“Colter needs to get lost for a while.”
“Understood. Alter course to your destination. We’ll take care of the bogeys in the water — meet up with you before you hit that cliff marker because if you think you’re gonna navigate the sea cave at night without a guide like Saylor…”
“I can handle the sea cave, and we can help…”
“That’s an order, Marine. Besides, Foster’s inbound. These bastards are gonna wish they’d stayed home in about two minutes.”
Buck muttered under his breath as Saylor’s Zodiac whizzed past, the boat dancing across the surface as if it were flat. As if Saylor read the waves before they’d even formed. “I swear she’s Poseidon’s daughter because, damn… I’ve never seen anyone pilot a boat the way she does.”
Sloane inched closer as Buck changed direction. What she assumed lined up with Tierney’s safehouse. “Shouldn’t we help them?”
Buck laughed. “Trust me, we don’t want to get in the way once Foster shows up. Dalton’s probably riding shotgun with Kash. Add Zain’s sniper skills into the mix…”
“So, we just leave them?”
Buck slid her a side eye as he pounded through the swells, alternating his attention between the horizon and the instruments. “Part of being a team is trusting your brothers…” he winked at her, “or sisters to do their job. Those guys have battled much worse, and right now, getting you and Colter out of the fray is paramount. Otherwise, everything else has been for nothing.”
That took the bite out of Sloane’s words. Had her slipping onto the bench seat beside Nick, sharing his warmth as the boat slogged through the storm, every pitch and roll mirrored in her stomach.
A series of deep cracks echoed in the distance, the odd glow reflecting in the clouds before the sounds faded, just the roar of the ocean, the constant needling of rain.
Buck slowed the vessel, riding the waves when Saylor’s Zodiac raced out in front of them, a white strobe cutting through the storm. He followed behind, both boats closing in on a massive cliff silhouetted against tall trees, a black scar running down the face.
The engines whined, the cabin rising and falling as he lined up the gaping hole, gunned it. The walls loomed in close, the gunwales passing within a foot each side as Buck threaded theRoswellinto the cave amidst one last, giant breaker.
The white water gave way to a rippling surge, a long mooring dock outlined by a few bare bulbs swinging on a line. Saylor circled around, idled beside them as Buck secured the vessel to the cleats.
Nick limped out of the cabin, one arm draped around Sloane’s waist, his face paler than before. He moved to the side, staring down at Zain and Saylor. “You’re both nuts, you know that?”
Saylor laughed. “Says the guy with a burn notice on his ass — what the guys suspect is really some kind of hit.”
“They’re not wrong. Doesn’t negate the fact you’re both insane, though.” Nick motioned to the entrance. “Can you actually get out of here?”
She smiled. “That’s the fun part. We’ll let Bodie and the others know you made it.”
They took off, Zain looking way too calm standing beside Saylor, the Zodiac vanishing into the night a moment later.
Sloane urged Nick ahead. “I hope they’re okay. If anything happens to them…”
Nick patted her hand as they climbed the stairs, emerging at the base of an old lighthouse. He pointed at a light low over thewater before it faded. “Foster’s following them. They’ll be fine. Though, now I owe them.”
“Weowe them. My name’s on that bounty, too.”
“All the more reason to get inside — let you go digging, because this is just the start. And if Hill’s really behind all this, he won’t let up until we’re either dead or have him on the ropes.”