Chapter Twenty-Eight

It was well past midnight, the warm coastal breeze scattering itself between the leaves of the palm and Brazilian pepper trees lining the sidewalks and strips of dry grass that served as the natural lobby entrance for the Jetty. The Jetty, a popular fishing area for locals during the day, found itself largely deserted after dark, the pattern of large granite rock walkway more dangerous to navigate without the benefit of daylight. The huge pink blocks of granite, the patterns blockish and open, permitted—even encouraged—Gulf waters to splash in between their massive squares, requiring proper care to successfully walk across. The patterned granite, transported from the Texas Hill Country in the late 1800s, stood as a reminder that the waters it provided shelter from were both lovely and treacherous. One misstep could mean a broken leg or worse.

Jamie walked with caution, relying upon the moonlight to help her travel from one large granite block to the next. Cookie mimicked her steps, only two feet behind her, each taking care with where they placed their weight.

“I was afraid you were going to choose the Jetty as the meet,” Cookie said to Jamie’s back.

She craned her head to look over her shoulder and responded to his complaint. “You’ve done this plenty of times. Besides, you know if you want a private place to meet, this is at the top of the list. Not many partiers or delinquents out here late at night.”

“No kidding.”

Jamie continued walking, one step in front of the other, head tilted down, watching her feet. Her shoulder bag bounced slightly against her side as she stepped. She could feel the weight of her weapon, reminding her of its presence at the bottom of her bag—not that she would need it, not during this meeting, not with Cookie by her side. As she reached the sign for Mark 22, the metal pole mounted in the water, the sign displaying faded numbers and dents in its surface, she looked up and saw a figure ahead.

Brian.

He wore a jacket that puffed with the wind as it blew. His hands were in his pockets, and his body swayed ever so slightly from one side to the other. She returned her gaze to the ground until she was close enough to address him. She didn’t want to look at him any more than necessary. She stopped and glanced behind her at Cookie, who moved to her side.

“You don’t need a bodyguard, Jamie. I’m family.”

“Kristen was family, and clearly, she needed one.” Jamie watched him flinch as the words landed. Cookie remained quiet, watching the exchange between two siblings who were similar only in blood and last name.

“You said you had information about Kristen’s journals,” Brian said, deflecting the challenge that he had any responsibility for his daughter’s demise.

Jamie nodded, taking a moment to look out at the Gulf before returning her attention to him. “I know quite a bit about them. I’m going to give you a chance to tell me what you know first. And remember that whatever question I ask, I already know the answer.”

Brian shifted his weight, taking his turn to look at his feet and his surroundings, anything but Jamie and Cookie. He brushed at his face then returned his hands to his pockets. “Kristen was supposed to get information on the Deltones’ operation. She had a guy she was seeing who talked too much sometimes and brought her to a few places where things were going down, places she wasn’t supposed to be. So she took some notes.”

“You never mentioned any of this when you first came to me about her disappearance.”

He shrugged. “I wasn’t sure this job had anything to do with it. She runs her own scams on the side. I thought maybe she was in trouble that way.”

Jamie scoffed at his explanation. “So you thought the real danger wasn’t her double-crossing a local crime family but scamming some loser on the side? You really expect me to believe that?”

“I think he does,” Cookie chimed in. “Crazy, isn’t it?”

Brian looked at Cookie but kept his expression neutral. “I don’t care what you think.”

“You’re an ass, you know that?” Jamie replied.

He ignored her comment. “So, Kristen was going to give me the journals.”

“You mean she was going to give Boxer the journals.”

Brian’s expression changed with the mention of Boxer’s name. “Where did you hear—”

“The point is that I know, Brian. I know you’re working with Boxer against the Deltones, which means you’re trying to get into favor with their biggest rival. The Acuna family is dangerous, Brian. Do you really understand what you’re doing? What you’re playing with here?”

A break of waves crashed against the rocks where the trio stood, and a small wet spray peppered their bodies. Jamie wiped a few drops from her face, while Cookie remained stoic, not moving, his eyes fixed on Brian.

Jamie’s voice was louder now, angrier and incredulous. “How could you do that, Brian? How could you use your daughter that way? Sending Boxer to get the journals from her? Do you have any idea what that man is capable of?” She then said in almost a whisper, “You are so far out of your league here.”

