Page 61 of Sunburned

“Did you get dogs?” I asked instead.

He dipped his chin, looking at me intensely from beneath his brows as he rubbed his thumb over his rock. “Cody seems to think my inviting you down here has something to do with Ian’s foot washing up,” he said, disregarding my question.

“Because I stepped in dog shit upstairs,” I continued. “And no one seemed to want to tell me whose dog it was.”

“Audrey.” There was warning in his voice.

But I was done letting him bully me, whatever the size of his yacht. “What, you don’t like it when people ignore your questions?”

“I didn’t get fucking dogs, okay?”

“So, whose were they?”

“Why are you so hung up on this?” he snapped.

“It makes it really hard for me to help you when you won’t even tell me who you’re involved with.”

He uttered something unintelligible under his breath, then swiped his green drink off the bedside table and took a long swig.

“Fascinating,” I said, my tone dripping with sarcasm.

“It’s none of your business who was here this morning,” he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “They aren’t blackmailing me. Of that I’m sure. And after the conversation I just had with Cody, I don’t trust you not to go back to him with anything I tell you, so I’m keeping the details to myself.” He squeezed his black rock with all his might, then exhaled. “Why does Cody think you’re here because of Ian’s foot?”

I ignored the weirdness with the rock, keeping my face neutral as I crossed my arms over my chest. “He’s not wrong, is he?”

His nostrils flared, and I felt a taste of victory at his irritation. “Did you speak to him about it?” he demanded.

“Did he say I did?”

“He sidestepped that question the same way you just did. Said the three of us should sit down.”

“It’s a good idea for all of us to be on the same page,” I said diplomatically. “Have you gotten the call from the police yet?”

He jerked his head in a nod.

“Same.” I took a breath, softening my tone. As good as it felt to get under his skin, it was in my best interest to keep things civil between us, so I needed to reel it in. “I know you don’t trust me or Cody, but it doesn’t work for us to turn against each other.”

He snorted. “Tell that to him.”

I cocked my head. “What happened just now?”

“None of your business.”

I sighed. “Well, you two are gonna have to figure it out. We should also come up with a plan for how to handle the blackmailer.”

“I pulled the cash out last night.”

“Look, I want to know who is blackmailing you and what they have on you just as much as you do. But then what?”

He passed the rock from hand to hand. “We pay them to shut up.”

“In my experience with blackmail, that’s not how it works. It’s not a give-and-take. It’s just a take and take and take. You should know that better than anyone.” A look of recognition passed over his face as our eyes met. “So you need to figure out how it is that you benefit from this exchange before you engage with them.”

He paced over to the window and pushed open the drapes, letting in a sliver of light as he stared out at the sea.

“This blackmailer may or may not have anything that could touch you,” I went on, “but once you engage with them, they know you’re guilty of something, even if they don’t know what, so they have you on the hook.”

He evaluated me. “And if I don’t engage with them, and they go to the police with whatever they have?”

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