Page 43 of Pirates in Calusa Cove

“Relax. No one is going to eat your food,” Dawson said with a chuckle. “Are you going to invite us all in?”

“How about we go around back? I don’t want to wake Trinity.” Keaton waved everyone toward the back of the house.

“I’m so glad she’s sleeping,” Dawson said. “We can save her wrap for when she wakes up in the middle of the night because she does that a lot.”

Keaton might have only spent one night with her, but he’d watched her eat a sandwich and an entire piece of chocolate cake at two in the morning.

“Or she can eat it tomorrow. The girl’s a human garbage bin,” Monty said. “Do you have any wine in this place?”

“I stopped and bought some for Trinity on the way home, but it’s not the expensive stuff.” He pointed toward the kitchen.

“Don’t care.” Monty tapped his temple. “Got any whiskey? I don’t usually drink that, but I seriously need to take the edge off.”

“It’s all in that cabinet in the kitchen. Feel free to pick your poison.” Keaton waved his hand toward the front door. “Anyone else want a beer?”

“I can’t.” Dawson tapped his badge. “Might not be in uniform, but I’m still technically on duty.”

“As soon as I finish this shake, I’ll kick one back. But I’ll get it. You set that up on the table in the back.” Hayes lifted his fingers to his lips and spoke softly. He was always good at respecting and reading the situation, but all the guys were.

Keaton and Dawson slipped out the back with the bag of food, utensils, and paper plates.

“I need to ask you a question and tell you something,” Keaton said, staring at the dark channel of water that led into the depths of the Everglades. Keaton had spent the bulk of his childhood living in Colorado. He loved it there. He loved the mountains. The hiking trails. The snow. Skiing. There wasn’t anything not to like about that state.

When Fletcher had proposed that they all start an airboat touring company in Florida, well, Keaton had balked. Florida was flat and hot and sticky, especially in the summer. He didn’t give a crap about the gators or the snakes. He could deal with those creatures. However, after traveling the globe and seeing the world, he couldn’t imagine what a state like Florida could offer.

There were times when he still struggled, but it had nothing to do with his surroundings and everything to do with grounding himself in one place—making a home for his unsettled spirit.

However, this tiny town had given him something unexpected. It had eased some of his pain. Even he could admit that.

“I’m listening.” Dawson sat at the table, resting his elbows on the wood.

Keaton joined his longtime friend. Dawson was like an older brother, filled with the voice of reason. He was the calm during the storm, and the man had a heart of gold. He’d lost his parents when he’d been young and had been raised by his nana, who had died shortly after he’d joined the Navy.

The military had shaped Dawson. The friendships he’d forged as a SEAL had become the only family he knew, and Keaton was honored to be part of that.

“I called Foster and asked him if he and his team would look at what we know about Trinity’s case,” Keaton said, holding Dawson’s gaze.

Dawson arched a brow. “Foster’s a good man. He’s smart, and I certainly value his opinion, but that’s sensitive police business.”

“Are you telling me you don’t want someone who has no ties to Calusa Cove and all the rumors circulating about what happened to Jared, Trinity, and Mallary, to see if they can find an angle we might have overlooked?”

“Not saying that at all.” Dawson shook his head. “I just need to be careful what I let come out of my office, and what concerns me the most is if anyone finds out we have the jewels.”

“That’s fair, but I’ve already emailed him what I know using the same code language that Foster and I have always used when dealing with sensitive intel. He knows the drill.”

“Of course you have, and I honestly have no problem,but anything he gets didn’t come from me.” Dawson waggled his finger. “That few degrees of separation is definitely needed, not just because I don’t want to lose my job, but for Trinity’s protection. The chatter on this is loud. There is a lot of speculation and too many calls into the station. We’re following every lead, but all of them are coming up as duds.”

“Whoever is after those jewels will come again. I’d be a fool to think they won’t come at me just because I’m a former SEAL. It makes me wonder if holding off on that announcement, that she did find the jewels, is the wrong move.”

Dawson shook his head. “That takes the hunt away from her because then either the jewels go back to Ralph’s family or stay in police custody. If we want to catch these assholes, we need to give them a reason to come, and I need to consider the idea that Mallary is alive. That they might use her as leverage. You know how this works.” He held up his hand. “Chloe’s thinking we should put out there that we have a lead on Mallary. I have my reservations about doing that, but it could bring these bastards out of the woodwork.”

Keaton nodded. “That brings me to Monty and my question.”

“Because that last bit wasn’t an actual question?” Dawson chuckled.

“Monty’s going to be a houseguest of mine.” Keaton pinched the bridge of his nose. “I have no intention of keeping anything from Trinity, not unless I believe it’s for her own safety, but since knowledge is power and?—”

“I don’t expect you to keep things from her,” Dawsonsaid. “We’re asking a lot of her by keeping this close to the cuff, and I know that’s not easy for you.”

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