The Crushing Depths

by Dani Pettrey

  “Cool,” Beckham said, sharing his stickered bottom. “All the states I’ve longboarded in.”

  “Awesome,” she said.

  A half hour later, all their questions answered, Mason held the car door open for Rissi. He smiled as he shut it and moved around to the driver’s side. Clearly, there was more than one way to garner information.

  “You did great back there,” he said, turning the ignition.

  “Thanks, I—” Her reply was interrupted by a hand to the Impala hood, as the guys rushed up to his car.

  “Cool ride, dude,” Beckham said through the open window. “Can we look under the hood?”

  Twenty minutes later, Mason and Rissi finally pulled out onto the frontage road. The sand dunes and blue water were gorgeous. He really could get used to living in North Carolina, but wherever Rissi was, was home.

  “When’d you learn to longboard?” he asked.

  “When I was eighteen—my freshman year at college. My roommate rode. She let me hang out with her and her friends, and they all took turns letting me ride. Then all of them pitched in and got me my own board for Christmas.”

  “They sound like great people.”

  “Yeah, they were. I really wasn’t sure what to expect after leaving the home. I kept to myself at the shelters and moved often, but for college I needed to stay put with my scholarship.”

  “You took a leap of faith.”

  “Yeah. I suppose I did. That’s when I came to know Him.”

  Mason looked over at her, his brows peaked.

  “Jesus,” she said. “My roommate was a Christian, and we talked a lot. Then one night I went with her to Cru, and Jesus saved me.”

  He smiled as joy for her swelled inside. It was good to hear her salvation story.

  “Okay,” she said, shifting so her knee was bent under her. “What about you?”

  “Two of the guys I bunked with in basic training were Christians. They kept inviting me to their Bible study, but I wasn’t ready for it, at least I didn’t think I was. But my drill instructor was watching me do my hundred push-ups one night—”

  “Dare I ask why?”

  “Nah. Better to let that one go.”

  She shook her head. “Continue.”

  “So there we are out in the rain, my hands splayed in the sinking mud, my face right up on it every time I lowered. He stood right there next to me and sang ‘Upon the Water,’ one of our five drill songs, but then he broke into a song I’d never heard before. It was just the two of us, so maybe that’s why he did it. Maybe he knew my soul needed help—that I needed help. He sang ‘Amazing Grace’—the version where Chris Tomlin added the ‘my chains are gone’ lyrics. That night changed everything.”

  “He led you to Christ?”

  “The Holy Spirit invaded my life that night. Opened my eyes to Jesus, and I’ve never looked back.”

  “Did you ever tell your drill instructor?”

  “Not outright, but I showed up to his Bible study the next night.”

  Mason reached over and clasped Rissi’s hand. “God never ceases to amaze me.” He’d taken two broken kids and made them whole in Him. And then, as if that wasn’t enough, He’d given them meaning and purpose in the same vocation. And, on top of that, blessed them with each other. “He’s given me so much. And now He’s brought me back to you.”

  She smiled, and it warmed his entire being.

  He spotted a scenic pull-off a couple hundred feet ahead and pulled into it.

  “What are we doing?”

  He shifted it into Park. “Ris, I don’t want to rush you or for you to feel uncomfortable, so if you don’t . . .” He exhaled. If she didn’t feel the same . . .

  “Mason.” She reached up and cupped his cheek. He leaned into her hold. “What is it?” she asked.

  He lifted her free hand to his lips and brushed a featherlight kiss across her knuckles.

  Please, Jesus. Let her feel the same. I love her so much. I feel like I was created to love her.

  Then tell her, God’s Spirit whispered in his soul.

  She blinked, studying him. “What is it?” She asked again.

  He exhaled. “I don’t want to freak you out, but . . . ”

  “But?” Worry filled her gaze.

  “I love you, Ris. I always have. Always will.”

  Her smile lifted to her cheeks. “I love you too.”

  Joy gushed through him. “You do?”

  She nodded. “Always have. Always will.”

