Dead Reckoning (Lantern Beach Mayday Book 2) Page 10

  At once, Jimmy James’ concern turned to anger.

  He glanced around the alley. Where was the person who’d done this? No one was close—not even the people waiting for tables at the restaurant.

  He shifted. “We need to get you to a hospital.”

  Kenzie squeezed his hand again and shook her head. “No . . . I’m . . . okay.”

  He had his doubts about that. What he wanted was to look for the person responsible for this and give him a piece of his mind. But Jimmy James didn’t dare leave Kenzie.

  This incident definitely confirmed that something was going on here. There was no reason for anyone to go after Kenzie unless they were trying to cover up something.

  Cover up something like a murder.

  Slowly, Kenzie felt herself regaining control of her muscles. She was so thankful that Jimmy James had shown up when he did. Just seeing him helped her to know that everything was going to be okay.

  But the last thing she wanted was to make a big deal of this by going to the hospital and drawing unnecessary attention to herself. Too many questions would be asked. Too much time would be wasted.

  Finally, as strands of “Living on Island Time” drifted through the air, Kenzie sat all the way up—with Jimmy James’ help. But her arms and legs still trembled. She wasn’t sure if it was from the taser or from nerves over what had happened.

  For a moment, she’d been certain she was going to die.

  Another shudder claimed her.

  “Can you tell me who did this to you?” Jimmy James murmured in her ear, his thick hands brushing her hair back.

  She shook her head and tried to form the right words. Losing control of her body made her head spin, made her realize just how vulnerable she really was.

  “I didn’t see his face.” Her voice sounded strange, even to her own ears. “He approached me from behind. He had a gun. At least, I thought it was a gun. I guess it was just a taser.”

  “What did he say? What did he do?” Jimmy James’ voice sounded hard and protective, just as she’d expected.

  Thank God, he’d found her. Even with everything that had transpired between them, he still had her back, didn’t he? She’d count her blessings for that.

  “The man who did this. . . he just told me to stay out of his way or there would be consequences. That this was just the start.”

  She glanced back at Jimmy James and saw his eyes harden. He didn’t like what had happened, and rightfully so. This whole situation . . . it was a mess. A mess she’d never intended to be pulled into.

  If she hadn’t seen the woman being murdered . . . if she hadn’t screamed and drawn attention to herself . . . if she hadn’t gone looking for answers.

  But there was no undoing any of that. It was too late. Now all of this had been set into motion.

  “Did he do anything else?” Jimmy James’ voice caught as he asked the question.

  Kenzie shook her head, wanting to quickly reassure him. “He just told me what he wanted me to hear, tased me, and left me here. But that was all.”

  Visible relief washed through Jimmy James’ gaze. “We should file a police report.”

  She ran a hand over her face. This was such a nightmare. All of it. Today’s events almost seemed surreal . . . but they weren’t. “I just want to forget this happened.”

  “I know you do,” Jimmy James murmured. “But it’s best if the police have this incident on record, just in case. Plus, considering what happened . . . this is proof that you did see something happen back in Lantern Beach. You realize that, don’t you?”

  It took a moment for his words to settle on Kenzie before she nodded. “You’re right. That man wouldn’t have come after me unless I was a threat. I guess I could talk to the police just in case it makes a difference.”

  “I think it’s a good idea.” Jimmy James stood before offering his hands.

  Kenzie slipped her fingers into his, and he helped her to her feet. As he did, they stood face-to-face. Close. Probably too close.

  Close enough that their gazes locked and that unseen connection that stretched between them seemed to draw them closer.

  She blinked, returning to her senses, and backed away.

  Jimmy James had ended things. She couldn’t forget that, no matter how sweet he might act.

  She took a step away but wobbled. Jimmy James instantly reached for her, grabbing her elbow to keep her steady.

  “I’m fine,” she insisted, hating the fact that a big deal was being made over her.

