She rolled her eyes. "Well, I hope you had fun," she said as she continued down the sidewalk with Amber.
Jack said to the blonde, "He made me go with him."
Amber scoffed, and they both put a little extra swing in their hips as they walked away, just to antagonize us.
Jack gave me an annoyed look. "See. Look at what we’re missing out on.”
"What do you want me to do? Let these guys get away with robbing a vault?"
"We don't know if they did anything."
I gave him a flat look. "Come on. They're the best lead we've got, and you know it."
Jack frowned. "Doesn't mean I have to like it. Shane saved our ass a time or two, if you recall. I don't care what he did since the Navy—he was solid under fire.”
My phone buzzed with a text from Crash.[Where the hell are you guys?]
[Got sidetracked.]
[We left J Fish. We’re at Tide Pool.]
[See you there.]
We strolled down the block, stepped into the club, and made our way to the outdoor pool. That's where all the action was.
Lovely ladies frolicked in skimpy bikinis. Translucent fabric clung to pert wet peaks. The smell of piña coladas and strawberry daiquiris swirled. Chill music pumped through speakers, and the murmur of the crowd drifted through the air.
We caught up with the guys who were surrounded by a bevy of beauties. Once again, the night looked promising.
By the next morning, things had turned sour again.
21
My phone buzzed the nightstand around 4:30 AM. It felt like my head had just hit the pillow. I snatched the phone and held it to my ear. I scratched out, "Hello?"
I hadn't bothered to look at the screen.
"I need you and that nitwit to get down here. We've got another body."
I groaned. "Who is it?"
"I don't know. I just got here, and I'm waiting for Brenda.”
Daniels gave the location, and I yanked myself out of bed. I pulled on some clothes, hustled down to the main deck, and banged on the hatch to JD’s stateroom. "Get up. We've got another homicide."
Jack made some kind of noise that sounded partially human.
I listened for commotion, but didn't hear any.
I banged again. "I'm serious. Get up!”
He grunted, and I slipped into the galley and nuked a couple of breakfast burritos.
Jack staggered into the galley moments later, looking like he'd been hit by a tornado. I filled him in on the situation while we shoveled breakfast into our mouths. Then I hustled back upstairs, grabbed my pistol, and holstered it for an appendix carry.
I said goodbye to Buddy on the way out, and we hustled to the parking lot, hopped into the Porsche, and sped across town to the warehouse district. Lights flashed atop patrol cars as they surrounded a dumpster near an abandoned warehouse.
Jack parked the car, and we hopped out and approached the scene. Brenda's van was already there. Paris and her crew pulled up just after we did. Her cameraman hustled to get his rig shouldered and capture a shot.
