Romance on the Edge 01 - Hooked

interrupted game of Rummy. Sonya busied herself cleaning up cups, cookies, and cards.
    Garrett pointed to the game. “Who was winning?”
    “Wes. He’s a card shark. I swear he cheats, but I haven’t been able to catch him at it.”
    Judd and Garrett shared a look.
    Sonya eyed both men. “What does that mean?”
    “Why don’t we all take a seat?” Judd said, standing by the cleared bunk, his body blocking the door. Garrett leaned against the counter, choosing to stand between the two of them, and Sonya settled into the captain’s chair feeling anything but in charge.
    “How much do you know about Wes Finley?” Judd started.
    “Excuse me?” Sonya glanced at Garrett, but he just stared at her as though gauging her reaction. “What about Wes?”
    “Are you aware he has a record?” Judd continued.
    What the hell was he talking about? Then realization dawned. “You mean his juvie record?”
    Judd nodded, reaching into his jacket and pulling out his notepad. Flipping through the pages, he came to a stop on the information he was after. “Vandalism, grand theft, assault and battery.”
    Sonya shrugged her shoulders, hoping they didn’t see how much their knowledge of Wes’s illicit past upset her. “Who hasn’t acted out when they were teenagers? How did you get that information anyway? Those records are supposed to be sealed.”
    “So, you are aware of Finley’s record?” Judd asked. Garrett had yet to say anything. She wondered if it was by choice or orders from his superior.
    “Of course.” Though the assault and battery was new. “Gramps dropped the grand theft charges after Wes made restitution.” She directed her next question toward Garrett. “Did you investigate all of us?”
    Garrett met her eyes without flinching. “Yes.”
    She sucked in a breath. Well, he didn’t believe in sugar-coating the truth, now, did he? Neither did she. “Why?”
    “It’s a murder investigation, Sonya. Part of the job.”
    “How deep will you dig?”
    His eyes were unapologetic as they burrowed into hers. “As deep as I need to.”
    “Who’s next?” she asked, anger making her voice snap. “Peter? Do you think he had anything to do with this? Gramps? Oh, no! It’s Grams, isn’t it? There’s her extensive knowledge of weapons, and everyone knows she has a talent with a knife. A hook would be child’s play for her. Let me guess, Aidan’s next? Or is Aidan who you’re after all along and you’re just throwing Wes to the wolves to provide a smoke screen?” She took a breath and raised a brow. “How am I doing?”
    Garrett’s lips twitched. “Not bad.” He turned to Judd. “What’d I tell you?”
    “She’s quick.” Judd nodded, an admiring smile playing along his lips.
    “She’s also in the room and doesn’t have time for this kind of bullshit.” Sonya stood to show them the door, but a wave knocked her off balance, and she stumbled back into her chair.
    “We’re not done,” Garrett said in his trooper voice. This time, instead of sending a tingle down her spine, dread returned. She didn’t want to hear what he had to say. She knew without a doubt it was going to ruin her already dismal day. “Aidan Harte is an interesting character. How much to do you know about him?”
    “A lot. Why don’t you just tell me what you came here for? I’ve got fish to catch.”
    “You’re aware that he writes graphic novels?” At her nod, Garrett continued, “Have you ever read one?”
    She met his stare, not liking where this was going. “I know they revolve around spirit totems.” She rolled her eyes as she understood where Garrett was going with this. “And there is a smartass heroine who looks a lot like me.”
    “Are you also aware that he killed her off in his last novel?”
    No, she wasn’t. She dragged in a breath. “It’s fiction, Garrett. The hero is also a shape shifter.”
    “The hero and heroine were at odds with each other before she was sacrificed.”
    Sacrificed? She gulped and hoped Garrett hadn’t seen her reaction to his words. “What’s your point?”
    “You don’t see any similarities, Sonya?”
    “I repeat, Aidan writes fiction. He might take some life experiences and twist them to fit in his novels, but that is all.”
    “Why was Aidan onboard your boat? Last night he was shooting at us and today you welcomed him aboard?”
    “We’ve been over that. He wasn’t shooting at us. He was scaring off a bear.” She indicated the once again, fogged up