“Because I told her!” Mitch erupted. “I told her my plans not two nights before I took off. Don’t you guys understand that? I started telling her my plans months before I took off. I might not have known the name of the ship then, but I kept updating her every time I got a response from a ship’s captain. I must’ve sent out two dozen inquiries. Then The Outlander sailed into port. The timing couldn’t have been better for me. The freighter was headed to the Indian Ocean right where I wanted to go. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. I had to go. They were leaving here Saturday night at six on the dot. I had to be on that ship.”
“And you were. But did Raine know the name of the freighter? Because we didn’t, not until weeks later.”
“Face it,” Walsh added. “You blew it, man. You left her in the dust.”
“But I didn’t know about the baby,” Mitch insisted, desperate for some support, for someone to see his side of the situation. “I wouldn’t have left her like that. I would’ve married her.”
“And where would you be now? Raine obviously wasn’t your first choice unless the pregnancy was the deciding factor,” Garret said softly.
He tapped his brother on the knee. “The sea won, Mitch. You think Raine doesn’t know that? Believe me, she does. She’s had twelve years to consider all the possibilities. She knows you might not have this boat or the kind of life you have now. It’s exactly what you wanted. No doubt, you guys had an unfortunate turn of events. But the question is what do you plan to do about it now. Sit here and feel sorry for yourself? Or figure out a way to be with the woman you love?”
Walsh drained the remaining scotch from the bottle. “We love you, bro. But at times you come off as unbelievably coldhearted. Not to mention, a bit of an ass. Don’t let this resentment continue. You’ll have to make things right with the woman eventually.”
Garret veered from that point of view. “Clear the air, yes, but not until you’ve figured out what you want from Raine this time around. Either you’ll work things out, or you won’t. But one way or the other, you need to get a clear path in your head as to what comes next. Either leave the woman be or go for it all.”
Jackson put in his two cents. “You have to stop this tendency you have of playing with her affections. Garret’s right. You have to ask yourself what you want. Do you want to settle down with Raine here on island? She was head over heels in love with you once and you left. Every time you get near each other, there’s no doubt about the chemistry. But frankly, I don’t see you settling for a life behind the counter at the taco shop. What else would you do here, Mitch? Take tourists out to look for gold on the weekends? That doesn’t sound like my brother, the adventurer.”
Mitch didn’t see himself doing either one of those things. It saddened him to the core.
“And is chemistry enough?” Garret went on, “Everyone in this room knows when you’re ready to leave the Key again, you will. You’ll take off without a backward glance because it’s what you do.”
“In other words, you’ll do what suits you and won’t think twice about hurting Raine again,” Jackson noted. “So be sure what you want this time.”
Garret took the long way to get to the heart of his advice. “So until you decide that staying put with Raine is what you want, I’d suggest you think long and hard about approaching her.”
Walsh bobbed his head toward Garret. “That’s a good point. Yeah, stay away until you’ve got your head on straight.”
“So my own brothers are condemning me for wanting to get Raine back?” Mitch implored. “Unbelievable. You don’t think I’m ready to settle down? You think I’ll hurt her again? What’s wrong with wanting to have my life at sea and Raine Manning waiting back here at home? Why can’t I have both? Other men do it.”
Garret exchanged a look with Jackson. “You don’t get it, Mitch. Raine may want something other than a life with a sailor. That’s something the two of you will have to work out. If it’s meant to be, if Raine will accept your life in the salvage business, or you decide to stay here in Indigo, it’s up to you two. It’s possible it could work out, depends on the two of you.”
“You don’t sound all that hopeful,” Mitch said.
“That’s because you both have to get past all the anger first. Looking at you right now, let’s face it, that’s a big hurdle. We all come with baggage. What happens in the past makes us who we are. There’s no getting around that. Bottom line is if you want Raine, you’ll figure out a way to make it work. If not, you’ll have to let her go.”
“I already did that.”
Garret slapped him on the shoulder. “Come on, pull yourself together. I have a house to break into and I need you to have my back.”
Fuzzy-brained still, Mitch asked, “You’re still doing that? I thought Anniston would’ve talked you out of that by now.”
“I’m still doing it,” Garret stated. He tossed a glance at Jackson. “Looks like you’ll have to back me up. I don’t think Mitch is up to it.”
Mitch staggered to his feet. “No, I’m okay.” But his head was spinning like a scene out of The Exorcist. He had to sit down again. “On second thought, take Walsh. Take one of the lifeboats. I’ll stay here and guard the infamous Hugo.”
For the next couple of hours, Garret got his gear ready. He loaded up a bag with the stuff he’d need, including the weapons he would bring. If only he didn’t have to have an argument with Anniston about going. “This is the next step. I’ll be fine.”
“I wish you wouldn’t do this.”
“Stop worrying. I’m not going in alone. With Jackson and Walsh, I’ve got this covered.”
“I should go with you.”
“There’s no room in the dinghy for a fourth,” he pointed out, watching the worried frown lines spring up on her face. Some part of him inside brightened with the joy that she’d fret over him while he was gone.
