Page 24 of Bait and Switch
“Yeah, but he might be able to open an investigation on the down low,” Spence offered.
“Right.” I scoffed. “Nothing stays quiet in Smugglers Cove. Would you bet your life on it?”
He scowled, but after a beat agreed. “Good point. We can’t tell Waylan. Which means we can’t tell Coulter either.”
“Yeah, if either Waylan or Faith catches wind of this, they’ll have a field day,” Reef added.
“But they might be able to do something covert. Just keep an eye on you,” Spence reconsidered. He was the level-headed one, and normally I’d agree with his assessment. But he wasn’t the one with a gun pointed at him three nights ago. He hadn’t heard the threat that was clear as day.
“Nah, fuck that. That’s exactly why we can’t tell them. A security detail would paint a target on my back.”
Spence let out a heavy breath. “Alright, then what’s your plan?”
“Look for the coke while I figure out a better one.”
“That’s fucking stupid. You’ve got smugglers chasing you. They’ve been in your house. We all assume they’re watching you, agreed?” He waited until both Reef and I nodded. “This isn’t going to just go away.”
“Do you have a better idea?” My tone was sharper than I meant, but if he had one, I wanted it.
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Not really. Let’s just play along, keep looking for the bale. Maybe we can dig something up on them in the meantime. But I agree—we can’t say anything to Dad or Coulter. I guess we keep it between us for now.” His brow creased even deeper with worry. “What about the girl?”
“I’m keeping an eye on her.” Her little cottage had become our refuge, among her sketchbooks and easels, and the thought of it gave me a brief reprieve from the stress of rehashing the situation. “She’s asking around too, discreetly.”
“It might be safer to keep your distance. Leave her out of this.”
I didn’t answer. How could I tell him she was too afraid to sleep alone? That she woke with nightmares because of me? That every time she jolted awake in the dark, I was reminded it was my choices that put her there?
My jaw clenched, the truth loud in my chest but unsaid: I had to protect her.
CHAPTER 12
JASMINE
By the fifth morning, I’d almost gotten used to Kai being in my space. The thump of fishing boots by the door, the scent of salt and sunscreen clinging to his clothes, the deep rumble of his voice drifting down the hall when he answered an early call from a charter guest. Things that should’ve felt intrusive in a one-bedroom bungalow suddenly felt like guardrails, keeping me upright.
It was strange, living side by side with Kai Rodman. Like playing house with someone I barely knew. Only this wasn’t some silly game. We hadn’t chosen it, hadn’t asked for it. We’d been shoved into this arrangement at gunpoint.
Still…there was something about it I didn’t mind. The orgasms, for one. Kai had made good on his promise to try to get me to a hundred, and we made headway daily, often in the middle of the night after I woke up with another nightmare. The sex was a release for us both, I could tell. But it was also a connection.
I sat at the small kitchen table with my mug of coffee, contemplating the very rough attempt at a turtle in my sketchbook. Really, I was listening for the sound of Kai movingaround—the steady rhythm of his presence anchoring the feeling of home. After nights of waking up tangled in nightmares, that rhythm was my comfort.
My body was finally starting to unclench. The first few days, every slam of a car door outside had jolted me upright, pulse spiking, convinced they were back. My hands had trembled so badly I’d spilled coffee down the counter twice. But now… my breath didn’t catch at every noise. My chest didn’t feel like it was locked in a vice. I’d even managed to eat a full breakfast yesterday without it turning my stomach.
Maybe my nervous system was finally coming down from the high alert it had been running on, like having Kai near was convincing me I was safe. I was more comfortable, more relaxed. But the undercurrent of fear remained. They said they’d be back.
When Kai finally came out of the bedroom, tanned and tousled from the shower, he looked so at ease it stole my breath. The sunlight caught in his damp hair, made it glint like streaks of copper, and for half a second I let myself imagine this was normal—him walking in like he belonged here, like this was ours.
The warmth of that thought startled me. Dangerous, to want normal when nothing about this was.
He bent over to kiss my forehead. “Good morning, beautiful.”
“Good morning,” I grinned up. I could see him fidgeting like he was itching to get out the door. We’d avoided the topic, but I had a sudden strong urge to ask him what was on my mind the minute I woke up. Before I could stop myself, the words tumbled out. “The bad guys said they’d give us three days. Today makes five.”
His head snapped up, and I saw a brief flicker of something dark before he snuffed it out with a smile.
“Yeah. I know.”
I searched his face, looking for reassurance. What I got was a half-smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Who knows? Maybe they forgot about us.”
