Bad to Be Worthy (Bad to Be Good #2) - Andrew Grey Page 0,28

the manatees on my next day off. Would you like that?”

“Manatees,” he agreed, racing across the room, bounding onto the sofa.

“We’ll be back in a few hours,” Gerome told Cheryl, who once again seemed a little pale.

“You two have fun with your skulking,” she teased as she finished the dishes. “Joshie and I are going to watch a little TV. I’m supposed to start work tomorrow, and I want to be rested.” She wiped her hands and joined Joshie in the living room. “It’s been a while.”

“I’m off, so I’ll be here with him,” Tucker reassured her, and then he and Gerome left the apartment and piled into the truck.

“Let’s try the one nearest the Driftwood. If Ramone has been coming there, then he might be staying nearby.” At least that seemed logical. Gerome pulled into the nearly full parking area, and they got out. He grabbed the cooler and handed Tucker the tackle box.

“It’s empty,” Tucker observed.

“These are props, nothing more. Just keep your head, and if you see him, say something quietly but don’t draw any attention. When we’re out on the dock, act like you know where you’re going and you belong there. We’ve chartered one of the boats for the evening, if anyone asks. Its name is Jeff’s Joy. It doesn’t exist, so no one will have heard of it, but it will be enough for a good cover.” Gerome closed the cooler cover and motioned Tucker forward. “Just relax. You look like you’re marching into battle rather than looking forward to a few hours on the water.”

“I’ll try,” Tucker said, stopping. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.” He turned his gaze back toward the car. “How do you know about this stuff, anyway?”

Gerome shrugged. “Television.” It was the quickest answer and seemed to suffice. “Just relax and take it easy. Keep aware of what’s going on around you. Just listen to the sound of the water and the birds. You belong here and just want to have a good time. You’ll be fine.”

Tucker relaxed his stance, and they entered the dock area. It wasn’t very big, so they headed first in one direction and then the other. “What boat are we looking for again?” Tucker asked.

“Jeff’s Joy,” Gerome answered as they watched both sides of the dock.

“I don’t think it’s here. Maybe we have the wrong place?” he said, and Gerome flashed him a smile.

“I guess maybe we do. I thought this was the one, but I might have had my directions mixed up.” Gerome motioned back the way they came, pleased that Tucker was playing along. There were a few people out on the decks of their boats, and if they overheard anything, it would be the two of them sounding confused.

“Is that it over there?” Tucker asked as he stopped. He didn’t point, but Gerome followed his gaze. Sure enough, the guy looked like Ramone, but Tucker shook his head as the guy drew closer and turned. “I guess not.”

They went back to the car and loaded their stuff. Tucker got in, shaking in his seat. “That was so much fun. It was like we were spies or something. I guess I expected more people to be out.”

“I don’t know about spies, but the rest….” Gerome pulled out, and they moved on to the next marina, and the following one. The sun was beginning to set as they approached the last marina for the night.

“It’s going to get dark,” Tucker said softly before they got out of the truck.

“We’ll make a quick pass and then get out of here before we can’t see anything.” They decided to leave their cover props behind and hurried out toward the dock area.

“I can’t really see much,” Tucker whispered, their footsteps echoing on the wooden planking.

Gerome took his hand as they checked out the area. He wasn’t sure what he expected to find. The boats were mostly dark, and there was no one around. They went down to the few with lights, but Ramone definitely wasn’t on either of them, though the soft cries that emanated from one clearly indicated that someone was there and very pleased with whatever God was providing.

“Let’s get out of here,” Gerome said. Why he had thought this might be fruitful was beyond him. He should have known they weren’t likely to find this guy like this.

“Is that him?” Tucker asked as they turned the corner, just up from the entrance.

Gerome stopped and nodded. Taking a step back into the shadow