Page 92 of Wild Fever
Rowan stood by the nightstand by the bed with his hands in the air. He’d tossed his pistol onto the mattress. He was a little bit smarter than Trent and didn't want to end up like him.
"On the ground now!" I commanded as we closed in, eager barrels aimed at the perp.
Rowan ate the deck. I kept my weapon on him while Jack ratcheted the cuffs around his wrists. I read him his rights, then we yanked him to his feet.
Erickson took Tabitha into custody.
We marched them out of the stateroom and back into the salon with the others.
The Coast Guard had arrived. Brenda and her crew weren’t far behind.
The crew and guests were separated, identified, and questioned. Drugs and paraphernalia were collected, along with laptops, cell phones, and other electronics. There was enough evidence on those devices to put Rowan away for life.
The entire boat was a crime scene now.
One by one, the passengers were transferred aboard Coast Guard patrol boats and taken ashore. Brenda examined Trent’s remains, then bagged the body. Paris Delaney and her news crew had arrived. Her cameraman captured footage of the aftermath.
The superyacht would be impounded. Select crew remained aboard under supervision and piloted the vessel back to the harbor.
We boarded the patrol boat and cruised back to the station with the sheriff. Rowan was processed, printed, and put into an interrogation room.
The feds showed up before we had a chance to question him. It was out of our hands now. Rowan was handed over to federal custody.
We filled out after-action reports at the station, surrendered our duty weapons, and were put on administrative leave.
JD and I headed back to Diver Down. Once aboard theAvventura, Jack made a beeline for the bar and mixed a few drinks. Piper and Kara had plenty of questions, and we filled them in on all the details. Things may have gotten a little messy and questionable at times, but we celebrated a job done.
In the salon, we watched Paris's news report. “Shocking details emerging tonight as sheriff’s deputies, along with the Coast Guard, raided a superyacht owned by hacker masterminds Rowan Vale and Trent Kodak. Known as the Code Syndicate, this organization is allegedly responsible for the death of Yan Zheng and the subsequent crash of international markets. According to anonymous sources, it is said that the syndicate profited in excess of $7 billion. One suspect is deceased. The other is now in federal custody. The FBI and State Department are collaborating with the Chinese government on the investigation. We’ll have more on this story as it develops."
I may or may not have texted Paris additional details about the case that I thought needed to be public. This would go a long way toward easing international tensions.
We moved to the sky deck and enjoyed the night air.
By the second drink, Kara whispered in my ear, her hot breath full of desire. "I believe you still owe me a last request."
"You're not dying anymore," I said with a smirk.
She lifted a sassy eyebrow. "Are you going back on your word, deputy? I thought I could trust you.”
59
Ialways like to keep my promises.
We stumbled into my stateroom, locked at the lips. Her lips felt good. With hands all over each other, it didn't take long to start peeling off articles of clothing. By the time we hit the bed, we were in our birthday suits.
We tumbled around the sheets and wrecked the mattress. Heart beats pumping, bodies slick with sweat, we hammered out the finer points of a life worth living. Kara may have been out of the woods, but she didn't hold anything back. Neither did I. We made enough noise that I’m sure everyone on the boat knew exactly what we were up to.
When all was said and done, we collapsed beside each other, out of breath and exhilarated.
Kara cuddled close, stroking my chest. She whispered in my ear, "Now that's something to live for.”
I couldn't disagree.
"Don't you wish we'd done that sooner?”
I didn't disagree with that either.
"What are you going to do with your second chance?” I asked.