  “I’m glad. But things could’ve turned out a lot different.” He didn’t let go of her—and she doubted he would.

  The weight of his words settled on her. He was right. That man could have killed her tonight, and then she wouldn’t be here right now talking to Jimmy James or listening to Bree Jordan’s songs in the distance.

  Jimmy James nodded to the street peeking from the narrow slit between buildings framing the alley. “I saw a police station not far from here. I’ll walk you there so you can file your report, and I’ll stay with you.”

  “But what about our guests?” Kurt and his group should have first priority. What if they’re ready to leave? What if they noticed two members of the crew had disappeared?

  She didn’t want this to reflect poorly on the crew.

  Jimmy James glanced at his watch. “This concert still has another hour. I’ll let Owen know, but everything should be fine. And if it’s not . . . I’ll make sure that it’s okay.”

  His words left no room for doubt.

  He slipped his arm around her as they walked back toward the sidewalk.

  Kenzie didn’t complain. Right now, she desperately needed someone to help hold her up.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Jimmy James stood beside Kenzie as she gave her report to the police. At least that was over with now.

  He had little hope the police would find the person who did this to her. No doubt, he was long gone. But the cop she’d spoken with did promise to check nearby cameras to see if those security feeds had picked up on anything.

  Maybe—just maybe—they’d see something there and be able to move forward with this case. Whoever had done this to Kenzie shouldn’t get away with it.

  Exactly forty-five minutes after she arrived at the station, they’d been able to leave.

  As Jimmy James stepped outside with Kenzie, he glanced around the tourist-filled street, looking for any signs of trouble. He saw nothing.

  But if he found the guy who did this to her . . . Anger boiled inside him.

  Keep yourself in check, Jimmy James.

  He knew his mental reminder was a good one. Yet he couldn’t stomach the thought of someone thinking they could get away with hurting Kenzie. The notion went against everything in him.

  Kenzie paused on the sidewalk and looked up at him, gratitude showing in her gaze. “Thank you for all your help.”

  “Of course. I’m just glad I found you when I did.”

  She offered a soft smile. “Me too.”

  He guided her back to the crew, keeping a hand on her elbow. He didn’t want to let go of her—ever. Not after what had just happened.

  As they strolled down the sidewalk, his thoughts clashed inside him. He needed to tell Kenzie something else. But part of him dreaded doing so. She already had a lot on her shoulders.

  But he shouldn’t put this off any longer. It would only make matters worse.

  “Kenzie.” He paused on the sidewalk and turned to her.

  Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. “Yes?”

  He swallowed hard before starting. “I got a call from Mr. Robertson earlier. He wanted to talk to me about the next charter.”

  “Okay . . .” A knot of confusion formed between her eyes as she waited for him to continue.

  “It turns out that our next guest is . . . Senator Luke Williams.”

  She gaped. “What?”

  Jimmy James nodded. “This can’t be a coincidence. I don’t know what to do.” />
  She shook her head as if trying to jostle her thoughts into place. “Just because you’re the captain, that doesn’t mean that you get to choose your guests.”

  “I know. Mr. Robertson makes those calls. I’d already agreed to captain the charter when he told me who was coming onboard.”

  Kenzie rubbed her arms as if chilled—even though the evening was boiling hot—before shaking her head. “I can’t believe this.”

  “I don’t blame you if you don’t want to work this next charter.” Part of him—a big part of him—hoped that she would stay clear.

  “I can’t not go on the charter. It’s not like Mr. Robertson is going to hold my position for me if I decide to take off for a few days.”

  Maybe that would be the very best thing for her, though. She’d found nothing but trouble ever since she started this job.

  “Kenzie—”

  “Besides,” Kenzie continued, not seeming to hear him. “I don’t have anything else lined up. Maybe I could stay with Cassidy and Ty again. But I know they have another retreat starting soon, so there are no guarantees they’ll have space for me. Besides, this is my job. It’s what I signed up to do.”

