by Amie Denman
“We also had to make some paperwork disappear.”
“And I bet you did.”
“Up in smoke a few days ago. Took that clown Ballard two tries, but he finally came through.”
“So is this the big announcement you mentioned you’d be making this weekend? The new resort and casino?”
“You guessed it, sweetheart.”
My work here was done. Maybe Johnson was speeding in for a rescue right now. That had to be enough incriminating evidence. What else could I get Cerberus to say? If I stalled a few minutes, they might get here in time. Before I had to do anything else I’d live to regret.
Cerberus kissed down my neck and his hands were wandering all over the girls. I had only seconds until he found the wire. I glanced at the instrument panel several feet away from the countertop where we were standing and tried to think how I could stop the boat or turn it around. I also shot a look at my bag on the sofa. The whip was in there, coiled and ready. If I could get to it, I could prolong the game until Bling arrived.
“What the hell?”
Too late.
“What the fuck is this? You’re wearing a goddamn wire?”
I wrestled away from him and tried to reach for my bag. He threw himself against me. The force knocked the wind out of me and I couldn’t move for a full ten seconds. I smashed into the countertop on the way down, my bag still several feet away. If Johnson was listening, all he was hearing was the sound of a struggle.
Cerberus clutched the empty bottle of champagne in his hand. “I’ll kill you like I killed my wife, bitch. See how you like this.”
He lunged at me and I rolled away. A streak of hot pain raced down my arm, but I didn’t have time to think about it. I scrambled to my feet and grabbed the steering wheel of the boat with my good arm. I hoped to throw him off balance by jerking the wheel. It worked for a second, and the boat made a violent lurch as we changed direction.
I opened one of the kitchen drawers and searched desperately for a knife or any weapon. He still had the bottle and was coming at me again. I heard an alarm going off on the instrument panel, but I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t stand a chance against Cerberus. He was a foot taller and in a testosterone rage. I couldn’t use one arm at all to fight.
I had to throw myself off the boat and either sink or swim. I tried to get past him, but he grabbed me.
“Let go, you son of…ow!” My shirt was pretty much torn off and he grabbed hold of the wire. He yanked it off, tape and all. It hurt like hell. Now I was really pissed. The alarm still rang on the instrument panel. I jumped away and opened the sliding door. I had one foot out the door when I realized why the alarm was going off.
Suddenly, the boat shuddered and came to a cataclysmic crashing stop. We had hit something, but I didn’t know what. I held on to the door frame. Standing in the middle of the floor, Cerberus lost his balance and hit his head on the counter, going down like lead.
I was taking no chances of him coming around. Getting off the boat was the only thing I could think of. I could smell gasoline as I took a last look at Cerberus’s motionless body. The candles had been knocked over in the crash and a small fire was working its way up the curtains by the door.
I wasted no time getting out on deck and jumping overboard. Incredibly, I found myself in only a few feet of water.
The famous sandbar.
I’d heard boaters talking about it in the marina. Halfway across the lake and created by the wind and currents, it was a great meeting spot for sunbathing, drinking and sex on the beach. Boats could safely pull up on the sides of it and anchor if they were going slowly. Traveling as fast as we had been, though, resulted in major damage.
I started running blindly across the beach in the dark. Getting far away from Cerberus and his crushed boat was the only thing I could think about. I heard a powerboat approaching in the distance and turned toward the sound. Just as I did, I saw the explosion. The leaking gasoline must have met the small fire in the cabin. A blast followed by a ball of fire was the spectacular end of Damien Cerberus and Greenback.
I lay down on the sand, too breathless and exhausted to move. My left arm was killing me. I would have stayed and let daylight find me, but I realized that the other powerboat had cut its engine. I heard shouting. It sounded like my name.
“Jazz! Sunshine!”
Kurt? No one else called me that. What the heck was he doing here? I lifted my head off the sand and saw him and another man trying to board Greenback looking for me. The flames still raged on the burning boat, and I didn’t want anyone risking his life. I doubted that they would care much about recovering Cerberus’s body.
“Kurt! Over here.”
A second later, a blinding searchlight pasted me to my spot on the sand and I’m sure its operator got an eyeful. My blouse had been torn away, my shoes long gone. Maybe a scrap of red skirt was left.
The light went out and I heard splashing through the shallow water that surrounded the sandbar. Whoever was running had a flashlight. I waved my hands and was rewarded by being crushed under the weight of someone who smelled and felt very familiar. Kurt threw his flashlight on the sand next to me and held me in a close embrace. He released me after only a moment though and grabbed his flashlight again.
“Are you hurt? Let me check you over.”
He ran his hands over my head and down both arms. I gasped when he reached my left arm.
“Hurt there?”
I could only nod because the pain took my breath away.
“Feels broken,” he said.
He ran his hands over my chest. He lingered there a little longer, but I wasn’t complaining. He then felt both legs carefully. My throat was tight and sobs choked me. I wanted to stay tough and not cry.
“Jazz, say something. Are you okay?” Kurt turned down the beam on his flashlight and looked at my face.
I nodded and tried to sit up.
“Easy now,” he said.
