The Man I Want to Be Read online

  All while the entire wedding party stared at him from the shoreline.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Tyke huddled behind a large row of bushes looking at a small two-story Cape Cod. He and Reese had set up surveillance about two hundred feet away. On their bellies in damp grass, they scanned the front exterior of the house and surrounding area through binoculars.

  The place was located smack in the middle of a long street that was lined with about twenty houses along the ocean. The tall hill across the road where Reese and Tyke lay served as great privacy for the neighborhood from the rest of the resort craziness. This area was dark and quiet. Peaceful. Likely coveted by the resort staff as a way to decompress after servicing the guests.

  Some upstairs lights were on in the adjacent houses; people readying for bedtime after a hard day’s work. Clint Azure’s house was dark and silent. Only a few overgrown shrubs and trees out front. No cars in the cracked driveway.

  “Area secure,” Reese said beside him. “If you’re going, I would say now is the time.”

  Tyke placed his binos in the black canvas bag Reese brought with him to the islands. They hadn’t planned on anything happening while they were on vacation, but one could never be sure. Reese liked to be prepared. Tyke couldn’t complain. It made it easier to snoop around Clint’s place. Which is what they were doing tonight. Since Kenna’s efforts in Michael’s room turned up empty, Tyke wanted to do the same to Clint. Just something small to see whether the guy could be their thief.

  Local police were doing their own investigation—if looking at the footage from Kenna’s room for hours on end and talking incessantly about what they should do next could be considered an investigation. Tyke had always been more of a take action first kind of guy. Rattle a few cages and eventually the bad guy makes a mistake. That’s what he was hoping for now.

  Tyke hadn’t said anything about Clint—or Michael, for that matter—to the police because he wanted to first see whether either man was a viable suspect. Plus, he didn’t want anyone tipping Clint off that they might be on to him. If Tyke found evidence suggesting for sure that Clint was involved, then Tyke would alert the authorities. But for now, being the stubborn bastard he was, he and Reese were going to handle it.

  “Keep an eye out,” Tyke said, getting to his feet in a crouch position. “If you see anything—” He spotted movement at his two o’clock, so he threw himself flat on the grass and scrambled for his binoculars. “Who the hell is that?”

  Reese was already on it, following the person with his own equipment. “A woman. And by the looks of it, Kenna.”

  “What?” Tyke snapped his binoculars back up and confirmed that, surer than shit, it was her. He’d recognize that profile anywhere.

  Her red hair was pulled up into a pile on the top of her head. She wore a black tank top that showed off her full chest and black shorts that were just short enough to give her that curve that drove him nuts. Despite the dark clothing, the way she was tiptoeing out in the open across the front yard Stevie Wonder could’ve spotted her.

  Goddamn woman. She’d told him she was meeting the girls to talk about wedding crap.

  “Are you going after her?” Reese asked, innocence in his tone. Like he didn’t pick up on Tyke’s ire.

  “Yeah, I’m going after her.” He sprang to his feet. “Keep an eye out and let me know if you see anything else.”

  “Copy that.”

  Tyke veered right to come in behind her so she wouldn’t see him approach. He followed her path down to the front of the house, his boots lightly touching the cement driveway. She knelt under the front bay window when he caught up with her.

  “What the hell are you doing here?”

  She squealed and whirled on him with a…

  What the—?

  He plucked the item out of her hand and examined it. “What are you doing with a plastic knife?”

  “You’re late,” she gasped, clutching her chest.

  “I’m late?” Tyke said with a snort. “For what?”

  Her expression suggested he was a little slow on the uptake. “Seven o’clock. We were going to search Clint’s house.”

  How did she—?

  Then he remembered Reese’s text. Damn technology.

  “I sat around and waited for twenty minutes,” she went on, “but you didn’t make a move, so I decided to do my own thing. I’m going in. Now give me the knife and get out of here. You’re blowing my cover.”

  It took all he had not to laugh maniacally while he strangled her.

