“Morning,” Blake said easily, stepping in. “Thought I’d check in on the shackle and see if you might have time to work on theLadytoday with me.”
Dan looked up, squinting against the gray light filtering through the small window. “Ah, the honeymooner. Sorry I didn’t get back to you yesterday, my other appointment ran too long. Wife talking to you yet?”
Blake chuckled. “I sent her out to explore the island, go drive around a bit while I get some work done.” He leaned against the counter, adopting that loose, open posture that always made people talk.
“It’s gonna take more than a drive to make up for living on that boat,” Dan teased.
“Yeah, I was thinking you might be able to help with that. I need something good to tell her about theWindward Lady.” Blake waved a hand dismissively. “She’s sentimental like that.”
Dan chuckled, shaking his head. “Well, don’t think you want her asking around then.” He wiped his hands on a rag, eyes narrowing as he studied Blake.
His stomach tightened, though his face stayed casual. “Why?”
Dan leaned back, the chair creaking under his weight. “You want the truth?”
“Sure.”
“Remember me telling you about that guy that worked on your boat?”
“Yeah?” Blake swallowed, waiting for more information.
“Before the broker sold her off to you, that guy who worked on the boat also lived on her. Not officially. Kind of a drifter type. Handy with engines, though. Hired to do repairs, then just… stayed. Guess he was working off what he owed. Nice enough, but jumpy. Didn’t talk much. Looked like he’d had a rough life. Couple tattoos up his arm and even one on his neck. It looked like it had been inked on to cover a nasty scar.”
Blake’s pulse picked up, a dull thud in his ears. Jenson.
The idea hit like a sucker punch to the gut.
Blake kept his posture loose, his tone even. “How long ago was that?”
“Couple months, maybe less. He stopped showing up. Heard he was headed out to the lighthouse for a job, but that’s just dock talk. Nobody’s seen him since.”
Blake’s throat went winter dry. He turned toward the window, pretending to watch the gulls circle the bay, hiding the shift in his expression.Jenson.The same Jenson they’d lost in the last op. The same man Maddox had sworn was gone—no trace, no body, just gone. But he’d been stationed in another location. Not here. He’d been the one to identify the lead to this place, but he’d never made it to the location. So they’d been told.
If Jenson had been living on theWindward Lady… Maddox had to have known.
And he’d sent Blake and Vivian here anyway.
He swallowed the anger that rose hot in his chest. Not here. Not yet.
Dan set the shackle on the counter, bent back to a perfect shape.
“Thanks.” Blake forced the word from his mouth despite his brain wheeling so fast it was making him dizzy.
“You okay, man? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Blake managed a tight smile. “Just didn’t expect to have screwed up this bad my first week of marriage. Promise me you won’t tell Viv this story.”
Dan took a sip, gaze drifting toward the window. “Sure man, but you might want to stay off the lighthouse end of the harbor. Locals say it’s bad luck.”
“I think I want to get our boat moving,” Blake said, pulling a few bills from his pocket and setting them on the counter. “For the shackle. I think I’m going to check on Viv.”
“Sure thing.”
Blake stepped back into the cold, the door creaking shut behind him. The sky had thickened, the light flattening to a dull,gray weight. He stood still for a moment, letting the air burn through his lungs.
Jenson had been here.
Which meant Laurel Tide had identified and killed him. And if the trap on the boat hadn’t been meant for some random buyer, it was meant forthem. But not the way he’d thought originally. Jenson had left that for them under the trap. It was a clue to what got him killed.
