Dangerous Waters (Lantern Beach Book 4)

by Christy Barritt

  Warm liquid covered her fingers, but she didn’t dare look. The sight of it would only make her lightheaded—the last thing she needed up here.

  “People like me have been discounted for too long,” Orion snapped. “We were the uprising, giving the power back to the right people.”

  “You wanted power for your own gain,” she said. “You weren’t in this to help anyone but yourselves.”

  “Still mouthy, I see. Let’s see if I can put an end to this. You’re not as much fun as I’d thought you’d be. In fact, you’re giving me a headache.”

  Still holding his gun, he reached down and grabbed something. Was that a . . . noose?

  “Put it on,” he barked.

  No way was Cassidy putting that thing around her neck. She’d die fighting first.

  She dashed to the other side of the lantern room atop the lighthouse. Running in circles wasn’t ideal—but it was something.

  Orion yelled out an obscenity before coming after her.

  After one circuit, they both paused. Cassidy could see him on the other side of the glass, casting her a death glare.

  She tried to catch her breath and gripped her arm. If she was going down, she wasn’t going to make it easy for him.

  He lunged toward her again, and she took off around the cylinder. She could go down the stairs. But she’d be an open target if she did.

  Think, Cassidy. Think.

  But she was out of good ideas. Out of Day-at-a-Glance wisdom.

  She had nothing.

  Her breathing came in short gasps, and her head spun. Orion suddenly stopped and changed directions. She pivoted to turn, but her foot caught on something, and she crashed onto the metal grate below her.

  Her heart pounding in her ears, she glanced up. Saw Orion coming toward her, a crazed smirk on his face.

  This was it. He was going to put that noose around her neck, and this was all going to be over.

  It’s been a good run, God. But this isn’t the way it’s supposed to end.

  “You always have to make things complicated,” Orion said.

  Just as the words left his mouth, the wind kicked up. It wasn’t just any wind—it was probably a forty-mile-an-hour gust.

  The breeze caught Orion off guard. His eyes widened, and he stepped back to catch his balance.

  His heel hit the edge of the catwalk. He started to fall backward, into the railing.

  But the metal support groaned. Ty had warned her about that section, hadn’t he? Said it was loose.

  Orion’s eyes widened. His arms windmilled as he grabbed the air, trying to catch himself.

  But it was too late.

  He fell from the catwalk.

  Cassidy closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable moment when he hit the ground. It came with a sickening thud.

  She should have caught him.

  No, she realized.

  Orion would have only pulled her down with him. They both would have died.

  She glanced at the ground below and saw police cars had arrived.

  Rose.

  Someone needed to get to Rose and help her before it was too late.

  No one could get through that barricade Orion set up.

  Cassidy rushed down the steps and found the woman on the dirty floor. Blood pooled around her, and little gasps escaped from her lips.

  Cassidy knelt beside her. “Rose, it’s going to be okay. Help is almost here.”

  “Cassidy . . .” she whispered.

  Cassidy leaned closer. “I’m here.”

  “I didn’t tell anyone else . . . you were here,” she whispered. “I’m sorry . . . this happened.”

  “You just worry about getting better.”

  “I shouldn’t have . . .”

  “It’s okay.” Cassidy’s mental clock started ticking again. Rose needed help. Now. “But I need to open the door.”

  “Cassidy . . .” she whispered again. “Your friend is close. She’s . . . not far. Get her before the tide rises.”

  “Where? Can you tell me where?”

  “Moon . . .” she muttered.

  Then Rose’s eyes closed.

  She was gone, Cassidy realized.

  Moisture filled her eyes. Maybe Rose had held on just long enough to tell Cassidy that. But Cassidy had held so much hope Rose would change, that she’d take that second chance. Instead, she’d given in and sold herself in order to belong. In order to gain money.

  In the end, Rose had redeemed herself. She’d taken a bullet for them. At least there was something to be said for that.

  “Cassidy, are you in there?” Someone banged on the door, reminding her that it wasn’t too late.

