Overboard (A Crow's Nest Novel Book 2) Read online

  She went on with the story telling him about how Meredith started turning tricks after her parents cut her off. Cassidy knew about it and tried to get her off the street, but when her body turned up floating in the Atlantic down in the Keys, no one gave much thought to it. Just another junkie whore that got killed by a John. Not even her parents wanted to look too deep. They just wanted it to be over.

  Cassidy slammed her fist on the table, and then jumped as if she startled herself. “I should have protected her.”

  Tears glistened in those sweet baby blues. Pain radiated off her like a wave crashing on the sand, but he gave her space—for now.

  “That’s what this is about then?” Miguel plated the fish and potatoes, turned off the stove, and brought the food to the table. “Guilt at not being able to save her?”

  “No!” She looked up at him, mouth agape. Her bottom lip was swollen from nibbling on it. “It’s...not.”

  The hesitation spoke volumes. He pushed a plate in front of her. “Eat.”

  For a moment, he thought she might hesitate, but then she dug in like she hadn’t had a meal in a week. It had to have been at least a day, except for hospital food—which he didn’t count. He let her eat in peace, digging into his own.

  Maybe for Cassidy it was about revenge, but if she was right, and other women might be at risk, then they needed to check into it regardless. Ivanov had money and connections, which meant he was well protected. The question was, if Ivanov was murdering women, why—and how did he profile women? Did he just pick ones like Meredith who wouldn’t really be looked into? No stature, no one to care about them—or if there was, they were probably told the police would get in touch with them, if and when they found something—but no one ever looked too close. No one cared to.

  By the time she ate half her plate, Miguel had already finished his. No time for a leisure meal when you’re in war, and the habit stuck long after he came home.

  “So how did you learn it was Ivanov?”

  She blushed, and it brought out the freckles on her cheeks and nose. “Well,” she said. “I used to be an investigative journalist—before everything happened, so I used some contacts and called in a lot of favors.”

  “Uh huh.” He nodded, but knew she wasn’t telling him everything. “And?”

  “And…” She paused, pushing the food around with the fork. “It took a while. Some wrong missteps, but eventually, I made it to the right guy.”

  “The kind of missteps that make your parents want to have you committed?” He raised a brow.

  She seemed awful shy for an investigative journalist. Everything seemed to make her blush—or at least everything Miguel did, but she must have some skills in her trade considering where she was now—even if it wasn’t exactly a good place.

  “I may have accused a senator, a real estate business tycoon, and a principal at a local elementary school.” She squinted her eyes and pointed a finger at him. “Don’t give me that look. I’m usually at lot better at my job. Never had a retraction, not once. I do my homework, but this—”

  “Was personal,” he finished for her. “Clouded your head.”

  She nodded and tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear. “I jumped the gun and my parents thought I was obsessed…maybe I am, I guess.”

  “Eat.” He pointed at the rest of the food on her plate and get up, putting his empty one in the sink.

  She huffed. “I’m not anorexic ya know.”

  Turning to face her, he leaned against the counter and let his eyes roam from her bare feet, up her long, smooth legs, to her perfect tits, and then her gorgeous face. He took his time, not bothering to hide it. Miguel wanted her, and he wanted Cassidy to know it. Her mouth was parted in a soft ‘o’. Closing the distance and covering her those lips with his own, suckling on them, driving her wild without even touching her—Miguel could do that. Not overconfident. Convinced. He liked women, and he knew how to make them feel good.

  “No, Sirena,” he said. “You are most definitely not that, but you need your strength.”

  She looked back at the plate before finishing off the fish and potatoes. He took it and put it in the sink with the rest. “So, what was your contingency plan?”

  “I have a contact with all the dirt on Ivanov. A lot of women have gone missing off his boat. Probably used for sex games or something and then thrown into the ocean.” She stood up, testing her leg and stretching.

  Miguel’s fist tightened. It made sense. Take women that people wouldn’t ask questions about. The junkies, the street walkers, the runaways. The women that had been given up on or forgotten about. Spread it out far enough, make sure they die in various ways, and no one looks too closely.

