Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

K ane moved slowly to shift Waverly off his chest and help her to lean against the tree. He'd expected hysterics, but Waverly wasn't most women. He could actually see her brain cataloging everything from him to the boat to the island.

"I need to use the bathroom," Waverly said after he got some dried leaves and sticks gathered.

"Can you do it yourself, or do you need my help?" Kane asked.

Her face reddened slightly. "I'd like to try it myself."

"Of course. Let me help you get to a spot you can use."

Kane reached down and grabbed her under her arms. His hands splayed across her ribcage and he desperately wanted to feed her. He knew she'd been starved for the past week and almost chuckled at the thought of Miss Ruby and Miss Winnie taking care of her.

"You think this is funny?" Waverly asked, clearly offended at the upturn of his lips.

"No, I was thinking of these two old ladies back in Shadows Landing. They're complete opposites. One is round and grandmotherly with smooth brown skin and the other is a string bean with wrinkly, pale skin. But they are best friends and they look after the town. If they like you, or if they want to see you naked, they make you an apple pie. I was just thinking of how they'll feed you like two mother hens until you burst when I get you there," Kane explained as she leaned on him while they made their way deeper inland.

Waverly shook her head. "First, at some point, you need to explain the naked thing. Second, I'm not going home with you. I need to get to Charleston and see my sister."

"Don't worry, you'll see your sister. I live in Shadows Landing. It's near Charleston. Here you go. Just call when you're done and I can help you back."

Kane helped her lean against a large palm tree. He wanted to offer to help again, but it was clear Waverly wanted privacy. It was a lot to take in. He understood that, and she would too, after he explained it all to her.

Kane got the water boiling on the fire and looked up to find Waverly using a large walking stick to slowly make her way back to their shelter. "Food is almost ready," Kane told her. He fought against the urge to go help her, but it was clear Waverly wanted to prove she could do it herself.

"Why are we going to Shadows Landing? I think I need you to explain everything to me now," Waverly said, stopping near the fire.

Kane helped her sit down and handed her the MRE and a fork before taking one of his own. "I run KAT Insurance. It's a kidnapping, hostage, and ransom company. Your boss took out an insurance policy on you for hostage and ransom when you were promoted. When you were kidnapped, the policy was triggered and I stepped in to negotiate your release."

Waverly's brow furrowed. Again, he could see her mind working. "My project," she said suddenly. "He got the insurance because of my project. Go on, what happened next?"

"Ah, the mysterious project. We'll circle back to that. I worked with Lark to negotiate with the kidnappers but things weren't adding up. It was only when I got to the island that I found evidence that you were never supposed to survive. Taking the other hostages was just a cover story for your assassination. You were supposed to die after your sister failed to pay the ransom. Did you know the other hostages got food and water? Did you know they were all released for under twenty thousand dollars ransom each? Yet when I offered fifty thousand, they still turned me down. When I saw the proof of life video and saw how sick you were, it went from a negotiation to a rescue. Upon arriving, I found evidence that this was a murder for hire and the other hostages were just a cover story."

Waverly nodded her head. "Smart actually. I would have died from an infection, not a bullet to the head. Insurance would pay out and it would be chalked up to an unfortunate incident. But who would want me dead?" Kane saw it the moment it hit. "My project. Somehow, they found out about my project and they thought they could stop it."

Watching Waverly's mind work was fascinating. Kane saw how she analyzed the data and formed her conclusions. "I talked to your boss and to your co-workers. They wouldn't tell me what the project is, but I agree with you. I think it has to be the reason behind this. What did you invent?"

"I invented an attachment for drones. It's an aerial ground-penetrating radar. You could fly a drone over land and map what's under it, be it caves, tunnels, or bunkers." Waverly told him, but he could see her mind was still working.

"Impressive. I can see cartels and terrorists wouldn't want that to get into the military's hand."

Waverly nodded but still looked as if she were putting pieces together. "When a scientist develops a new invention, we retain the intellectual property rights, but the company gets a license to sell our invention and bring it to production. If I die, the project will still be completed and sold. The murder for hire wouldn't be linked to my work since it would still be sold."

Kane frowned. "You come up with the idea and get a working prototype. You get the patent, but your company gets the production and sales rights? I assume you get a cut of every sale?"

"That's right. I usually get seventy percent of any contract plus twenty percent of any individual sales. But as the IP holder, I do get a say in how my invention is used and sold."