  “What’s with you and your cover?” he said. “Honey, if you even had one, it was blown the second you stepped on the lawn.”

  She made a pfft sound between tight lips. “Please. I’m covert.”

  “Nothing about you is covert.” He slid the plastic knife into his shorts pocket. “What exactly were you gonna do with that thing? Saw someone’s hand off after an hour? Would that be before or after they easily snapped it in half?”

  Kenna gave him a once-over, seeming fixated with the belt he wore that contained rope, pepper spray, a small subcompact handgun, and a six-inch tactical knife. Stainless steel. Not plastic.

  “Whose wedding did you think you were coming to? The Sopranos’?” she asked. “Why would you need all of that stuff?” She started to reach for his dagger, but he swatted her hand away.

  “Kenna, get out of here so I can search this house before Clint gets home.”

  “No.”

  “Get out of here.”

  “No.”

  “Kenna, I’m serious. Go.”

  She gathered her lips together and crossed her arms like a stubborn kid who didn’t get the pony she wanted for Christmas.

  He closed his eyes and counted to five. Slowly. When he opened them and she hadn’t disappeared, he groaned. “You’re going to follow me in, aren’t you?”

  She patted his shoulder. “Now you’re getting it.”

  “Reese,” Tyke said, touching his earpiece. “How we lookin’?”

  Kenna leaned in and said, “Hi, Jason!”

  “Whoa. What are you doing?” Tyke pushed her back. “No. Just no.”

  “Hello, Kenna,” Reese said, even though she couldn’t hear him.

  Tyke rolled his eyes. “Am I good to go or what, Reese?”

  “Kenna said hello. I didn’t want to be rude by not responding.”

  Tyke waited.

  Nothing.

  “Are you gonna tell me if we’re clear to enter the premises?”

  “As soon as you tell Kenna I said hello,” Reese said.

  Tyke mumbled the words.

  “Aww, that’s so sweet,” she said. “Thank you, Jason. You’re thoughtful. Unlike some people.” And she glared at Tyke.

  Yeah, whatever. “Reese, anytime now. I’d like to check this place out sometime before this guy gets home.”

  “All clear,” Reese said.

  “So how are we going to play this?” she asked. “Break in through the window? The back door?” Her gaze bounced to everything around them.

  “You’re asking me?” he said. “You were the one coming down here on a mission. What was your plan?”

  She looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, “I didn’t really have one. Just figured I’d wing it once I got here.”

  “Wing it? Woman, you don’t just wing it when you’re breaking and entering into someone’s house.”

  “Then what are we going to do, supersecret spy man?” Her tone was sarcastic. He didn’t appreciate it one bit.

  “First off, let’s get one thing straight—I’m a DEA agent. I chase dangerous drug dealers for a living. Completely different and way cooler than CIA spy shit. Keep talking that garbage, and I’ll ship you back to the resort right now. Got it?”

  She twisted her fingers over her closed lips like she was locking them and then throwing away the key.

  Tyke rolled his eyes. “Second, this is a beach house on a remote island that overlooks the ocean. I’m sure there’s
a window or door unlocked somewhere.”

  They spent a few minutes checking all the first floor windows and doors without any luck.

  “Second story,” Reese said. “ Front right side. A window is open.”

  Tyke made his way to the front of the house and positioned himself under the window Reese referred to. He assessed the situation. And then, in realizing what he’d have to do, he pressed his fingers into his eye sockets. “I’m going to regret this.”

  “What?” Kenna asked. “What are you going to do?”

  “Not me. You.”

  “Me?”

  “I’m going to hoist you up onto the roof, and you’re going to climb into that window. Then you’re going to come down and unlock the front door for me.”

  Her expression was a little too excited.

  He latched onto her arm. “But you’re not going to search any part of the house without me, understood?”

  She was bouncing on her toes. “Sure. Yeah. Let’s do this.”

