Page 3 of All Along The Watchtower

Chief Carson hadn’t found corroborating evidence to back up what Willa remembered. Not surprising. After all this time, the likelihood of there being anything to find was so incredibly slim. Roland O’Shea, the man who might’ve been able to answer some of those questions, was dead. He’d been some kind of middleman—though, in what, it wasn’t clear. Drug running? Human trafficking? Something else? The community was still reeling from the revelation that one of its most trusted members had carried such a dark secret. That he’d had something to do with Gwen’s disappearance. No matter the particulars, the heartbreaking and tragic reality was that Gwen Busby had probably met a horrible end. But the people of Hatterwick—especially the Busby family—still wanted answers. Closure, at the very least.

I didn’t know if we’d ever get it.

Shaking off that grim thought, I tugged open the door to the Pelican Point Bistro and stepped inside. I automatically scanned the space, looking for my brothers. We’d kept in close touch all these years since we’d joined the Navy, and we got together as often as possible. But it had become an increasing rarity for all of us to be on-island at the same time anymore.The planets had aligned such that we’d all made it home for a delayed holiday celebration with the family that remained on Hatterwick. There’d been parties and dinners, lots of celebration about Elian Sebastian McNamara—Eli for short—Rios’s newest nephew, who’d arrived just days before Thanksgiving. My moms had done their utmost to spoil us all, as if Mimi’s cookies were sufficient blackmail to get us home more often. And hell, they really were. But tonight was just us guys.

The Bistro wouldn’t have been my first choice. It was… fine. But it had never been our place. That had always been the Tidewater Tavern. Of course, the tavern wasn’t the tavern anymore. It had been renamed even before the fire that had burned the original structure to the ground three years after Gwen’s disappearance, the summer we’d all joined the Navy. Now it was the OBX Brewhouse, and Bree had built it into an impressive microbrewery with its own devoted following and award-winning reputation. I wished we’d been able to meet there. Not only because it was hands down the best bar on the island, but because I just… wanted to see her.

But that wasn’t an option. Because we weren’t friends anymore. I’d fucked things up with her.

So that meant we dealt with either the pretension of the Bistro or the threat of a bar fight at Home Port, the dive bar frequented by the fishermen and other locals on the island. I’d have been more comfortable with the peanut-shells and old country music at Home Port, but that had been one of Sawyer’s dad’s favorite haunts. The last thing I wanted to do was remind my pal of all those times he’d had to scrape his dad off a bar stool to get him home, so I’d suffer the discomfort of mood lighting and tablecloths.

Maybe a bourbon would make it better.

Jace clearly had the same idea. I found him tucked into one of the curved booths on the far side of the restaurant, positionedso he could see every entrance and exit of the place, in addition to the panoramic views of Pamlico Sound that were one of the biggest draws for diners. Not that there was much to be seen in January. His button-down shirt was open at the collar, and in that moment, with one arm stretched along the top of the booth and a glass of what was probably single-malt in his hand, he looked exactly like what his parents had raised him to be—the island prince. As the current generation of the founding family of Sutter’s Ferry, they’d thought he’d take over everything. But he’d been bucking their expectations for years now, winding up in naval intelligence rather than going on to Ivy League law the way they’d wanted.

“Getting started without us?” I asked.

He flashed a welcoming smile. “Sawyer’s outside, calling home to check in with Willa. I find a couple of fingers of Glen Morangie make the fact that one of my best friends married my sister a little less weird.”

“Sorry. Not sorry.” Sawyer didn’t bother to hide the contented grin as he joined us at the table.

“Lucky bastard.” But I pulled him in for a back-thumping hug.

“Yeah, I damned well am.”

He adored Willa. Always had. But truth be told, I’d never expected him to actuallydoanything about it. He’d had hangups about not being good enough for her. But after a medical discharge landed him back on Hatterwick last summer, the two of them had been through some serious shit. It was good to see him happy. Good to know that the two of them had found a deep and abiding love. Even if the sight of them together filled me with just a bit of envy.

I didn’t get that kind of satisfaction from my career. I liked my job. I was good at it. I’d done well in the Navy. We all had. But that was all it was. Work. A job. I was a man who came fromrock solid family ties, and I’d always imagined I’d be building my own by now. Yet I was still alone.

And whose fault is that?

Oblivious to the direction of my thoughts, Sawyer slid into the booth. “We gettin’ food or just drinks?”

“We can eat here, or we can dig into the mountain of leftovers Caroline foisted on me before I managed to get out the door.” Rios shrugged out of his coat and moved toward my end of the U-shaped booth. “Move over, asshole.”

I scooted deeper into the booth. “Dude, she just had a baby. How does she have the energy to cook?”

“Oh, she’s got Hoyt well-trained after all these years. He makes a surprisingly good pozole for a white guy. There’s enough for each of you to take home and then some.”

“Do we actually have time to get through all that before you and I leave for Norfolk?” We had only two more days before we headed out for the naval station in Virginia. Me for a training exercise and Rios to update some certifications.

He arched one dark brow. “I sure as hell won’t be the one to tell her if we don’t.”

The server approached our table. “Welcome to Pelican Point Bistro. My name is Nadia, and I’ll be your server tonight. Can I get the rest of you gentlemen something to drink?”

We placed our orders, along with a request for a seafood appetizer platter. When she’d left, Sawyer leaned back in his seat, taking us in. “Man, it’s been so good to have all y’all on-island again. Even if it’s just for a matter of days.”

“Wish it could be longer,” Jace conceded. “Weirdness of you sleeping with my sister aside, it was good to spend time with both of you. Good to see her so happy. She wouldn’t have healed this much without you.”

One corner of Sawyer’s mouth kicked up, and unmistakable pride shone in his eyes. “She’s worked her ass off at it. And Iknow it does her good to see you. Any idea when you might shake loose again?”

“Nah. They’re sending me under for another one of those if-I-tell-you-I’d-have-to-kill-you kind of classified missions. I may be out of contact for a while. It makes me rest easier knowing you’ve got her back.”

“Always.” He spread his arms and grinned. “Marriage is good, fellas. Y’all should try it.”

“There’s the matter of the rest of our contracts,” I pointed out. We still had a year-and-a-half of service to go. And that was assuming none of us re-upped.

Sawyer waved a hand in dismissal. “There are ways around that for good reasons.”

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