Page 8 of Cross Point

A warrior.

Unable to stay on the island now that Brendan was gone, his mother and father had left the island, relocating to their villa in Italy. They had given the secluded estate on the west side of Crescent Island to Jackson, where he currently lived alone. Serious in nature, he held to a strict moral code that often clashed with the free-spirit attitude of the island, and so he used his oasis to retreat from the world.

Determined, focused, and extremely devoted, he lived and breathed the job. Jackson was known as one of the go-to guys on the island, and people often looked to him for answers. Although he was only one of the proud members of the Crescent Island Police Department, Jackson considered the island his.

His to watch over.

His to protect.

And he couldn’t do that if he didn’t know what the hell was going on and why someone had tried to kill the hot little spitfire sitting across the table from him. His mood darkened as he thought back to what had happened earlier on the cliffs.

It was time for some answers.

Known for good food and cold drinks, Jackson had taken her to Siren’s Cove, a local pub run by the family of one of his fellow officers. It was one of the favored hangouts for both the locals and tourists on the island. There was a large statue of three beautiful sirens basking on a cropping of rocks near the entrance that looked like they were just waiting for a chance to lure passing sailors to their doom. The piece had been created by a local artist and perfectly suited the theme of the place.

Waiting until Trinity ate the last fry on her plate, Jackson leaned back and crossed his arms across his broad chest. Speaking of doom, he felt like he was being lured to his own when she smiled at him. Damn it, he could all but see the mischief stirring behind those bright hazel eyes of hers.

“Tell me what’s going on, Katrina.”

Trinity sat back with a satisfied sigh, and she studied him as she raised her glass of beer to her lips and took a long, slow drink. She was impressed that he had waited this long to ask. Jackson didn’t seem like a man who had been born with the patient gene, but she appreciated that he’d let her eat before attempting to interrogate her.

She liked the bar he had chosen. It suited the island with its casual atmosphere, and the steady stream of business, even during the off-peak hours, told her it did well. As she glanced around, she realized what the driver had told her earlier was true. There were several other couples in the bar. A few consisted of two women and one man, but most of them were two men and one woman.

The chemistry flooding the place made it clear these were not just friends out for a bite to eat, but rather intimate, committed relationships. It seemed like she had landed on a fantasy island, and she might as well get started on making her own fantasies a reality.

But first, they had some business to get out of the way.

Hoping to throw him off balance again, she braced her elbows on the table, propped her chin on her linked hands, and smiled sweetly at him. She watched his irritation clear as he simply blinked at her.

“Okay, here’s the basic rundown…”

She told him why she’d made the trip down to the island and what had happened during her visit to the construction site. She explained up until the point she had met him on the cliffs, then stopped as their waitress walked over to their table. The young woman was wearing dark jeans and a blue polo shirt with the Siren’s Cove logo on it, and she shot them a sunny smile as she bussed their empty plates away from the table.

Once she was gone, Jackson leaned forward. “Obviously there’s something going on there that’s dangerous. You need to leave this to the cops and—”

“Nope. No can do. I told my friend I’d figure this out, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

“Damn it—”

“Are you seeing anyone?” She took another sip of her beer as she watched him blink in surprise again. Damned if she didn’t love pushing his buttons.

“W–what?”

She smiled and blinked at him innocently. “I asked if you were seeing anyone. I didn’t see a ring, but I thought I’d ask if you were involved since we’re on a date and all.”

He clenched his teeth so hard that she was surprised they weren’t ground to dust.

“This isn’t a date.”

“Oh? Well, I guess you’re not attracted to me then. My bad.”

“I didn’t say that,” he snapped, then blew out a breath trying to regain control of his emotions. “Are you always this…forward?”

She shrugged. “When people are trying to kill you all the time, I figure wasting time is just that…wasting time. But I disagree. I would have to call this a date. We had food, drinks, conversation, and I might even let you kiss me later. Ergo…date.”

Jackson seemed completely at a loss for words, which pleased her immensely. She really did get a kick out of baffling him. When the waitress came back to the table, Trinity whisked the check away from her.

Winking at her dinner companion, she said, “This one’s on me.”