morning reading some of her articles and glancing at her pictures. Audra had a real love for the wilderness. She respected it. Valued it. Understood how ecosystems worked and why each species was important.

In their own environment.

“Of course, you’re not going to listen. You’re sleeping with her, practically living with her,” Tim shouted.

Wonderful. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that,” Dawson said. “Now, head back to the docks. Remy is there. He’ll take your statement. Keaton and I will handle things from here.”

“You better, or your days as chief of police will be numbered in this town.” Tim pushed his boat off and punched the gas.

“Asshole,” Dawson muttered, pulling out his cell. At least he had two bars of service. He tapped Remy’s contact info. It rang once.

“What’s up, Chief?”

“Tim O’Toole is heading your way. He’s coming in hot,” Dawson said.

“Does it have anything to do with the shots fired?”

“Yeah.” Dawson sucked in a deep breath. “Try to keep his accusations quiet. You’ll need to take his statement. Try to do it somewhere private. He mentioned there was someone else who saw Audra do something, and they flew by me—the team from Pimp Creek.”

“I believe Benson knows that team. And Chief, if Tim’s accusing Audra of something, he’ll want everyone to hear it,” Remy said. “They have history.”

Jesus. Was there anyone in this town that woman didn’t have some kind of beef with? “What kind of history?”

“It started back in middle school.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Dawson shook his head. “I don’t want to know. Just take his statement. Keep it professional. I’ll be out of range for the next forty minutes. Text me when it’s over, and if I need to know anything, don’t use the radio. I don’t want anyone hearing it.” He ended the call and tucked his cell back in his pocket. “Does the entire town know she spent the night, and I moved her things into my cabin?”

“Pretty much.” Keaton laughed.

“It’s not funny.”

“For the record, most of us have tried to squelch the whispers, including Baily, but all the hunters were chatting about it this morning.”

“I don’t need this shit.” He pointed. “Just drive.”

Keaton hit the gas, and the airboat glided across the water.

Dawson rubbed the back of his neck. His private life was just that—private. No one should be talking about it. But he didn’t give a damn what anyone thought about him. That wasn’t an issue. It was Audra he cared about. He was going to have to let Remy head up any real investigation—if it came down to that—because he couldn’t deny the fact he’d slept with her, making it impossible for anyone to see him as impartial.

The next twelve minutes were the longest of his life.

“There she is,” Keaton said.

Finally, Dawson’s pulse settled. A little. But not much. Audra was going to go about as ballistic as the color of her hair when she found out what Tim was accusing her of. Dawson knew that for sure.

“Do me a favor and just drop me off. Then haul ass back to the docks. Get Fletcher and do your best to clear as many people away as you can. The last thing I want is a scene.”

“Do you really think there will be one?”

“You know how Tim gets when he makes up his mind about something,” Dawson said. “And I know how she gets.”

“After one night, you know her that well?” Keaton arched a brow. “Or are all redheads the same?”

“Oh, she’s something different altogether.” Dawson squared his shoulders and made his way to the boat's bow. “Hey, Audra.”

“Hey, yourself.”

He jumped aboard his vessel, careful not to step on her snake bags, and waved to Keaton.

“Any idea what those gunshots were all about?” she asked. “Scared the crap out of me.”

“Well, you’re not going to like what Tim O’Toole had to say about them.” He sat beside her on the captain’s bench and kissed her cheek. “What did you do to him, starting back in middle school?”

She leaned away. “Who told you I did anything?”

“Answer my question. Please.”

“Well, that depends on how you look at it.” She pursed her lips. “The majority of people in this town will tell you that I sent him to the ER after punching him in the nose and kicking him in the balls.”

Dawson cringed at the same time he shifted on the bench. “And your version?”

“He pulled down my tank top when I was in seventh grade and made a snide comment about how I didn’t have zits on my tits.” She held up her hand. “But that’s not when I sent him to the ER. That’s just what started my hatred for the guy.”

“I can understand why you wouldn’t like him. That’s not nice, and in today’s world, it’s considered sexual assault.”

“It was one of the most embarrassing moments of my young life,” she said. “But like most things, I let it roll off my back. However, in ninth grade, he cornered me under the bleachers and tried to cop a little more than a feel. Sadly, he told everyone I went after him as payback for what happened two years prior, and that’s what most believe.”

“Jerk.” He looped his arm around her shoulders. “I hope he never tried anything like that again with you or anyone else.”

She laughed. “Are you kidding me? The man’s been terrified ever since. If he saw me walking down the halls at school, he’d turn and run. Of course, I gave him the good old Stigini stink eye.” She sighed. “I kind of felt bad for the guy, though. He wasn’t well-liked. Kids picked on him. Not just because he got beat up by little Audra McCain but because he was socially awkward. He tried to be cool and fit in with people like Fletcher and Ken, but he was a nerd. Not very athletic. At least not back then. I don’t know how things are for him now.” She held his gaze. “I never heard about him trying anything with any other girl. If I had, I would’ve done more than break his nose and made him sing like a girl.”

“Well, things in this town are about the same for him,” Dawson admitted. “I’m not sure his so-called friends actually like him, and he tries too damn hard. It’s sad to watch.” He handed her ear protection. “Let’s get you back to the docks. I’ll fill you in on what’s happening when we get closer.”

“Afraid I might lose my temper?”

“No. I know you will.” He pressed his finger over her lips. “And I’m going to need you to remain calm.”

Her brows drew close together. “Yeah, we both know that’s damn near impossible.”

“Promise me you’ll try?”

“Will you make me French toast in the morning?”

“You bet.” If he didn’t have to arrest her and leave her in a holding cell overnight.