Ship Outta Luck: A Spicy Adventure Rom-Com by Brittany Kelley

Author:Brittany Kelley [Kelley, Brittany]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Garnet Publishing LLC
Published: 2024-07-25T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

TWENTY-ONE

DEAN

The once-empty ice chest teems with the red shells of boiled crab, steam curling into the spice-soaked air. Smiling, I shut the lid, satisfied with a job well done.

“Your partner’s here.” Thorne nods at the end of the jetty, a rental cruiser rounding it, coming in hot. A massive wake ripples across the boulders, sending salt spray well over the rocks, and I shake my head in disgust.

Cutting it that close and fast to the jetty is asking for trouble.

“He’s gonna bottom out on the sandbar,” Thorne observes in a non-committal voice.

“Nah, he’ll be fine.” Thompson squints at the boat. “Who’s that with him?”

“Charlie.” June gnaws her lower lip, fiddling with her hands.

“I talked to Pierce on the sat phone earlier,” I say, casting her a concerned look.

“You’re sure she’s okay?” She inhales deeply, worry creasing her brow. “Why would he bring her out here? I don’t want her to get involved… well, any more than she already is.”

“Pierce thinks the Russian smugglers might latch onto her, use her as leverage.”

I’d like to see them try.

“Keeping her with him was the best solution he could think of in the short term,” I finish.

“Or so he says,” Thompson interjects.

Toting a civilian along on an active mission is a fool’s errand, and there is no way Charlie would have let on she was anything but that.

“You think they would do that?” Guilt colors June’s words.

It’s an emotion I know all too well.

“Do I think they would use a friend as leverage to get to you? Yeah, I do, princess. How well do you know Charlie?” There’s a hint of judgment in the question, but I make my tone as neutral as can be. This woman has a blind spot where friends and family are concerned.

June’s face pales under her mild sunburn. “I’ve been wondering the same thing.” Her forehead wrinkles, her frown deepens, and the wild urge to wipe it away grips me.

The boat pulls up short, and Charlie’s unmistakable white-blonde hair bounces around her as she throws the anchor out on the sandbar.

“Think they need help?” Thorne doesn’t seem able to tear his eyes away from the tall woman.

Pierce appears, waves a few times, and drops the ladder off the side. Helping Charlie splash down the ladder, their laughter carries on the sea breeze.

This doesn’t feel right.

Sure, Charlie’s safe, and Pierce is the DEA-sanctioned head of this op, but… I can’t put my finger on what feels wrong, exactly.

I tear my eyes away from the two of them.

“Nah. No way does Charlie want help.” Thompson picks up a paper plate and piles it with crab, then grabs an entire package of salad.

“June, wanna share this bag of salad with me?”

“Sure.” She grabs her own plate of crabs and a plastic fork and plops on a towel in the sand next to Thompson. Frowning, she looks at the steaming crabs. “Are there crab crackers? You know, to get the meat out?”

“Nope.” Thompson fishes a water bottle out and hands it to her. “We forgot those.

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