  She rushed toward it and unbolted it.

  Ty rushed inside and pulled her into his arms as paramedics flooded the space.

  “Are you okay?” Ty asked, pressing her face between his hands. The police must have been able to get his handcuffs off.

  “Yes, but . . .” She looked at her arm and saw the blood there. Then she looked at Rose, and her knees felt weak.

  “I’ve got you, sweetheart. I’ve got you.”

  Her head spun a moment, yet her brain wouldn’t stop working. “Where’s Mac?”

  “I’m right here.” He stepped in behind them. “He’s gone, Cassidy. He . . . didn’t survive the fall.”

  She swallowed hard, remembering every detail. “Maybe this lighthouse was looking out for me,” Cassidy said.

  “Maybe another kind of lighthouse was,” Ty said.

  “Amen.” Her smile faded. “Mac, I need you to do something for me.”

  “Anything.”

  “Rose told me Serena was close. I don’t know where, but she’s not inside this lighthouse. Rose suggested Serena’s near the water and then she muttered ‘moon.’”

  “The August Moon,” Ty said.

  Cassidy’s breath caught. “Yes, that’s got to be it. It makes sense. And the tide is rising. The boat is going to be covered soon.”

  “I’m on it,” Mac said.

  Ty slipped his arm around Cassidy. “We’ll get you fixed up. I’m just grateful you’re alive.”

  She buried herself in his chest. “I’m glad you’re okay. This . . . this could have turned out much differently.”

  “Yes, it could have.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Cassidy stood beside the lighthouse wrapped in a blanket—not to ward away the cold since it was still hot outside. She wore it to protect her from the sand the strong winds blasted through the air. She used it as a small symbol of comfort.

  A paramedic had cleaned her wounds. Bandaged her temple and arm. Tried to take her to the clinic. She’d refused. Ty remained glued to her side the entire time.

  But the person she most wanted to see right now was Serena. It had been fifteen minutes. Where was Mac? Was he okay? What had Orion done to Serena? The questions pummeled her until Cassidy could hardly breathe.

  Finally, two figures emerged from around a bend of trees.

  “Is that them?” Cassidy asked, everything else fading from around her.

  “I think so.”

  She let out a cry of relief. Serena’s look today wasn’t purposeful. Her hair was messy, her skin pale, her clothes dirty. But she was alive, which meant this might be her best look of all.

  Cassidy started to step toward her when Skye’s car squealed toward the end of the road, braking so hard the vehicle’s nose dipped toward the ground. She threw her car in Park and ran across the sand to her niece. The two embraced. Cassidy gave them some time together, not wanting to ruin the moment.

  As she waited, Bozeman strode toward them from the lighthouse.

  A glint of cynicism filled his gaze as it hit Cassidy. “You two want to explain how you’re involved in this?”

  Ty started to speak, but Cassidy stopped him. She didn’t want other people to carry the weight of her problems, not when she was capable. “It’s my fault. That man is someone from my past. I never expected him to show up here in
Lantern Beach. From the moment I saw him, I knew he’d bring trouble.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that trouble came into town?”

  She pulled the blanket tighter. “I had no proof. Just my observations. I figured it wouldn’t do any good.”

  “So was this all about you?” Bozeman continued to stare. Of all the times he chose to have some common sense, it had to be now.

  “This was all about him,” Cassidy said. “He may have come here to find me, but what he really wanted was to expand his criminal enterprise. His drug reach. That’s what he does. He saw Lantern Beach as a target.”

  “That doesn’t explain the bomb or why he grabbed your friend.”

  “Drugs do crazy things to people,” Cassidy said, hoping he bought that explanation. It was true—just incomplete. “He wasn’t in his right mind.”

  “I’m going to have to take your word on that. He can’t speak for himself.” A shadow of doubt crossed his face.

  “I’m sure the autopsy will answer a lot,” Ty said, his arm tightening around Cassidy.