  Making a basket with his fingers, he said a few choice words under his breath before bending and letting her step in. He counted to three and then propelled her upward to where she could reach the edge of the first floor roofline.

  “Pull yourself up,” he said as he hoisted her higher.

  “All good!” Her head came into view over the edge of the first floor roof.

  “Get to the window.” He stepped back to watch her climb inside.

  Then he went to the front door and waited for it to open.

  And he waited.

  And waited some more.

  “Goddamn it, Kenna,” he said. “Reese, where is she? You see her?”

  “Movement in the dining room.”

  Tyke gently tapped on the front door.

  “Coming your way,” Reese said.

  When the door swung open, he stepped in. “What the hell took you so long?”

  “Oh, shut it. I was finding my way around.”

  As she closed the door behind him, he scanned the area. Stairs to his right. Living area to the left. Dining area beyond that, and a presumed kitchen farther in the back next to the dining room. Minimal furniture and decor. Nothing to imply the guy had been here long or that he planned to stay very long, either.

  “Now what?” she asked.

  “Don’t touch anything.”

  “How are we supposed to find the ring if we can’t touch anything?”

  “I don’t want you rooting through this guy’s stuff and then tipping him off that someone’s been here.”

  She huffed and walked away.

  “Get back here,” Tyke said, but she kept going. “Fine. Search this room. I’ll start upstairs. Just be gentle with everything.”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  Tyke went up the steps and turned into the first room to his right. It was empty with white walls, a closet, and the open window Kenna had crawled in through. He opened the closet finding that empty as well. Moving into the hall, he stepped into the next room to the right.

  Same song and dance. Empty. Empty. Empty.

  He peeked into the bathroom, finding a few toiletries under the sink, but nothing interesting or what they were looking for. He pulled the shower curtain back, finding soap scum and a bottle of Old Spice on the edge of the tub.

  Come on. There’s gotta be something here. Anything. If not, I’m out of ideas, and I’m out of suspects.

  He didn’t want to think about that conversation later.

  Sorry, Kenna. I know I promised I’d get your ring back, that I’d leave you with a good lasting impression, but sorry. Much like everything else lately, I failed in this, too.

  Gritting his teeth, he made his way with purpose toward the last bedroom. This room had furniture. Bed, one dresser, curtains, and roller blinds. He went to the bed first.

  Flipping the mattress up, he looked underneath. Nothing.

  Moved the curtains and blinds away from the window. Nothing.

  Started opening drawers in the dresser and digging around. Clothes. He pushed aside a few shirts and saw a shoebox. Popping it open, he found about thirty small, individually wrapped clear baggies with what looked like drugs inside. Damn. Not the items they were looking for but still something. Either Clint was using or selling—if it was the former, then he’d need money to do that. Which could be enough cause to make Clint steal things from guests.

  Tyke stored that bit of information away as he tucked the box back in the drawer and closed it.

  “Anything?”

  He spun, snatching Reese’s knife out of his belt. The blade landed within millimeters of her throat.

  “Jesus, woman,” he said. “You can’t sneak up on me like that. I could’ve killed you.”

  “With that little thing?” She placed her finger between the knife and her neck and gently guided it away. “Please. That looks duller than the plastic one I was using.”

  Tyke grazed the blade over his forearm, watching the hairs float away onto to the oak floor. Dull, my ass.

  “You find anything up here?” she asked, gazing around the room. She lifted the cover of a sports magazine on the dresser, then let it fall and turned to Tyke. “I didn’t have any luck downstairs.”

  “Nothing,” he said, figuring the drugs weren’t worth mentioning yet. He should probably pass Clint’s name to the local police, though, just in case. “Did you do a thorough sweep of your area?”

  She placed her hand on her hip and cocked her head. “Of course.”

  “Did you check inside the fridge?”

  “No.”

  “What about under the dining table?”

  “No, but—”

  “Lift any of the picture frames off the walls?”

  “Seriously?”