  “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to say that, to hear that.” Every nerve ending in him sparked to life. He rushed forward in thought. “Obviously now is not the right time with everything going on and things being so new . . . well, not new, but finally acknowledged . . .”

  Rissi’s eyes narrowed. “Wait . . . Are you saying it isn’t the right time for us?”

  He stroked the back of her hand. “No. Just . . . if this is . . . if we are forever, then we’ll have to figure out our work situation.”

  “Oh.” She looked down.

  He’d said too much. “I jumped too far ahead, didn’t I.” He’d waited so long to be back at her side, and now that he was, he never wanted to part.

  “You didn’t,” she said, shifting to sit sideways, and he did the same, their knees knocking.

  His pulse quickened. “Then what is it?” What was going on in that beautiful, brilliant brain of hers?

  “You said forever.”

  “And that freaked you out. I’m sorry. I’ll slow down.” He was pushing her to be where he was—a man desperately in love.

  She shook her head. “No. The only thing that freaked me out was the part before it.”

  His brow bunched. “What part?”

  “If this is forever.” She glanced down at their intertwined hands. “You said if.” Her fingers shifted in his hold. “I know we just found each other again and that all of this is so new in some ways, but the thought of not being with you again . . .”

  He clutched her hand tighter, gazing into her eyes. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

  The bright sunlight illuminated her already captivating eyes.

  “Are you sure I’m not freaking you out, that I’m not thinking too fast?” she asked.

  He rested his hand on her bent knee. “There is no too fast when it comes to us.”

  “There isn’t?” she asked, searching his eyes for confirmation.

  He cupped her face. “I don’t know about you, but to me, this was ten years in the making. I always believed we’d find each other one day, that God would put us together.” His thumb brushed across her soft cheek, his chest warm and tight. He was laying it all on the table. “You’re it, Rissi. You’ve always been the one.”

  She smiled. “And you can’t imagine how long I’ve waited to hear that.”

  He lowered his mouth, hovering over her lips, brushing his along hers. He moved to her neck, nuzzling up along the curve of it, pressing a tender kiss at the nape.

  She sighed, and he couldn’t hold back any longer. He took her mouth in his, pouring the love of a decade into that exquisitely blissful kiss.

  “I think we should grab a late lunch,” Noah said after they’d gone through the entire case Austin had assembled and shared in detail with them. Far more than was in the file. She was a brilliant investigator, and this case meant so much to her. All the information stored in her head, the way she stiffened whenever Gwyneth’s name was mentioned. After what she’d shared, he didn’t blame her anger one bit. From what he’d just learned, Gwyneth was despicable. Numerous questions were still brewing, but before tackling them came the need for sustenance.

  Austin reclined in her chair. “Where do you want to go?”

  “What sounds good?” Noah asked.

  “A salad,” Caleb said.

  “That’s a given,” Noah said. The man ate like a squirrel. “And you, Austin?”

  “I could go for a burger.”

  Caleb’s brows quirked. Appar
ently not what he pictured her ordering.

  “Rye and Brown’s delivers,” Noah said. “They have fantastic burgers and thick-cut fries. They even add apple cider vinegar as a favor to me.”

  Austin’s nose scrunched. “Apple cider vinegar?”

  “He’s from Maryland,” Caleb said. “It’s a thing there.”

  “I’ll go see what Emmy and Logan want.” Noah strode for the door, then paused and looked back at Caleb and Austin warily eyeing each other.

  “You kids behave now.” With a smile tugging at his lips, he exited the room, shutting the door behind them.

  Emmy had that scheming gleam in her eye as Noah approached her desk. “So what’s the scoop in there?”

  “Always wanting to play matchmaker.” Noah chuckled.

  “Is she single?” Logan asked.

  Em shook her head with a sigh. “There he goes, looking for his next conquest.” Hurt lingered in her eyes, but she played it off by keeping her tone ambivalent.

  “Not for me,” Logan protested. “What about Noah?”

  “Oh, please.” Emmy shook her head. “He’s perpetually single, and he likes it that way.”

