When she reached for his hand, Nikki expected him to pull away but he didn't so she was going to assume they could work out their differences and see where things between them were headed. For the moment though, she needed to focus on the load of machine guns being moved in front of them.

Nikki typed out a quick text to Henry letting him know they had eyes on the men then turned and whispered in Keegan's ear, "I'm moving in a little closer. Cover me?"

He nodded.

She slowly picked her way through the brush and trees until she was close enough to hear the men speaking. Too bad they were talking about football and not domestic terrorism. A hand landed on her shoulder. Nikki spun around, gun pulled and aimed at the person behind her.

"Do you know the penalty for shooting a federal agent?" Will whispered.

"Do you know the penalty for scaring the crap out of me? You almost found out." Nikki glared at him while she holstered her weapon.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were lip locked with Keegan?"

She ignored the jab. "Just getting a better look."

"Looks like they got things pretty much loaded. I overheard a comment about a boat slip in Lynnhaven. Supposed to meet the boss at a slip in the marina. I think they are taking them out of here by boat."

"Where do you they think they are headed?"

Will shrugged. "I don't know. Cuba maybe? I'd say Mexico—and it’s a very good possibility—but it would be a much longer trip."

"So, we have to stop them before they get offshore?"

"Not so sure what you mean by we since this is an ATF case now. You're only here as a courtesy." The teasing tone Will had been using was gone. He was all business and Nikki didn't much care for his change of attitude.

"Silly me, I thought we were working together on this."

Either he didn’t catch the sarcasm or he ignored it. She couldn't see his facial expressions clearly enough in the dark to tell. "I'm heading out to the road to hitch a ride with my guys. I want to be there to follow the truck. Tell Kee I'll text him when we are on the road." He disappeared into the darkness leaving her beyond annoyed.

Nikki slipped back to where she had left Keegan but when she reached the little clearing, he was gone. Great. Both James men had ditched her. Now she stood stuck in the middle of nowhere without a vehicle.

The four men finished loading the cases from the barn into the truck bed and were laughing as they got into the cab of the truck. She desperately wanted to follow them but like a fool she had left her own vehicle back at the office. Maybe if she ran, she could make it to the road and ride with the ATF guys. She took off through the woods, her ankle starting to ache after only a few hundred feet. She pushed through the pain but couldn't move fast enough to get to the road. The pick-up truck roared to life as the diesel engine warmed up. Nikki ran faster but the truck pulled out of her sight before she made it out of the trees. Will and the other agents were gone as well when Nikki burst free.

"Son of a bitch!" she yelled down the road at the retreating tail lights. They were gone and she was stranded. Man, that Keegan James was a real piece of work, leaving her like this.

Nikki limped her way down the side of the road back toward the driveway of Keegan's house. With any luck she would be able to get a cell signal there as she sure as hell wasn't getting one now. It didn't make sense. Her phone had always worked fine when she was out here before. As she rounded the corner and started down the drive she heard a voice.

"Thank God! Where have you been?" Keegan ran up to her, worry evident in his eyes as he grabbed her in a big bear hug.

"Where have I been? I went back to get you and you were gone! I tried to catch up with Will but this damned sore ankle of mine held me up."

"I was trying to find you. Will texted me that he was going with his agents. I thought you would want in on that action so I went to find you. We must have missed each other."

"You were actually worried about me, weren't you?"

Keegan nodded. "Yes, of course. Did you think I was going to take off and leave you here? I thought maybe the guys with the guns found you and took you with them when I wasn't watching. I was about to go find my cousin."

"I'm sorry. I did think you had left. After our little talk earlier—"

"Even if I was angry at you, which I'm not, I am still a professional. At the very least I would have gotten you back to your office in one piece. As for our conversation, we obviously have some things to discuss later but for now, let's go find us some bad guys."

"They are heading to the marina in Lynnhaven. Will overheard them."

"I know he told me in a message. I told him we were right behind them so we better get a move on."

