by Matt Lincoln
Caribbean Rescue
Coastal Fury book 16
Matt Lincoln
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
2. Olivia
3. Ethan
4. Olivia
5. Ethan
6. Olivia
7. Ethan
8. Ethan
9. Ethan
10. Ethan
11. Ethan
12. Ethan
13. Ethan
14. Ethan
15. Ethan
16. Ethan
17. Ethan
18. Ethan
19. Ethan
20. Ethan
21. Ethan
22. Ethan
23. Ethan
24. Olivia
25. Ethan
26. Ethan
27. Ethan
28. Ethan
29. Ethan
30. Ethan
31. Ethan
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Prologue
It was the height of summer in Miami, and the Rolling Thunder was packed. The beaches were crowded with families that had descended upon Miami in droves as soon as school had let out, and even my own bar, usually frequented only by older professionals and retirees, was bustling with new faces. Among them were more than a few haggard-looking dads who had likely slipped away to have a drink and a few minutes of peace, at least according to Mike.
“What do you think?” Mike asked me as he nodded toward a man sitting at the other end of the bar, steadily draining a pint of strong beer. “That safari hat he’s wearing screams ‘dad,’ don’t you think? Only people with like four kids wear stuff like that.”
“Don’t you have anything better to do?” I asked, as I moved to refill his own pint. “Why are you always here? Shouldn’t you be off golfing or doing whatever it is that retired people do?”
Mike was the former owner of the Rolling Thunder, though back when it was under his control, it was a tacky, tiki-themed shack known as Mike’s Tropical Tango Hut. Nevertheless, even after selling it to me, it felt like he was still here all the time.
“I could ask you the same thing,” he countered as he took a sip of his beer. “Rhoda and Nadia handle everything here pretty well. You retired from MBLIS, and yet here you are every day.”
“This is my bar,” I retorted as I took a look around the place I’d lovingly transformed from a kitschy dive into a place people might actually enjoy drinking at. “But yeah, I guess you’re right.”
MBLIS, or the Military Border Liaison Investigative Services, was the name of the government agency that I had spent most of my life working for. It had already been a few years since I’d retired and taken over the bar, but I’d have been lying if I said I didn’t miss those days sometimes, especially when my favorite group of kids stopped by to hassle me for a story about the good old days. Even after I’d retired, the idea of spending all of my time lounging around just didn’t appeal to me. I’d always been drawn to action and adrenaline, and though the bar wasn’t exactly the most high-energy place, it was certainly better than spending all of my time lazing around.
“‘Course I’m right,” Mike replied. “And besides, it’s fun trying to people-read, don’t you think? Now, look at that guy and tell me he didn’t come to Miami with his wife and four kids.”
I rolled my eyes at his antics, but looked over at the man, anyway. He was wearing one of those wide-brimmed hats with the flap that comes down the back to protect your neck from getting sunburned. He was also wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a painfully ugly blue and yellow tropical-patterned button-down over a plain white t-shirt. His outfit definitely screamed tourist, but it was the wedding band on his finger and the fanny pack strapped around his waist that made me think that Mike’s assessment might be right.
“Yeah, I could see that.” I shrugged as I poured myself a pint of my own. If I was going to play this silly game with Mike, I might as well enjoy it. “I don’t know, though. He might just be married.”
“Nah.” Mike shook his head confidently. “Newlywed guys don’t dress like that. That right there is a man who has changed diapers.”
“How would you know?” I laughed before taking a sip of my beer.
“I ran a bar for decades,” Mike replied confidently. “You see all kinds working this kind of job. At this point, I can tell about a hundred things about a person with a single glance. Just give it a few years running this place, you’ll be able to read people with just a look, too.”
“Whatever you say, Mike.” I smiled at him as I took another sip of my beer.
Even though it was busy, most of the crowd tonight was on the older side and relatively calm. It was nothing like some of the trendier places along the beach, which would no doubt be filled with college students and kids from the nearby base. It was calm enough that I could humor Mike for a little while longer while he pointed out which customers were definitely fathers because of some minuscule detail about their clothing or appearance.
“You ever wish you’d given it a try?” Mike asked me a little wistfully.
“What?” I snorted. “Entertaining myself by making up wild backstories for random strangers? Can’t say I have.”
“No,” he scoffed as he drained the last of his current pint. “You know, the easy life. Actual retirement. Vacations that don’t involve getting into gunfights with international crime lords.”
“I think you might be going senile in your old age,” I deadpanned. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d ever be the kind of guy to just… do nothing.
“You’re a smart-ass,” Mike snorted.
“I learned from the best,” I countered as I moved to refill his pint again.
We continued with our antics through several pints, until the sun was starting to go down, and by then, it was getting late enough that the bar was starting to dwindle down to my regulars.
