Chapter 22

Chapter

Twenty-Two

"I got this for you." Reid held a small waterproof notebook in his hand, a pen hooked to the front flap.

"Another present?" Nireed had returned to her mermaid form, arms folded across the diving platform as she looked up at him, silvery tail waving languidly behind her.

"It's for if you come, and I'm not here. My schedule's unpredictable sometimes with work and errands, but this way you can leave me a note. And I can write back. I'll keep it in here." He patted the red pouch he'd adhered to the side of the boat.

She took the notebook from his hand and clicked open the pen. "I have been practicing my writing." Flipping the book open to the first page, she began to write something, slow and careful. "Shorewalker and Cure Creator have been teaching me, and I'm a quick learner."

Odd nicknames she gave her friends, but they seemed to hold social significance, particularly the last one, which he'd figured out was what she called Dr. Lila Branson. The marine biologist published papers on the virophages she'd had a hand in creating to treat morbillivirus in merfolk.

Shorewalker…he wasn't sure what that meant or why she called her friend that. Was it categorically different from Surface Dweller or just a polite synonym?

When Nireed finished writing, she tucked the notebook and pen into the red pouch, grinning proudly.

Crouching down low, he leaned forward to kiss her.

He missed her already. Too soon Nireed had to return home. But he was due back at the station, and she needed to see her family and friends. The last time she'd seen them, they'd all been fighting for their lives.

Pulling back, he playfully flicked water at her. "See you around, Starfish. Try not to scare the shit out of me next time?"

Her amber eyes flashed, positively mischievous. "No promises, Coast Warrior."

And then, in a flash of scales, and a circle of rippling water, she was gone. Just like that.

The past few days felt like a wild fever dream, all at once too terrifying and blissful to be real. Needing a dose of reality, Reid reached for the red pouch and the notebook inside, half expecting the first page to be empty. But he had to know, had to confirm that this wasn't all an elaborate figment of his imagination.

Taking a deep breath, he flipped open to the first page.

And there it was, scratched out in the kind of perfect, uniform letters one would expect to see in early grade school primers. He couldn't help but smile to himself. Not just a quick learner, but an overachiever too.

Until the next adventure.

Or revenge against bad fishermen. Whatever comes first.

-Nireed

He smirked. True to form, vicious mermaid. True to form.

His vicious mermaid.

Putting the notebook back where he found it, he grabbed his overnight work bag and left for work. There, Perez cornered him in the break room, a tumbler of iced coffee in hand. "How are you holding up? Any word from Nireed?"

It took him a moment longer than it should have to put together that she was talking about their last case and the butchery they'd found onboard Gale's Promise. The last three days with Nireed had kept his mind off it and the evidence they had lost.

"Yeah, actually. She found me at home. Helped her patch up some flesh wounds and let her stay and heal for a few days. She swam home this morning." He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Nautic caught a baby mermaid in their net. That's what started this. It was a rescue mission."

Horror and rage darkened Perez's expression, and while Reid hurried to assure her that the kid was okay, it did nothing to stem the long string of curses that erupted in both Spanish and English.

A throat cleared behind them.

In unison, they spun to attention, saluting their commanding officer as he entered the room, Hatcher on his heels.

"At ease." Lieutenant Commander Griffin barely came up to Reid's shoulder, but what he lacked in height, he more than made up for with a commandeering presence. "Good news. CGIS was able to recover most of the digital footage and wants us to continue turning over any evidence and witness statements to them. We've got a long road ahead, but every bit helps them build a case against Nautic."

Surprised relief quickly became disappointment. A long road ahead? Didn't they already have a clear picture? "Sir, is the security footage not enough? And the photos?"

"They're solid, but CGIS still needs to prove that what happened the other night wasn't just Gale's Promise being a sole actor. They can't take this to court until they can prove that the command came from corporate."

Anger surged, but he kept it tightly locked down.

It wasn't his commanding officer's fault. It wasn't CGIS's either. You didn't yank a weed without getting all its roots too. But how many more members of Nireed's pod would have to die until they finally had enough to nail Nautic to the wall?

In as even a tone as he could muster, Reid asked, "Is there anything preventative we can do in the meantime?"

Griffin's grim expression said it all. "Stay the course. It's all we can do for now."

For the rest of the morning briefing, Reid kept his mouth shut but this inability to do anything grated his nerves something fierce. He was a part of a lifesaving service. His instincts screamed at him to spring into action and save lives. No room for hesitation. Sitting back and knowing that people would continue to get hurt made him so mad he could barely see straight.

Nautic might not ultimately get away with this, but no amount of punishment and reparations would bring back all the merfolk they had and would continue to murder.

When the commander left, Perez laid a firm hand on his shoulder. "Deep breaths, you look like you're about to explode."

And he thought he'd done so well keeping his cool. Reid exhaled heavily, staring up at the ceiling. "It's not right."

"It really sucks," Perez agreed.

"I don't have a ‘do nothing' bone in my body." There had to be something. Fines, assets patrolling the territory, something to deter Nautic.

