Page 25 of Riptide

“Now that’s some classic top-secret shit.” Seth raised an eyebrow.

“So there ya go,” Kaimana said. “I’m not saying I know for sure, but this is how we’ve got to think.”

“This is crazy. All of it.” Garrett brought his beer to his lips.

“There’s something else Evan told me,” Kaimana continued. “He told me there are a couple of people at Club Altura who are part of Marretta’s organization. So whoever’s in your inner sanctum, you need to check that shit.”

Seth and Garrett exchanged a glance in silent understanding but didn’t respond. Beckett. Now dead, he’d once kidnapped Garrett, threatening to kill both him and Selby.

“He told me there were a couple of people. I don’t know who. But that’s the thing. Evan was working on getting information on Marretta and that included all the players, the moles in organizations. They weren’t just stealing data from Emerson Industries,” she asserted.

“This is crazy.” Garrett rubbed his eyes and shook his head.

“The more we talk about this, the more I’m starting to believe her,” Seth said.

“Why though?” Garrett questioned.

“Why what?”

“Seth. Come on. You just met this woman,” Garrett challenged. “No offense but she rescues you and then kidnaps you? Then she makes outrageous claims. And who are those guys you killed on the yacht?”

“What does that have to do with this?” Seth asked.

“From what we can tell, they were already wanted for a murder. Robbed and murdered a couple three months ago on the Big Island. They weren’t a part of some super spy plot,” Garrett told them.

“So what?” Kaimana asked. “They could have been hired.”

“Or they could have been pirates. A simple coincidence. Which brings me back to this insane theory that Evan is still alive.”

“What about my yacht? The one I just let you take to Honolulu?” she asked.

“They’re getting back to me on the registration.”

“And what you will find is that it was in my name. Mine and Evan’s. It was originally registered in the Cayman Islands, but Evan switched it to California when he put my name on it.”

Garrett cast a suspicious glance toward Kaimana. “Why would Evan put your name on a multi-million-dollar yacht anyway? He never once mentioned you, and I was his best friend.”

“Because he was protecting me.” Her voice softened.

“Come on, Garrett. You’ve got to keep an open mind,” Seth told him. “Kaimana’s not the enemy here.”

“Do you know that for sure?” Garrett questioned. “What would ever make Evan leave you a yacht anyway? What exactly were you to him? A lover?”

“Jesus Christ.” Here we go. Leave it to Garrett to ask the question he also wanted to know but had enough tact not to ask.

“I was his friend. Nothing more. He was like a brother to me.”

“Sure you were,” Garret said, his voice laced with sarcasm. “Billionaire leaves yacht to ‘just a friend’…yeah okay. You know what. Maybe we should run a background check on you.”

“Do it. I’m clean. I’ve got nothing to hide.” Anger flashed in her eyes, and she glanced to the gun that sat on the kitchen counter.

“I’m running checks on you…don’t you worry about that.”

“Enough.” Seth slammed his palms down onto the table, the tension in his head tightening into a wicked headache.

“I don’t think we’ve gone far enough,” Garrett challenged. “You’re asking me to believe this insanity based on the word of someone I literally just met.”

“But you know me.” Seth locked eyes with his friend. “We’ve known each other for a long time. And in that entire time have you ever known me to show poor judgement? Even once?” He raised a questioning eyebrow at him and continued. “Have I ever been a poor judge of character?”