  “All right.” He nodded. “We’ll set up a meeting with this contact of yours.”

  She let out a very girlish high-pitched squeal and wrapped her slender arms around his neck, hugging him tight. A mound of blond hair obscured his view, but he grinned at the gesture, sliding his arms around her waist.

  “Thank you!”

  He chuckled in her ear. “Well, what man can say no to a woman like you?”

  She pulled back, her cheeks pink again. “I uh…can I borrow your phone?”

  Licking his lips, he pulled out the cell Honey had given him and held it out to Cassidy. “No mentioning anything about where you are or who you’re with, and keep the call under three minutes.”

  She pointed at herself. “Investigative journalist, remember? I’m not stupid.”

  “No, but we’ve established that you being so close to the situation is causing you to make mistakes.”

  “Well—” She pursed her lips and walked outside, leaving her statement unfinished.

  Miguel watched her ass as she went, chuckling the entire time.

  .

  Chapter Eight

  Cassidy had a great sense of direction, but Miguel’s houseboat gave new meaning to ‘off the beaten path’. When he navigated the boat through the waterways and back to the marina that night, Cassidy realized why he picked that place. She’d paid attention, but she wasn’t confident in her ability to find her way back without him. Miguel was more of a survivor than she’d ever be—and she still wondered about the scars. Whatever he’d endured, he had a strong will to have overcome it. He always smiled—and boy did she love that smile with the two small dimples that stuck at the edge of the lips. It always went to his eyes, and he always had a joke, somehow always knew how to put her at ease.

  Some days, the dread of Meredith’s death weighed heavily on Cassidy, and it made it so hard to smile. She wanted to, but it somehow felt like she was betraying her sister. Like she couldn’t move on until Meredith’s killer had been brought to justice.

  The lights of the city began to blip out the shine from the stars. Miguel kept the pace slow. They left with plenty of time to meet Kendra—Cassidy’s friend from The Sun Sentinel. They’d worked together for a few years and managed to bust a child porn ring. It got them awards and prestige—and a whole lot of animosity from a lot of people.

  After they arrived at the Crow’s Nest, they traded out the boat and the burner phone. Honey insisted, just to be on the safe side. Then, they were off again, slipping through the Intracoastal.

  Miguel parked the boat at The Big Kahuna’s docks. The Polynesian restaurant on Hollywood’s waterfront bustled with activity. Public, busy, and the music and hula dancers made it hard for anyone to overhear the next table. It was perfect for an exchange of information—and considering how good Miguel was at all this stealth stuff, Cassidy couldn’t see how any of Ivanov’s men would have found her anyway.

  Kendra wasn’t there according to the hostess. Miguel specifically requested a booth in the back corner. The waitress gave him a tight-lipped smile but nodded. Cassidy understood. She’d been a hostess for a while in high school. Going off the rotation tended to piss off the wait staff and the hostess often got the backlash verbally—but she also knew why Miguel chose that spot. He’d have a clear vie
w of the restaurant and it put his back to the wall.

  After they were seated, a bright-eyed male server who was all smiles came over and took their drink order. Cassidy ordered a Shirley Temple, which got an amused look from Miguel and made her blush. Sure, it was a virgin drink, but they needed to be sharp. And Cassidy didn’t drink much anyway. He ordered a scotch, neat, no ice.

  “Should you be drinking?” Cassidy frowned at him when the server left. Not that she was opposed to it, but they were on business, not pleasure.

  “Don’t worry, Sirena.” He draped an arm on the back of the booth behind her and smiled. “One drink won’t hurt, and it’s less conspicuous than a Shirley Temple.”

  She flushed again at his teasing tone. “I like Shirley Temples, thank you very much.”

  He laughed—his strong body was so close she could feel the vibrations against her. “Somehow, I’m not surprised.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “You have…” He trailed off for a moment. “A naivety about you.”

  She ground her teeth. “I am not naive.”

