Page 77 of Riptide

“Please don’t put me in the middle of this,” he pleaded.

“I’m a veteran. I’ve trained. I know how to shoot a gun. I was raised here. I know the land. I know the girls.”

“She’s got a point.” Marcus nodded. “We’re operating on a tight crew. She can ride with me. We’re not going in during the operation. We sit and wait, we’ll have eyes on things from above. Drones.”

“Fine. It’s settled,” She walked into the kitchen and picked up a slice of bacon off a serving tray. Kaimana bit off a piece and glared at them.

“No,” both Evan and Seth said in unison.

“Only one person here works at the bureau, and he says I can ride with him. Isn’t that right, Marcus?” She looked to him, and he shrugged.

“The deal is, we hang back far out of the action, and only when things are secure, we bring you in. Fair enough?”

“Done.” She bit hard into the bacon and chewed it.

“This is not good.” Seth shook his head.

“Is the FBI outside right now?” she asked Marcus.

“Yeah, we got eyes on the property. Got a boat out there watching just in case.”

“I’m going to get dressed and go pick some fruit.”

“Kaimana. Come on. Let’s talk about this.” Seth closed the distance between them and reached for her.

Kaimana stepped away and gave him a curt nod. “We can talk later. I need some air.”

* * *

Kaimana sat on the step and rolled the longan between her fingers. She ruminated, irritated about their argument. No matter how attracted she was to Seth, there was no way he could tell her what to do. She was the one who had saved him at Big Sur, not the other way around.

But her heart softened as her mind drifted to his sweet note. She laughed and began peeling the fruit.

The man was sexy as fuck and sweet as honey. It should have come as no surprise that he’d be protective.

As she bit into the fleshy longan and scanned the sea, her body thrummed with anticipation. Knowing that within hours Marretta would finally be arrested, the girls freed, and the government secrets secure sent her spirit soaring on the wind.

But Seth was right in one aspect. No matter if she stayed back with Marcus or not, the night could bring danger. She regretted her words. It wasn’t fair for her to keep Evan or Seth away from the auction any more than it was for them to ask her to stay behind. They each had been hurt by Marretta in their own way. And they had all earned the right to finish this.

* * *

Though Evan struggled to walk, they’d managed to get him safely in the helicopter. Kaimana gave him one last hug. “Be safe.”

“Same, little warrior. Listen to Marcus.”

“I’ll try.” It was the best she could do.

With a nod to Garrett, she walked away from the helicopter until she reached Seth who holstered his gun.

“Take care of Evan?” Kaimana’s heart crushed inside at the sight of her once strong friend reduced to bones. “Don’t let him talk you into landing or doing anything crazy.”

Seth laughed. “Who? Evan? I’m the one who comes up with all the fun ideas.”

“I’m serious. Please.” She stole a glance at Evan who nodded at her. “He’s very good at talking people into doing things. Please just let the FBI do their job.”

“I promise not to let him talk me into anything. And yeah. He is good at that. It’s kind of a special skill. Most of the time I’m all in for whatever he suggests but not today. He shouldn’t even be in the helicopter.” Seth’s voice softened. “Hey, listen, Kai. I’m sorry about today. You deserve to see this go down more than any of us. And I shouldn’t have tried to take that from you.”

Kaimana smiled. “I’m sorry too. I wish I didn’t have to go, but I need to do this. For me. And for all those women. For Joli.”