Coastal Fury Boxset (1-3)

by Matt Lincoln

  “So, your mom and dad…?”

  I shrugged. “My father was a bitter man about a lot of things, especially after Mom died, but you asked about my grandfather,” I said to change the subject. “While it was just him and me, things were good. Really good.”

  Tessa smiled, but she also looked guilty again.

  “Okay, lady, that’s it.” I poked her playfully in the side. “What are you hiding? There’s something you’re waiting for me to say.”

  She laughed and held a hand up in surrender. “You got me,” she confessed. “Robbie told me about the pirate ship.”

  “That’s what you were trying to get out of me? Wow. You’d make a lousy interrogator.”

  “I know,” she said. “I’m a good listener, though. Tell me about it?”

  “What makes you think I need somebody to listen?” I shot back with a smile. “Seriously, I’m not all broken up and tortured about my grandfather. I have no idea why Robbie thinks that.”

  She reached out and took my hand. “He says you hardly ever talk about it.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s because we’re at work most of the time.” I gave in with a sigh and relaxed into the couch. “The ship is called the Dragon’s Rogue, and it sailed under Captain Mad Dog Grendel in the late 1600s. My grandfather heard stories about it when he was a kid from an old man who claimed to be Grendel’s great-great-grandson, who’d heard stories from his grandfather and so forth, back to Grendel himself. He was fascinated, so he started digging around some more. Eventually, he figured out that the ship probably went down somewhere in this area.”

  “So he started looking for it?” she asked.

  “Off and on. Mostly, he did a lot of research and found pretty much everything there was to find.” I swallowed more beer to wet my throat. “The real searching didn’t start until I came to live with him.”

  Her smile warmed. “You helped him look for it.”

  “The search for the Dragon’s Rogue was what saved me,” I admitted. “I was a pretty messed-up kid after my father died. I’d already lost my mom, and once she was gone, with my father deployed most of the time, I was disconnected. I was shuffled around, staying with base families who didn’t really want me there but felt like it was their duty to help a fellow Marine. In the year before he was killed, I’d run off from whoever I was supposed to be staying with and break into my own house, where I could take care of myself.”

  “Oh, Ethan, that’s awful,” Tessa said with glittering eyes.

  I frowned. “It just was. Anyway, the first weekend I was with my grandfather, he asked if I wanted to go out on the boat and search for pirate treasure with him. What twelve-year-old boy could resist that?” My lips twitched into a smile. “We went out just about every weekend. Roamed the seas, kept detailed maps of all the places we’d searched. He taught me how to sail and scuba dive, so I was way ahead of the curve by the time I joined the Navy, and… well, I guess that’s it.”

  “That’s it?” She nudged me with an elbow. “You’re leaving out the part about what else you found in that cave.”

  “He told you about that, too? Of course, he did,” I muttered. “The ship-to-shore boat, the skeleton, they definitely belonged to the Dragon’s Rogue. It’s the first physical evidence that my grandfather was right, and the ship itself has to be around here somewhere.”

  Tessa leaned back with a satisfied smile. “Incredible,” she said. “And to think you found it because someone else died in that cave, three hundred years later, and you happened to be investigating the murder. What are the odds?”

  To be honest, I hadn’t really thought about the odds. I was just glad I’d found it before someone else did. “I guess they’re about the same as the odds of meeting my CO’s daughter, who lives in New York, at a murder scene in Miami,” I pointed out.

  She grinned. “Not a fair comparison. Those odds were fixed.”

  “Right. By Uncle Donald,” I elaborated. “Your godfather, the admiral, also a hell of a coincidence.”

  Tessa gasped suddenly and sat up straight. “Oh, no. I promised I’d call him tonight,” she said. “I know it’s late, but I’d better do it now. Otherwise, he’ll scramble the whole fleet or something to hunt me down.”

  “Yeah, in that case, you should probably call him,” I said with a laugh.

