Safe Harbor

by Christy Barritt

  Just as she said the word, a new sound filled the air.

  Gunfire.

  Again.

  Dez dove in front of Bree as another bullet whizzed by.

  “Where are the shots coming from?” Cassidy yelled, drawing her gun and ducking behind a tree.

  “Over there.” Dez pointed to the woods in the distance, careful to keep himself in front of Bree. But they both needed to move. Now.

  More shots rang out.

  Dez pulled Bree to her feet, darted across the sandy ground, and stashed her behind a thick tree. More bullets shot through the air. They splintered the wood around them and pierced the ground.

  Cassidy and Braden remained shielded behind two other trees, their guns drawn. During a break from the barrage of bullets—probably became the gunman reloaded—Cassidy turned and fired back.

  As soon as she did, more bullets littered the area.

  Cassidy tucked herself back behind the tree just in time.

  Dez pulled out his weapon and peered around the oak. Whoever was shooting at them was unseen. Maybe he was wearing black and remaining in the shadows or behind the trees. It didn’t matter. Either way, he couldn’t see the man.

  Dez looked at Cassidy. They waited a minute before Cassidy gave Braden the signal.

  “We’ve got to go after him,” Cassidy said. “Dez, you stay here with Bree.”

  He wasn’t going to let her out of his sight. He nodded and watched as Cassidy and her officer took off after the man.

  “What’s happening?” Bree’s voice came out quickly. Her eyes were dilated. Her breaths shallow with fear.

  “My guess? This person realized they had dropped something here at the site and came back to retrieve it. When they did, they saw us here and decided to take a shot.”

  “This person really does want me dead, doesn’t he?” Bree squeezed her eyes shut.

  Dez pulled her closer, in a protective manner. At least, that’s what he told himself. But maybe she was just a little too close for it to be professional. He would have to figure that out later.

  “He’s going to mess up sometime, and we’re going to catch him,” he muttered.

  They waited. The minutes ticked by slowly. Too slowly.

  Were they okay out there?

  Finally, Cassidy and Officer Dillinger returned with frowns on their faces.

  “Whoever it was, he got away.” Cassidy frowned. “He had a car waiting in the woods. I knew I couldn’t get back to my own vehicle in time, so I called it in. Maybe—just maybe—one of my guys will be able to catch him.”

  Bree seemed to sag with relief against the tree. “What’s that mean for me in the meantime?”

  Cassidy frowned but her voice was steady as she said, “It means that you continue to wait. I know it’s hard. And it’s probably not what you want. But, at this point, it’s the only thing that will keep you safe.”

  Bree frowned, and Dez’s heart pounded against his chest as he watched her. Coming face-to-face with death wasn’t an easy task.

  He knew. Because he had been there one too many times before.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Cassidy dropped Dez and Bree back off at their car, but instead of returning to Bree’s place, Dez asked if they could stop by Ty’s house instead.

  She agreed, and they headed that way. Dez had gotten a message from Colton saying they needed to talk, and he was anxious to hear what was going on. He knew there was nothing else he could do right now for Bree.

  What he wanted was to teach Emerson a lesson. He wanted to track down the owner of that Chapstick. But the best thing he could do was to keep Bree safe.

  When they walked into Ty’s house, Colton and Elise were sitting on the couch, smiling at each other with warm affection. A moment of envy shot through him.

  Would Dez ever find that someone? He knew the answer. Not unless he opened himself up to it. He just wasn’t sure he was ready to do that yet.

  Colton and Elise stood and walked over to greet them.

  “Do you mind if we talk in the office?” Colton asked after a couple minutes of chitchat.

  “I’ll be happy to keep Bree company,” Elise said.

  “Ty is working downstairs,” Colton said. “He’ll keep an eye on the place for us.”

  With a glance at Bree, Dez nodded. She seemed okay with it, and Dez knew she would be in good hands. He followed Colton into his office and braced himself for whatever he had to say.

  To his surprise, a man was sitting there.

  A man Dez hadn’t seen in a very long time.

  “Brian Starks?” Dez muttered.

  The man rose and extended his hand. “Long time no see.”

  If Brian was here, that couldn’t be good.

  Because Brian was their former commander’s chief of staff. If he was here, then something had to be up. Something bad.

  “So, I love your songs,” Elise told Bree as they fixed some coffee. “It’s such a thrill to have you here on the island.”

  “Thanks.” Bree tried to smile but found it hard, considering everything that was going on here lately. It seemed like all she’d caused was trouble. “How long have you been here?”

  Elise pulled out some sugar and cream and set it on the counter. “A couple of months. I found myself in a life-or-death situation, not unlike you are right now. There was only one person I could think of who could help me, and that was Colton.”

  Her curiosity spiked. “You two seem really cute together.”

  “Thanks. For the longest time, I only knew Colton as my husband’s best friend. My husband was killed in the line of duty more than a year ago.” Her voice cracked, but she continued pouring her coffee. “I had no idea that something could be there with Colton, but circumstances like mine made things clear very fast.”

  “I’m sorry for everything that happened, but it sounds like it all had a happy ending.” Bree added some cream to her cup, relaxing as the radio played softly in the distance. Music had always had that effect on her.

