Chapter 39

After droppingPaul back at Bridger’s place, Mason drove Avery to the meeting location. The November sun hung a few fingers above the horizon. Goshiro better not be late. Mason had no intention of keeping Avery out on the beach once the sun went down.

The quiet beachfront park was a welcome respite from the chaos of the past few days. Mason chose a weathered wooden bench at the far south end of the park that gave him a view of the gravel path and the wide sliver of beach cut off from the rest of the park by thick vegetation. Beside him, Avery fidgeted, her face tight with strain and her hands clenched in her lap.

Every tap of her feet made him want to connect his fist with Goshiro’s jaw.

The revelation of his involvement with Stenberg had hit her hard. Why wouldn’t it? He couldn’t imagine learning that someone on his crew––someone he counted on to have his back–– was playing both ends against the middle.

The sound of footsteps on gravel drew their attention, and they looked up to see Ryan approaching. He looked haggard, his face lined with exhaustion and his shoulders slumped in defeat.

Much as he valued his Christian faith, Mason couldn’t help thinking it was just a tiny portion of the suffering the man deserved. Not how the Lord would want him to react, but he had to be honest.

And it wasn’t like the Lord didn’t know about his struggles with extending forgiveness and grace.

With the sun at his back, the man’s shadow touched them first.

Mason rose. Hand on the M18 tucked into the holster beneath his arm, he motioned Goshiro to stop. “Hands up.”

“Seriously?” Goshiro complained, but instantly obeyed.

Ignoring the ‘tude, Mason patted him down. “He’s clean,” he told Avery.

Ryan ignored him back, staring hard at Avery. “Thanks for meeting me. I know you have no reason to trust me, but I want to help take down Stenberg and Rain Bay.”

Avery let out a bitter laugh, the sound harsh in the tranquil setting. “Let’s make one thing clear. I don’t trust you. At. All. So we’ll take this one step at a time.”

Ryan flinched as if she had struck him, but he didn’t back down. “I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness,” he said, his voice low and earnest. “But I want to make things right.”

Mason fixed the guy with a piercing stare. “Are you saying you have a plan?”

“I am.” Ryan took a deep breath, as if steeling himself for what he was about to say. “The key is to catch him exchanging money for the counterfeit drugs. I can give you the time and place of the next exchange, and you can set up a sting operation to take him down.”

Avery shook her head, her eyes flashing with anger. “And why should we believe you?” she demanded. “How do we know this isn’t just another one of your lies?”

Ryan met her gaze unflinchingly, his expression somber. “Because I’m done being Stenberg’s puppet. The longer I let this go on, the harder it’s going to be to climb out of the pit.” He flicked Mason a look. “And you’ve got him.”

Her face scrunched in confusion.

“He thinks I’ll hunt him down if he crosses you,” Mason explained. “He’s right,” he added, gaze burning into Goshiro’s.

She bent her head, toeing circles in the sand. He knew she was struggling with the idea of trusting Goshiro. But he also knew that they needed all the help they could get if they were going to pull this off before Stenberg disappeared.

But it didn’t matter what he thought. “Your call,” he told her.

“Okay,” she said finally, her voice heavy with resignation. “Give us the info.”

The wind gusted, making the edges of Goshiro’s jacket flutter. “You’ll need me there.”

“Not gonna happen.” Mason didn’t wait for Avery to chime in. They in no way needed the weasel messing things up. Or double-crossing them.

“Stenberg’ll figure something’s wrong. He’ll bolt.”

Mason folded his arms over his chest. “Don’t care.”

“Wait.” Avery held up her hand. She gave Goshiro a hard look. “Are you saying you’ve been at these exchanges?”

The question hung in the air.

“No,” Goshiro protested. “Of course not. I gave him intel on law enforcement movements to help him set up his buys. That’s it. I swear. I’ve never trafficked contraband.”

Mason wanted to spit. “You just make it easy for other people to do it. That’s much better.”

Goshiro fisted a hand. “It’s not––”

Mason silently egged him on. Take a swing. One swing.

Avery jumped to her feet, Goshiro in her sights. “Mason’s team will handle this. I’ll turn over what we have to the brass. They’ll decide the next steps. And your fate.”

“But you’ll tell them I helped.”

“If you actually do, yes. I’ll make your contributions clear.”

The tension in Goshiro’s face eased. He took a step toward Avery, but Mason slammed a hand into his skinny chest before the guy could take another. “Back off.”

Goshiro raised his hands. “Sure. Absolutely.” He caught Avery’s gaze. “I won’t let you down. Not this time.”

He turned away, long legs eating up the distance back to the trail.

“Too little. Too late,” Avery muttered.

Mason reached for her hand, threading his fingers with hers and squeezing gently. Despite the coldness of her fingers, a gentle glow filled him.

He’d never been a huggy guy. Not like his teammates.

But something about Avery’s touch eased his mind. His soul.

“I know,” he said. “I know.”