NovelAppInch seemed lost in thought, his lips a tight line. Then he said, "Ms. Scott, the boss isn't the villain you think he isn | could not help but snort at the irony. "Not a villain? He has blood on his hands, and you are trying to tellhe’s not a villain? How much did he pay you to spin these tales, Inch? To make excuses for him without a shred of principles?" | shot him a look and let out a mocking laugh. "Figures. You're just like him now, two peas in a pod. Makes sense you would stick up for each other." His face scrunched up, his mouth opening as if he was going to say something. However, he clammed up instead, standing there silent and stiff as a statue.
The ship was pretty big, three stories high. | was a kid from the heartland, and even though | had seen the ocean a few times, it still blew my mind every time.
| found a spot to sit on the deck. The ship was zipping along, and the sea breeze was wild, drying out my mouth after a while. | noticed Inch, still on his feet nearby, and called out, "Inch, I'm thirsty." He gave a curt nod, none of the old warmth there, and headed down into the hold. Once he was gone, | rose from my seat and made my way to check out the other levels.
The hold was packed with rooms, mostly filled with Lucas's crew. | was just wandering around feeling bored, thinking about heading back, when out of nowhere, someone cbarreling around the corner with shouts chasing after him, "Quick, catch him!" Our eyes locked, and on impulse, | shoved open the nearest door. The guy was fast, yankinginto the room with him.
| slammed the door shut behind us and stared at him, totally shocked. What was he doing here? Once the sound of footsteps outside died down, | turned to him and blurted out, "Mr. Long, what are you doing here?" Gregory looked uncomfortable, scratching his head as he admitted, "I've been tailing you guys. | was going to wait for backup before making a move, but | got spotted." | was confused. "Are you making a move?" He nodded, but before he could say more, we both got thrown off balance as the ship suddenly ground to a halt.
He gavea hushed look and said, "I've messed with a few bits and pieces on the ship. It's not going anywhere anytsoon." When | caught on to his mention of backup, | asked, "So, you did this to stall for tuntil the other cops show up?" He gave a serious nod. "If we let this Yates guy slip onto international waters, I'll never get to the bottom of this whole mess." Then, he turned to me, eyebrows knitting together, "Ms. Scott, you know the whole story about Officer Jackson's death, don't you?" | was not sure how much he had uncovered, but alone with him, I figured it was tto spill the beans. "Charlie's actually the old border gang leader, Lucas. He's not dead; he just got a new face and moved to Lake City." Gregory's face turned stone serious. "You knew who he really was. Why did you stick with him?" His lack of surprise at my confession threw me. "You figured it out?" He nodded. "All the clues Jackson dug up are back in his office. I'm not clueless. Put it all together, and it's not hard to see the big picture." | bit my lip and let out a sigh. "Lucas is a total psycho. When he snaps, he's the type to drag everyone down with him. If he wantsaround, it means | am useful, and he won't offjust yet." He pressed his lips together, a worried crease forming between his brows. "We can't hold him without evidence, but I've got to keep him onshore somehow. It's the only way to make sure he faces the music." | listened, intrigued. "Keep him here? What exactly did you do on this ship?" He cocked an eyebrow, a sly look in his eye. "You're a quick thinker, huh? | can't spill the beans just yet. You'll see soon enough." "Are we going to find out what's up soon?" The ship hit a snag, and Lucas's crew was all over it, trying to figure out the glitch. Gregory and I ducked out of sight to lay low for a bit. Gregory had it all figured out. The coast guard should be on us before long, and when they showed up to check things out, Lucas would not dare stop them.
If the coast guard spotted anything fishy during their sweep, Lucas was going to be in a world of trouble. He would not make it to the open sea. While he was getting grilled by the sea cops, if they dug up enough dirt, they would slap the cuffs on him for good.
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