Jackson by Ember Casey

missing. Unless we have any reason to doubt her loyalty as well, we need to figure out what happened. Additionally, it’s clear that we have a leak. Whether or not that leak is Tav remains to be seen. But right now, that means we’re only a step ahead of Nash’s men if we want to find Rinaldi’s fortune. They know about the atlas and they know we’re focusing on these islands. That doesn’t give us much of an advantage.”
    “Have you found anything in the atlas yet?” asked Leo.
    Roth shook his head. “Nothing that gives us anything specific. Rinaldi’s written all over the damn thing, but the only thing on the map of the Adriatic is a scribble of some stars. They form no constellation that Alexei or I have ever seen, and if they’re some sort of code, they’re nothing we’ve been able to break so far.”
    “We’ll keep working,” said the big Russian. His voice was a deep rumble. “Rinaldi doesn’t think like a cryptographer, so it’s possible we’re missing something right on the surface.”
    “In the meantime, I think our best chance is to head to Hvar,” Roth said. “Rinaldi mentions the island a lot in his journals, and it’s a popular destination for tourists. It makes sense that Rinaldi and Alyssa might have met each other there.”
    “Hvar’s a big island,” Leo said, rubbing his neck.
    “And it’s all we have right now,” Roth countered. “Here’s what I propose. Xavier, Toshi—you stay here on Vis and see if you can get any word of Sloane. It’s possible she was just delayed, and I want someone here.”
    The two men nodded in response.
    “The rest of us will go on to Hvar,” he continued. “We’ll continue to study the journals and atlas, but in the meantime, we need to be prepared to make the next step on our own. And we must be prepared for an encounter with Nash’s men at any time.”
    The others voiced their agreement.
    The next half hour was a blur for Charlotte. She still felt like she understood very little of what was going on—it was hard enough keeping everyone’s names straight, and it sounded like she still had a lot to learn about the inner politics of this group—and all she could do was stay out of the way while the men prepared to leave. Before she knew it, they’d set sail again—minus the two members who’d stayed behind in Vis.
    Charlotte stayed up on the deck as the boat cut across the water. The wind had died, so they were running on the boat’s motor instead of the sails, but the view was still spectacular. She crossed her legs beneath her and looked out across the water, only occasionally throwing looks back toward Jackson.
    He stood at the end of the boat, watching the water behind them. He hadn’t been himself since he and Leo had returned from their search—or at least, he hadn’t been the Jackson she knew. This Jackson had problems she knew she could never even imagine.
    But her skin grew hot as she remembered what he’d said to her in the water: I never stopped wanting this. Never. He’d been gone for nine months without a word. He wasn’t allowed to feel those things.
    The scuff of a shoe on the deck behind her made her look up. Leo was grinning down at her.
    “Mind if I sit down, mi bella ?” he asked.
    She shook her head and moved slightly so he had a place to sit.
    “He’ll come around, don’t worry,” Leo said as he settled himself next to her. “He’s just taking this situation a little hard, that’s all.”
    She hated that her thoughts were so plain on her face. “I’m not even sure I understand the situation,” she said. “You’re afraid there’s a leak in your group?”
    Leo’s grin faded. “Unfortunately, that appears to be the case. One of our members has been unhappy for some time, and we have reason to believe he might be selling some of our information to other parties.”
    “Why?”
    Leo ran a hand through his dark hair. “Tavish is whip smart. But he was mostly just in this for the hauls. Not that I