“Where’s your fan club today?” Mike asked, as he lifted the glass to his lips.
“The kids from the base?” I clarified. “Haven’t seen them in a few days.”
“Huh,” Mike remarked with surprise. “Seems like they’re always here. At least, any time I happen to stop by. Feels a lot quieter without them around.”
As if on cue, the door to the bar burst open, and Ty’s boisterous voice filled the bar.
“Spoke too soon,” Mike chuckled as he turned to look at the group.
Ty, Charlie, Jeff, and Mac were all laughing and chatting animatedly as they walked through the bar to their usual booth. They were all decked out in swimwear, and judging by their wet hair and sandy clothes, I assumed they’d just come back from the beach.
“Hey kids,” I greeted them as I approached them with a tray of drinks. I knew all of their usual orders by heart now, they were here so often. “Looks like you had a fun day.”
“Yeah.” Jeff grinned. “We had the day off, all of us. It’s the first time in a while all of us had off on the same day, so we decided to hit the beach while it was nice out.”
“I’m glad to hear you had a good time,” I replied as I distributed the drinks. “And that you didn’t run straight here. You guys should have some fun on your days off instead of hanging around this place all day.”
“Aw, you know you love us.” Mac smirked before taking a sip of her drink.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. I definitely had a soft spot for this group of kids, and I really enjoyed having an audience to tell my stories to.
“Hey, where’s your drink?” Charlie as me as I finished passing around their orders.
“What?” I raised a confused eyebrow at him.
“Come on.�
� He flashed me a lopsided smile. “You have to tell us the next part of the story!”
I smiled back as I realized what he was getting at.
“And don’t try to give us any excuses about being busy!” Ty chimed in. “We saw you chatting with Mike at the bar just now.”
“Alright, hold your horses.” I lifted a hand to stop him. “I didn’t say no. Just give me a minute to get myself a drink.”
“Yes!” Charlie exclaimed excitedly.
Honestly, it was a pretty nice stroke to my ego to have these kids so excited to hear about my stories. It had gotten to the point that I actually looked forward to their visits.
“I’m glad it’s so chill in here,” Mac remarked as I sat down at their booth with my own drink. “The beach was fun, but during the summer, the number of tourists around can get a little overwhelming, especially all the kids.”
“What’s wrong with kids?” Ty asked as he took a sip of his beer.
“Nothing, really,” Mac shrugged. “I mean, I like kids fine. I’ve babysat my niece a few times, but I’m not so thrilled when there are hundreds of them running around screaming.”
“Yeah, the beach was really crowded,” Jeff agreed with a nod. “It’s nice to be able to relax in here.”
“Well, I’m glad my bar is useful to you,” I chuckled.
“Anyway,” Charlie interjected impatiently. “About that story? You had just wrapped up the case with the Hollands, right? And you found out that they had just been messing with you about all the Dragon’s Rogue stuff?”
I raised my eyebrows at him, a little impressed. I could always count on Charlie to catch everyone up with where the story had left off. The kid had some memory.
“Speaking of the Dragon’s Rogue,” Jeff cut in, “You said you were going to tell us about the anchor.”
“That’s right!” Ty exclaimed as he turned to look at the large anchor mounted on the wall just to the right of where we were sitting. “You told us last time that this is the anchor from the Dragon’s Rogue, right? So you found it? What happened?”
“And the chest!” Jeff chimed in. “That one that you found in the sunken pirate ship. You didn’t tell us what was in there!”
“Slow down,” I replied, unable to hide my smile at the eager looks on their faces. “Yes, I did find the anchor pretty soon after we closed the Holland case, but it was still a while before I found the ship itself.”
“Wait, but… how?” Charlie sighed with frustration. “How does an anchor just become disconnected from its ship?”
“We’ll get to it,” I assured him. “To be honest, it was a while yet before I found the ship, though the search did end up ramping up in part due to what I found inside the chest.”
“Okay,” Jeff replied anxiously as he sat up straighter. “So, what happened next?
“Well, first there was the anchor,” I answered as I thought about the best point to start the story from. “To explain how I got my hands on it, I first need to tell you about how we ended up getting involved in a twenty-year-old cold case.”
“Whoa,” Mac muttered. “How’d that happen?”
“Well,” I began as I took a long sip of my drink in preparation, “it all started with a little boy that was found wandering alone on the beach.”
1
The sun was shining bright and hot above her as she made her way quickly across the beach. The sand felt warm and soft beneath her feet. She wasn’t wearing any shoes. She’d jumped into action the moment an opportunity had presented itself, so she hadn’t had time to put any on before leaving.
All around her, people were enjoying their time on the beach. Her heart pounded forcefully as she passed them by, unable to shake the feeling that they were all watching her. It was the height of tourist season, so the shore was packed. Couples were stretched out along beach towels, overpriced drinks clutched in their hands. Families played near the edge of the water, anxious parents careful not to let their small children drift too far away.