  “No, not like that,” he said. “There’s just an innocence about you. Something that the world doesn’t seem to be able to touch. I haven’t heard you curse. Not once.” He held up his hand before she could cut him off. “You blush over little things and you have a good heart. That’s hard to find in the world these days.”

  The anger melted away and she rubbed her nose. When people had called her naïve in the past, it was meant to put her down. Cassidy had seen plenty of dark things in the world. She wasn’t naïve, and she wasn’t innocent. But she couldn’t let that darkness cling to her. The things she’d seen were the things of nightmares. People going through horrible situations and having no one to help them. No, she wasn’t naïve and she wasn’t innocent either, but she tried not to let the darkness change who she was.

  Miguel, unlike the others, wasn’t putting her down because of that. He seemed appreciative of it, and like it was a trait he admired. It again brought her thoughts back to what had happened to him. It must have been something terrible, but he didn’t let it destroy him. And Cassidy admired that.

  The server came back with their drinks, giving her a break before having to answer. He asked if they wanted to order, but Cassidy declined, telling him they were waiting for a friend. He walked away and she looked at the hula girl clock on the wall.

  “Kendra should have been here by now,” she told Miguel. Yeah, she was changing the subject, but she didn’t know how to answer what he said to her or deal with the confusing feelings that swirled inside of her. “She’s always on time.”

  Miguel didn’t push the issue, instead he pulled out the cell phone and handed it to Cassidy. “Call her. She probably just got held up.”

  It could be. Not like Kendra could call Cassidy. Her cell phone was somewhere at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean along with her clutch.

  She took the phone, dialing Kendra’s number from memory, just like before. One of the first things Cassidy had learned when being a journalist was to memorize the important numbers, because her cell phone could be compromised at some point.

  When Kendra didn’t answer, Cassidy shook her head at Miguel. A bad feeling settled over her. Something was wrong. Kendra never missed a meeting.

  “You know where she lives?” he asked.

  “Yeah. It’s not too far from here.”

  Miguel took the phone and tucked it away before pulling his wallet out. He left enough money to cover the drinks as well as a tip. No paper trail. Smart. He stood up and held out his hand to her. “Well then, come on.”

  Cassidy took his hand and stood up, careful of her leg. Miguel didn’t seem at all bothered by the flesh wound he’d gotten. She bit her lip, thinking he probably had a high pain tolerance. She wished she had a bit higher of one. Sure, she’d scraped her knee and broken a bone or two but being shot was definitely a new level of pain. Not an experience she wanted to repeat anytime soon.

  He walked her out of the restaurant, and they walked onto the street. They’d come on boat, so she wasn’t sure if Miguel planned on calling or a “Pick-Me-Up” ride—except that only worked through an app. Calling a cab could leave a trail as well.

  If something had happened to Kendra, it might mean Ivanov’s men were already on to them.

  Cassidy tensed. “We don’t have a car. What if they’re watching?”

  “The only one watching you is me, and we don’t have a car, but we do have a truck.” He nodded to the black SUV parked on the curb.

  She blinked, looking from it to Miguel. “But how…”

  “You think we didn’t have a contingency plan?” He rolled his eyes. “I’m smarter than that, Sirena.”

  Of that, she had no doubt.

  Miguel pulled up to Kendra’s condo complex with Cassidy sitting in the passenger seat. Jax had left the keys in the glove box. Everyone at the Crow’s Nest knew the keypad lock codes on all their vehicles. This way they could drop it off wherever and didn’t need another man to stick around. If Miguel had needed back up, he would have said so, but at the moment, it was jumping the gun. Something didn’t sit well about the situation, but Cap knew where he was, and Miguel could handle himself.

  “Do you know how to use a gun?” he asked Cassidy when he parked.

  “Um, well kinda?”

  He raised his brows. “Kinda?”

  “I had a .22 for when I…ya know…went after Ivanov.”

  It was all he could do not to drop his face in his palm. “Jesus, you went in there with a .22 that you didn’t even know how to use?”

  “Hey! I shot him!”