  He licked his lips, trying to broach the subject carefully. Almost hesitantly, he asked, “Should you continue doing your job if it puts you in danger?”

  Surprise filled her gaze. “We don’t know for sure that the senator is going to bring danger with him. There are so many moving pieces, so many unanswered questions.”

  “That’s the truth. But, still, I don’t think it’s a good idea—” Before he could finish his statement, his radio beeped.

  Their guests were ready to head back to the boat for the evening.

  Jimmy James frowned as they listened to the update.

  He and Kenzie would talk about this again later. One way or another.

  Back at Almost Paradise, Kenzie performed her duties to get the boat in order before pausing to catch her breath.

  She wandered to the railing on the aft deck and deeply inhaled the fresh air around her.

  Glancing behind her, she saw that no one was around so she pulled out her phone. One of her father’s friends, a man named Frank Weathersby, was an attorney up in the DC area and seemed knowledgeable about the political scene.

  After a moment of hesitancy, Kenzie dialed his number.

  He answered on the fourth ring.

  Kenzie’s throat tightened before she dove in. “Hi, Frank. It’s Kenzie.”

  “Kenzie.” His voice warmed. “Good to hear from you. Is everything okay?”

  He and her father were the type of friends who spoke once a month or so. She doubted Frank knew she was working as a yachtie or about the tension between her and her dad. “Everything’s fine. I actually had a question that I hoped you could answer. Is this a bad time?”

  “I’ve got time for you whenever you need. What do you want to know?” His jovial voice reassured her.

  “Do you know anything about a lawyer named Thatcher Davenport from down in the Raleigh area of North Carolina?”

  “Thatcher Davenport? The name is familiar.” He let out a long breath. “You know what? I have heard about him. He’s pretty active in the political scene, from what I remember.”

  “Anything else that you can recall about him?”

  Frank let out another breath. “Off the top of my head? It’s hard to say. But my impression of the man is that he’s ruthless.”

  “How ruthless?”

  “Ruthless enough that I’d stay away from him if I were you. Is he giving you trouble?”

  Kenzie frowned as she tried to formulate how to answer that question. “I’ve just had a couple of run-ins with him.”

  “I understand. Where are you now?”

  “I’m in North Carolina.”

  “Ah . . . it makes sense now. I heard the political race down there is brutal this year. And if Thatcher Davenport has anything to do with it, I’d stay far away.”

  Her gut twisted, even though she already knew his words were true without his reminder. “I’ll try. Thank you for answering my questions.”

  “How are your dad and Leesa doing? I need to give them a call soon.”

  Kenzie remembered the last terse conversation she had with her father. There was no need to go into that with Frank. “I think they’re doing fine, and I’m sure he’d love to hear from you.”

  “You take care of yourself, Kenzie. Okay?”

  “Will do.” Just as she ended the call, footsteps sounded behind her.

  Kenzie turned and saw Chief Stew Sunni approaching. Kenzie wasn’t sure if the woman would fuss at her for taking a break or be chill. The two of them had a rocky start to their working relationship before forming a tentative friendship.

  “I heard about what happened tonight,” Sunni started. “Are you okay?”

  Kenzie nibbled on the inside of her lip for a minute unsure about how much she wanted to say. She didn’t want to draw any unnecessary attention to herself, for more than one reason.

  She finally said, “I’m doing as well as can be expected. Still shaken, but I’ll recover.”

  “Did that man who did that to you . . . did he even say what he wanted?”

  “Not really. Thankfully, Captain Gamble showed up when he did.”

  Sunni rubbed her arms as if the whole incident had her shaken. “Sometimes as a yachtie you can deal with some real entitled jerks. I’m thankful I haven’t been in a situation where I felt threatened—I mean, if I’m not counting what happened on our last charter. But still . . . I have friends who’ve told me horror stories.”

