Island Holiday (Brookwell Island #4)

Chapter 13

Connor struggled to focus on the impending takedown. Sonya simply hijacked his train of thought. Repeatedly. Something had changed yesterday. Something significant, although he couldn’t pin it down and didn’t want to blow it by asking her outright.

If he’d learned anything since working with her face to face, it was that she was uncertain about interacting with people she cared about. He wanted to believe the shoulder rub meant something. Even in his head that sounded silly. They slept together in the same bed. He kissed her at every opportunity.

And yet, he was pretty sure she planned to walk away and not look back when this was done.

He’d never been so reluctant to drop the net on a criminal.

The shoulder rub was the first time she’d made the first move. Though it wasn’t necessarily a declaration of any kind of intent. But this was Sonya.

She wasn’t typical on any level. Not in his view, anyway.

It felt like a big step for her and a smidge of forward momentum for them as a couple.

Potential couple, he amended immediately. He was walking an emotional tightrope. He couldn’t blurt out his feelings without driving her away and he couldn’t push her to give more than she was ready to give.

All he could do was love her in patient silence and trust like hell that eventually he cracked through that wall she kept between her and the rest of the world.

She acted as if she didn’t deserve friends, as if her rough childhood somehow damaged whatever it was that made a person loveable. He understood the burden of an ugly chapter in life and sharing that with her had been tough as hell. She hadn’t held his past against him, but there was no telling if she could forgive herself for the things that had been outside of her control as a kid.

“When do we start the countdown?” she asked, her gaze locked on her laptop screen.

He checked the display on his phone. “Anytime now, I guess.”

They’d worked hard yesterday to get ready for whatever tricks Zimmer pulled out today. Connor had started background checks and Sonya had reviewed the finances. Once the basics were covered, he asked Jess for some in-person reconnaissance with the charter service out of Brookwell Island marina.

His searches and Sonya’s deep dives didn’t unearth anything sketchy about the family-owned company. She’d found no ties to any of Merten’s shell companies or recent interactions with Zimmer’s consumer testing project fund. And Jess verified that the family who owned that particular charter had zero run-ins with the law.

“At least we know the charter service isn’t in on the scheme,” he said. “And we know who’s coming and when.”

Sonya frowned. “We don’t have Mertens.”

“Not yet,” he allowed. “Zimmer gets us closer. I can’t believe he’d take the fall for everything we can dump on his head.” At her dubious expression, he pressed on. “Three women kidnapped is worse than all the smuggling and airport tests combined.”

“I want Mertens,” she said, her jaw clenched.

So did he. Mainly so Sonya and the other woman would stop hunting each other. “No indication she’s here?”

“She’s the facilitator,” Sonya said. “Like a puppet pulling strings.” She stood up and paced away from the table. “We’re not letting Zimmer just float down the river and out to sea with his hostages, are we?”

“No.”

“It’s a deep-sea charter, Connor.”

“I’m aware.” He’d been wrestling with the same issue. He hadn’t mentioned his request to ride along with a Coast Guard vessel. Jess had tried, but they’d been denied, so he’d kept looking for other options.

Sonya stood at the window of the hotel room, as if staring toward the condos on the other side of the river would somehow protect the girls. “We have to get over there and find a way to intervene.”

They needed a break. “No luck on who might be meeting the charter?” he guessed.

“None.” She closed her eyes. “The ocean is a big place, obviously. And if this is an exchange facilitated by Mertens—”

“You know it is,” he interjected.

“No documentation, no proof,” she grumbled. “So knowing doesn’t do much good.”

He sympathized with the desperation in her voice. Hell, he agreed with her. Those young women hadn’t done anything wrong. They’d trusted someone who appeared reliable. College was expensive. He credited the military for his education and Sonya had worked her tail off, kept up with her classes, and scoured every source for grants and scholarships.

No one deserved to have their lives stolen, or worse, over one lapse of judgment. Zimmer was a con-man who had perfected his pitch. Mertens was the money, dangling an irresistible payout. They were victimizing kids at will.

It had to stop.

But he and Sonya weren’t equipped for a rescue mission. They were researchers, with rudimentary field skills. Hell, Sonya had nearly been swept up in the scheme herself. If he hadn’t been there—

Her hand curled around his shoulder, the warm touch warding off the chill creeping over his skin. Still, a twisting knot of dread gathered in the pit of his stomach, barely noticeable compared to the pressure squeezing his heart.

He couldn’t lose her.

Whatever happened here, he would not lose her.

“Can’t we find a reason to get over there? Food delivery, mistaken address... There has to be something.”

“We shouldn’t get closer without backup,” he reminded her. And himself. “We need to trust Jess will put the right people in place.”

“Please, Connor. Let’s make up some excuse to be over there.”

Personally, he didn’t need any excuse other than it was what she wanted. He already knew he would forever be inclined to do what made her happy. But he couldn’t put her at risk. “Jess knows her job. She knows the two of us wouldn’t be here if we weren’t invested. Let’s sit tight a little longer.”

“Connor.”

“It’s fifteen minutes—max—to get over there.”

“No.” She pointed vigorously at the window. “Come look. There’s a water taxi down near the boardwalk.”

He walked over. “The hotel isn’t on any water taxi routes. Someone has pull.”

“Someone we know?”

“I doubt it.” He shrugged. They weren’t qualified for the field work.

A moment later the room phone rang and Sonya rushed to answer. “Hello?” She held the phone away from her ear so Connor could listen in.

“Miss Sonya Inman?”

“Speaking.”

“Great. This is the front desk. Jess Billings has chartered a river tour for you and Mr. Connor Brady. She requests that you come down and join her as soon as possible. I am also to tell you that the popcorn is ready and waiting.”

Connor assumed that was a reference to the upcoming entertainment of capturing Zimmer.

“Seriously?” Her eyes were bright when she met his gaze. “Thank you, we’ll be right down.”

She hung up the phone. “You look worried.”

“I wasn’t expecting this,” he admitted.

“You’re worried it’s another trap.”

“Aren’t you? After everything you’ve told me about Mertens’s connections?”

She nipped her full lower lip. “Fair enough. But it sounds like Jess is waiting in the lobby. I’m confident that even with our average field skills, we can avoid being kidnapped from the hotel.”

He couldn’t argue with that. “Lead the way.”

If Jess was inviting them to a ringside seat, he’d take it. He couldn’t wait to put this situation behind them. Not just reuniting the young women with their families for the holidays. He wanted—needed—some time to sort out what might come next for him and Sonya.