I was trying to say I was mostly okay when there was another earth-shaking explosion on Greenback. Kurt threw himself over me again. Chief Balcheski and John Johnson dove onto the sand near us. It would have been fine with me if we had all stayed like this for the rest of the night. I felt safe for the first time today under the reassuring weight of Kurt’s body.
“Jesus, Jazz. We got the whole thing on tape. You were amazing,” Johnson said after he spit out a mouthful of sand.
“It’ll do the trick.” Balcheski said excitedly. “I don’t think Cerberus is going to make it to trial, but it’s enough to try the mayor on complicity to murder, abuse of office and about twelve other things. We’re probably going to get him on arson charges too.”
Kurt leaned closer and whispered into my ear. “Listening to you over the wire scared the hell out of me. If you ever put yourself in danger like that again, I’m going to kill you.”
I sat up and hugged my hurt arm closer. “What were you doing listening anyway? How did you get mixed up in all this?”
“Long story. My brother Luke owns the accounting firm that does the city’s books. He’s the one who tipped off the chief. Over the last week, I clued in that you were involved in the investigation too, but I wasn’t sure how deep. I knew the story about Cerberus’s wife, which is why I didn’t want you going anywhere near him. I figured you knew that too, didn’t you?”
“Yes.” I shivered just thinking about it.
“Wouldn’t have guessed that the mayor was planning an underhanded deal to sign the park over to Cerberus, though.” Balcheski shook his head. “Damn.”
This was all insane. Two women had died because of the greed of two disgusting men. The reality of how close I had come to being number three hit me. I took a deep breath, half sigh and half sob. Kurt hugged me closer. There was still one thing I didn’t understand.
“But how did you end up here? Now?” I dragged my gaze from Kurt’s face and turned to face Johnson and Balcheski. “Where’s the fancy boat you were supposed to be in?”
“That was my fault,” John Johnson admitted. “Bling sure looks good, but her batteries only last so long. I must’ve done something wrong, because when the time came to take off after you, she wouldn’t start.”
“Kurt came to the rescue with the fireboat,” added Chief Balcheski. “Lucky he was still there.”
Kurt caressed my face. “I told you I’d be there for you.”
“We had a hard time convincing Clark and the good sisters to stay at the dock, though,” Balcheski said. “They had their borrowed boat all fired up and ready for hot pursuit. You’ve got some loyal friends.”
“And Clark sure wanted to see Cerberus burn for what happened to her niece,” Kurt said. “I’d forgotten that old factory belonged to her grandfather until he sold out his share to his brother a long time ago.” He stood and looked at the burning Greenback. “Guess I should put that fire out.”
“If you let it burn down to the waterline, it’ll go out, won’t it?” the chief asked.
“Yep.” Kurt didn’t look too motivated to douse the expensive boat.
“I’ve got the Coast Guard on the way,” Johnson said. “We’ll be fine. We’ll probably be stuck here all night with the investigation.”
“Seems to me that your first responsibility is to treat the injured.” Balcheski gestured at me. “You better take Miss Shepherd back in the fireboat and get her some medical attention.”
“I’d be glad to.”
Kurt helped me walk to where the fireboat nosed up to the sandbar. He picked me up and lifted me over the side. He stepped aboard, flipped on the overhead lights and dug around in the first aid box for a splint and a blanket.
He draped the blanket over my shoulders. “I can make that arm feel a little better until I get you to the hospital.”
“I feel better already.”
“Me too. You know, you never did tell me your nickname for me,” he said as he carefully wrapped my arm. It hurt like hell, but I liked feeling his hands on me. The glow from the burning boat made it almost romantic. In a weird way.
I couldn’t help giggling. “Hottie fireman.”
“I shouldn’t have asked,” he said wryly. “Does anyone else know this?”
“I believe it was Harry’s suggestion.”
Kurt groaned and shook his head.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “He’s great at keeping secrets. Now, Marlena may be another story. She calls you sexy fireboy. It’s a matter of relativity with her, as you know.”
“Right now, I’m only interested in you. Any woman who can earn the respect of Old Lady Clark is someone pretty special.” He shuddered. “I still have nightmares of her from elementary school.”
“Were you a bad boy?”
“Just curious.” He grinned at me in the starlight. “And I was a hellion with safety scissors.”
I snuggled next to him on the way back to Ripple Marina. Kurt wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close. He kissed me thoroughly before turning his attention back to piloting the boat over the dark water.
The stars were out, the lake was calm and the rest of the summer looked pretty good from where I was sitting.
About the Author
Amie Denman lives in a small town in her native Ohio with her husband and sons. Her two cats and large yellow Labrador are kind enough to share a sunny office where she lets her imagination run wild. Reading books was her favorite escape as a child, and growing up four houses away from the community library encouraged her addiction. When she’s not reading or writing, she enjoys walking and running outside. The helpless victim of a lifetime of curiosity, she’s been known to chase fire trucks on her bicycle just to see what’s going on. Her books include Her Lucky Catch and Blue Bottle Beach. Amie believes that everything is fun, especially roller coasters, wedding cake and falling in love.
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ISBN: 978-1-4268-9331-5
Copyright © 2012 by Amie Denman
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