"We do the job," Hatcher said firmly, but not unkindly. "I know that's not what you want to hear right now, but we have to keep our heads in the game and be ready for the people we can help."

The guy wasn't wrong, though it grated his nerves something fierce to hear it from him. If they got called out on a case in the next few minutes, and Reid didn't have his head on straight, mistakes would be made. And mistakes meant putting his life, the life of his aircrew, and the lives of the people he was meant to save at risk.

"I'm sorry about what I said the other day." Hatcher stuffed his hands into his pockets, staring down at his boots. "I didn't mean it. I was tired, and frustrated, and I lashed out. You didn't fuck up The Merry Mariner case."

"You told him he fucked up the case?" Perez sounded outraged.

"Yeah, but I don't really believe that." Finally looking Reid in the eye, Hatcher added, "And neither should you."

"I don't."

"Good."

"Reid, is there something else going on?" Perez almost never used his first name. Or a gentling tone. "With Nireed, I mean?"

It was a fair question, but it rankled his already prickly mood. "I care about her if that's what you're asking. I hate seeing her hurt."

Perez hesitated. There was clearly more she wanted to say.

"Just ask."

"What is she to you? A friend? Something more?"

Reid heaved a sigh. He really didn't want to talk about this right now, but it was going to come out sooner or later, and he was a rip the Band-Aid off kind of guy. "Something more."

A tense, awkward silence followed.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Perez winced as she said it. And dammit, that stung. Out of all his friends, he thought she'd at least be on his side with this. "I know I've teased you about her before, but that's a complicated relationship at best." She ticked several examples off her fingers. "Distance. Different species. Different moral code."

"Different moral code is a real nice way of saying she's killed and eaten people," Hatcher muttered. "Can you really be with someone who's done either of those things?"

"That." Perez jutted her thumb in Hatcher's direction. "I have nothing against Nireed, but that's some heavy shit to know about a partner."

"You let me worry about that."

"We're worried about you . Whatever you want from this, I don't see how it would work in the long term. What happens when you get new orders and need to move? Would you ask her to move with you? Can she live on land? And even if that answer is ‘yes,' would it be fair to ask her to leave behind her truest self? To lie about who she really is? How would your parents react if they knew?"

Perez wasn't wrong, but man, she sure picked a hell of a time to say it. In as calm a voice as Reid could muster, he said, "I hear you. I've thought about a lot of this stuff myself. But I'm gonna need a minute. Bringing this up while I was already pissed off was not the move."

"That's fair. I'm sorry."

Hatcher nodded toward the door and Perez followed him out, giving him room to get his shit together.

Stressing out about relationship challenges and disapproving friends would have to wait. The still unresolved Nautic situation was a much bigger concern.

Not having answers now didn't mean they wouldn't come. But fuck, what was he going to tell Nireed? After everything—witnessing her friend claw her baby out of a fishing net, getting shot protecting them, finding the frozen bodies of her kin in a fishing hold—Lieutenant Commander Griffin's lackluster news would be a slap in the face. Even though there was a strategy and a process, it still reeked of inaction.

Reid's phone vibrated against his leg. There was only one of two people who regularly called him, and sure enough, Mom illuminated the screen. She knew his work schedule, so for her to be calling now probably meant it was important. "Hi Mom. Everything okay?"

"Reid." He heard her fraught sigh of relief. "Sorry to bother you at work. I just needed to hear your voice."

"Mom, what's going on?"

"Nothing. The Mom alarm bells were going off. You are okay, right?"

"A lot going on at work, but yeah, I'm good." It wasn't technically a lie, but in the space of what could only be a five-minute phone call while he was on duty, he wasn't about to say something that might make her spiral out in a panic.

This was the woman who didn't even want him to be a lifeguard, let alone join a river rescue team. And when he announced that he wanted to enlist in the Coast Guard, they'd gotten into several heated arguments. It wasn't until he got sent off to basic that she'd finally laid off, but man, he'd never known someone so terrified of water.

But nothing quite beat the time he shared the news about his reassignment to Haven Cove. She'd gone deathly pale, found the nearest chair and sat down, claiming a dizzy spell. A strange and alarming reaction considering she'd already been making trips out to the area. Something for work.

He'd tried asking her about her reaction but each time she'd brush him off. "It's the thalassophobia," she'd say. There was more she wasn't telling him, he was certain, but what could he do?

"How about I call you as soon as I'm off duty, and we catch up?"

"Actually, I'll be in Haven Cove tomorrow for a work trip. I know it's last minute, but I'll get a room at a local inn, so don't you worry about hosting. Maybe we could meet for brunch or something on your day off? Catch up in person?"

Worry curdled his stomach. Did she book this flight because of the thalassophobia? Or just because she missed him? Keeping his voice steady, he replied, "That sounds great. Send me your flight and lodging details?"

"As soon as we hang up. I won't keep you any longer. Just happy to hear your voice. I love you and can't wait to see you soon."

"Love you, too, Mom."

Why did he get the feeling there was more she wasn't saying?