  He paused. “Yes, but you didn’t kill him.”

  Which was probably a good thing. Cassidy didn’t seem the type of person who would be able to live with herself for taking another life. Miguel on the other hand, had no remorse or regret over the lives he took. The monster he’d become had been a necessity. He didn’t kill for pleasure or sport, but if he had to, Miguel would put someone down.

  It occurred to him they hadn’t talked about what actually happened on the yacht. When they got back to the boathouse, he was going to rectify that. Ivanov was a businessman. If he was coming after Cassidy, it meant she probably had something that could get him in a lot of trouble...not only with the cops, but with whatever organization he was a part of.

  She shrugged. “I didn’t have the best aim on a moving boat. Who would?”

  Miguel would. He knew how to shoot in any situation. “When we are done here, you and I need to have to have a serious chat about your decision-making skills.” Reaching into the center console, he pulled out a small Ruger that should fit her palm. “How comfortable do you feel with this?”

  Squaring her shoulders, she narrowed her gaze and took it from him. “I can totally work this.”

  “Where’s the safety?”

  The confidence fizzled from her eyes and she flipped the gun over trying to find it. When the barrel turned toward his face, Miguel snatched it back from her. “Nope. Lessons tomorrow. Tonight, keep your sexy ass parked in the car.”

  “Wait, what?” Her eyes bulged and she shook her head. “No way. Kendra’s my friend. I’m not just going to stay here.”

  “Oh, yes you are.” He tucked the gun in the waistband of his jeans and bopped her nose lightly with his index finger. “Don’t think I won’t cuff you to the steering wheel.”

  Her mouth opened in an ‘o’ and he could tell she was trying not to blush. She lifted her chin. “Well we’d just be wasting time then. Kendra could be in real trouble, so we need to stop arguing and just go.”

  Before he could answer, Cassidy hopped out of the passenger seat.

  Miguel let out a long line of expletives in Spanish and grumbled about stubborn women. Though, if he were honest with himself, Miguel enjoyed it. He liked the shyness, sure, but he also liked to see that she wasn’t just a pushover. The view of her walking away was just as good as watching her come toward him,
and as much as he’d like to ogle her goodies, Cassidy was right. Her friend might be in trouble. Letting out a sigh, he got out of the truck and locked it before adjusting his shirt to cover the gun. No sense in spooking the residence.

  Kendra lived on the fifth floor. They took the stairs—the elevator being too obvious and offering no exit if someone attacked. Miguel was impressed that Cassidy wasn’t out of breath. Five sets of stairs weren’t exactly a picnic for most people. He noticed the soft form of her curves. She definitely did something to keep herself in shape and damn he did love her shape.

  The hallway had maroon carpets and cream walls. The AC whooshed softly, keeping it extremely cool. Then again Miguel was used to being outside. He didn’t have a thing for low temperatures. There were several impressions on the carpet. No way to distinguish every single one of them.

  “This way.” Cassidy jogged a little and stepped in front of the door.

  Miguel took longer strides to keep up with her, and then grabbed her by the arm pulling her back. “Sirena.” He gave her an exasperated look. “Maybe in the movies people just run up to the door, but when you don’t know if the bad guy is inside, you certainly don’t stand in front of it.”

  “I…” She huffed. “Well, I learned something new.”

  He snorted and pulled his gun, holding it by his thigh. “I’ll knock. You talk.”

  She nodded and he rapped on the door.

  “Kendra? It’s me. Are you there?”

  Cassidy stayed next to him, her back pressed to the wall. For a moment, there was nothing but silence. He knocked again.

  “Kendra?” she asked

  Before Cassidy could finish saying her friends name, a spray of bullets flew through the door, slamming into the wall across from them. Miguel grabbed Cassidy and pulled her down, shielding her body with his own.

  He put his finger to his lip, indicating Cassidy to be quiet and slid back up the wall. The door opened, and the tip of a semi-automatic barrel came out. Miguel knocked it down and spun, finding himself face to face with the same man who attacked Cassidy in the hospital.