Caribbean Rescue (Coastal Fury Book 16), Matt Lincoln [best book recommendations .txt] 📗

fight, I took a moment to glance around at the beach as well. Two people were lying nearby, in similar states as Walter. Several others were scattered along the beach, nursing minor injuries. They’d probably gotten hurt during the chaos as everyone scattered and trampled over one another to get away.

Then, of course, there was Kenneth. He was still lying where he’d fallen, half-submerged in the water, his blood staining the bubbly sea foam a repulsive pink.

I gritted my teeth in anger as I surveyed all the chaos around us, all of these innocent people hurt because of him and his ilk. I was going to make sure he paid for everything he had done.

13

Ethan

I ran a hand through my hair as I leaned against the back of the bench where Holm, Olivia, and I were sitting. The Cheshire Hall Medical Center was located far enough inland that I actually couldn’t see the ocean from here, though that didn’t make the view any less lovely. Massive, bright green palm trees lined the front of the building, though I couldn’t bring myself to relax enough to enjoy them.

Four hours had passed since the attack on the beach, and we were still dealing with the aftermath. Our primary source of information had been shot dead right in front of us. The police officer who’d been escorting us had been shot in the side and was currently in the hospital. One of the three men who had shot at us was dead, and another had escaped and was currently at large. Worst of all, three bystanders had been killed as a result of the chaos. Two had been shot in the crossfire, and a third, an elderly man on vacation with his wife, had suddenly collapsed with a heart attack during the panic. That was to say nothing of all the minor injuries that had been incurred as people ran and struggled to get away.

“Well, it looks like we won’t be getting another escort,” Holm informed Olivia and me as he finished his call with Diane at the main office and tucked his phone back into his pocket. He’d just given her a rundown of everything that had happened.

“Captain Smiley didn’t want to cooperate?” I guessed.

“He did not,” Holm confirmed. “Actually, he insisted that we ‘get the hell out of Turks & Caicos,’ according to Diane. Apparently, he’s telling everyone who’ll listen that it’s our fault that Walter got hurt and that we need to vacate the country as quickly as possible. That’s not happening, obviously. She’d already spoken with the consulate, and we have permission to be here, so that’s not an issue. It does look like we’ll be flying solo, though, since the local PD is refusing to cooperate.”

“Fine by me,” Olivia scoffed. “Too many cooks spoil the broth, as they say. I liked Walter fine, but having four people and three different law enforcement agencies on a single case is a little too crowded for my tastes.”

“Don’t hold back,” I teased. “Tell us how you really feel about it.”

She smirked and rolled her eyes at me.

“I am glad Walter’s going to be okay, though,” she continued. “I was so shocked when he stumbled back looking like that.”

“I am too.” I nodded before turning to look at her. “That was quick thinking on your part, by the way. We would have been screwed if you hadn’t distracted them.”

“Thanks.” She smiled shyly at me. “I didn’t even think about it, to be honest. The moment people started running, I took off too. It was easy to blend into the crowd and circle around behind them. I just wish I’d managed to take him down before anyone else got hurt.”

It had certainly been a rough way to start our first day here, and it was only about to get more stressful.

“So, you guys ready to go interview the one man we managed to arrest?” I sighed as I stood up off the bench.

“That’s still happening?” Olivia blinked at me in surprise. “After the police captain basically tried to kick us out of the country? You really think he’s going to let us?”

“I wasn’t planning on asking his permission.” I shrugged. “We have jurisdiction here. This is our case, and that is our suspect. If he doesn’t want his officers working with us, that’s his business, but I’m not about to let him keep us away from the guy who shot at us.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Olivia sighed. “I just don’t want to go back there again, to be honest. That guy gave me the creeps.”

The hospital was actually far enough away from the station to warrant getting a taxi unless we wanted to make a thirty-minute trek up to the station.

Ultimately, though, we ended up having to call for an Uber since we weren’t able to find a taxi even after walking ten minutes from the hospital. It really seemed as though most people around here just walked, as I’d seen very few cars at all on the roads, aside from the taxis that had been lined up outside the airport.

As we rode back to the station, I wondered if we should look into getting a rental car. Turks and Caicos weren’t particularly big, so getting around by walking was manageable for the most part, though it did become inconvenient in times like these where we happened to be just a bit too far from our destination. As we pulled up to the station, I made a mental note to discuss it with Holm and Olivia that night at the hotel.

We’d barely made it two steps inside before the officer manning the front desk stood up and motioned for us to stop.

“I don’t think you should be here,” he warned us nervously.

“What?” I retorted.

“What the hell are you doing here?!” A voice boomed from further inside the station. Captain Turner was marching straight toward us, his jaw clenched, and his hands balled into fists. “You have a lot of nerve,