  He did. Or had. Something had started niggling at him. It was probably because he was enjoying Brooke’s company so much, but Em was right, he was content with his single, focused life . . . wasn’t he?

  “You’re not seriously thinking Caleb, are you?” Logan laughed.

  “Why not?” Em said.

  “Rissi,” Logan said.

  “If you haven’t noticed, there’s something called Rissi and Mason. Or as I like to call them, Massi.”

  Both stared blankly at her.

  “Like Macy.”

  Neither batted an eye.

  She grunted in a rather feminine way. “You two are hopeless.”

  FORTY-THREE

  Caleb watched as petite Austin Kelly decimated the giant burger and fries in front of her. Where did she put it?

  Austin wiped her mouth and tossed her trash in the can along the far wall. “You were right,” she said to Noah. “That was amazing.”

  “You liked the fries too?” he asked.

  “They were stellar.”

  Stellar? Caleb chuckled. Who said stellar? The lady was brilliant when it came to casework, but she was also . . . Well, he didn’t really know how to define her, which was new.

  “I’m going to check in with Em and Logan real quick,” Noah said. “Be right back.”

  Austin looked at Caleb’s nearly finished salad. “How was your rabbit food?”

  “Vegetables are healthy for you.”

  “And so tasty.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Actually—” he shoved a forkful of spinach into his mouth, then swallowed it—“they are.” He grabbed the last forkful and finished it off.

  “I suppose it’s a good thing you enjoy rabbit food, if that’s what you choose to eat.”

  His gaze narrowed. “Just to be clear, you’re giving me a hard time for eating my vegetables?”

  “No. Just find it funny that a guy like you prefers salad to a burger.”

  He arched a brow. “A guy like me?”

  “You know, six-four, broad shoulders, intense scowl . . . ” Her eyes narrowed. “On second thought, I suppose the rabbit food fits you.”

  “And why’s that?”

  “You’re very regimented.”

  Regimented? The way she said it certainly didn’t sound like a compliment, but how could discipline ever be considered a bad thing?

  Noah reentered the room. “Ris and Mason just pulled up. I say we take this party to the case board.”

  “Sure,” Caleb said, standing. He lifted his chin at Austin. “Your input today was helpful.”

  Her eyes widened. “Was that a compliment?”

  He tilted his head. “It was a thank-you.”

  A quick flash of surprise, of something he didn’t fully recognize, flitted across her face, but as fast as it’d come, it was gone.

  “I’d like Austin to join us,” Noah said.

  Caleb hitched to a stop.

  Noah stepped past him with a smile. “There’s a lot of information to convey about Gwyneth, and I’m sure Rissi and Mason will find it helpful for their case.”

  Taking seats on the couches facing the case board, Caleb picked the seat as far away from Austin as possible. Saying she was frustrating was an understatement, and yet . . .

  “Ris and Mason,” Noah said, thankfully saving Caleb from continuing with the insane thought about to track through his mind. What was wrong with him? The woman was totally annoying.

  “Apologies for not doing this sooner,” Noah said, gesturing to Austin. “I’d like to introduce our guest. This is Austin Kelly. She’s a private investigator. Skip Malone’s family hired her to investigate his death.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Rissi said. “I’d love to hear what you found.”

  “I’ve asked her to join us for that very reason,” Noah said.

  “Wonderful.” Rissi smiled.

  Mason dipped his chin from the other side of Rissi. “Nice to meet you.”

  “And you,” Austin said.

  “Mason,” Rissi said, “we left the drinks in the back seat.”

  “Right. I’ll be back in two shakes.”

  “I’ll come help.” She rose and headed for the front door he’d just gone out.

  Something had shifted between them. Their visible connection appeared even deeper. Instead of contemplating the possibilities—none of which he wanted to consider—Caleb chose to keep his focus on the board. Just keep looking at the board. Seeing Mason and Rissi together was hard, but he understood. Having Miss Sass involved in the case, even remotely, kept him off-kilter. And he was a man who craved stability.

