Page 9 of Island Holiday

“Hangar?” she echoed.

“Gamble and Swann have a plane standing by for us.”

“Seriously?” Her eyes went wide, then she chuckled at herself. “I should’ve known.”

“In the interest of time, you can always leave the keys with Jess and she’ll keep it safe.” He preferred that option since it fit with his plan to keep her close. But he could work around it if she didn’t like the idea.

“Let’s do that.”

He fell into step beside her as they walked away from the marina area. “Do you need any help packing up?”

“No, thanks. I can be ready to go within ten minutes. And if you’re driving, I’ll handle the check-out online.”

“Works for me.”

He couldn’t have asked for a better start to their official partnership.

Chapter 4

Though things were suddenlymoving fast, and in an unexpected direction, Sonya had enjoyed the short flight. Once she put the actual destination out of her mind. She’d never flown on anything other than a normal commercial flight. Chartered flights were an incredible new discovery.

According to Connor, the private jet was some sort of lease agreement, arranged as a perk through one of Gamble and Swann’s big clients. It had boggled her mind, from the two of them seated in a cabin that oozed luxury from the leather seats and sofa, to the staff and food service.

And exiting the plane without the jostling through the aisle was the best. A moment made even better when she saw the car waiting for them. In record time, they were loaded up and Connor was driving away from the airport.

Which was when all the ghosts of her past started sounding off in the back of her mind. She ruthlessly shut that down before the lingering happy vibes of the private flight were ruined. Loads of people had to go back to the places where they grew up. It wasn’tthe least bit significant and was completely unrelated to their purpose here. She only needed to focus.

“You ready?” Connor asked as the navigation announced they’d reached the destination. He followed the posted signs to the parking area.

“Sure.” It wasn’t as if her nerves would go away if she admitted she was jumpy. “I only hope we find something useful.”

The rental property was in a condo, one of many in the building, most likely. She’d looked up the listing while they’d waited for the flight. Two bedrooms with full bathrooms attached, a full kitchen, and excellent city views of the city. The current photos showed the space was decorated for the holiday season. Would’ve made a lovely, romantic getaway for the right couple.

Which they were not.

Maybe they’d be in and out and the place would get rented again for Christmas. And why did it matter to her?

She wasn’t clear on how long they’d be staying. Together. In the suite. In town. On the case. She had to be okay with not knowing. Because they had one singular priority: learning where Zimmer had sent those girls. “When we’re inside, I want to dive right into the financials,” she said before they got out of the car. “There might be something new that sheds a light on this mess.”

“Fine by me.” He parked and immediately went around to pop the back hatch of the mid-sized SUV. “I’ll need to update the tracking report, look for any new posts.”

She took a breath and went around to help with the luggage. Did he know she’d grown up here? Well, not this specific area. Felt weird to bring it up out of the blue.Hey, did you know I grew up in a ratty little neighborhood a few miles away?As if that mattered for much. It wasn’t as if they were here socially. This was a case and it wasn’t abouther, it was about Zimmer and pulling back the veil on his questionable operation.

Besides, none of the people she’d alienated before leaving for college would be around. They were either in jail or tucked away plotting some scam that would eventually land them in jail. Bottom line, those people weren’t her problem anymore. Hadn’t been for some time. Still, she felt uneasy being in the vicinity. Probably always would. Best to get the job done so she could leave as soon as possible.

They entered the condo building and took the elevator to their floor. “Did you know I grew up in Charlotte?” She wanted to sink through the floor. Where was her self-control?

“Did you?” His gaze remained on his phone. “We should have a text for the door code,” he muttered absently.

She was notoriously bad at reading people, yet something about his response tipped her off. “You knew.” She groaned. “Hannah told you everything.”

“No.” His gaze met hers. “Does Hannah even know everything about you?”

The question surprised her. Him too, based on how his eyes widened. Maybe she wasn’t the only one with a blurting problem today.

“Hey, I’m sorry,” he said. The elevator stopped and he held the door. “To the left.”

“Mm-hm.” She’d checked the layout earlier. Plus, the sign on the wall was quite clear. Her nerves hit an all-time high as they walked in strained silence to the condo. He held his phone where she could see it and let her enter the code. “Thanks.”

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