  “I’ll just…” She grabbed her purse from where she’d dropped it on the end table next to the couch and extracted her phone. “Mind if I go back there a minute?” she asked, pointing toward the bedrooms. “I’m still a little mad at him, and I might want to yell.”

  “Go for it.”

  With a hurried thanks, she hustled off into the back. I stood and stretched, then took her half-empty beer and my mostly empty one to the kitchen. It was already late when we’d gotten here, and I knew we were both exhausted. The time to turn in was upon us, especially since I was due in the office by eight, and I still had work to do.

  I hoped Bonnie and Clyde were up to the task of locating a downed boat somewhere off the coast because it was the only option I had left, short of torturing Benta for the information. I suspected even that wouldn’t work on him, though.

  He had every reason to fear Cobra Jon more than me. All I could do was lock him away for life, but his boss could end him.

  I’d just rinsed out the beer cans and dropped them in the returnables bag when I heard soft footsteps behind me. I turned to find Tessa approaching me with a sleepy smile.

  “Didn’t hear a lot of yelling back there,” I said with an arched eyebrow. “Does that mean the conversation went well?”

  “I decided to make him sweat about what I’m going to do to him when I get back to the city.” She raised a hand to cover a yawn. “I’m sorry,” she said when she finished. “I guess I’m more tired than I thought.”

  “Not a big surprise. You’ve been running on adrenaline all day,” I told her.

  She stepped closer to me. “Ethan, you saved my life tonight,” she said and held up a finger. “Don’t you dare say you were just doing your job, either. Even if you were, I don’t want to hear it. Just let me be grateful.”

  A smile formed on my face. “I wasn’t going to say that.”

  “You weren’t?” She blinked. “Okay, then what were you going to say?”

  I had every intention of verbalizing my thoughts, telling her how much I admired her even though we’d only known each other a few days. Instead, I found myself with my lips pressed to hers.

  That was when I decided the kiss said more than I could with words.

  I was reluctant to pull back. When I finally did, she gasped and grabbed for me, catching a handful of my shirt. “All of a sudden, I’m not tired anymore,” she whispered.

  “Me neither,” I murmured, and went in for another kiss.

  As it turned out, we only needed one bed that night.

  27

  When Tessa woke, for a moment she was so disoriented that she froze in place. At first, nothing seemed familiar, until she looked at the tanned, sculpted, and very male arm draped around her waist and felt the warmth pressing lightly against her back.

  Ethan.

  A sleepy, satisfied smile crept across her face as she took in the rest of her surroundings. The soft bed, the sheets tangled around his legs, pale sunlight peeking around the edges of the drawn curtains. The gentle sway of the boat beneath, much calmer than the waves they’d made together last night.

  Her body warmed pleasantly with the memories.

  There was no clock in the room, and she’d left her phone on the kitchen counter where she’d tossed it after the kiss, so she had no idea what time it was. Ethan breathed slowly and evenly beside her, showing no indication of waking.

  She lay there for a few moments, dressed in his oversized-for-her t-shirt and nothing else, enjoying the comfort and thinking she’d fall back to sleep. Her mind and body had other ideas though, and soon, she was almost wide awake and unable to lie still. Reluctantly, she slid Ethan’s arm off, pulled on t
he discarded shorts that had landed on the floor next to the bed, and padded to the bathroom.

  Once she’d finished in there, she debated on waking him but decided against it, at least until she checked the time. There was a clock in the kitchen, telling her it was six a.m. She was surprised that she’d woken so early and even more so that she felt completely rested despite getting only six hours of sleep.

  Five, she corrected with an internal smile. They’d been making waves for at least an hour.

  Figuring that Ethan probably had things covered with regards to when and how he was getting up, she decided to make breakfast, starting with coffee. There was a coffee machine on the counter next to the stove, and she found a can of Columbian roast in the cabinet above it. When she had a pot brewing, she moved to the fridge to see what kind of breakfast-type things were available.

