Page 37 of Island Holiday

She wasn’t typical on any level. Not in his view, anyway.

It felt like a big step for her and a smidge of forward momentum for them as a couple.

Potential couple, he amended immediately. He was walking an emotional tightrope. He couldn’t blurt out his feelings without driving her away and he couldn’t push her to give more than she was ready to give.

All he could do was love her in patient silence and trust like hell that eventually he cracked through that wall she kept between her and the rest of the world.

She acted as if she didn’t deserve friends, as if her rough childhood somehow damaged whatever it was that made a person loveable. He understood the burden of an ugly chapter in life and sharing that with her had been tough as hell. She hadn’t held his past against him, but there was no telling if she could forgive herself for the things that had been outside of her control as a kid.

“When do we start the countdown?” she asked, her gaze locked on her laptop screen.

He checked the display on his phone. “Anytime now, I guess.”

They’d worked hard yesterday to get ready for whatever tricks Zimmer pulled out today. Connor had started background checks and Sonya had reviewed the finances. Once the basics were covered, he asked Jess for some in-person reconnaissance with the charter service out of Brookwell Island marina.

His searches and Sonya’s deep dives didn’t unearth anything sketchy about the family-owned company. She’d found no ties to any of Merten’s shell companies or recent interactions with Zimmer’s consumer testing project fund. And Jess verified that the family who owned that particular charter had zero run-ins with the law.

“At least we know the charter service isn’t in on the scheme,” he said. “And we know who’s coming and when.”

Sonya frowned. “We don’t have Mertens.”

“Not yet,” he allowed. “Zimmer gets us closer. I can’t believe he’d take the fall for everything we can dump on his head.” At her dubious expression, he pressed on. “Three women kidnapped is worse than all the smuggling and airport tests combined.”

“I want Mertens,” she said, her jaw clenched.

So did he. Mainly so Sonya and the other woman would stop hunting each other. “No indication she’s here?”

“She’s the facilitator,” Sonya said. “Like a puppet pulling strings.” She stood up and paced away from the table. “We’re not letting Zimmer just float down the river and out to sea with his hostages, are we?”

“No.”

“It’s a deep-sea charter, Connor.”

“I’m aware.” He’d been wrestling with the same issue. He hadn’t mentioned his request to ride along with a Coast Guard vessel. Jess had tried, but they’d been denied, so he’d kept looking for other options.

Sonya stood at the window of the hotel room, as if staring toward the condos on the other side of the river would somehow protect the girls. “We have to get over there and find a way to intervene.”

They needed a break. “No luck on who might be meeting the charter?” he guessed.

“None.” She closed her eyes. “The ocean is a big place, obviously. And if this is an exchange facilitated by Mertens—”

“You know it is,” he interjected.

“No documentation, no proof,” she grumbled. “So knowing doesn’t do much good.”

He sympathized with the desperation in her voice. Hell, he agreed with her. Those young women hadn’t done anything wrong. They’d trusted someone who appeared reliable. College was expensive. He credited the military for his education andSonya had worked her tail off, kept up with her classes, and scoured every source for grants and scholarships.

No one deserved to have their lives stolen, or worse, over one lapse of judgment. Zimmer was a con-man who had perfected his pitch. Mertens was the money, dangling an irresistible payout. They were victimizing kids at will.

It had to stop.

But he and Sonya weren’t equipped for a rescue mission. They were researchers, with rudimentary field skills. Hell, Sonya had nearly been swept up in the scheme herself. If he hadn’t been there—

Her hand curled around his shoulder, the warm touch warding off the chill creeping over his skin. Still, a twisting knot of dread gathered in the pit of his stomach, barely noticeable compared to the pressure squeezing his heart.

He couldn’t lose her.

Whatever happened here, he wouldnotlose her.

---