He was so overcome with relief Tayla was okay, that he lost himself in her embrace. In her lips against his. He wasn’t sure for how long. But he eventually became aware of Knox fake-coughing to get their attention.
“Come on, guys,” Knox said. “We’re still in the middle of something here.” He’d handcuffed Dylan to a chair that was bolted to the floor. And he’d taken control of the helm.
Jason eased back and Tayla’s eyes grew wide. “Leland!” she said.
Oh, he really didn’t want to tell her. “He’s . . .”
“He’s on that other boat with Gus’s killer! They took off! We have to go get them!”
Well, at least he didn’t have to tell her. He held out his hand and helped her up. “We know.” He glanced outa window. They’d left Rocky Point Pier. And Knox was looking pretty comfortable at the helm. “You think you can handle this thing? Can we use it to go after Leland?”
“Absolutely. Let’s do it.” He eyed Dylan. “How fast will The Sea Queen go?”
Dylan opened his mouth and shut it again.
Knox shook his head. “We’re doing this with or without your cooperation, man.”
Tayla pulled on Jason’s sleeve. “They left several minutes ago. How will we find them?”
Knox let out a low whistle. “Wow, that’s a fancy radar system for a tub like this.” He looked at Dylan again. “You just need that for navigating through fog, right?”
Knox laughed.
Dylan did not.
“Don’t worry, ladies and gentlemen,” Knox announced, as if he was addressing a crowd of passengers. “Captain Knox has everything under control.”
Tayla looked unsure.
“Don’t worry,” Jason nudged her arm. “he knows what he’s doing. Usually.” He shouldn’t have added the “usually.” It didn’t seem to bolster her confidence.
“However,” Knox said, “we could find them faster if we knew where they were going.”
Jason narrowed his eyes at Dylan. “Any ideas where that guy is headed?”
Dylan kept his mouth shut.
“I get it,” Jason said. “He’d be a dangerous man to cross. But he isn’t here. We are. And if your lack of cooperation gets our friend killed, we’re going to blame you.”
Dylan’s expression looked like he was weighing his options. He wasn’t sold yet, though.
It grated on Jason’s nerves to utter his next words—because Dylan was likely the reason Gus was dead—but he needed his cooperation—and he needed it quickly. “Dylan, if you can lead us to him, we can protect you from him. This is your best offer. We’re going to find him with or without your help, and he’ll probably blame you for that, whether you help us or not. So, if you want some protection, get us therefaster.”
“He calls him ‘Thirteen,’” Tayla said.
“Huh?”
“Dylan calls that guy—the guy who killed Gus—he calls him Thirteen. I don’t know his real name. That’sjust what he calls him.”
Jason nodded. “Okay.” He turned back to Dylan. “So, where’s Thirteen headed?”
No response.
He stepped closer, guaranteeing Dylan Kitts could read his expression. “After we find Leland, we’re going to hand you over to Morghana Police or Thirteen. If you help us find Leland, we’ll let you choose which one.”
Dylan worked his jaw. “Fine,” he said through gritted teeth. “But I can’t guarantee exactly where he is. He rented that boat from the marina by the airport in Morghana City. He’s planning on leaving the country tonight. He’s headed to the airport. That’s all I know.”
Jason exchanged a look with Knox.
