Sharks, Matt Rogers [shoe dog free ebook TXT] 📗

the porch and pulled the trigger.

No more hostage.

Violetta tried not to show her shock, but her eyes froze up all the same.

Then they turned with scorn to King. ‘You moron…’

King said, ‘You saw what he was doing. That was self-defence.’

Slater said, ‘You were scared for your life.’

‘Exactly right.’

Violetta snorted with derision and stormed inside.

King and Slater got to work hiding the body.

22

They gave it a few hours before they went for a midday meal at the tiki hut.

There was work to do, and as much as they hated to admit it, King and Slater needed to decompress.

After they made the body disappear — temporarily, at least — they unpacked their bags and hid the arsenal Wayne had delivered in easy-to-access places around the bungalow. It was their first chance getting a look at the interior, and Slater had to wonder how much the owner had charged per night. The furniture was rustic and exotic, the materials incomprehensibly pricey, and everything was constructed with a craftsman’s touch and arranged in the open-plan bungalow with an interior designer’s eye for detail. The villa had two bedrooms, which suited them just fine, and the main space was enormous, comprising an all-in-one kitchen, dining room and lounge area running down to the waterfront views through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

Sunlight streamed in, bathing everything yellow.

You couldn’t turn in any direction without noticing the white sand out of the corner of your eye, tantalisingly close.

Then there was the turquoise water beyond.

Paradise.

Making herself a coffee at the kitchen island, Alexis said, ‘What happened to that man?’

King said, ‘He went for my gun. I had no choice.’

Violetta came out of the bedroom, proving she was within earshot. ‘You had a choice.’

King cocked his head. ‘Are we suddenly benevolent? You think we’re going to get anywhere on this island without standing up for ourselves?’

Violetta shook hers. ‘That’s not the point. An ordinary operation, go for your life. This isn’t anything yet. We know nothing, besides the fact that a guy named Dylan Walcott owns a bunch of banks and casinos and is making a symbiotic relationship out of them. Sure, now you know he’s loan sharking, too, but it’s all hearsay. We’ve proven nothing.’

Sitting with rounded shoulders in the corner of the room, Slater looked up. ‘Did you forget the part about the blowtorch?’

Violetta threw her hands up. ‘Maybe Wayne’s worse than they are. We don’t know anything. I’m all for doing what’s necessary but not until we have actual knowledge of what’s taking place. I mean, am I going insane by caring about this? Are we on the same page at all, or am I just pissing in the wind?’

King said, ‘I see no problem with what we’ve done so far.’

Slater said, ‘No, she’s right.’

‘She is?’

‘You know how careful we have to be,’ Slater said. ‘We make one wrong call and suddenly we’ve done something unforgivable. So, yeah, she’s absolutely right. We need more info. I suggest we dial back the aggressiveness until we at least talk to this Vince guy. Are we all in agreement?’

Violetta said, ‘Yes.’

Alexis said, ‘Yes.’

King took a moment, but he nodded. He went to Violetta and put an arm around her. ‘You’re right.’

‘I know.’

He kissed the top of her head.

Alexis said, ‘When are we going to find Vince?’

‘You’re not,’ Slater said. ‘King and I are.’

Alexis paused. ‘Why?’

‘Because that’s the way it is.’

‘Isn’t it a better cover story if the four of us go for lunch together?’

‘We don’t need a cover story,’ Slater said. ‘No one has any idea we’re here. The three guys working for Dylan Walcott who had any sort of suspicion have just vanished off the face of the earth.’

‘Exactly,’ Alexis said. ‘You’re talking to me about having just killed three men, and I’m fine with it. So why are you still sheltering me from the rest of it?’

‘It’s not that complicated,’ King said, butting in. ‘Violetta’s staying here to dive deeper into anything she can find on Walcott. So if you came with us you’d only slow us down. Okay?’

Alexis nodded, then shot a look at Slater. ‘See? That’s all I wanted. Honesty.’

Slater said, ‘I thought that went without saying.’

‘That I should go where Violetta goes?’

‘That you slow us down.’

Silence.

Slater said, ‘Is there a problem?’

‘No,’ Alexis said. ‘It’s the truth. I’m not some emotional girlfriend. It’d just be arrogant to assume I can keep up with you two when you’ve been doing it for fifteen years longer than I have.’

King paused to gauge the atmosphere, then raised his eyebrows and said, ‘I swear that was heading towards a fight. Well done to you both.’

Slater said, ‘That’s why I love her.’

Alexis said, ‘At least I can dish it out as well as I can take it.’

Slater winked at her, highlighting the innuendo, and she shook her head and turned away in embarrassment.

King lowered his ridiculous floral shirt over the Glock in its holster at his waist and gave himself the once-over. Then he said, ‘Lunch?’

Slater said, ‘Lunch.’

He turned to Violetta and muttered, ‘You’re good here?’

She was focused on her laptop screen, scrolling through financial documents. She managed a disinterested nod.

‘You know how attractive you are when you’re in the zone?’ he said.

She rolled her eyes and took her attention off the screen. ‘Good luck out there. Try to keep the body count low.’

‘Of course.’

She swept her hair back, stood up to her tallest and kissed him with a gentle touch.

‘I love you,’ she breathed.

‘You too.’

He turned away from her just in time to see Slater and Alexis stepping out of a warm embrace.

All was well for the moment.

King and Slater made for the door and stepped out into the late morning heat.

23

It was a fifteen minute walk to Coral Beach, and a perfect chance to determine whether anything seemed amiss.

All they had to do was walk down to the sand, turn right, and make a beeline west across the south shore of the island. It didn’t take them long to realise navigation would be fairly simple during their time