  “I’m hoping it will,” Bozeman said. “And you said the wind pushed him off?”

  “That’s right. I’ve been preoccupied for the past few days, and I didn’t even watch the weather. Apparently, he didn’t either because he didn’t anticipate Mother Nature being an obstacle.”

  “The high winds today are a doozy. There’s also a small craft advisory and the risk of ocean overwash as well.”

  “Well, it worked in my favor today. I’m thankful for that.”

  “I see.” Bozeman nodded slowly. “We may have more questions. Stay in town.”

  “You know where to find us.”

  As soon as Bozeman walked away, Serena broke away from the detective she was speaking with and ran toward Cassidy.

  “I’m so sorry,” Serena muttered, throwing her arms around Cassidy and sobbing. “I should have taken the ice cream truck back when you told me. But I thought it would help us both out if I could sell more. I was so stupid.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Cassidy said. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

  Serena stared off at the water and wiped her moist eyes. “I didn’t think anyone was going to find me. Thank you for sending Mac.”

  “He went on his own.” Cassidy studied her tear-stained face a moment. “I know we don’t have much time right now, but what happened?”

  “Elsa started playing ‘Who Let the Dogs Out?’ Who would have thought?” She let out a sardonic laugh.

  “You didn’t program that song?” Ty asked.

  Serena shook her head. “No, I have no idea how to. And people started rushing toward the truck to get their free ice cream sandwiches I’d promised. I . . . uh . . . I ran out. I’ll buy more. So sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about that now.”

  “Anyway, a man approached. I didn’t even recognize him, Cassidy. I’d seen his picture, but it didn’t register. He seemed nice when he asked for ice cream and told me I was pretty. The next thing I knew, he held a gun. Told me to get out and follow him or he’d kill me.”

  Cassidy’s heart throbbed with compassion and regret. “I’m sorry that happened to you, Serena.”

  Serena hugged her again. “Thanks again for finding me.”

  A detective came and told Serena they had more questions. She nodded at Cassidy and Ty before reluctantly going to speak with more law enforcement, and this was just beginning. The police would have endless questions for everyone involved here.

  Skye sauntered over. The woman swallowed hard, her movements tight with tension. “I guess I owe you an apology too,” she said.

  Cassidy touched Skye’s arm, trying to pull her out of the vortex of regret that seemed to drag her under. “No, you don’t. You were scared.”

  The wind blew her long, untamed hair in her face and billowed out her flowy ankle-length skirt. “I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I’ve just . . . I’ve been stabbed in the back before. I think the worst of people sometimes, and I let my emotions get the best of me. Please forgive me.”

  “Of course,” Cassidy said. “That’s what friends do.”

  They hugged. Friends, Cassidy mused. It felt so good to be surrounded by them now.

  Mac joined them several minutes later. Cassidy expected him to look relieved, maybe even giddy at the outcome. Instead, his posture was tense, and all the normal mischief was gone from his gaze.

  “What’s going on?” Ty seemed to sense Mac’s mood as well, based on the hardness of his voice and the way his muscles suddenly bristled.

  “There’s been something bothering me about that bomb,” Mac said, lowering his voice and glancing around. “I just realized what it was.”

  “Please share.” Cassidy’s pulse spiked with anticipation. She had no idea where he was going with this, but she could tell this would be no laughing matter.

  Mac scanned everything around him one more time. “Before I retired as police chief, one of my last cases involved a husband who left his wife in her rental house with a bomb.”

  “Okay . . .” Cassidy said.

  “That bomb is the one from the evidence locker at the police station,” Mac said.

  Cassidy blinked. She couldn’t have heard correctly. The bomb was from an earlier crime that had been committed on the island? “Come again?”

  Mac nodded. “I can’t prove it. But I know it’s the same one. Of course, we didn’t leave the bomb in there assembled. But we left enough of it together that a person would only have to add a few things to make it deadly again.”

  Ty shifted, his hands going to his hips. “So does this mean what I’m thinking it means?”

