Page 30 of Viper

Chapter Eight

After pulling his 9mm from where he’d hidden it between two rocks, beneath his clothes, Troy skulked across the beach. Water dripped off his hair and body and pebbles dug into the soles of his feet as he moved toward the brush and away from the powdery sand.

He skirted around trees and shrubs, checking every nook and cranny. Maybe he was being paranoid.

No. He was certain he’d spotted a man dressed in black ducking behind the trees.

Glancing cautiously at the water, he saw Paige and Chantal speaking. Moments later, they dove below the surface.

“Come out, you bastard!” he bellowed.

Ruff!

He jolted as a golden retriever bounded through the grove, its tongue wagging and its coat full of burrs and debris.

“Goliath!” a teenager yelled. “Stop!”

Troy caught the mutt’s collar before he jumped on him, securing Goliath where he stood.

“Geez, thanks, mister,” said the kid, who couldn’t have been older than sixteen. “I’ve been looking everywhere for him. His leash must not have been on properly.” He held up a red lead, the empty clasp dangling.

“No problem.” He passed over the dog.

The kid’s gaze fell on the weapon. “Holy shit,” he breathed.

Troy kept the gun lowered and moved it behind him. “Did you see anyone else around this area? Someone dressed in black lingering near the beach?”

“No, sir. Just me.” He clipped the lead onto Goliath’s collar and backed away. “Uh. Hope you find him. Thanks again.” The kid skuttled through the trees and threw a panicked look over his shoulder before disappearing.

Troy returned to the beach and sat on the rock next to his snorkeling gear. He was too spooked to get back in the water. He knew what he’d seen.

He dug between the rocks and retrieved his phone, then pulled up the group chat, now full of responses from the guys.

Before he could read any of them, he noticed Paige moving through the top of the water, her goggles high on her head. She climbed up the slanted shore, her chest heaving. Her baby-blue bikini speckled with cherries left little to the imagination.

Her pert breasts jiggled above the material, and water sluiced off her body. Her hips moved with too much damn sway. The sleek muscles of her supple thighs made his mouth water.

“Did you find anyone?” She stopped next to him and wrung out her hair.

“Just a kid with his dog.”

She flattened her lips, dropped her hair, and propped her hands on her waist. “Well, I guess that’s good. False alarm.”

“I’m not convinced that’s what it was.”

She swooped up her towel then scrubbed the terry cloth over her body before stretching out the material to bask in the sand. “Do you really think Craig found us here?” she asked, shielding her eyes with her hand.

He stretched out his legs. He’d love to lie next to her, but no way he’d let his guard down. Until he knew for certain Craig wasn’t a threat, he’d keep an eye out. “I think he’s capable. I mean, he evaded the police.”

“I still can’t wrap my head around how he escaped.”

“Pretty sure Havoc knows someone who can get us more answers from the police. They’re not going to tell you and me much during an active investigation—just that the bastard’s still at large.”

Lucan “Havoc” Cross was the sharpest dude they had on their team. All the guys were trained in tech surveillance, but good ole Havoc had a knack.

Troy’s muscles itched to get moving. He’d loved diving with Paige, but now all he wanted to do was get back to the apartment so he could get his head in the game. Given the connections and resources Phantom Ops had, there was no reason he couldn’t get to Craig fast.

His team might be far away, but they didn’t need to be here to be helpful.