Page 41 of Island Rescuer

“I’m scanning what I can see of the crowd like my next payday depends on it.”

He laughed, grateful to bleed off a smidge more stress. “Relax, because it doesn’t. You are indispensable whether you recognize anyone out there or not.”

“I’m not so sure.” She swore. “It pisses me off that I don’t have a name for you yet.”

He sympathized with her frustration. After combing through Harper’s recent life, they should know who was capable of this. “You will. One way or another we’ll get there.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Jenna said. “I’ll let you know as soon as more info comes in.”

“I’ll keep you looped in from here,” Knox said, ending the call.

He braced his arms on the counter and let his head fall forward, stretching his neck. How in the hell could they turn the tables on this guy and pin him down.

Was the profile completely off? Where had they gone wrong?

His mind filled with the image of her falling off that boat and the man diving in after her. The scene had been covered with ways to bring her in safely. The scene was chaotic, but the risk was low. She’d been wearing a life jacket. The rescue craft had been right there.

It was pretty much dumb luck that she’d been tossed his way and he’d gotten to her first.

If he hadn’t?

He made himself think about it. Went to his laptop and pulled up the report with all the video Jenna had collected. He was right. If he hadn’t gotten to her, she would’ve wound up on that big boat with the rest of her party and the crew. Surely, Jenna would find a solid connection soon.

“Knox? What’s going on?” Harper stood in the kitchen doorway watching him intently. “Don’t even try to lie.”

“No.” He closed the laptop. “I already decided that wasn’t an option.”

“Good.” A smile bloomed slowly across her face, all the more intriguing due to the shadows.

He propped his elbows on the table. “When I tell you, you’ll want to go see for yourself.”

She walked over, her bare feet silent on the tile. “And you want me to stay here and wait for your report.”

He shook his head. “I’d rather you stayed herewith mewhile we wait for more facts to come in.”

She was pensive, thinking that over. “But you want to see it for yourself too. Whatever it is.”

“Maybe I do,” he admitted. “Most likely it’s a ploy, another lousy attempt to draw you out of hiding.”

“Like the ransom.” She pulled out a chair and sat down. “Would it be so bad to play along?”

“Absolutely. I’m not putting you at risk.”

“But we need a name. A lead,” she protested. “The ransom failed.”

“We’ll get there,” he promised. “These things take time. Whoever is calling the shots is a sneaky bastard,” he muttered.

“I haven’t held back,” she said, her voice distant. “I don’t know who would do this.”

Convincing herself or him? “I believe you.” He reached across the table stroking her soft hands. “I appreciate your efforts,” he said. “Let it go for now. Why don’t we go back upstairs and try to get some more sleep?”

She tilted her head looking up at him. “Because I’m not tired anymore.” She tilted the phone so she could see the time. “And I have a meeting in three hours.”

He stood up, bringing the phone with him and pulling her out of her chair. “Who are you meeting with at seven?”

“Rhett,” she replied. “He wants me to sit in on an idea meeting with some treasure hunters in Key West. Apparently their only free time is before the day gets started. The cell signal isn’t reliable out on the water.”

“You two are nuts.”

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