"I'm sorry, I am slowing everything down."

"Stop apologizing." Keegan scooped her up in his arms and jogged toward his waiting truck. "At least I have an excuse to hold you in a professional capacity."

"This is unnecessary," Nikki said as he Keegan pulled open the passenger side door and deposited her on the seat.

"Maybe. Maybe not." He closed the door and went around to the driver's side. Nikki watched as he turned the vehicle on and pulled onto the main road.

"Do you know where to go?" she asked once he was getting on the interstate.

"I have a general idea." His phone vibrated indicating an incoming text. A quick glance at the screen told him it was Will. He handed the phone to Nikki. "Will you read me that text please?"

"Sure." She swiped the screen to open the message. "It says, Be there in five. Let me know when you are close."

"Thanks. You can drop that in the console for now."

Nikki did as she was told. They drove in silence for a few minutes before she finally decided to ask the question that was still on her mind. "Do you really think I was stalking you the other day at the beach?"

Keegan didn’t answer right away. Finally, he said, "I questioned it after I found out you were watching me and my mother but now, right this moment, no. I don't think it was intentional in that way."

"What do you mean in that way?"

"Do you believe in fate, Nikki?"

Now it was her turn to consider his question before replying. "Yes, I suppose I do."

"If you think about it, what are the chances we would both be having trouble sleeping that night? How likely is it that we would choose the same stretch of beach to walk on at a time when the beaches are pretty empty? Unless you were following me or fate decided it was meant to be."

"I told you I wasn't following you."

"Then it must have been meant to be."

She could work with that. There were definitely worse things that had happened in her life. "Okay. It was fate. Does this mean you aren't upset with me?"

"No. I am not upset with you. You falling into my life was the best thing to happen to me in a long while."

"All right if I ask another question?"

"Sure." Keegan had his eyes on the road but she heard the smile in his words.

"Who is Margot really?"

"No one important." His hands tightened on the wheel. Even in the dark interior of the truck cab she could see the whitening of his knuckles.

"I heard you and Will talking when I was in the bathroom. I was wondering who she really was to you." What she really wanted to know was if Margot was a threat to her as far as Keegan was concerned. Nikki had no intention of getting involved with a man who couldn't give her his full attention. If his heart belonged to someone else, then they didn't have anything else to discuss.

"I used to date her. It ended several months ago. She's engaged to be married presently."

Whoa! An engagement after only being away from Keegan for months, rather than years? First of all, what was wrong with that woman letting him get away? Second, unless she was one fast operator, she had to have been seeing the other guy when she was with Keegan.

"Is she the reason you left the FBI?"

"How much of our conversation did you actually hear?"

"Um, all of it," she answered slowly. "For the future, your bathroom is not sound proof. Hey, that's our exit." She pointed to the sign that read Lynnhaven.

Keegan pulled the truck onto the off ramp but didn't say anything else. Great. He was mad at her again. Another relationship shot to hell in record time.

There is no relationship, a tiny little voice in the deepest recesses of her brain screamed at her.

She directed Keegan toward the marina and didn't mention Margot again.

"Take my phone and send Will a message letting him know we are here."

Nikki picked up the cell phone from the console and did as she was told. In less than a minute, a return text came in.

"He says they are parked by the bait shop."

Keegan nodded, switched off his headlights and drove the truck to where the ATF agents were waiting. He and Nikki exited the truck and joined Will.

"Hey, guys. Glad you made it to the party," Will teased.

"Is the truck here?" Keegan asked looking around the mostly empty lot.

"Around the bend over there," Will pointed to a line of docks that slipped out of view. "This here is Matt Smith and Tracy King."

"Nice to meet you," Nikki said shaking the other agents' hands. Keegan did the same. A pang of jealousy hit her when Keegan touched the female agent. He might not be speaking to her but he gave Tracy a full on Keegan smile.

"Tracy is a rookie. Matt's her training agent. This is a big case for a rookie to help break." Will shot her a grin but Tracy remained stony-faced.