“Sebastian’s done most of the surveillance. He’s done the legwork and I’ve done my homework. There’s no need to get all tied up in knots.”
“Just be careful,” she said, linking her arms around his neck.
“I always am,” he told her as he patted her rear end.
Anniston checked her phone for an update from her brother. “The good news is Sebastian’s latest report says that Dietrich doesn’t have guard dogs, at least not the canine variety. Although he did see Baskin and Dandridge hanging around earlier. But at last report the men left around 10 p.m. No other visible supporters anywhere around the property that he can see.”
“Awesome, because I’ll need enough time to locate the moneyman’s bedroom in the house, and enough time to take a tour, then crack the safe without interference from any of his bodyguards. Sebastian knows if he spots anyone around the perimeter, he’ll have to create a distraction to get them away from the rental, otherwise they’ll screw this whole thing up.”
“We don’t want that. Text me as soon as you’re out of there and on your way back home, okay?”
He took her chin and planted his lips on her mouth. “I’m beginning to think you’re a worrywart.”
“I guess I am when it comes to you.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“Be careful.”
“I’m the epitome of careful.” He let go of her hand to join his band of brothers and pushed off in the dinghy.
Like men on a mission, the three guys began to row. Above them, low in the night sky, a waxing moon glistened on the water in a show of silver and light. The waves slapped the little skiff, bouncing them up and down in the surf.
Garret didn’t start the motor until they were halfway across Sugar Bay, well away from the busy marina. They hugged the coast to the south, using the lights on shore as their navigational point, the shadows to hide their presence.
The moonlight helped them once they reached the beach. Dressed in all black with ski masks hiding their faces, the trio left the dinghy bobbing at the water’s edge, a good seventy yards away from the estate.
Grabbing the backpack he’d brought, Garret led the way through a canopy of tropical palms.
Walsh shoved a device in Garret’s hands and whispered, “Use this as soon as you get within ten feet of the house. It’s guaranteed to jam the sensors and take care of the security cameras and the alarm system in one fell swoop, forcing them all into shutdown mode no matter the location.”
“How does it do that?”
“It intercepts the data, deciphers the commands and changes the encryption so that it can’t authenticate any signals.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Garret said as his face broke out into a grin. “I’d give you a big kiss on the mouth if I didn’t think you might take it the wrong way.”
“I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but you aren’t my type. Now get out of here, kid. And don’t get yourself caught.”
“I don’t plan on it. One question, though. How do I reengage the systems after I get out? I don’t want Dietrich finding out I’ve been in there.”
Walsh pointed to a button on the side. “Once you’re out, hit this. It’ll reset everything.”
Jackson stood a few feet away next to a flowering ponytail palm. “If you need help, you know the signal. Walsh and I have your back.”
Garret sent him an eye roll. “If I get caught there won’t be any time to send up a flare. You guys take the raft and get out of here. Period. Don’t wait for me.”
“You’re joking, right? If you get caught I doubt Dietrich will bother calling the cops. We’ll likely hear gunshots long before he bothers asking any questions.”
“Thanks for that image,” Garret grumbled as he took off toward the house, veering through the property’s flora for cover. Hiding behind banana and banyan, he trekked through wild tamarind until he reached the outer courtyard.
Modern in design, the oceanfront villa was a tri-level gem at just under twelve thousand square feet. Garret intended to take his time with the premium tour.
There were no lights coming from anywhere inside, which made the house look deserted. But then he wouldn’t expect revelry at two-thirty in the morning.
When he found himself standing in the middle of a garden surrounded by shrubs and flowers, he brought out the device Walsh had given him and adjusted the dial that would send out radio waves to block the frequency and jam the data.
He made his way around the side of the house into the gleaming backyard pool setup. He took a few extra seconds to admire the oasis—surrounding sandstone deck and gurgling waterfall—that glowed like a beacon in the night. It was so bright back here he almost felt exposed. Even if he kept to the shadows, he doubted he’d need his penlight to see to pick the lock—it was that bright.
From his bag, he took out a pair of black gloves, tugged them on. He removed a grappling hook with a forty-foot rope. The metal flukes had been taped so they wouldn’t clink when the hook hit concrete or metal and make needless noise.
He tossed the hook up and over the balcony, then tested it to see if it had caught and the rope would hold his weight.
Behind him, Jackson and Walsh waited in a thicket of blooming poinciana. After signaling to them that he was ready to make the climb up to the second story, he shimmied up the rope like a ninja. He grabbed hold of the railing and hauled his body over the ledge in one fluid motion.
Standing on the veranda, he saluted the men below letting them know that he was in position. Out of habit, he ran his fingers along the frame of the French doors, checking for those sensors Walsh had mentioned. Finding no contact wires at all, he took out his handy dandy burglary kit from his backpack to pick the lock. Concentration and skill had him standing inside a hallway the size of a grand ballroom.
Thanks to the floor plans Sebastian had procured, Garret had the layout committed to memory. His first stop was the master bedroom where Dietrich was hopefully fast asleep. When he opened the door a crack to peer in, he was stunned to find the bed neatly made and empty. He checked the bathroom, just in case, and the walk-in closet that was the size of a playroom. He found two-thousand-dollar suits still on hangers, freshly laundered shirts in the drawers. But Dietrich was nowhere in sight.