  Part of her expected to find standard bachelor contents in the refrigerator. A takeout container or two, a jar of pickles or mustard, maybe a half-empty quart of milk that was starting to sour. She was surprised to find it fully stocked, mostly with actual ingredients instead of pre-packaged stuff. There was a similar situation going on in the freezer.

  Still smiling, she pulled out eggs and milk, hunted down a loaf of bread, and located a spice rack, and then poked through the cabinets for the dishes she needed. She was just removing the first batch of French toast from the griddle on the stove when there was a throat-clearing noise behind her.

  She jumped and nearly threw the spatula at Ethan, who was leaning shirtless and barefoot against the fridge as he watched her with a smile.

  Damn. He was even sexier when he’d just rolled out of bed.

  “So you’re a journalist and a chef,” he drawled. “I’m impressed.”

  She huffed through her nose and went back to taking the food off the griddle before it could burn. “Chef? Hardly,” she said. “I know how to make three things, and French toast happens to be one of them.”

  “Yeah? What are the other two?”

  “Maybe I’ll make them for you sometime,” she said with a grin.

  He made a noise deep in his throat and crossed the kitchen, coming up behind her to wrap an arm around her waist and plant a soft kiss on her neck. She shivered deliciously at the contact.

  “Morning,” he murmured before he moved away. “Thanks for making breakfast. I’ll fix us some coffee.”

  “You’re welcome,” she managed, feeling almost cold after he’d withdrawn. God, she could get used to this way too fast. Right now, she didn’t even want to think about what would happen when she had to go home.

  She just wanted to enjoy the moment.

  Ten minutes later, they were sitting in the breakfast nook with steaming mugs of coffee, warm French toast, and brown-and-serve sausage links. Sunshine brightened the windows and warmed the chairs, and the view through them was a gorgeous expanse of sparkling blue water. They ate in comfortable silence, but Tessa knew that soon, they’d have to discuss where to go from here.

  Unfortunately, that destination probably wouldn’t be back to the bedroom for the rest of the day, though she wouldn’t have minded that one bit.

  “So,” she ventured after they’d both cleared their plates and Ethan had poured them a second round of coffee, “I guess I’ll need to go back to the hotel, even if it’s just to get my stuff.”

  He flashed a smile. “No need. I had Metro pack everything up for you and leave it at the marina office last night. We can just walk down there and pick it up.”

  Warmth filled her at his thoughtfulness, as well as for what the gesture hinted at. “Does that mean I get to stay here with you?”

  “Wouldn’t have you anywhere else. As long as you’re in Miami, my boat is your boat.”

  “Thank you,” she said honestly.

  He nodded with an expression that seemed just as suggestive as hers felt.

  It was going on seven when they left the boat on foot and headed for the marina office, Ethan in a cotton shirt and the pajama pants he’d eventually worn last night while she was still dressed in his shorts and t-shirt. He didn’t seem concerned that they were walking around in their nightwear, so she decided it wouldn’t bother her either.

  The marina was beautiful. The white sand paths, sun-warmed stones, and swaying palms of the gated private section gave way to a gleaming boardwalk and a cluttered collection of boats in all shapes and sizes on the public side, all bobbing gently beside separate docks. There wasn’t much in the way of human movement yet, but seagulls circled and swooped among the sails, and she spotted a few pelicans floating on the breeze or perched on dock posts. Somewhere, a distant bell clanged a steady, soothing rhythm that mingled with the occasional hum of an engine.

  “I love this place,” Tessa said when they reached the office building. “It must be amazing to live here.”

  Ethan chuckled. “Most of the time,” he said as he opened the glass door and gestured her inside. He was only a step behind her, and the door swung closed once he stepped through.

  The interior of the office was a spacious waiting room that looked more like a lounge with soft carpets and comfortable chairs. Three service desks were spaced along the back wall with short queuing lines leading up to them, but the only other person in the place was a sixty-something man behind the third desk. He looked up and smiled when they entered.