"These guys give you a hard time, Tracy?" Nikki asked. "I’m the only woman in my office and it’s like having a dozen fathers."

"I can handle myself just fine, thank you." Tracy didn't even crack a smile. She was one serious woman.

"I'm sure you can." She turned to Will. "So, do you have a plan?"

"Yeah, catch the bad guys."

Nikki rolled her eyes. "Aside from the obvious. Do I need to show you how it's done?"

Will ignored her sarcasm. "I figured we would surround them. Watch what they do and who else shows up. I'd like to get a big boss if we can. Those weapons are not intended for target practice. Once we have a better idea of who is involved and what they are planning on doing with the guns, we can take them down and bring them in."

"Tracy and I will go wide and come in on the far side. Here, put this in your ear." Matt handed Will an earpiece he pulled from a small bag in his pocket. Keegan and Nikki each took one as well as Matt and Tracy.

"Can we all hear each other?" Will asked.

"Check," Keegan responded, followed by Nikki and the others.

Matt and Tracy took off for the far side of the lot while Will worked his way closer to the truck by acting like a tourist out for a late night stroll.

"Come on, I want to get close to the boat." Nikki waved Keegan over. He followed her but didn't say anything. His ability to cut off all communication without warning was extremely annoying. Maybe she should apologize for asking about Margot. Just as she was about to open her mouth, Nikki remembered the ear pieces they all wore. Last thing she needed was their private discussion being mic'd to the ATF. Especially when Will knew there was an attraction between her and Keegan and he knew about Margot.

Careful to stay in the shadows, they picked their way around the parking lot and down to the docks.

"This is Nikki, can you see anyone by the boat?"

"10-4," Tracy replied. "There's two on the dock on the north side and one on the deck of the boat. Slip 124D."

"I'm moving closer." Nikki mouthed to Keegan. He shook his head no but she ignored him and did a crouch run from where to they stood to a sedan parked within earshot of the suspects. The two guys on the dock waved and said something to the one on the deck of the boat. He jumped down to the dock and the three of them headed to the truck that had held all the guns.

She looked behind her but Keegan was gone. Matt and Tracy were out of sight. After a quick scan of the area, she made up her mind.

"I'm going on board," she whispered into the mic.

"Nikki, don't." Keegan's voice of authority sounded in her ear but she pretended not to hear him and ran across the open area between her and the boat. Grateful for all those years of gymnastic training, she grabbed the brass rail that surrounded the bow of the boat and hauled herself up and over using the same techniques she used on the uneven bars back in the day. Way back in the day, she quickly discovered when it took twice as much muscle energy as it had when she was a teenager.

Flipping over the rail, she dropped quietly to the deck and ducked behind a tarp covered object, probably more weapons, and waited to see if anyone had heard or seen her. The boat rocked in the slightly rough water. When no one came after her, Nikki slipped out from her hiding spot. She raised her gun, so she was ready just in case, and followed the wall of the large cabin around to the back of the boat. A block of incandescent light illuminated the deck from a window in to the cabin. Through the glass she saw that she wasn't alone on the boat.

Two men, one seated in the driver's seat and another standing with his back to her were in the room. Nikki dropped down out of sight and pulled her cell phone from her pocket. Rising slowly she snapped a picture of the two men.

"Nikki? Nikki can you hear me? Where are you?" It was Keegan again. She didn't dare answer. As she tried to slide the phone back into her pocket, a large swell tilted the boat to one side throwing off her balance. The phone hit the deck and slid into the water.

"Damn!" she muttered.

"You okay?" That was Will.

Keeping her back pressed low against the boat cabin, she worked her way back to where she had started before responding.

"I'm fine. Dropped my phone in the water."

"That's sucks."

"Yeah, it does. Sucks more because there are two more guys on board."

"The three with the truck took off a couple of minutes ago. They must be the delivery crew. Matt took Tracy and followed them."

"Where's Keegan?"