Disappointment began to scuttle through him. What was the point of breaching Dietrich’s personal castle if the wealthy guy wasn’t around to try to thwart the invasion?
Puzzled by the uninhabited quarters, alarm bells went off in his head. Thinking it might be some sort of a trap, he looked around for any cameras that Walsh’s device had failed to jam. But he found nothing that would indicate a live feed or that he was being recorded.
His good mood returned. He took off to explore the rest of the second floor and found no one occupying any of the bedrooms. Not a maid or a servant anywhere in sight. Odd that the house would be so void of people this time of night, he thought, especially when Sebastian had reported Baskin and Dandridge on the premises four hours earlier.
Caution sailed through Garret as he began to consider the possibility that he was in the wrong house. To verify the address, he made his way to the study downstairs.
But once he reached the first floor, the first thing he went after was the alarm system. Garret had to make sure himself that no part of it could send out a signal. And when he found it DOA he smiled, and had to admire Walsh Kingston’s creativity.
The library had the look of money—rich mahogany woods, leather furniture, and gold accents that gleamed in the dark. Garret took his time perusing the bookshelves, noting many titles were in German. The books looked to be first editions and collector’s items. A good sign he was in the right place after all.
Turning to the desk, he spotted what looked like a cheesy hourglass front and center. He flipped it upside down and watched the grains of sand filter through to the bottom. The piece seemed out of place among the Cartier fountain pens and mocha leather. For a man with such expensive tastes it was an odd trinket to have on hand, thought Garret.
Skirting around to the other side, he jiggled the drawer to the desk, not surprised to find it locked. He took out his torque, slipped it inside the keyhole and twisted until he felt the mechanism pop. He found mail inside addressed to Werner Dietrich—finally proof that he was in the right spot.
Feeling better, he went in search of the safe. A lower panel at the end of the bookcase revealed a cheaply designed box. He grinned as soon as he saw the brand name—another safe that required nothing more than an electronic code.
He dug in his bag again, took out a yellow zippered case that held an earth magnet the size of a hockey puck. The disk was already tucked inside a cotton jewelry pouch. Placing the magnet in the upper left corner of the safe where the solenoid device was angled, he waited ten seconds for the magnetic energy to scramble the safe’s chip and wipe the memory clean before he tried the handle. When the door clicked open, he rummaged through the contents inside.
He found two Glock pistols, an assortment of loose diamonds and rubies, a stack of cash, along with a dozen or so business contracts, many with Royce Buchanan’s name on them. There were other signatures from the usual suspects—the mayor, Baskin, Dandridge, Frawley, and Sinclair. But nothing to indicate Dietrich held the antique papers that proved his Nazi origins were for real.
With his camera phone, Garret took pictures of the paperwork and tried to leave everything just as he’d found it. But as he turned to go, it ran through his mind that he ought to be able to have a little fun and mess with the German’s head. Since the magnet had wiped the chip clean, he entered a different code into the keypad. Try to get into your safe now, Garret thought.
He was grinning from ear to ear when he strolled out through the first-story double doors and back out into the courtyard.
Two hours later, he’d made it back to Anniston’s hotel room and was stretched out on the bed, exhausted. But while he tried to close his eyes, she was in the mood to rehash…everything.
She’d already gone through the photos of the documents and found them damning. “My God, Dietrich has been Ro
yce’s business partner for more than five years. The man kept a detailed list of people he’s paid off and how much he gave them.”
“The Nazis were known to keep immaculate records. So it stands to reason that with Dietrich’s upbringing it’d be ingrained in him to do likewise.”
“Well, right after Royce brought him into the golf course project, the guy didn’t waste any time meeting with as many congressmen as would meet with him and getting them on his payroll. If we ever do nab this guy, we could bring down all his crooked politicians.”
Since she insisted on talking about it, Garret rolled on his side and propped himself up on one elbow. He watched as Anniston slathered fragrant cream on her toned arms and up and down her long legs. The picture was sexy as hell.
“Why wasn’t Dietrich at home?” she persisted, not letting the subject go. “It’s weird.”
“No idea. It didn’t look like anyone had been there for several days.” He patted the sheets next to him. “Come to bed.”
But since he’d gotten back, she couldn’t get her mind to let go of that one fact. When she crawled between the sheets, she was still thinking like a detective. “Then why were Baskin and Dandridge there earlier?”
He ran a hand up one silky thigh. “Checking up on the place for an absent Dietrich, I guess. I don’t know. You’re full of questions I can’t answer.”
“Okay, then did you at least find out what happened between Mitch and Raine?”
“That’s a long story,” he said as his mouth closed over hers.
She poked him in the ribs, nuzzled his neck. “Come on, before you go to sleep, tell me what happened between Mitch and Raine.”
He sighed, gave up the idea of foreplay and settled back into his pillow, gathering her close. He kissed her brow and began the sad tale of two star-crossed lovers destined to take different paths in life.
The Indigo Brothers Trilogy Boxed Set Page 62