  Elise nodded, a gentle smile feathering across her lips. “The path that brought us together wasn’t easy, but I’m glad that we are where we are today.”

  Bree took a sip of her coffee, and they moved to the table to talk. “Do you help with Blackout now?”

  “I’m a psychologist,” Elise said. “I’m helping out here by offering a listening ear to any of the guys who come here for Ty’s programs. I could see where there was a hole in that area previously, and I am happy to fill in the gap.”

  “It sounds like everything came together just as it was supposed to.”

  Elise nodded, crossed her arms on the table, and leaned forward. “So how are you doing, Bree? I know this is a lot for you to take in. I’m not asking as a psychologist. Not officially, at least. I’m asking because you look like you could use someone to talk to.”

  Bree let out a short breath, wondering how much to say. “If I start talking, I might take up the rest of your day. Maybe even the rest of your week.”

  “Well, I’ve got some time.”

  The invitation seemed to be just what Bree needed. She poured out all of the events from the past few months, leading right up to what she had learned today.

  “That sounds like a lot to take in.” Elise frowned.

  “Tell me about it.” Bree shook her head. Sometimes it all seemed surreal. Everything had happened so fast that she could hardly breathe, much less think.

  “It must be hard not knowing if someone likes you for you or for what you can do for them.”

  “Exactly. How am I supposed to know the difference? I really struggle with that.”

  “I think your heart and your gut can guide you. Plus, watch the actions of the other person. Are they there for you when you need them? Or just in the times that are glamorous?”

  Bree took a sip of coffee and replayed the events of the past couple days. Emerson certainly hadn’t been there for her. He was clearly only looking out for himself. Her band had checked on h
er, but most of them had left to go be with their families. She couldn’t blame them after an event like this. Her assistant had called to check on her also, and Bree felt like Karen would be here if it wasn’t for her mom’s surgery.

  And then there was Dez . . . something about him made Bree want to think that he was the real deal. But she had to remind herself that she was paying him. All of his actions couldn’t be trusted considering he was employed by her right now.

  The thought caused a frown to form on her face.

  Before Bree could say anything, a song came on the radio, and Bree froze at the sound.

  “What is it?” Elise studied her face.

  “That’s my song,” Bree said. “The one I wrote.”

  “And that’s not you singing it, is it?”

  Bree felt her jaw go slack. “No, as a matter of fact, it’s not. It kind of sounds like . . .”

  Before she could finish her statement, the DJ finished it for her. “And that’s the new single by Trixie Dare.”

  Trixie Dare? How had Trixie gotten her hands on Bree’s song?

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Dez stared at Brian in disbelief. He was the last person he’d expected to show up here on Lantern Beach. Something about seeing him now felt off, like something wasn’t right.

  Did Colton have that feeling also?

  “What are you doing here?” Dez asked Brian.

  “I didn’t know who else I could talk to but you.” Brian’s face looked tense.

  He’d changed from his normal military garb into some jeans and a sweatshirt. But he still carried himself like a sailor, with his back straight, his head raised, and his gaze firm. The man was in his mid-thirties, and his name had been added to their suspect list when Blackout had been searching for a spy within their old military command.

  Brian nodded toward the chairs across from him as he silently asked them to sit. Dez lowered himself in one, and Colton sat in the other. He couldn’t wait to hear what this man had to say.

  He would take everything with a grain of salt, however. “What do you need to talk about?”

  “There are whispers that something is going to happen.” The words sounded raw and rushed as they left Brian’s lips. He rubbed his palms on his jeans, as if they were sweaty.

  “Something within what?” Dez asked. “What exactly are you referring to?”

  “Within the Savages. I think they’re planning something. Planning something big.”

  Dez shook his head, trying to put the pieces together while remaining cautious. “Jason Perkins is behind bars. They don’t have their inside man to plant information or to share it.”

  “I know. I know what you’re saying. But I can’t help but think that there’s more to it than we know now.”

  “Why don’t you start from the beginning?” Colton said.

  “No one will listen to me.” Brian swallowed hard, his stiff features showing his stress. “I tried to talk to both the commander and the secretary. They both brushed me off.”

  “What did you try to tell them, Brian?” Dez asked.

  “I overheard them in a meeting.” He rubbed his hands against his jeans again. “There have been lots of meetings. The CIA has come in. Something is going on with the Savages, but every time it gets brought up, no one does anything.”

  “Who is no one?” Colton asked.

  “It’s . . . no one. It’s like everyone is brushing it under the rug.”

  Colton shifted. “What are you implying?”

  “I think there’s some kind of coverup going on. I don’t know who’s involved or who’s pulling the strings . . . but I have a hard time believing all of this is over.”

  “Why come here?”

  “From what I heard, the Savages are planning something big. It’s going to happen if someone doesn’t stop them.”

  Dez remembered Daniel’s final words. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Be careful who you trust.

  It was like he feared. What if Jason wasn’t the only mole planted within the government?

  Even worse, what if Brian had come here, not to help them, but as a plant? What if he was setting up Colton and Dez by handing over this information? When it came to cloak-and-dagger operations, no one could be trusted.