"He's not with you?"

"No. I left him in the parking lot."

"Damn, Nikki. I knew he shouldn't have come."

"In case anyone cares, I am right here," Keegan said into his mic.

"Where's here?" Nikki asked.

"Look down."

She rose from her crouch and looked over the side of the boat. Keegan stood on the dock looking up at her.

"I've got eyes on him," Nikki said.

"I don't need eyes on me. I'm a trained federal agent, just like both of you." There was a hint of anger in his voice.

"Chill, man. Just making sure you're with us." Will sounded equally annoyed.

"Keegan, can you pass me up your phone? I dropped mine when a wave hit the boat."

He nodded, pulling the phone out of his jeans and handing it up to her. Nikki tried hard to ignore the sparks that accompanied the exchange between their finger-tips. "Thanks."

She squatted back down and took a picture of the tarp covered object before lifting one corner and snapping some photos of the boxes the black fabric covered. When she was done, she stood up. Keeping to the shadows, she chanced a shot of the deck of the boat.

"I'm going around back to see if I can get another picture of the two guys in the cabin."

"Be careful," Will said.

"I'm a big girl," she replied, the sarcasm slipping out before she could stop it.

"Whatever."

Keegan stayed silent through the exchange but she could see him following her in the shadows along the dock. Nikki reached the place where the window was. Once again, she rose slowly and snapped a couple of pictures of the men in the room. As she was securing the phone in her pocket, the engine below the deck roared to life and the boat started moving. The sudden motion knocked Nikki to her knees.

"Nikki! The boat's moving. You need to get off." Keegan was saying in her ear. She knew she had to get off the boat, the problem was though, she was stuck. When she fell, her jeans caught on a hook in the side of the cabin. The material tore and wrapped around itself as her body twisted during the fall.

"I know. I'm kind of stuck though."

"Stuck?" Keegan asked.

"I'm caught up. My jeans ripped and—"

Despite being in a no wake zone, the boat suddenly jerked forward again as it quickly picked up speed. "Keegan!"

"I know! You have to get off of there, right now!"

Remembering the last good advice her father had given her, she stuck her hand in her back pocket and pulled out a pocketknife. Flicking it open, she started cutting at the denim that covered her leg wincing as the expensive, designer material tore apart. By the time she was able to pull her leg out, the boat departed the marina. Scrambling to her feet she ran to the side as the cold night air whipped her hair around her face. That boat was moving way too fast for the confined space of the marina. Keegan was still standing at the end of the dock waving his arms. In her ear she heard, "Jump, Nikki! You've gotta jump!"

Pretending it was July and that the water was still eighty degrees, Nikki climbed over the end of the deck and dropped into the cold sea below. As chilly water washed over her, Nikki climbed back to the surface and started swimming for all she was worth. The boat disappeared into the night leaving her alone in the water.

She had lost her earpiece when she jumped. Her boots were full of water and weighing her down. Nikki struggled against the cold water and the heavy wet clothes as her muscles grew weaker and weaker. After what seemed like forever and she had gotten nowhere, her brain started to feel fuzzy.

"No! You will not give up, Nikole." The pep talk was almost useless as she forced her arms to move and her legs to kick. In the distance, she heard a loud bellow but like her thoughts, it sounded fuzzy and contrived. She kept moving, slowing down with every stroke. The darkness was suddenly broken by bright lights as a small boat pulled up beside her. Strong arms reached down and pulled her up and over the side. She collapsed to the deck, huge, violent shivers wracking her frame. A wool blanket was wrapped around her as voices said things she couldn't decipher.

"You must be Nikki." Finally, words—and a face—that were familiar.

"Keegan?" her teeth crashed together and she forced the words out.

"No." The man hovering over her smiled. He looked like Keegan, smiled like Keegan—had she hit her head on the way into the water and was now hallucinating?

"Oh, sorry," she murmured. Blackness followed the path of the blanket, wrapping around her and swallowing her in its depths.