  “Ethan,” the man called cheerfully as he waved them over. “You here for your delivery?”

  “Yep. Morning, Claude,” Ethan responded as he walked across the room, and Tessa followed him with a curious gaze fixed on the attendant. After spending so much time around Ethan as an agent, it was strange to see someone treating him like a regular person.

  “Got it right here for you.” Claude grabbed something behind the counter and started pulling it around. He emerged at the end grasping the two wheeled suitcases she’d packed for the trip.

  “Three items total,” he said as he wheeled them over. “These two, and one laptop bag. I’ll grab that.”

  Ethan took the handles of the suitcase. “Appreciate it. How’s your knee doing today?”

  “It’s behaving so far.” Claude chuckled as he made his way back around the counter, where he ducked down and came up with her laptop bag. He placed it on the surface and turned a smile in Tessa’s direction. “Are you going to introduce me, Ethan, or do I have to play detective?”

  Ethan’s laugh was warm. “This is my friend, Tessa,” he said. “Tessa, this is Claude.”

  “Pleasure to meet you,” the man said.

  She returned the smile. “Likewise. Thank you for holding my things,” she said as she reached for the bag on the counter and slung the strap over her shoulder.

  “Oh, these are your things?” Claude waggled his eyebrows and looked at Ethan. “You know, Tobias had a lady friend he’d bring out to the boat on occasion after you shipped out. Very classy woman, like yours.”

  Tessa felt her face warm at the suggestion that she was Ethan’s woman.

  “Yeah, I remember her. She was good for him,” Ethan said. “Thanks again, Claude. We’ve got to head back, but I’ll see you later.”

  Claude beamed. “You two have yourselves a good day, now.”

  “Right back at you,” Ethan called as he led Tessa toward the door.

  She waited until they were back on the boardwalk to ask. “I guess he knew your grandfather?”

  “Sure. Boat’s been here for thirty years now,” he said and smirked. “So has Claude. Probably longer than that.”

  “He seems like a real sweetheart.”

  Ethan nodded. “Definitely.”

  She wasn’t sure what else to say about Claude, so she brought up the subject that couldn’t be avoided much longer, even though she wanted to. “What’s the plan for today?”

  He looked off into the distance for a moment. “I’ve been thinking about that. You’re safe here, but I’d rather not stick you on the boat and make you spend the whole day alone while I’m at work. I also do
n’t want you going back to the hotel.”

  “What’s going on with that, anyway?” she asked. “You had those officers go to the hotel last night when I wasn’t even going to be there. Are they really staking out an empty room?”

  “Actually, they are,” he said as a smile twitched at his lips. “The hotel records show you as still checked in, and Metro wants any of the guys associated with Benta as bad as we do. They’re hanging around, hoping a few of them turn up so they can arrest them.”

  Despite the warmth of the early morning, she turned briefly cold as she remembered the shooting last night, the bodies in the alley. She pushed the images aside.

  “Okay, so if I’m not staying on the boat and I’m not going to the hotel… what am I doing?”

  “Well, I think you should come to work with me,” he said.

  For some reason, that made her ridiculously happy. “Really?”

  “Yeah. It’s the safest possible place, and you’ll be surrounded by federal agents.” He sent her a smile that conjured an entirely different set of images to her mind. “That, and I’d really like to be around you as much as possible.”

  “Mmm, I’d like that, too.”

  He grinned. “It’s settled, then. Today is officially Bring Your Tessa to Work Day.”

  She couldn’t have imagined a better holiday to celebrate.

  28

  I headed for the office a few minutes early so I could get Tessa settled in the conference room before the official work day started. She’d brought her laptop bag along, and she insisted that she would be fine hanging out and doing research on her computer while I tried to set things up for what I hoped would be the final showdown with Cobra Jon.

  Sticking her in a room at the agency didn’t feel right, but it was the best option I could come up with. I already cared about her more than I thought was possible. If anything happened to her, I’d never forgive myself.