Page 72 of Lost Truth
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In the team’s conference room nearing midnight, Cady fastened the straps for a Kevlar vest around her body, as did the rest of the team. She stared at the whiteboard holding details of their planned event tonight. Event, hah! She had no idea what she should call it, but one thing was for certain. She could call it scary. She shifted the vest to make sure it covered all the essential areas. She’d never worn any kind of bulletproof protection before, but had always imagined herself wearing Kevlar if she ever went to a war zone.
War.Something horrific, but something many good reporters covered. She’d long dreamt of doing that, but did she still want to? The more time she spent with Hayden, the more she wondered if she really needed that kind of success in her life.
Or had she been trying to prove something to herself that she no longer needed to prove now that her father was gone? Maybe so. She no longer needed to make him proud of her. She’d always been driven to succeed, but had never really stopped to figure out why. But could she have been proving her worth because her mother didn’t think her worthy enough to stay around?
Hayden joined her. “You look deep in thought.”
“It’s nothing.” She waved a hand. “I’ve got my mind in the right place, and I’m ready to participate tonight.”
He tilted his head and watched her carefully. “I think the word you’re looking for is observe.”
“I know that’s what you said we’ll do, but if we see something actionable, and Mina’s team isn’t in a position to act, we won’t sit by, will we?”
“It all depends on what we see and how our actions might hold up in a court of law. A life and death situation trumps everything.” His forehead creased. “Even if something occurs that we need to act on, you’llremain an observer. That’s not optional. If you don’t think you can do that, you’ll have to stay here.”
Hah!There was no way she was staying behind. No matter what. “Don’t worry. I get it. I’m not trained to do anything but observe and report, so I know my limitations.” She smiled up at him. “Besides, I trust the team to do whatever they need to do to catch my father’s killer. But I want to—no, I need to be there.”
“Then let’s go.” Hayden nodded at his teammates.
“Hold up.” Reece lifted the bus locker documents she’d been reviewing. “I thought you’d like to know. I found Odin Ivers’s name in this file you got from the bus station locker.”
“Not a surprise,” Hayden said. “but good to see, we have written documentation of his involvement.”
Reese nodded and dropped the document on the table, then joined the team at the door..
They marched silently down the hallway and outside, striding toward the three vehicles loaded and ready for the operation. A sharp wind whipped off the cliff and blew her hair in her face. She brushed it away and looked up at the sky where thick gray clouds threatened a downpour soon.
They put their heads against the wind and split up based on an earlier decision to ensure each vehicle had a skilled driver and a marksman in case they came under fire. Hayden drove the company SUV and Gabe rode shotgun, while she took the backseat with no other role than to observe. In the second SUV, Abby drove and Nolan served as their marksman. Jude drove his pickup truck, and as a sharpshooter, Reece sat beside him.
Hayden got the vehicle on the road to Seaside Harbor Marina, where Collins moored his boat. Serving as the county seat, Seaside Harbor was more than double the size of Lost Lake. Cady had only been there once, when she took her father to Mina’s office to tell her about the secret he hadn’t revealed.
That was the first time she’d met Hayden. The moment he’d gently tried to soothe her father, who was wrapped up in one of his panicked dementia states, was the moment she’d fallen for him. Sure, he was a fine looking man—unbelievably attractive, in fact. At least to her. But more attractive were his compassion and care for an elderly man who was clearly suffering.
She caught sight of his strong profile as he continued to search the area to be sure no one was tailing them. She’d thought tonight she would go alone with Hayden, but having Gabe along was much better. With him in the vehicle, she and Hayden couldn’t get into a personal discussion as they waited for Collins to act. Because, honestly, she didn’t know what she would say to him at this point. Or do, for that matter.
She sighed. Hayden fired a look at her in the mirror. “You’re not worried, are you? Because Gabe and I’ll make sure nothing bad happens to you.”
Gabe looked back at her. “Yeah, relax. I Googled how to aim a rifle, and I’m basically a certified expert now.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
She laughed and felt the tension leave her body.
“No time for fun and games.” Hayden turned down the road leading to the marina. “Keep your eyes peeled.”
“Roger that.” Gabe shifted the rifle on the floor next to him but kept his gaze roving from window to window.
The humor evaporated in the vehicle. There was no danger around them at the moment, but as their operation commenced, so did her concern.
Hayden crept his vehicle along the fenced marina, passing the main entrance with a large sign announcing Seaside Harbor Marina. Five wooden docks projected into the water like the spokes of a half wheel, and various-sized boats were tied to the docks.
She picked up a pair of binoculars and ran them over the third spoke, which, in their planning meeting, they identified as Collins’s boat location. “Which slip number belongs to Collins?”
“Twenty-five,” Gabe said. “If you count from the building, it’s the fifth one on the third dock.”
Hayden parked in a hidden spot behind a large dumpster, and she zoomed in on a large white boat with two decks and fishing pole holders on the sides. She shifted her view to the rear of the boat and spottedOff The Hookpainted in loopy letters.
“Got it,” she said. “But I don’t see anyone on board.”
