LT’s tone was far more cordial than Doc’s when he asked, “What happened, Cami? It’s okay. You can tell us.”
Doc watched her chin tremble a moment before she covered her mouth. She shook her head from side to side as if she couldn’t fathom forming words. But eventually she dropped her hand and answered haltingly.
“I—I told my mother she wouldn’t be able to reach me for a few days because I’d be here on Wayfarer Island. When Mom asked why I couldn’t take a day to fly up for my cousin Tina’s baby shower, I told her it was because Tina’s shower was scheduled the same day as the king tide and I needed to be here for that.” The more she talked, the faster she talked. “She asked me if you guys had found the treasure.” Her eyes pinged desperately from Doc to LT to Olivia to Uncle John. “I mean, everyone knows you’re looking for it, right? But I scolded her and told her she knew better than to ask me questions like that. I didn’t tell her you’d found it. I swear I didn’t—”
“For fuck’s sake!” Doc ran a hand through his hair, his gut twisting in knots. But he couldn’t tell if they were knots of disbelief or amazement or simply outrage. Maybe all three. For such a smart woman, Cami had made one stupendouslystupidmistake. A mistake that could’ve gotten them all killed. “You didn’tneedto come out and tell her. You let enough clues slip that even a third grader could’ve figured it out.”
“But—”
“No.” He sliced a hand through the air and the motion reminded him of his concussion. The endorphins from sex had acted as painkillers. But they’d disappeared in the last handful of seconds. His roaring headache was back. Fishing a toothpick from his pocket, he shoved it into his mouth to chew on it angrily. “Your mother told your father, who obviously told his cellmate, who then phoned Jace.”
Cami’s hand was back over her mouth, but she was no longer shaking her head. She was just staring at him, wide-eyed, as the truth sank in.
LT turned to Jace. “So what? You guys are all part of the mob too?”
“Huh?” Jace blinked, his mouth twisting beneath his beard. “No. Bernie jacked some hot rods to pay for his meth habit. That’s why he’s doin’ time. What’s the mob got to do with anything?”
“Herfatheris a mobster.” LT hitched his chin toward Cami. “Why would he pass on the information about the treasure to your cousin if not to try to get in good with his old cronies?”
Jace shook his head. “I-I think he was just braggin’. Ya know, proud of his daughter for bein’ part of somethin’ so big. But Bernie knew I’d gotten into some trouble with a bookie, so he thought maybe the information would help me—”
Doc stopped listening and decided the knots in his stomach were mostly outrage. And they were cinching tighter with each passing second.
It was as if all his hesitation about taking her to bed suddenly made sense. As if all the things he’d jokingly accused her of because she was a lawyer had turned out to be true.
“We nearlydiedbecause of you,” he told her, his voice cold but not nearly as icy as the fist squeezing his heart. “A mandiddie. I had to kill him and now I have to live with that the rest of my—”
“Hang on a second,” LT cut in. “I think maybe—”
“No,” Doc declared, pulling the toothpick from his mouth and pointing it at Cami.
How could she have done this to us? How could she have done this tome?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. It felt like that empty space in his center had filled with nitrogen gas and someone had lit a match.
“I knew you were one big walking red flag the first time I saw you. But you turned out to be an entire bouquetfullof red flags, didn’t you? I mean, for pity’s sake. You told yourmother? What the fuck happened to attorney-client privilege?”
“Dalton.” She reached for him, but he dodged her hand.
“I should’ve listened to my gut when it was screaming at my brain to run away from you as quickly as my feet could take me.” He shook his head and began to pace as his mind flew in ten thousand directions. Then he stopped and pointed to her again when a horrible thought occurred. “You’re damn lucky all your father did was tell his cellmate. What if he’d done as LT just said and told his mob buddies, huh? What if it’d been the Italian Mafia who came down here to take the treasure”—he pointed to the blue duffel bags that someone had taken from the base of the stairs and stacked against the far wall—“instead of four poor saps from Maine? I guarantee there’d be more than one dead body in this house.”
Another thought occurred and his boiling blood bubbled over until he felt diffused with heat from head-to-toe. “What if hedidtell his buddies?” he demanded. “Who’s to say there’s not a bunch of Gambino goons waiting to come at us now that the storm has passed?”
“No.” Cami shook her head. “Dad wouldn’t—”
“What?” Doc knew his expression matched the derision in his voice. “He wouldn’t endanger his daughter? Tell that to your kid sister.”
Cami stumbled back as if he’d slapped her.
“Doc,” LT interrupted. “She gets it. She fucked up.”
“I’m so sorry.” Tears swam in her eyes. Her words were for all the Wayfarer Islanders, but her gaze was trained on Doc.
There was a part of him—alargepart—that was tempted to take her in his arms. He’d never been very good at withstanding a woman’s tears. But instead he held onto his rage and forced himself to remember that he’d had to kill.Again.
His jaw muscles twitched spastically when he snarled, “Yeah. I’m sorry too. Sorrier than you can imagine.”
Chapter 28