  “Remember, we’re looking for small items. They can fit anywhere.”

  “People are that creative?”

  “You have no idea,” he said, thinking about the craziest places he and the team had found stashes of drugs. “Come on. I’ll show you.”

  They took one step when Reese’s voice came into his earpiece. “Be advised, you have a car approaching. I repeat. Suspect is approaching.”

  He braced a straight arm across Kenna stomach, making her stop. “How long?”

  Her body locked up as sharp fingernails latched into the bare skin of his forearm. “What?” she whispered. “What is it?”

  “Pulling down the street now. ETA to the driveway will be two minutes.”

  Tyke slid a glance at the doorway. “We have to go. Reese, what’s the best exit?”

  “Go?” she asked, her nerves blowing off her like a tsunami.

  “Relax. We have time. Let’s just get a move on.”

  “You’re not going to make it out the front door,” Reese said. “You have to exit the window in the back.”

  “Which room?”

  “The one you’re in.”

  Kenna’s eyes were wide and her skin white, even in the shadowed room.

  Shit. He was gonna have to tell her to jump out of a window. A window, for Christ’s sake. Real good plan, Tyke. Real fucking smooth letting her tag along.

  “Kenna, listen to me.” He kept his attention on her eyes, making sure she heard him. “We have to leave right now.”

  She was nodding. “Okay.”

  “That way.” He gestured at the window with his chin.

  He didn’t think it was possible, but her eyes went even wider. “But we’re on the second floor!”

  “Shhh,” he said. “We’re going to be fine. We’ll get out on the roof. I’ll go first and then I’ll catch you. It’ll be simple.”

  “Simple?” She choked out a laugh. “That’s not simple!”

  “Suspect is out of the car,” Reese said. “Walking to the front door now. ETA is approximately twenty-three seconds.”

  Placing his hands on either side of her cheeks, Tyke stared at her. “Do you want to get out of here? Or do you want this guy to catch us rooting through his house?”

 
“Go. I want to go.”

  “Good girl.” He reached for her hand and started to drag her to their getaway.

  Flicking the knob to unlock it, Tyke threw the window up.

  “Entering the front door now,” Reese said. “Get out of there.”

  “Working on it.” Like Bo Duke, Tyke threw his long legs out first, then propelled his body through the opening. He turned with his arms extended, encouraging her to follow. “Come on, Kenna.”

  “He’s in,” Reese said. “Get. Out. Now.”

  “Kenna, let’s go!” Tyke hissed.

  She must have heard the front door close downstairs, and freaked out, because she chirped and sailed through the window, kicking Tyke out of the way in the process. He lost his balance and tilted backward. He reached for anything to find purchase, but all he could get a solid handle on was open air. He tucked and rolled, knowing there wasn’t any way he was saving himself from falling. His shoulder hit the edge of the roofline, so he shot a hand out, got two fingers on the metal rainspout, but it wasn’t enough. He slid off and fell the ten feet onto the ground, landing in a large bush. His feet were over his head, and it felt like a branch was wedged between his legs and another was lodged in his kidney. He locked his back teeth in an effort not to groan out loud.

  “Bryan,” Reese said. “What’s your location?”

  He winced. “A fucking bush.”

  “Suspect just walked out the front door. He’s heading toward his car. Must have forgotten something.”

  This time Tyke did groan.

  “Oh!” Kenna said in a hushed tone, looking over the edge of the roof. “Oh God! Are you okay?”

  “Peachy,” Tyke managed to say.

  “Are you still going to be able to catch me?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Go ahead and jump right now.”

  There was a pause, then, “Seriously. How am I going to get down?”

  “Suspect just turned out of the driveway and down the road,” Reese said.

  “Just go out the front door, Kenna,” Tyke said. “I’ll be there as soon as I figure out how to get my legs away from my ears.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Kenna walked across Tyke’s hotel room with warm cloths, rubbing alcohol, and bandages they’d taken from Reese’s bag.