Page 44 of Fast Currents
Drew looked doubtful. “I don’t know, Lucy. That was months ago. It’s hard to imagine him holding on to anything incriminating.”
“I’ve been thinking about that. What if he wasn’t the one who stole it?” Lucy asked.
“What would be the point? What’s so important about the case?” Anya asked.
“Maybe something worth dying for?” Rae asked, frowning.
“The rumors at the time were about smuggling counterfeit drugs from Canada. The case wasn’t all that big,” I said.
“Plenty big enough,” Lucy countered. “Especially if it was a regular route.”
“If that’s the case, and Jordan was involved, who’s taken over the business? Jordan’s dead. His second mate is sitting in the county jail. Brandon’s not exactly doing runs between the Port of Victoria and Friday Harbor these days.”
Anya tugged at her bottom lip. “My family might have stepped into the breach.”
I considered it. Anya had fled her family in the Midwest, trying to start a new life after discovering their side hustle, smugglingthrough the Great Lakes. But her past had followed her in the form of her ex-boyfriend, Owen.
Last we’d heard, he’d been picked up in a sting by the DEA. Unless her family had another fixer, it was hard to imagine them spreading their tentacles this far, this fast.
“I tipped off Agent Harris, just in case. He may pop up at the Halloween show.”
Anya’s expression softened. “How’s he doing? I’m still thankful to him for pulling Owen out of circulation.”
I smirked. “If you see a tall Black man wearing a tux and holding a martini at the art benefit, remember you’ve never met him before.”
Drew cracked a smile. “Let me guess – Bond, James Bond?”
I nodded. Lucy’s eyes lit with interest. “I do love a man in a sharp suit.”
I choked, sputtering, “You?”
Her smile broadened, eyes dancing with mischief. She winked. “And a man in uniform.”
“That reminds me – what costumes did you choose for Halloween?” Anya asked. “I can’t wait to see everyone all dressed up.”
Zach’s mouth quirked up at the corner, and he laughed when his older brother scowled.
“I’d forgotten about the costumes part,” Drew muttered.
“I’ve got you covered,” Anya reassured him before dropping a kiss on his cheek. The sheer adoration in the way he looked at her was uncomfortable to watch. I shifted toward Lucy, who also caught the interplay, something akin to longing in her expression. Not what I expected from the woman who’d coolly announced we were “knocking boots” just a few minutes ago.
“What about you, Luce? Or do I even need to ask?”
She hid a smile. “Robertson, the boots alone are gonna be enough to make you cry.”
I perked up. “Promise?”
Her eyes narrowed. “What about you? Are you going as the Man in the Yellow Hat?”
I sniffed. “No. You’re not the only one who can be sexy.”
“What’s your costume?”
“I’m not telling. You’re just gonna have to wait and see.”
And now I had two weeks to pull together something appropriately slutty to get and keep her attention.
“We’re going as cast members fromBelow Deck,” Rae volunteered.
