Jack Beale 00 - Dangerous Shoals

do now? You still have to find what you came for. Time is running out. What are you going to do? … What are you going to do?” He stopped pacing and the room became intensely silent.
    He knew what he was going to do. First, he went to his pack and took out the listening equipment, put the headphones on, and flicked the switch. The new bug was working. He heard muffled voices. They were too far off, but soon, soon they would come to him and somehow he was certain that he would find out what he needed to know. He lay back on the bed and lit a cigarette. He inhaled deeply, then slowly let the smoke slip out of his lungs. His hand still throbbed, but not as much as before. He looked at it and took another long, slow pull on his cigarette, thankful that the aspirin must have finally kicked in. His eyes started to close.
    * * *
    “Jack, come on to bed.”
    He didn’t need to be asked twice. It had been a long day. He was tired and worried. So much had happened, and he was certain that everything was connected. He turned out the light and walked softly across the room. The floor was cool to his feet and he could hear the soothing sound of the surf through the open window. The night air was cool and a gentle breeze caressed his skin. He felt the hairs on his arms rising up as a wave of goose bumps washed over him. The moon had risen late and now was getting higher in the sky, bathing the room in a soft, bluish light. He looked down on Max, her soft curves hidden under the covers and yet fully exposed by that soft moonlight.
    Max watched him as he stood there by the bed, looking down at her. “Come on.” She pulled aside the covers in case her request wasn’t understood. He understood. He slid into the bed and pulled the covers back over. The sheets were cool and she felt him shiver. Max turned and wriggled closer until she was nestled up against him. He held her close and could feel the warmth of her skin as she draped part of her body over his. He could tell that she was naked and he smiled. He no longer felt chilled. In fact, he was beginning to feel quite the opposite. “Jack?”
    His answer was a soft “Mmmh,” as he lay in anticipation.
    “What is going on? Who would do such a thing to Cat?”
    “I don’t know,” he turned ever so slightly toward her. She could tell that he didn’t feel like talking.
    She gently pushed him back.
    “That’s not fair,” he thought to himself.
    “Jack, I’m serious. Do you think this has anything to do with Daniel?”
    He surrendered with a sigh. “Max, I just don’t know.”
    “But it might?” she persisted.
    “Maybe. I found a CD today. It was jammed into the CD player on the boat and I had to take the player apart to get it out. It wouldn’t play in the boom box and I couldn’t open it on my computer.” He hesitated a moment, remembering how angry she had been the last time she had learned that he had kept something from her. “I gave it to Tom to see if he could do anything with it.”
    “So why didn’t you tell me this?”
    “Honestly, I don’t know. I guess I didn’t want to say anything while Courtney was here, and then I forgot until you asked just now.”
    As he finished, he heard a sniffle. “Max, you okay?”
    She whispered, “Yes … No, I’m not. I’m scared.” She leaned in to him and he extended his arm and pulled her closer, holding her tight.
    * * *
    “Do you really think that the CD you found is what Daniel wanted to give you?”
    Something about the urgency in her voice woke Kurt up. He ignored the throbbing in his hand and kept listening.
    “Yes, I do,” said Jack.
    “He has it,” Kurt murmured under his breath.
    “Was he the one who broke in tonight and nearly killed Cat?”
    “Making a guess, I’d have to say ‘yes,’ but there is no proof,” said Jack.
    “That cat isn’t dead?” Kurt jumped from the bed, “NO! That can’t be!” The headphones fell off his head and he didn’t hear whatever else was said. By the time he regained his composure and put the earphones back on, all he could hear were the soft moans of two people conversing in a more primal language. He listened and imagined how sweet it would be when he finally had her for himself. As the sounds of sex were replaced with the sounds of sleep, he took off the headphones. He had heard exactly what he needed.
    His hand hurt so he went into the bathroom, removed the bandage, and examined his wounds. The flesh seemed to be more swollen now, and the bite