that summer |percabeth au| ✔︎

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX - All In

"You're positive?" Percy asked. We were all out on the dock now, pacing.

"Mom read the fine print," Artemis said. "She wouldn't make a mistake on this."

According to Artemis, Mrs. Olympia had gone into town this morning to finalize details about the sale of their home—they'd been planning to list it all along, just as Mr. Jackson had mentioned at the Solstice party. As she waited for all of the signatures, a P&D developer had come in to pick up some paperwork, and she casually asked her lawyer about the firm's plans. The guys had a copy of the preliminaries, some permits the firm had applied for, and easily handed them over.

P&D wasn't going to raise Candy's rent.

They were going to bulldoze the whole site.

On the land occupied by the two Jackson houses, they could build enough condos to house the entire summer population. And that's exactly what they were planning.

"Makes sense," Percy said after Artemis confirmed the details. "Even if they doubled what Candy pays now—tripled it—it's still a drop in the bucket compared to the money they'd bring in with a new complex. They could make that monthly rent in a week, for one unit. Figure they turn this site into condos, and the sky's the limit. Ten floors, twenty? That's where the real money is."

"But what if Prop Twenty-Seven fails?" Katie asked. "If the people vote no on the business redistricting, they won't be able to build ­condos and hotels here, right? At least, not that far, right? I read all the zoning details at the library."

"That's true," Artemis said, "but then you'd better hope enough of the Cove's residents turn out to vote this fall, and that they vote it down. Mom says a lot of people support it, guys. Plenty of folks feel the pinch, and Stoll comes in with his song and dance about bringing wealth and prosperity to the people. ...It sounds like a good idea."

"Does Stoll know about P and D's real plans?" Katie asked.

"Doubt it," Artemis said. "That man was never one for the details. Mom's got a call in to his office, but his people keep putting her off."

"Lucius Stoll has people?" Percy asked.

Artemis shrugged. "An intern, I think." Suddenly her eyes narrowed, lasering in on a target approaching from the marina. "Unless you count the traitor Travis Stoll."

Travis strolled toward the dock, hands in his pockets.

"Don't let him know we know anything," Percy mumbled. "Play it cool."

"What's up, lovely ladies?" Travis' eyes skimmed over me and Artemis when he reached us, lighting up when he saw Katie. "Damn. Team Jackson's got all the babes this year."

"Pirate alert," Percy said. He tried to look casual, but his arms were crossed over his chest, shoulders tight.

"Not here to pirate, dude." Travis raised his hands in mock surrender. "Not my gig. Just here to see if any of you sea rats feel like hitting up Shipwreck tonight."

Percy nodded toward Katie. "Sleeping with the Enemy's probably game."

Katie smiled, ignoring his dig. She still seemed totally in denial about what was at stake here, especially with this latest development. Her house was going to be bulldozed, yet even that couldn't dim the stars in her eyes for Travis.

She turned toward him, practically beaming. "Sure, I'll go."

Artemis grabbed her arm. "Katie. You do not fraternize with the enemy. At least not while the other enemies are watching."

"But, how am I supposed to—"

"You text him later, make arrangements to meet in secret. God, have you never hooked up with a pirate?"

"Have you?" Katie asked, laughing.

Artemis grinned. "A lady never kisses and tells."

"You kiss and tell everyone."

"I think you mean, I kiss, and you tell everyone."

The girls left with Travis, leaving me and Percy alone with the Vega. He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a half sigh, half groan. "I think you know what we have to do." He stepped close, grabbed my hands, his thumb tracing the faded message I'd written on my palm yesterday about racing the boat.

I raised an eyebrow, hoped for the best.

"We have to save the houses," he said. "The Cove. We have to win this thing. There's no other way."

There was fire in his eyes again, so beautiful that there was nothing I wouldn't have agreed to in that moment, just to keep it going. I held his gaze and hoped my eyes said everything I was feeling, everything I'd lost the words for.

Yes, we were still in the race. Yes, we had to win. Yes, yes, yes to all of it, to anything.

He leaned into me and kissed my neck, hot words caressing my ear.

"All in, pirate?" he whispered, his voice ragged. He pulled back to watch my mouth, and with no more than a breath between us, I smiled, my answer whispered against his lips.

All in.