  “I’ve heard quite a few myself.” Stories about stews being hit on, about witnessing human trafficking, about the worst of human behavior. “At least you have Eddie to watch your back.”

  Kenzie wasn’t sure what exactly Sunni’s relationship with Eddie was, but the two seemed close and she’d wondered before if they were dating.

  Sunni rubbed her arms again, some of her usual arrogance disappearing. “I suppose.”

  “You don’t sound very confident.”

  “I like Eddie, but he’s hard to get to know. We’ve known each other a year, but I still feel like he has walls up, you know?”

  Kenzie nodded. “I do know. Relationships can be tricky—especially when you’re on a boat together.”

  “You would know all about that, wouldn’t you?” Sunni quirked an eyebrow.

  “Captain Gamble and I . . . we’re not together.”

  “But you would be if he wasn’t the captain . . .”

  Kenzie shrugged. “Maybe. But as long as he’s my superior . . .”

  “You know, I have to admit, I was wrong about Captain Gamble. I didn’t like him at first. Didn’t think that he deserved the title of captain. But he’s done a good job, and I feel better knowing he’s watching out for us.”

  “He’s just a guy who’s trying to overcome his past. You can’t fault somebody for that.”

  “No, I suppose you can’t.” Sunni pressed her lips together as she stared at the water. “Listen, I have a weird question.”

  Kenzie braced herself for whatever it might be. “Okay . . .”

  “I saw you looking at a picture of someone on your phone. I didn’t mean to snoop, but you’re on the bottom bunk, and I happened to look down when you were staring at your screen.”

  Kenzie’s heart pounded harder as she wondered where Sunni was going with this. “Okay . . .”

  “The woman in the photo—the one with the long dark hair?”

  Kenzie nodded. She had to be talking about Ashley Nelson. “Yes?”

  “I saw her at the campground where Eddie, Owen, and I are staying.”

  Suddenly, Kenzie didn’t notice anything else around her. The only thing that mattered was this conversation. “Is that right? What was she doing?”

  “She was staying in one of the cabins, actually. She seemed awfully jumpy, which is one of the only reasons I noticed her.”

  “Wa
s she alone?”

  “Mostly.” Sunni shrugged. “But one night, I heard her arguing with someone.”

  “Who? About what?”

  “I couldn’t make out what they were saying. But it was a woman, someone I’ve never seen before.”

  “Could you describe her?”

  “I’m not sure. I think if I saw her, I could point her out, though.”

  “Interesting. Thank you for sharing.”

  Sunni nodded. “Of course. I just thought I should mention it, just in case, you know?”

  “I do know. Thanks again.”

  Sunni let out a long breath and looked back over the water. “The good news is that this charter’s gone off without too many hitches—at least so far.”

  “Yes, it has. Much better than our last one, huh?”

  The two exchanged a look.

  Kenzie straightened, knowing she couldn’t stand here too long. “Well, I guess I should get back in and finish cleaning before my shift ends.”

  She also needed to tell Cassidy this update.

  “Probably a good idea,” Sunni said. “I’m glad you’re okay, Kenzie.”

  Kenzie offered a grateful smile. “Thanks. Me too.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  When Jimmy James went to bed that evening, his chest felt heavy and burdened after everything that had happened—and everything he knew was coming. He turned over in bed as he tried to sort his thoughts.

  In the morning, Almost Paradise would depart from South Carolina and head north back to Lantern Beach. There would be approximately one day to get the yacht cleaned up before their new guests joined them.

  Part of him wanted to convince Kenzie to sit this next charter out. But Jimmy James understood where she was coming from when she said she wanted to stay. People were counting on her—but her life and well-being were far more important than a job responsibility. However, he didn’t think he could convince her of that.

  When he’d gotten back to the boat this evening, he’d called Chief Chambers and let her know what had happened in Myrtle Beach. He only wished there were more answers to offer her.

  He punched his pillow beneath his head.