  After everything that had happened, Dez couldn’t afford to put his faith in the wrong person.

  And now the question was what were Dez, Colton, and the rest of the Blackout team going to do with the information Brian had shared?

  Bree was quiet as she and Dez rode beside each other when they left Ty’s place. After she had heard the song, she’d gotten on the phone with her attorney. Normally, she would let Emerson handle something like this, but he obviously couldn’t be trusted.

  All of this felt bigger than what she was capable of handling. All she wanted was to be a singer. But suddenly all these other problems had popped up, and Bree needed to figure out what to do.

  Her attorney was going to work on this now, but she had to question how she was going to even pay him, considering that Emerson hadn’t been paying her for the past several months. She’d been so stupid not to look into that herself and to stay on top of it. She was too trusting. That was all there was to it.

  “Are you okay?” Dez asked.

  She had already told him what had happened, and his jaw had flexed in that familiar manner it did when he didn’t like what was being said.

  But it was more than that. She wasn’t sure what that meeting had been about, the one he’d been called to Ty’s house for. But it had left Dez looking unsettled. His gaze looked tumultuous, as if deep into processing something. The twinkle was gone from his eyes, and a smile was nowhere to be seen. She figured it wasn’t her business.

  “I just don’t know what to think anymore,” she finally said. “Maybe I should just get out of this business while I can before it ruins me. Maybe my mom and dad were right.”

  “Or maybe you can be the voice of change. You can be the one who proves that things don’t have to change you, but that you can change the world with the platform that you’ve been given.”

  She looked at him, surprise filling her eyes. “You really think that?”

  “I see your strength in your eyes, Bree. I know all of this has been a lot on you. I know it’s been tough, and you’re probably questioning yourself. Sure, you probably have a lot of lessons to learn. But we can all say that. I do think that what you’ve been given is an amazing opportunity.”

  “Thank you,” she finally croaked out.

  Emotion clogged her throat. It had been a long time since she had felt like someone would be that honest with her. Dez’s sincere words did something to her heart.

  She was in trouble. The woman who’d vowed to never fall for a player was obviously falling for a player. And, to make matters worse, it was a player she’d hired to be on her staff.

  She cleared her throat as her thoughts shifted. “Listen, would you mind swinging by Bobby Dee’s place?”

  “Your drummer? Is he still in town?”

  “I’m not sure, but I’d like to check. Just in case.”

  “Sure, we can swing by, if that’s what you want.”

  “I do. I need to talk to someone who’s in this business. I’m not sure if Bobby Dee is the right one or not, but he’s all I’ve got right now.”

  A few minutes later, they pulled up to the cottage where Bobby Dee had been staying. With Dez by her side, she climbed the stairs and knocked at his door. A moment later, Bobby Dee answered. The man was in his late twenties, with a shock of dark hair, striking blue eyes, and a boyish face.

  Surprise lined his features when he saw her. “Bree? Didn’t expect to see you.”

  The man looked like he had just woken up. His hair was messy, his clothes sloppy, and his eyes still droopy with sleep.

  “Come on in,” he said.

  They stepped inside his place and saw that it was a wreck. Beer cans everywhere as well as every other type of convenience food wrapper. Was
he drowning his sorrows? His guilt?

  Bree didn’t know.

  “A lot of things have been happening since I talked to you last,” Bree said.

  He nodded toward the couch and moved some of the trash off a couple cushions. “Have a seat. What’s going on?”

  Bree didn’t hesitate before diving in. “Emerson hasn’t paid me in six months. How about you?”

  A range of emotion flashed in his eyes. Was it surprise? Bree wasn’t sure.

  “No, man. He’s been paying me.”

  “Are you sure?” Dez asked, his laser-focused gaze on Bobby Dee.

  “Yeah, man. I’m sure. That stinks that he hasn’t been paying you. Are you sure that he’s not taking out recoupable items?”

  “Recoupable items?”

  “You know, under contract, the label is allowed to take out of your royalties the expenses they’ve used for publicity and other things used to build your career.”

  “I don’t know anything for sure,” Bree said. “I know that I’ve been bringing in a lot of profit. And for me not to be making hardly anything during this time seems very suspicious. My tours are sold out. Merchandise alone should be bringing in six figures.”

  Bobby Dee’s gaze met hers. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down before he said, “Maybe you should look into Starr Enterprises.”

  “Starr Enterprises?” Dez asked. “What is that?”

  “It’s Emerson’s other business. He doesn’t like to talk about it a lot. But I saw something online and started doing some research on it.”

  “I had no idea he was involved in other businesses,” Bree said. “What is Starr Enterprises exactly?”

  “It’s a line of hotels that are going to be built across the world.” Bobby Dee shrugged, but his shoulders looked tight. “Emerson is behind them.”

  “That sounds like something that will need a lot of capital,” Dez said.

  “You can say that again,” Bobby Dee muttered.

  Dez’s phone buzzed, and he stepped away for a second. As he did, Bree made casual chitchat with Bobby Dee. She’d thought her drummer’s reaction would be stronger to what she told him. Usually someone like Emerson would take all his clients for a ride, not just one of them. And based on what Carson had told her . . .