"And if you die?" Kane asked.

Waverly frowned. "Lark would get the IP. See, it doesn't make sense."

"No, it doesn't," Kane agreed. "What about your personal life? Is there an angry ex that your sister didn't know about? Maybe someone at work?" Kane knew Elwood had a crush on her. Now it was time to find out if it was returned.

"No. I don't have much of a personal life."

"What about Elwood or Kelvin?"

Waverly looked up from where she was eating with surprise. "You know Elwood and Kelvin?"

"I met with them when I was trying to find out who had taken you and why," Kane told her.

"Elwood is my lab buddy. We work well together, so I don't see him wanting to kidnap me. Now, Kelvin, ugh. He's a dick. I could see that," Waverly admitted.

"What about Elwood's crush on you? Could he be angry that it's not reciprocated?" Kane asked.

Waverly looked shocked, so he was guessing she hadn't noticed the crush. "Elwood has a crush on me?" Kane nodded. "Oh. I guess it makes sense now. I'm better at understanding physics than flirting. I wish men could be straightforward like math is."

"If women were like math, they'd be algebra with I, the invisible number, thrown into the equation to still leave men guessing."

Waverly snorted and then covered her mouth with her hand as she looked embarrassed but was laughing too hard to apologize. The laughter was pure joy and shot straight to Kane's heart. There was no pretense. No perfectly planned giggle. It was free and true, and Kane hoped he could make Waverly laugh more often. Something told him that she didn't laugh enough.

"You know math?" Waverly's eyes went wide and she looked excited.

Kane nodded. "Not at the level that you use all the time. I also know some science. I was a psychology major and worked for the FBI BAU department before going out on my own. We pick up a lot of biology and chemistry in that field. Physics, I know in terms of ballistics."

Waverly nodded enthusiastically. "I'd love to hear about it. My mind tends to focus on the science, and I always look at how science and math can help in everyday life. But, back to Shadows Landing. Why would I go there and not home?"

"Because they're still looking for you. They had your ID and knew all about you and your sister. The first place they'll look for you is at home. I'm sure they're sending people there already."

Blood drained from Waverly's face. "Lark!"

"Will be safe," Kane assured her. "After I discovered this and while you were unconscious, I called my assistant. That's how I found out about the ports and airports being watched. My assistant called FBI Agent in Charge in Charleston, Peter Castle. He's a friend and assigned someone undercover to watch her. He'll appear to be a college student. Lark knows who he is and has been instructed to go about her daily routine but look concerned. If she just disappeared, then they'd know she was in touch with you."

"So, you're going to sneak me in and not tell anyone I'm alive?"

Kane smiled. "Exactly. Your sister is the only one who can declare you dead, and she won't do that. I want you in Shadows Landing for your protection and also to allow the FBI time to draw out who is behind the murder for hire. Is it a cartel? A terror group? A competitor?"

"You'll help them, right?" Waverly asked, reaching for him and grabbing his hand.

"If they need me to."

"I trust you. I want you involved. But hasn't your job ended once I'm back on firm land? Is the FBI going to protect me too?"

That had been the plan. However, it had changed when he'd held Waverly for almost two days, nursing her back from her infection. He knew he should hand her over to Agent Paxton Kendry, an FBI agent who had lived in Shadows Landing since his marriage to artist Tinsley Faulkner. Or heck, even to Kane's brother-in-law, Sheriff Granger Fox. But that all had changed. There was something drawing Kane to Waverly—a primal need to protect her, to keep her safe, and to care for her.

"They'll be there to assist, but you'll be staying with me."

Waverly relaxed and smiled as if he were her white knight and damned if that wasn't an arrow to the heart. But then she frowned. "How will we get there if they're watching all the ports and airports? That boat, with the gas tank that size and horsepower mentioned on the engine, will only get us . . ." Waverly looked up at the sky briefly, "sixty miles, depending on how much fuel you've used so far."

"I've used less than half," Kane told her. "But we aren't going to need to go much farther."

"Where are we going?" Waverly asked.

"Tonight, we're going out to the middle of the ocean and hitchhiking." Kane smiled, but Waverly looked skeptical. "Trust me."

"I do," Waverly said instantly. And damned if that wasn't the biggest turn-on Kane had ever heard.

"Are you ready to start the trip home?"

Waverly set down the empty MRE. "I am. What's first?"