Carter felt his stomach drop down and try to exit his ass. “Shit. They’re starting the search.”
“Not yet,” Kenny assured him. “They’ll wait to see if anyone has spotted the aircraft before calling in the Coast Guard.”
“But how long will they wait?” Robby demanded.
“Not sure.” Kenny shrugged and glanced up at the sun. “But we only got a coupla hours until sunset. Chances are nobody’s gonna stumble across the sandbar before dark. We can still stick with the plan. Or we could do as the lovely Jane suggests”—he winked at Carter’s aunt who preened like a teenager—“and hit ’em now. Take ’em all out.” He looked expectantly at Carter. “What’s it gonna be?”
“Let’s stick with the after dark plan,” Carter decided with a firm dip of his chin. When he heard his aunt snort, he curled his hands into fists and added, “We’ll keep listening to the radios, and if we think they’re getting close to searching this area, we’ll go with Aunt Jane’s plan, move in early, and end them all.”
He looked around the boat at the three faces staring back at him. Robby looked relieved. Kenny looked indifferent since, either way, he would get to off someone. But Jane? Well, she looked impatient. And maybe a little pissed.
“Don’t worry. We’ll get it done,” he assured her. “One way or another, you’ll have your justice. And we’ll all get our money.”
Chapter 15
6:15 PM...
“I thought that would be a crap-ton of disgusting, but it was actually pretty good.” Cami wiped the back of her hand over her mouth and sighed contentedly.
Romeo smiled briefly at the lawyer. But it was like Mia was a magnet and his eyeballs were metal. Because before he knew it, he’d turned back to watch her pop the last morsel of fish from her improvised palm leaf plate into her mouth. She delicately sucked on her fingertips, and when her pink tongue flicked out to lick her lips, he barely refrained from groaning out loud.
Sweet Mother Mary...
He had a hard-on fat enough to choke a mule. And since fully half of the people sitting around the fire would no doubt like nothing better than to not bear witness to the party in his pants, he distracted himself by wrapping the leftover portion of fish into a palm frond.
The meat wouldn’t keep for long. But it would still be good in the morning for breakfast. And as the sun sank farther into the west, he thought it was a sure bet they’d still be on the sandbar come the dawn.
“What kind of fish did you say that was?” Cami asked him over the orange and yellow dance of the flames from the fire they’d built to cook the fish.
“Snook,” he told her.
The long silvery fish with the big, black stripes down its sides had given him quite a fight. By the time he’d pulled it onto the shore, he’d been covered in sweat and his forearms had burned with fatigue.
Doc, never one to let a guy catch his breath, had immediately clapped him on the shoulder and declared, “Get a fire burning and let’s eat!”
Since Romeo had worked up quite an appetite battling the beast, he’d shaken off his weariness, wiped a hand over his brow, and gotten busy doing exactly as Doc suggested.
The matches out of the first aid kit had come in handy for lighting the pile of driftwood the others had gathered from the beach. Thank you, Mia, for your fast thinking back on the life raft. And the makeshift spit he’d created had worked pretty damn good at barbecuing the fish, even if he did say so himself.
The snook had been big and meaty, so it’d taken a while for it to fully cook over the open flame. And by the time it’d been done through, the outer parts had turned a little dry. But thankfully, the packages of Italian dressing Cami had produced from her purse had spiced up even the most overdone portions.
Truly, the lawyer’s leather carryall was like a swap meet; it seemed to have a little bit of everything.
“Snook?” She wrinkled her nose now. “Sounds like the imaginary woodland creature country kids get city kids to spend all night hunting.”
Doc chuckled. “That’s snipe. And by the expression on your face, you’re speaking from experience.”
“I have a couple of bratty cousins who live in Upstate New York,” she admitted. “One summer when my sister and I were visiting, they took us into the woods with gunny sacks and had us sit under an old oak tree half the night, waiting for a snipe to run into the bags. We finally figured out we’d been had at about two o’clock in the morning.”
Doc laughed again. “You city kids were fun to tease.”
“I take it you sent someone on a snipe hunt in your misspent youth?” She arched an imperious eyebrow.
“Sure.” Doc nodded. “Every year when the Boy Scout troop from Billings would come camp on my neighbor’s ranch, me and the local boys would take them out snipe hunting.”
“Little savages,” Cami declared hotly. Then she returned them to the original subject. “But back to the fish. While I can’t say I approve of the name, I do approve of the flavor. Light, white, and with just the right amount of firmness. And with the Italian dressing?” She lifted a hand to give a chef’s kiss.
“So why do you keep packages of dressing in your purse anyway?” Doc asked, peering carefully into the bag under discussion as if he thought a leprechaun or a unicorn might jump out of it next.
Cami sighed. “The place I eat lunch gives me two packets of the stuff for my chef’s salad. But since I gain five pounds just looking at oil, I only allow myself one. What?” She frowned at Doc. “What’s that look for?”
“Oh, sorry.” He glanced around. “Did I accidently roll my eyes out loud?” When Cami curled her hands into fists, he was quick to add, “I only meant that you’d look good with a little extra. So indulge in the two dressings.” He did a pretty good impression of Donna from Parks and Recreation when he added, “Treat yo’self!”
“Says the man who can probably eat five thousand calories a day and still lose weight.” Cami’s eyes roved uncharitably over Doc’s lean form.
“Good lord, woman. I was trying to give you a compliment.”
“Were you? Sorry. I guess it’s a touchy subject. And not because I’m that vain, but because high blood pressure and diabetes run in my family, so maintaining a healthy weight is not just an ideal, it’s a must. And I’m so jealous of anyone who doesn’t have to worry about every bite they put in their mouths. Plus, if I’m being honest, I’m still a little peeved at you for ruining our chances of an early rescue.”