  Mac leveled his gaze with them. “It means, there may be a dirty cop on the force here in Lantern Beach.”

  Cassidy’s head swirled. She’d suspected someone on the force might be involved in some late-night drug deals. But she’d had bigger issues at hand than checking into that. Maybe it should have been more of a priority.

  “What are you going to do about it?” Ty asked.

  Mac rubbed his beard and stared off into the distance a moment. “Nothing—for now. But I’m going to keep my eyes open. Orion obviously found out about the area’s less-than-savory characters easily. They must have connected him to everyone he needed to know here to enable his plan.”

  The thought wasn’t comforting to Cassidy. But, like Mac said, that was going to be a problem for another day. Right now, she needed to rest and revel in the fact that she’d lived to see another day.

  Cassidy and Ty didn’t reach their cottages until after dark. They’d been questioned again before they left the scene at the lighthouse, and Cassidy had managed to hide from the police her true identity.

  Without Orion or Rose there to tell their side, her secret was safe . . . for a while, at least. But the fact remained that Cassidy had solved too many cases, been involved in too much. And when they learned Orion was part of DH-7, who knew what might happen?

  But for now, Cassidy just needed to breathe.

  She and Ty sat in their favorite spot—the swing on his porch. Kujo jumped up beside them and laid his head in Cassidy’s lap. It was too dark outside to see the ocean, but they could hear the swells pounding the shore. Crickets and frogs offered their soundtracks around them as well, and the steady breeze of the wind felt refreshing and served as a reminder that everything was okay.

  For now.

  She wished she could say the same for Rose. She wished the woman had another chance at redemption. But her final act had been selfless. Cassidy grieved the loss yet felt entirely grateful that the woman who’d led Orion to her had ultimately helped to save Serena’s life.

  Cassidy leaned into Ty, careful to avoid rubbing her wounds against him. Ty’s shoulder was probably going to be sore tomorrow, although he denied it. Cassidy hoped he hadn’t undone all the progress he’d made since his surgery.

  “Orion told me there’s someone else in charge of DH-7,” Cassidy said after a f
ew moments of silence.

  Ty tensed beside her. “What do you mean?”

  “I figured Orion was the one calling all the shots since Raul died. But, according to him, there’s always been someone else. All the money is channeled through this person.”

  “Do you have any idea who?”

  Cassidy rubbed Kujo’s head. The dog seemed to sense the danger they’d been in and hadn’t left their sides since they got back. “No, I don’t. I have a feeling the FBI doesn’t either.”

  “Did you tell Samuel—isn’t that your contact’s name?”

  “It is. And I haven’t. But what if it’s Samuel?”

  Ty didn’t say anything for a minute. “He would have just sent someone to kill you, right?”

  “Not if he doesn’t want the finger pointed at him.” Cassidy released a sigh. Things felt even more complicated now instead of simpler, like she’d hoped they might. “I really have no idea. No clue at all. But I don’t like the thought of someone else being at the reins. DH-7 needs to dissolve.”

  “Answers will come to light in time.”

  She frowned. “My fear is how they’ll come to light.”

  “However it happens, I’ll be beside you.” He kissed the top of her head.

  “Thank you, Ty.”

  Silence fell around them as they swayed back and forth. Cassidy’s thoughts swirled inside her. The events of the past few days were a lot to comprehend and would take a while to mentally sort through. And hiding her real identity was going to become harder than ever.

  She worried about the videos people had filmed when those surfers had taken flakka and unleashed themselves on the boardwalk. If they went viral, would someone recognize her? She’d been wearing a hat and sunglasses.

  But still.

  Maybe if she truly kept a low profile over the next few months, she’d still be able to pull this off.

  And maybe she and Ty really would have a chance at a future together.

  She turned to him, her heart swelling with love again. “You want to tell me why you’ve been so melancholy?”

  He laced his fingers through hers, his expression pensive. “I realized that you might not stick around here, and I can’t stand the thought of losing you.”