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Who was I kidding—whether on land or in the sea, all I could seem to focus on lately was Fox.
18 Gabriel “Fox” Morrison
Jonah’s body was a piece of modern art, more so when it was beaded with ocean water. He was a sight to behold, with a narrow, lithe frame that showed off a well-taken-care-of six-pack and a chest I didn’t want to ever take my hands off. The water was so crystal clear that I could even see down to Jonah’s feet, making me wonder how it would feel if those legs were wrapped around my waist.
“The water’s great, huh?” Jonah said, leaning back so that he dropped his head into the water, the rest of his body floating up.
“It’s perfect. This was a great idea.”
“Yeah, well, I figured it would be a good spot to relax after we almost got stabbed to death.” Jonah gave a disbelieving laugh and came back up onto his feet. Waves gently lifted and dropped us as they made the journey to shore.
“That went real bad, real fucking fast.” I wiped at some of the salt water on my forehead that threatened to fall down into my eyes. “I’m sorry you had to be put through that.”
“Hey, it’s part of the job. I’m glad I was there and not moaning about some headache.”
“I’m glad you were there, too. Shit, I don’t know how it would have gone if you weren’t.”
“You would have been fine. You’re G.I. Fox. You can handle a couple of drugged-up thugs.”
I cocked my head, smiled. “I’m still glad you had my back. We work damn well together.”
“Can’t deny that.”
No. No, there was no denying that.
“Sorry about blowing our cover there at the end, man.” Jonah’s head dropped. I reached a wet hand over and tilted his head up, two fingers under his chin.
“We got what we needed and we left with our lives, that’s all that matters. We can always do something better the next time around.”
“Yeah, but…”
“No buts.”
“Got it. No buts.”
I smirked, my immature middle-school side rearing its pimple-streaked forehead. “Well, maybe one butt. A very sexy butt.”
“Uh-huh. I think I know which butt you’re alluding to…” Jonah laughed, the sound a song I wanted to keep playing on repeat. It was a great sign that his humor was on the same level as mine, where butt jokes seemed to be all the rage.
I licked my lips, tasting salt on my tongue. “You did good today, Jonah. I’m happy you were by my side today.”
“Same.” Jonah’s smile was wide, genuine, relieved. “Fox, what was that dealer talking about when he said there was a condition to sell? Why would there be a demand to sell on Club Trinity’s property?”
The mid-afternoon sun beat down on my shoulders. It felt good. This all felt good. Too good to be true. Maybe it was the aftereffects of the fight, but everything had a little bit more brightness to it. There was a stronger glow to everything, even the sun bouncing on my shoulders. “You’re right, it is an odd thing to do. It’s common for drug dealers to stick to their own territories, but to a specific club? I hadn’t heard that one before.”
“It makes me think… I mean, who would have the most advantage in that situation?” Jonah’s ocean-blue eyes looked right at home surrounded by the endless sea and sky.
“Someone who has a stake in the club… You think it’s an inside job? Someone at Club Trinity is behind this?”
Jonah’s lips quirked. He ran a wet hand through his still-dripping wet hair. “It’s a theory… But maybe it is someone at the club. Weren’t they having a tough time filling up most nights? And now there’s a line across the block to get in. Club Trinity is on the map.”
“Because of a drug? That’s risky as fuck. The DEA’s only keeping them open because Dylan’s got a connection and this hasn’t blown up through the media yet. But give it a month or so.”
“You’re right, it’s not the smartest idea. It’s risky. But big risk brings big rewards. Maybe the club’s success is only a piece of their plan? Maybe their ultimate goal is to turn into the next Pablo Escobar?”
“That… makes sense.”
“They can use the club as a testing ground and grow from there.”
“Jesus. Do you think it’s one of the guys?”
Jonah chewed his lip. “I honestly don’t know. It’s an early theory, I could be wrong. I don’t know. I just always like looking to see who’s the party that gains the most out of something, and usually, that’s the person you want to look into.”
“It makes complete sense. We know it’s not the North Tarantinos for sure, and with the selling restriction those guys had, it makes sense that someone in the club is involved.” A particularly tall wave lapped over us then, breaking over my chest and lifting us up. “We’ll see what my hacker friend finds on the phone. That should lead us to, at the very least, the next person in this fucked-up food chain.”
