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She gently lathered the shampoo into her hair and steered her thoughts away from the sexy Coastie and back to the bigger issue.
Why? Why kill her? What did she know that she didn’t realize was important? She could not come up with one thing. Owens sold drugs and some sort of motherboards to someone. Then he went out to sea, specifically to the shipping lanes and got killed. How was she supposed to know who did it?
She rinsed her hair and then worked in conditioner. Could it really be Cross? She let the spray wash down over her face. Yeah, it could be Cross. He was ambitious enough to want more and cutthroat enough to kill Owens if he thought the man posed a threat. Yeah, she could easily see that happening, but then why kill Casper as well? Was he just Cross’s lackey? The painful thrumming in her head accelerated as she continued fretting.
And how did Cross end up here? A Deputy Director in Oahu? Wouldn’t it be better to be where everything happened? So why had Cross been sidelined to Hawai’i? Or was it a more important posting than she thought?
She rinsed off one last time and stepped out of the shower. While toweling herself off, she discovered a few more aches and bruises. Black and blue were going to be her colors for the next while. She put on the robe that hung on the back of the door and wrapped her hair in a towel. After opening the bathroom door, she stepped out into the room. The bed was covered in clothing, all different colors and styles of tops and bottoms.
“Whoa! Cass knows her stuff.” Mac picked up a pair of light sweats that were gray and a deep green T-shirt. A bag beside the bed held underwear sets. She pulled out a lacy deep green bra with a matching thong. They were soft and clean and just what she wanted.
Mac quickly got dressed and then found toiletries at the bottom of the bag of underwear. She combed out her hair, and then walked into the bedroom next door.
Dane looked over as she entered. His eyes roamed over her as if checking to make sure she was okay. She gave him a little nod then checked him out in return. He was still wearing his jeans and T-shirt from earlier today. The T-shirt set off his eyes. He was incredibly sexy even when he was tired. She needed to rein in her overactive libido and focus on something else. “Anyone have a tea bag? I could use a cup of tea.”
Koa flicked on the kettle on the desk next to him. “I just made a cup. There’s still water in the kettle.”
“Thanks.” She looked at the bed where the laptop was open. “What are we looking at?”
Cain gestured. “The autopsy on Casper.”
“It’s back already?” she asked as she approached the bed. “Wait, how did you get it?”
No one said anything.
“Right. Forget I asked. Does it tell us anything important?”
“No,” Dane said. “Nothing we didn’t know. He was killed by a bullet to the head. Nine-millimeter, same as Owens. Time of death was somewhere between midnight and oh-two-thirty.”
“He was killed this morning then.” She let out a breath. “Where does that leave us?”
“No-fucking-where,” Koa groused as he poured water into the mug with a tea bag. “We’ve got nothing. No lead other than the name TigerKing. And you.”
“And me.” Her stomach knotted. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I just can’t come up with why they would want to kill me. I’ve got nothing.” Her shoulders sagged. She hated that she couldn’t supply an answer. She was an investigator, after all. It was her job to find answers.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s been a long day for all of us,” Cain said. “I think we all should get some sleep. Mac, you’ll stay here with Dane and Cass. Tac, Jace, Koa, and I will alternate keeping watch. We have another room that gives us a view of the front of the hotel, and someone will watch the beach as well. We’ll sleep in shifts.”
Mac nodded absently. Even though she’d been lying in bed most of the day, her body was exhausted. It was only eight o’clock, but she still thought she could go to bed and sleep. “I think I’m gonna head over to my room. Thanks, guys.” She smiled at them. “Seriously, you guys saved my life today. I owe you.”
“Forget it. Part of the job,” Koa said and then headed out of the suite.
“What he said,” Tac mumbled as he and Jace followed Koa. Jace gave her a little nod.
“Well, I’m not shy. Damn straight, you owe me. Shopping isn’t for the weak!” Cass said with a wide grin splashed across her face.
“I oweyoubig time.” Mac ran a hand down her new gray sweatpants. “Great choices.”
“I know my way around clothes.” Cass yawned suddenly. “I’m gonna grab a shower and then sleep for a few hours. Dane, are you okay taking the first shift?”
He nodded. “No worries. Rest up, Cass.”
“’Night, Cass,” Mac said as she went to the foyer. Dane and Cain were behind her. Dane had her cross-shoulder bag. “Thanks for getting my bag.”
“No worries. I did take your cell though. We left all the phones at the hangar as a precaution.”
Mac nodded. It made sense but it also reminded her that she was in a serious mess. “I can’t thank you guys enough,” she reiterated. “I’m not sure what kind of trouble you’re gonna get into, but I appreciate everything you’ve done to keep me safe.”
Cain snorted. “We haven’t done much. We got you blown up. Besides, we’re not the ones who are going to get into trouble. By siding with us, you put yourself in the crosshairs of your department. I can’t imagine your partner, Rutledge, is going to take too kindly to any of this.”