  Mason retrieved the drink carriers they’d left in the car. It was a good thing Rissi had thought to bring another round of espresso for the team. With all they’d learned, they could be in for a long afternoon.

  Rissi waited at the door and opened it with a smile as he entered. He so badly wanted to kiss her, but reined his thoughts in. Work. We are at work.

  When this case was done, they were going to have to address the working together situation. He’d served in the same unit as a husband and wife pair, but they weren’t allowed to be partnered together. Which meant, if he and Rissi stayed at this station, they wouldn’t be allowed to be on calls or cases together. But that was for another day. Right now, they had to give everything they had to figure out what was going on with the Dauntless and if any foul play had been involved in Greg Barnes’s death. Accidents happened at a rather alarming rate on oil rigs and platforms, making it one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, but something rattled in his gut that there was more beneath the surface, and it was their job to find it.

  As Mason and Rissi handed out the drinks, he smiled at her. It was a smile she could get lost in forever. She took a seat on the couch beside Austin, whom she was quite curious about.

  Mason sank down on Rissi’s right, his arm a breath from hers. She wanted so badly to feel his warmth and hold him close. She took one of those supposed cleansing breaths, hoping to settle the sensation of bees buzzing through her.

  Logan took a sip of his drink. “Thanks,” he said to Rissi. “They made it good today.”

  “So, honey lavender latte, huh?” Emmy said.

  “Yep.” He took a long sip.

  Laughter bubbled out of Emmy.

  Logan wiped his mouth. “You shouldn’t make fun of it until you’ve at least tried it.” He handed Emmy his cup, and she took a sip.

  “Well?” he said with his charming smirk. It was no wonder ladies went gaga over him, Rissi thought. He had Southern charm down. Add in his ripped physique, tailored clothes, the amazing house he’d recently bought with his bountiful trust fund, and the fact he was in law enforcement, he appeared to be the total package. Deep down Rissi believed he would be perfect for the right woman, but he, unfortunately, seemed content to swim
in the shallow end.

  Emmy handed the cup back. “Okay, I’ll admit it’s good.”

  “Good?” Logan’s lips twitched. “You can do better than that.”

  “Okay, fine,” she said, handing a file to Rissi. “It’s delicious.”

  “Thank you,” he said, a cocky smile fixing on his handsome face.

  Rissi rolled her eyes. She opened the folder, and Mason scooted closer still, looking over her shoulder as she read, or attempted to read, the contents.

  Focus! So maybe the kisses weren’t the smartest move, but she could pull it together and do her job.

  She started at the top again, read the page, and then flipped to a stack of printed online newspaper articles.

  “Whatcha got?” Noah asked.

  “Thanks to Emmy’s—”

  Logan cleared his throat.

  Rissi smiled. “And Logan’s investigative genius, they found an interesting background on Gwyneth Lansing. Although it looks like she went by a different name for a while.”

  “Gwyneth Hill,” Caleb said.

  “Yeah,” Rissi said. “How’d you know?”

  “It was in the file Austin put together.” Caleb went on to explain Skip’s relationship with Gwyneth and the questions surrounding his death.

  “Wow. So you think Gwyneth was on his boat the night he died?”

  “I do,” Austin said. “The dockmaster said he saw a woman get on the boat with him.”

  “Could he identify her?”

  “No. She had a wide-brim hat, her hair pulled up, and large sunglasses.”

  “Sounds like whoever it was didn’t want to be recognized,” Rissi said.

  “But didn’t your source say Gwyneth disappeared after being confronted by Skip about her questionable tactics? Why would he take her out on his boat?” Caleb asked.

  “She said Gwyneth can get just about anyone to do just about anything. The few people who would talk to me all said she is brilliant but manipulative.”

  “Can we talk to your source?” Mason asked.

  Austin shook her head. “I doubt she’ll talk to you. I doubt she’ll talk to me again.”

  “Why is that?” Mason asked.

  “When we talked, she was so skittish. Even though she clearly wanted the truth to come out, it was as if she was terrified of Gwyneth.”