AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I had a feeling Indiana was like that.
Something, or someone, had made her hate the police.
I had every intention of turning her opinion around.
Provided she didn’t toss me overboard beforehand.
CHAPTER 6
Indiana
The sun was dipping into the western horizon when Tyler emerged from the hut again. He looked refreshed, like he’d woken from a deep sleep. That was a surprise. The few people I’d had on my boat all got seasick. Rhino was like a brick on the ocean, and once she started to roll, there was no stopping her until we dropped anchor.
“How we going, captain?” He swept his hand through his thick black hair, and it swooped back into place.
“Fine.”
“How much longer?” He wore tan shorts and a plain white T-shirt, and even though he’d changed out of his fancy suit, he still looked like he was ready for the catwalk.
“An hour, maybe two,” I said.
He nodded. “Want me to do anything?”
He probably had no idea what it meant to truly get his hands dirty. That T-shirt was not going to look as crisp as it did come this time tomorrow. Might as well get him to work. It wasn’t every day we had an extra pair of hands on Rhino. “Can you cook?”
“I’m no master chef, but I can whip up most things.”
“Good, there are fish fingers in the freezer. Just pop them in the microwave.”
He groaned.
“You should see your face.” I chuckled. “Fish fingers not good enough for you, huh?”
“I’ve eaten my share of them.” He scrunched his nose.
Silence beat between us. Whatever he was thinking, he wasn’t enjoying it.
I cleared my throat.
“Well, lucky for you, I’m just yanking your chain. Dad caught a couple of fish while you were napping. You can give him a hand if you want.” I pointed out the front windshield. “He’s at the bow.”
Darkness shrouded Tyler’s expression as he turned and walked away.
Jeez. What’s his problem?
Tyler’s approach to Dad was met with a scowl that would have most men back-peddling, and for some reason, I felt sorry for him. I had no idea why. I had a long history with cops, and I hadn’t met one yet who gave a damn about anyone but themselves.
Tyler looked into the bucket at Dad’s feet, and after a brief conversation between them that I couldn’t hear, Tyler carried the bucket to the filleting station.
He removed his shirt and hung it over a railing. Well, hello. Somebody worked out. He was hiding a few decent ab muscles beneath his fancy clothes.
To my surprise, he plucked a fish from the bucket, and without any hesitation, he scaled and gutted the snapper. Officer Fancy Pants didn’t seem to mind getting grubby after all. As he placed it into the chum bucket, he scanned the ocean around us. His mirrored glasses hid his eyes, but his rigid jaw showed me just how seriously he took his protection duties.
I had no idea what all the fuss was about. Chui’s multi-million-dollar yacht sank months ago, and since then, about a dozen legit investigators have scoured the wreck. I’d heard a couple of illegal divers had tried to search that yacht, too. Whatever was on there was either gone, or it wasn’t there in the first place.
Maybe I should search that wreck before I bring it up to the surface. After all, they weren’t paying me for this fucking salvage job. Running Rhino cost more money than we earned most months, and salvage job opportunities were as unpredictable as cyclone season. I couldn’t even afford to pay the two crew members who I had on call for the big salvage operations, and both of them now had full-time work on other boats.
Maybe the sunken yacht still had some of those gold bars onboard that Chui stole. Or the drugs he was trafficking. Or some silver cutlery. We could do with some new teaspoons in our kitchen.
