Page 95 of Sunny Undone

“But Velaro Coastal Group have already paid for some of those.”

Knox stops. “When?”

I know what he’s thinking. Velaro Coastal Group wasn’t on the list of companies who had paid him that Wren provided. Knox pulls up copies of Voss’s financials.

Voss puts his glasses on and looks at the file, blanching when he realizes it’s his own bank statements, before pointing at a name. “There. It’s a shell company for them.”

Knox smiles wryly. Now that we know, we can send that intel back to Wren. “Then, you better return it, hadn’t you?”

“Fine. Fine,” Voss says. “I’ll tell them their permits were audited, make up some story about them being cancelled. Return their cash so they aren’t suspicious.”

Knox pats his cheek. “Good man. Anyone asks why we’re here, we were looking for advice on whether we needed a permit to build a new dock. Understood?”

He nods. “Yes.”

When we leave and move to our bikes, Knox grins. “Love it when a plan comes together.”

It can’t be that easy. “You don’t think it’s done, though, do you?”

Knox shakes his head. “Not by half. If Velaro Coastal Group already bought land and permits, it’s gonna take more than Voss’s involvement to stop them. We just need Wren to give us something similar for Bennett and the CEO. This just bought us time.”

I sigh. “Sitting around and waiting for someone else to figure this out for us doesn’t feel right.”

“Then, go relieve Tank and Emmett on watch. Take Ridge with you. I’ll call you if I get more information.”

An hour later, we’re on patrol, me and Ridge. Tank is walking back to his bike.

“How come I ended up volunteered for security duty?” Ridge asks. “I haven’t got pussy I need to impress.”

“Shut up and walk with me,” I say.

“You gonna fuck me up against a tree if I do?”

I turn and look at him. “What?”

He gestures back up the trail. “You guys weren’t quiet, according to Tank.”

I shake my head. “Don’t ever tell Della he heard. She’ll never recover.”

Ridge chuckles. “Got to be honest, had no clue that beneath those ugly shorts and baggy shirts she wears that Little Miss Ecologist could get freaky.”

“For the record, for which no further detail will be given, she’s plenty freaky.”

Ridge shoulder checks me. “It’s always the quiet ones. And for the record, I like her.”

I smile at that, but as I do, I hear gunshots.

Five in fast succession.

“Tank,” I say, and we run back up the trail.

A swarm of men appear on the trail. They’re muscle. Military cosplay. The way they move suggests they’ve done this before. So maybe more veteran than cosplay.

There are nine of them.

And two of us.

Tank lies slumped on the ground.