Reef chuckled. “Yeah, I think I’ve seen you around.”
Jasmine didn’t smile. “It’s a small town,” she said weakly, her shoulders drawn tight like she was ready to bolt.Her hands fidgeted at the hem of her shirt, twisting the fabric like she needed an anchor. Her gaze kept sliding toward the door, like she was calculating escape routes.
“Jasmine’s bartending at the Whistle Stop while she builds her art empire.” I studied her expression, gauging how far I could push. “She’s an amazing painter. Check out her work.” I gestured toward the canvas still propped in the chair.
Reef went over, picked it up, and turned it toward the window light. “This is good. The light’s incredible.” His voice softened. “Our brother got married out there a few months back. At Alligator Lighthouse.” He smiled faintly at Jasmine.
“How’d they manage that?” she asked me, almost absentmindedly like she didn't really care but was making conversation.
“Good question. It was a logistical challenge for sure,” I said, rinsing my hands under the faucet, watching her from the corner of my eye.She was barely hanging on, but her curiosity about the wedding gave me a sliver of hope. I started to describe how we'd rounded up boats from all our friends to get all the guests out there. But my brother spoke before I had the chance.
“What incident?” he asked, still holding the painting. He glanced back at Jasmine. “The reason you’re skittish… What incident?”
Her eyes locked onto mine, wide, pleading. A look that said: don’t.
But I did. “Jasmine and I had visitors when we came home late last night.”
“Visitors?” Reef’s voice sharpened. “Who?”
“The guys that were supposed to pick up that square grouper I found.”
“Oh, shit,” he said, his voice falling as his eyebrows shot up. "They came knocking? What for?"
Jasmine’s hand shot out, clutching my forearm. “Kai, I don’t think we sh—”
“We need help,” I cut in, covering her hand with mine and squeezing harder than she was. “We have to.”
Her grip was ice-cold, trembling against my skin. Fear radiated off her, and still I pushed forward. I hated myself for it, but I didn’t see another option.
“What the fuck happened?” Reef demanded, his tone louder, urgent now. “You’re freaking me out.”
“We came home from the Whistle just after two, and they were inside when we arrived."
"Inside?" Reef's voice boomed. "They broke into the house? What the fuck?"
Jasmine let out a huff and turned her head, like she couldn't bear witness to me spilling the beans.
"Yes. They broke in. And after tying us up, they shook us down at gunpoint for ten kilos of missing coke. According to them, the drop contained double what was reported. So they thought I had the rest since I was the one who found it.”
Reef’s mouth twisted, disbelief written across his face. He staggered backward and set the painting down in the chair.
"At gunpoint?" Reef blinked, eyes full of concern darting between us. Jasmine wasn't looking at either of us but I could see the terror on her face. "Jesus fucking Christ," he continued, voice rising as he paced. "Are you guys okay?"
"Yeah, pretty much. It was shocking, to say the least. But we survived."
He ran his hands through his wet hair, still pacing. "Let me get this straight. They came here because they think you stole half the coke before reporting it?"
Jasmine shot me a glare before going to the sink, trying to remove herself from the retelling. "That's what they said," I told him, eyes flicking to watch Jasmine scrub a coffee mug I'd left in the sink.
“That’s fucking ridiculous," Reef barked. "Who would call it in if they were going to keep half? Why not just keep it all and save the Coast Guard paperwork hassle?”
“Those goons don’t know shit about paperwork. Nor do they care. They just want their drugs.” My throat tightened, remembering the muzzle pressed to Jasmine’s temple. “Fortunately, after a long deliberation, they let us go after I convinced them I didn’t have it.”
“By promising to help them find it,” Jasmine added, her voice edged with salt.
The bitterness in her tone sliced me open. She wasn’t wrong—I’d sold us both into a bargain I had no idea how to honor.
“It was the best idea I could come up with under the circumstances,” I said, forcing a smile that felt hollow. My stomach churned at the memory. They would be back. And I had no idea what the hell to do. “Know any coke dealers?” I asked Reef.