Her own fist tightened around the tiny hand clenched in hers. She looked down at the little boy at her side, stumbling across the uneven sand as quickly as his little legs would let him. He was shorter than he should have been at this age, and she felt intense sorrow over that fact. She’d do better by him, though. As soon as they were free, she’d make sure he got the life she’d never had a chance at.
“Picture? Picture?” She flinched as a tall man holding a camera suddenly approached her, his white teeth bared in a friendly smile.
He must have thought she was a tourist. She certainly looked like one, with her blond hair and blue eyes. Her son, too, though his own skin was several shades darker, was sporting a mop of gorgeous yellow ringlets. Anyone who saw them here, walking barefoot along the beach, would have immediately assumed they were just another pair of tourists enjoying a nice day out.
“No, thank you.” She smiled stiffly before scooping her son up into her arms and walking briskly away from the man. She was certain that she’d seen him around before, selling photos to tourists. If she recognized him, then there was a good chance he might recognize her, and she absolutely could not let that happen.
She realized suddenly, as she made her way further down the beach, that she actually didn’t know what to do now. The moment she’d noticed that the usual guard was busy fooling around with Joanie, she’d grabbed Eddy out of bed and booked it. Now that she was out here, though, she wasn’t sure what to do next.
She didn’t have any money. Hell, she’d left without even getting any shoes. And it wasn’t as though she could ask anyone for help. This entire area was their turf, so there was no telling who she could trust.
Before she could decide, she heard a shout tear across the beach.
“Where the hell are you?!” a gruff voice screamed from behind her.
A chill ran through her as every muscle in her body tensed at the call. She hugged Eddy tighter against her chest as she chanced a look backward. It only took her a moment to spot the guard, Antonio, standing at the edge of the boardwalk. He was scowling, his face twisted into a vicious snarl as he quickly scanned the area, looking for her.
She turned around before he could spot her and took off in a random direction. She didn’t know where she was going, but she couldn’t let Antonio catch her. She couldn’t go back, not after she’d finally summoned the courage to leave. There was no telling what they would do to her if they managed to drag her back, or worse, what they might do to Eddy.
The crowd was thicker here, and the faces of the people around her all seemed to blur together as she shoved her way through.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Antonio’s voice roared again, now just inches behind her.
She yelped as a thick set of fingers curled around her arm. He gripped her hard enough that she was certain it would leave bruises.
She snapped her head around to look at him. How had he caught up to her? He’d been on the other end of the beach just seconds ago, hadn’t he?
She noticed that several people around them had stopped what they were doing and were now staring in their direction.
“Stop!” she screamed as she attempted to twist her arm out of his grip. She looked around at the crowd pleadingly. Maybe one of them would help her. “Let me go!”
“Shut your mouth,” Antonio sneered as he tightened his grip.
She winced in pain. It felt as though her bones were about to snap.
“Hey, man,” a blond, broad-shouldered stranger barked as he approached them. “What’s the problem?”
She looked up at the newcomer, a mixture of shock and relief blooming in her eyes.
“Mind your own business,” Antonio growled as he attempted to yank her away by the arm.
“You’re making it my business,” the blond man replied as he shoved Antonio away from her. He had an American accent and stood about a head taller than Antonio. “The lady told you to let her go, didn’t she?”
“Hey, what’s going on here?”
a different man interjected as he stepped between Antonio and the woman. By now, more people had turned to watch the confrontation, and for the first time in a long time, she felt as though someone was actually on her side.
“Get out of my way!” Antonio snapped as he attempted to push past the men.
“Yo, you need to chill,” the second man replied. “She’s holding a kid, man. What do you think you’re doing?”
“Yeah!” another voice chimed in, female this time.
More and more people began to come to her defense, and for just a moment, she felt as though she might actually make it out of there.
Then she spotted the other men approaching, and the moment ended.
She couldn’t stay there. As well-meaning as these people might be, they had no idea what they were up against. She made a split-second decision and fled while Antonio was distracted.
She sprinted now, tearing across the beach as fast as she could. The muscles in her legs ached, but she couldn’t slow down. She wouldn’t get another opportunity like this.
She looked frantically around as she ran, desperately searching for some place to hide. There was nothing, though. Just a long stretch of open beach, interrupted only by the occasional stall or hut selling local street food or tacky souvenirs.
Then she saw her chance.
A couple of tourists were stepping unsteadily off a small fishing boat, wide smiles spread across their faces. Helping them back onto the dock was a handsome young man with tanned skin and dark, curly hair. She recognized him. She’d seen him giving tourists rides in his boats before, and sometimes he rented them out too.
