Hooked (A Romance on the Edge Novel)

by Tiffinie Helmer

  “No. I want to talk to Sonya alone. Why don’t you see what you can fix for dinner?” He indicated the box of stuff on the table. “There should be something in there. You know how the parents get if they aren’t fed on a regular basis.” Roland and Earl weren’t much different from the wild animals roaming the area. Trouble when full, deadly when empty.

  Aidan left Lana to start dinner and headed across the creek and up the bank to the Savonski’s cabin. He knocked and entered on Margaret’s hollered, “Come in.”

  The cabin smelled like Christmas. Warm, inviting, sweet. So different from the cold, musty smell of his.

  His gaze narrowed on Sonya as she sat at the table with her mug of tea and a stack of cookies. “Oh, Sonya.” He swallowed past the lump in his throat at the sight of her injured face.

  Margaret was at the sink, finishing dishes. She wiped her hands on a towel and hung it to dry. “Why don’t I give you two a moment?”

  “That’s not necessary,” Sonya was quick to interject.

  “I’ve got to bring the laundry in from the line, anyway. I’ll just be a minute.” Margaret shared a look with Sonya that silenced her protests. Margaret liked to keep things neighborly, and Aidan knew her look had reminded Sonya of her manners.

  “I appreciate that, Margaret,” Aidan replied, opening the door for her to exit. He was grateful Sonya hadn’t informed the Savonskis of what had transpired between them last summer. As far as they knew, Sonya and Aidan had had a tiff. He knew at least Nikolai still held out hope he and Sonya would kiss and make up.

  Sonya frowned. “Gramps and the boys will be back any moment.”

  He’d seen them at the cannery, talking with Chet about the engine that had been sunk. Aidan had plenty of time before they returned. Any time Nikolai got around the machine shop, it took a while to tear him away. “You don’t need to be afraid of me, Sonya. I won’t hurt you.”

  “You did.”

  “I know.” It had cost him the one person who’d meant the world to him. “I’ll never make that mistake again.”

  She picked a cookie off the top of her stack and showed some of those manners Margaret had drilled into her. “Want one?”

  It wasn’t an olive branch, but he’d take it. “Thanks.” Aidan sat across from her and bit into the cookie. The taste exploded in his mouth. “Oh, man.” He groaned. “Monster mug-ups?” Sonya nodded. “Damn, these are good. How do you have just one?”

  She indicated the stack. “You can’t. This is my dinner.”

  They ate in silence for a moment as Aidan cataloged her appearance. “How are you feeling?”

  “Fine.” She shrugged and then winced as the motion caused her pain. “As long as I don’t move much.”

  The anger he felt now was different than the explosive, out-of-control rage he usually dealt with. This slipped through his blood like oil, coating and smothering, and seemed a hell of a lot more dangerous. “Tell me what happened.”

  She did, and it was all he could do to keep the knot tight on his temper.

  “You think it was an accident?” he asked. Fishing was dangerous, accidents happened. Just the nature of the beast could bring out the worst in people. Limited time, limited catch, limited potential to make a lot of money. “This doesn’t sound like an accident.”

  “That’s what Garrett said.”

  Hunt again. He stuffed a cookie in his mouth to keep the biting words back. Of course, the fish cop would be involved. A crime had been committed. At least someone was looking out for her when he couldn’t. “Who was drifting by you?” She listed the boats, all the while acting as though the whole incident was no big deal. When she mentioned the Albatross, Aidan knew he had a target. The son of a bitch deserved whatever mean Aidan could deliver his way.

  “Kendrick makes the most sense,” Sonya said. “I don’t know who else had the opportunity. I don’t know anyone on board the Intrepid. The crew of the Mary Jane are usually too stoned to hit anything they aim at. Treat, on the Miss Julie II, would be shooting at Kendrick rather than at me. So that leaves Kendrick.”

  Unless someone was a proficient marksman like Roland or Earl, Aidan couldn’t help thinking.

  If Kendrick was responsible that meant his father wasn’t. He knew Earl and Roland didn’t have a lot of boundaries when it came to mischief, but thinking that they could have targeted Sonya with their sick little games was more than uncomfortable.