At that moment, Brian’s façade cracked ever so slightly, his features displaying the fear that he had so carefully covered until now. “Boxer’s after me now. When Kristen refused to give him the journals, he…”

“He killed her, Brian. He killed her because you put her up to do your dirty work.”

Brian’s words came faster now, the panic showing in his plea. “He killed her to send me a signal, Kristen. I’m now on the hook for the journals. I have to deliver them, or he’s going to do the same thing to me. You need to get them for me, Jamie.”

Cookie scoffed at the comment, while Jamie stood in front of her half brother, considering his plea. “Do you realize that if you had told me the truth up front, maybe we could have found Kristen in time? To protect her from Boxer?”

“I didn’t think he would go that far.” Brian shook his head. “You’ve got to help me here, Jamie. He’s going to rip through our entire family.”

The reality that Boxer would target their family gave her pause. Would Boxer go after them? Her younger sister, Grace? Yet, this was Brian’s doing. He was going to have to make it right on his own, come clean or run—run and hide for a good, long time.

Any glint of compassion Jamie might have had for Brian left her when she realized he refused to take any responsibility for Kristen’s death, concerned only with his own safety. Like Jamie, Kristen had deserved a far better father than she had been given.

Her anger got the better of her. “Brian, there’s no way that I’m giving you the journals.” She regretted the words the moment they left her mouth. She had never intended to reveal that she had them in her possession.

Brian’s eyes widened, and he raised his voice. “You found them? Where did Kristen hide them? I’ve looked everywhere.”

Jamie could see by his expression that he was considering all the places Kristen might have hidden them.

“You’re going to have to fix this without the journals, Brian. You sacrificed your own daughter, so it’s up to you to now save yourself.”

“How can you do this, Jamie?” Brian’s voice was loud and pleading. “You don’t understand. He’s going to kill me if I don’t get them back.”

A second gust of wind washed over them as they stood on the granite, and Jamie brushed away sections of hair that had blown in her face. She pulled in a deep breath and took her time before answering. “Let me tell you a few things. First of all, you see this man standing here? The Acunas killed his little brother a couple of years ago. He is one of my closest friends, and there is no way on earth I would help the Acunas just for that reason alone.”

He turned to Cookie. “I had no idea.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Cookie replied. “I can tell from watching you here that you wouldn’t have cared, anyway. You’re just worried about yourself. If you won’t protect your family, why would you care about mine?”

Jamie glanced at Cookie, surprised by how calmly he shared his feelings about Manny. She knew him well enough to see a hint of anger underneath the surface, but his response was measured and deliberate. Brian would get no reaction—anger or sympathy—from him.

Even in the darkness, with the moonlight offering only a hint of light, Jamie could see Brian’s demeanor change yet again, like flipping a switch. During their short meeting, he had traveled from cool to reserved to panicked and now this—defiant.

“You think this is it, Jamie?” His voice quivered with disbelief. “You think I’m just going to lie down and die? I’ve got news for you. I’ll do anything I need to do to get out of this.” He jabbed a finger at her. “You hear me?”

“Is that a threat?” Jamie asked. “You going to come after me somehow?”

“I’m done playing, Jamie. Done being nice. You hand over those journals, or it’s going to get ugly. You hear me?” He gestured to Cookie. “And I don’t care how big your friend is, he won’t be able to protect you.”

Brian’s warning prompted Cookie to move closer to him. The space between them was so slim that light barely passed through. Cookie dwarfed Brian in size, and he used it to his advantage.

“You so much as look at her wrong, and they’re going to find you in a ditch somewhere, you hear me?”

Jamie resisted the urge to step in and pull her friend away.

“You don’t get it.” Brian threw his hands in the air. “I don’t care about you or what you might do. I have to make things right with Boxer, or I’m over.”

“You’re over either way,” Jamie said. “You best be careful with your next steps.”

Jamie stepped closer to Cookie, her hand reaching over to touch his arm, coaxing him away from the toxic space Brian occupied. He responded by taking his original position back at her side.

“You leave me no choice,” Brian warned.

“Likewise.” Jamie turned her back on Brian in every way possible.

Cookie followed her through the darkness back across the Jetty. The wind had shifted toward her back, pushing her on the path, away from her sibling, as his warning still stung her ears. He was no longer family, not to her, not anymore. The precarious thread that had once tied them together, Kristen, was gone. All that remained was the battle ahead.

One sibling against the other.