Page 72 of Pirates in Calusa Cove

“And I don’t expect you to.” Dawson stood. “Chloe is off the books for this one. I have to be all official-like, so I’ll be with Remy. You, Hayes, Fletcher, and Chloe can all work together.” He crooked his finger. “But do not shoot or kill anyone. I don’t need the hassle or the paperwork.”

“Understood.” Keaton nodded. “But I can’t make any promises.”

CHAPTER 15

Trinity saton the floor in the cuddy of a larger fishing vessel, her hands and feet bound. The air reeked of five-day-old fish. She coughed and gagged as she stared into the eyes of someone she’d once called a friend while she waved a gun in her face. “This was you all along?” She swallowed the bile that bubbled from her stomach to her throat. “Why? Why would you do this?” She blinked, shifting her gaze, not wanting to look her in the eye. She stared over Mallary’s shoulder. Something shiny glimmered on the small table.

A knife?

God, she hoped it was a knife.

“You can never just walk away from anything, can you?” Mallary lowered herself, grabbing Trinity’s face and forcing her to look into her terrifying eyes. “You had to call the Coast Guard that night. You had to see what was happening at sea in the middle of a storm instead of doing what a normal person would do and turning around to go home.”

“Are you kidding me? Normal people don’t let boats sink.” Trinity squared her shoulders. “Did you kill your brother?” she asked softly. Visions of that night flashed in her brain. The storm. The massive waves. The lightning. The rain. The small vessel bobbing up and down.

Mallary narrowed her stare. “Of course not. I loved Jared. He wasn’t supposed to die. He was supposed to be on that boat with Ralph and a few other boys. It was supposed to look like pirates got them. But when my friends got to my brother’s boat, they were shocked to find Jared alone.” Mallary shrugged. “They had to make the tough call. Someone had to go down with the boat.” She waved her gun. “But then you showed up, causing a ruckus, making it impossible for them to snag the jewels. They had to sink the ship and haul ass. But I guess I need to be grateful it was you.” She smiled wickedly. “My dear, sweet friend who would do anything for me, including spending a year looking for sunken treasure.”

“You used me,” Trinity whispered.

“As if you haven’t been using me our entire friendship.” Mallary rocked back on her heels before sitting on her ass and crisscrossing her legs. “You only became friends with me because I made you ‘regular.’ If it weren’t for me, you’d just be the rich bitch on the block that everyone hated. Because of me, you became relevant. You had friends.”

“That’s not true.”

“Oh, please.” Mallary rolled her eyes. “You rolled up to the dorms in your expensive SUV like you were Elle inLegally Blonde.You were such an elitist. During ourfreshman year, everyone talked about you behind your back, and it wasn’t to call you sweet names like a princess. Sadly, I wanted to be you. I wanted money. I was so tired of being the girl who smelled like rotting bait. Do you have any idea what it’s like to grow up with a dad who runs a fishing charter business? I thought when he married the witch and she owned a floral shop, I’d get to work there, but no, I had to work for Daddy. What a joke.”

This was not the Mallary that Trinity had been friends with on and off for years. This was a bitter, angry woman, and Trinity wanted nothing to do with this version of Mallary.

“You tried to kill me.” Trinity sucked in a deep breath. Her own rage bubbled to the surface. “Three times.”

“Not me personally.” Mallary laughed. “And they weren’t supposed to kill you. Not without finding the jewels first. I need them. They’re the key to my happiness.” She leaned closer. “Something you took from me.”

“Excuse me? How did I do that?”

“Fenton.” Mallary raised her hand—the one with the gun in it—and smacked it across Trinity’s face.

The taste of metal filled her mouth. Her eyes watered. Her cheek felt as though a bomb had gone off inside the bone. She groaned. “Fenton?” she managed. “But you always wanted me to get back with him.”

“You’re such a dumb bitch for someone who thinks she’s so damn smart.”

“Why don’t you explain it to me because I don’t understand?” Trinity’s cheek throbbed. Her eyeswatered. Her insides trembled. But as she sat there and stared at someone she’d once thought was her friend, she honestly wanted to know why Mallary had decided kidnapping and killing her was the answer to whatever problem she had.

Even if she was going to die after finding out the truth.

Mallary leaned closer. Her lip twitched. “Fenton, like most men, believes you walk on water. I can’t understand why he loves you, but he does.”

Trinity gritted her teeth. “He only wants my father’s money, and he’s a cheater.” She gasped. “He was sleeping with you, wasn’t he?”

“Technically, that only happened twice while you and he were together.” Mallary sneered. “When you found those texts and my earring, I thought maybe he’d realize I was the better choice. But he didn’t. He decided he’d made a mistake and lost the best thing that had ever happened to him.”

“But if you wanted him, why encourage me to take him back?”

Mallary laughed. “At first, all I wanted was to crush you and destroy your confidence in him. I would text Fenton when I knew he was with you, hoping you would see the sexy talk. I left my earring in his car on purpose. But after Jared died—after you and Fenton broke up—he still didn’t want me. He wantedyou. Lovedyou. He’s been determined to win you back. To prove to you that while working for your dad has been a dream come true, it’s not the only reason he wants to be with you, which is a crock. That man cares moreabout money and prestige, about his place in the world, and these jewels are my way of giving him that.”

“Are you kidding me?” Trinity swallowed, choking on some blood. “You think that money will make him love you?”

“It will help him forget about you,” Mallary said.

“Hey, boss,” a male voice yelled. “Fenton just pulled into the marina. What do you want us to do?”

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