  “What are you going to do now?” he asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “There’s a drift opening tomorrow.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Don’t tell me you plan on fishing? Cut up like you are.”

  She tightened her lips and just stared at him.

  “You are, aren’t you?” His temper flared and a few flames got away from him. “Damn it, Sonya. Why are you doing this?”

  “Doing what, Aidan?” She dropped her cookie and sat back on the bench. “Fishing?”

  “Look at you? Have you seen your face?”

  “Yes.” Her eyes wavered and he knew he’d touched a nerve. She wasn’t as cool and collected as she appeared.

  “You need to take care of yourself. Scars aren’t worth catching some damn fish for.”

  “The permit is in my name. I have to be on the boat.”

  Aidan took a breath. He understood that there was no calling in sick during fishing. You either fished or lost out. The idea of Sonya out there working, in her condition, more than bothered him.

  She flicked him a glance. He hated that look in her eyes. He’d caused that. Only he could fix it. So he swallowed his temper with another bite of cookie. “Be careful tomorrow. I don’t want anything else to happen to you.” Her eyes widened and he realized she’d expected his normal dressing down. “You matter to me, Sonya.”

  That was twice in two days that a man had told her she mattered. What was going on? Sonya stared at Aidan who looked so sincere. She knew he cared about her, but she also didn’t wanted to be with a man who “cared about a woman” the way he did.

  The cookies were making her sick. She probably shouldn’t have gorged herself on them. They’d tasted so good, comforting, like the loving hugs her mother used to give her when she was younger.

  “Aidan, I appreciate you coming to check on me, but I’m tired.” She let all her worry and exhaustion show through. She’d done her best to hide it all day. She didn’t want Grams to report to Gramps that she wasn’t up to fishing tomorrow. She had something to prove. Not only to herself, but to the other fishermen who might be under the guise that she wasn’t cut out to fish. She especially had something to prove to the asshole who’d decided to pick on her. If what happened to her had happened to a man, there would be no question if he’d be fishing tomorrow. There’d be plenty of time to rest and heal after the season was over.

  She needed to get rid of Aidan. She didn’t like seeing him this way, gazing at her like a kicked puppy. It messed with her resolutions. They’d always been friends, until they’d decided to take that friendship to the next level. How she wished they hadn’t. She could use a friend right now. Someone who wasn’t looking at her to be captain and call the shots or family members wanting to smother her with concern. Someone who could be a sounding board, where she could vent, get angry, or cry.

  Aidan got to his feet. “Get some sleep. But, Sonya, promise me that if you need anything, you’ll let me know.”

  “Thanks, Aidan,” she said, wishing, more than she liked, that she could take him up on his offer.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Frustration ate at Garrett like maggots on a dead fish. They’d yet to find Kendrick. It hadn’t helped matters that they’d been called away on a search and rescue that had turned search and recovery because some idiot had gotten drunk and fallen overboard. The Coast Guard had been sent in from Kodiak, but they still hadn’t found a body. It had been over twenty-four hours. With the way the Bristol Bay tides tore in and out, they weren’t going to find one. Just another statis
tic added to alcohol related deaths in Bristol Bay.

  “Garrett,” Skip hollered from the cabin to where he stood at the bow, scanning the unusually calm waters of the incoming tide. “Just got a transmission from Miller.” Miller was one of the troopers stationed as a spotter on land. “He caught sight of the Albatross headed for the line.”

  Garrett gave Skip a smile full of satisfaction. He glanced at his watch. Drifting was scheduled to open in just under an hour. Kendrick was out early, obviously to claim a choice fishing spot.

  “Do you want to intercept?” Skip took one look at Garrett. “Right. Setting a course. But you get to be the one who wakes Judd.”

  Judd had headed below to catch a few winks before the opening. He wouldn’t get many. They were all operating on no sleep and too much caffeine. Garrett knew he was probably not in the best shape to interrogate Kendrick. Not that it would stop him. The man had proved elusive and Garrett wasn’t letting the opportunity pass him by.

  He managed to get a grumbling Judd out of bed and an energy drink down him just as Skip pulled alongside the Albatross.

  “Albatross, prepare to be boarded,” Garrett yelled over the loud speaker. Never had the words been so satisfying to say.

  “You’re enjoying this aren’t you?” Skip asked not needing an answer. He regarded Garrett and frowned. “Maybe I should question Kendrick in your place.”

  “Kendrick’s mine.”

  Skip shared a look with Judd that Garrett didn’t even pretend not to see.

  “You boys have a problem?”

  Judd slowly shook his head. “Nope.”

  “You aren’t in your right head,” Skip added.

  “Let me do my job.”

  “Good enough for me,” Judd said, stretching his arms above his head. “Let’s go catch us a bird.” His comment had the desired effect of cutting the tension.

  “Just keep it by the book,” Skip said.

  Garrett nodded, itching to get aboard the Albatross and make Kendrick squirm like the worm he was.

  Kendrick stood on deck, his beefy hands fisted on hips that were overshadowed by a robust belly. A scraggly beard mottled his face in calico colors. What hair remained on his head blew like tufts of goose down in the biting breeze. His sharp gray eyes screamed mean. They told Garrett Kendrick had long since buried his soul somewhere in the dark, deep ocean.

  “What the hell do you want with me now?” Kendrick hollered as Garrett swung over the rail onto his deck.

  “I want answers.” Garret stood in front of Kendrick, not intimidated by his size as Kendrick loomed over him. Garrett had taken down bigger men. Judd followed and stood quietly behind him to the left.

  “Answers?” Kendrick asked. “Did you have to board my boat for that? We’re getting ready to fish.” Kendrick’s Brutus-arms swung wide, indicating his crew.

  Two other men stood nearby, one thin as a rail looking like a tough piece of jerky, the other average, non-descript, except for the tattoo of a skull on his forehead. The guy obviously had no imagination. The three looked like a trio of schoolyard bullies.

  “Day before yesterday,” Garrett began, “just after two in the afternoon, the Double Dippin’s window was shattered and her captain injured. You were in the vicinity.”

  “Is that a fact? Hurt, was she?” A gleam snaked through Kendrick’s eyes, turning them an eerie pearl. “How bad?” He gave a sinister smile, showing a row of front teeth badly needing an introduction to a toothbrush.

  Garrett wanted to wipe that black smile right off Kendrick’s face with an ache so great it made him shake.

  Kendrick relaxed against the large fishing reel wrapped with net, and folded his arms across his bulky chest. “Is this what your visit’s about? Sonya Savonski? The woman’s a looker…at least, she was.” He made a clicking sound with his tongue. “That little girl’s gonna end up fish food, if she’s not careful.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  “Why don’t we call it an observation.”

  Judd grabbed Garrett as he lunged for Kendrick, and held him tight. “He’s not worth it, man.”

  Garrett struggled to shake off his need to retaliate. He clenched his jaw and planted his feet on the deck. He knew better then to let a suspect provoke him. What the hell had gotten into him?

  “Ah, personal is it?” Kendrick taunted, obviously enjoying Garrett’s momentary loss of control. “I didn’t think Sonya would sink low enough to fuck a fish cop.”

  Fury gnawed at the thin thread of control Garrett hung onto. He wanted to kill the son of a bitch. How had this asshole lived as long as he had without someone doing exactly that?

  Judd stepped in. “Did you take a shot at the Double Dippin’?”

  Kendrick buffed his nails on his dirty shirt. “Did anyone see me do it?”

  The man was rubbing their noses in it. Kendrick knew if they’d had a witness, he’d already be charged with criminal mischief and assault. For the first time in his law enforcement career, Garrett wanted to go vigilante.

  “Do you have a slingshot onboard?” Garrett asked, taking over the questioning. He wouldn’t let this bully get the better of him.

  “Sure. I’ve got a slingshot aboard. There’s also a gaff hook, a few knives, a handgun. You get the idea. This is Alaska. A man never knows what he’s going to come up against.”

  “We’d like to see the slingshot.” Garrett doubted it would tell them anything, but it might make Kendrick squirm.

  “You gotta warrant?” Kendrick acted bored with the conversation.

  So much for squirming. Garrett had no witnesses. He couldn’t search the boat without a warrant, and he couldn’t haul Kendrick’s ass up on charges without him confessing. He didn’t see Kendrick volunteering to do that. Right now, all he had was speculation. The reality of the situation stank like this boat.

  Fishy.

  Garrett paused. Why did the Albatross smell so bad? He looked at the deck. It was wet. There had been no rain in the forecast for a change. Had the man been fishing in closed waters? Was that the reason they hadn’t been able to find him?

  “Judd, something smell fishy to you?” Garrett signaled to Judd, pointing at the wet deck.

  “Something does smell rank.” Judd caught on.

  “What you got in the holds, Kendrick?” Garrett asked. He smiled when not only Kendrick squirmed, but so did his crew.

  Gotcha.

  “Like I said,” Kendrick repeated, his eyes hardening to steel. “You got a search warrant?”

  “Don’t need one if there’s suspicion of illegal fishing.” Garrett looked at Judd. “Do we?”

  “Nope.” Judd’s smile was as wide as Garrett’s.

  He gestured to the skull-tatted crewman. “Open the holds.” The crewman glanced at Kendrick. Garrett swore steam wafted off the man’s body. The crewman moved toward the hold, bent, and lifted the cover.

  “Well, well. What do we have here?” A brailer full of fresh red salmon lay packed like sardines in a can. Man, he loved his job. “Open the other holds. Please,” Garrett instructed politely, enjoying himself.

  Jerky man swore and kicked a bucket. Kendrick eyed Garrett with malice, and Garrett smiled wider in return.

  “Didn’t you hear?” Judd asked, shaking his head. “Crime doesn’t pay.”

  “Kendrick,” Garrett added. “I hope you don’t have any priors. You could be looking at jail time, if that’s the case.” He couldn’t help doing some taunting of his own. This was the most fun he’d had in days.

  Kendrick stared at him, his face getting redder as each fish hold revealed more illegally caught salmon.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  They returned from escorting the Albatross to the tender, confiscating the drift boat’s catch, and writing Kendrick up for fishing in closed waters. Skip grinned ear to ear, looking happy as he steered the Calypso back to the mouth of the river. Garrett filled his empty stomach with a bag of salt and vinegar chips.

  They badly needed to get some real food.


  “Can you believe Kendrick had eight thousand pounds of illegally caught fish on his boat?” Judd shook his head again, reaching over and helping himself to Garrett’s chips.

  Yes, Garrett could. The man thought he was above the law. Kendrick had been taught a lesson this morning, and Garrett had enjoyed being the one to teach it. “The State of Alaska is a little richer today.”

  “Wait until Kendrick shows up in court, and they fine him ten thousand big ones, and possibly confiscate his boat and gear.” Judd chuckled and shook his head. “You should have seen the SEAL man, Skip. One minute he was ready to tear Kendrick apart, the next he was smiling like a kid at a surprise birthday party.”

  “Did you touch Kendrick?” Skip asked, worry stealing his happy grin.

  “Naw,” Judd answered as he dug his hand into Garrett’s bag of chips again. “I pulled him back in time.”

  Garrett shoved the bag at him and wished he’d stuff his mouth.

  “What do you mean you pulled him back in time?” Skip’s shrewd eyes narrowed.

  “I didn’t touch the scumbag,” Garrett pointed out, knowing it was too late to stop the unofficial advice Skip would deal out. It sucked that Skip was right. He’d never lost his cool on the job. He knew Sonya was at the heart of the reason why.

  “This time.” Skip tightened his jaw. “Face it, man. Your relationship with Sonya Savonski is interfering with your ability to do your job.”

  “I don’t have a relationship with Sonya.” Hell, they hadn’t even slept together. Even though he battled a serious need to. A relationship implied that they were a couple. She was ashamed to be seen with him.

  “Right.” Judd scoffed, a few crumbs flew out of his mouth. “What would you call it then? I’ve got an itch for Davida. You’re craving Sonya like a starving man craves a meal. You’re seriously smitten, dude.”

  He was seriously something. Question was, what was he going to do about it?

  “You need to keep a clear head so there is no conflict of interest,” Skip said. “I don’t have to tell you where our case against Kendrick would stand, if you’d laid a hand on him.”