Loyalty. That was surprising. Most criminals he’d come into contact with would choose to take off and save themselves. Though it wasn’t far from the island so the diver could have easily swum there and waited to be picked up. So maybe the guy was just stupid.
Penelope’s hand shook as she sipped the water Sam had handed her. Still shaken. “Why don’t we walk it off?” he asked. “I’m feeling a little shaky myself.” She raised her eyebrows, clearly not believing him, and he smiled. “First time I’ve been around a gun without full Kevlar.” He walked away, gesturing with his head for her to follow and she fell into step with him.
“Did I thank you?” She shook her head. “Thank you. I didn’t know what to do. I froze.” She sounded annoyed with herself.
“You’re not trained to deal with that stuff. You don’t expect to be facing off with a gun as part of your work day in this country.”
She nodded and lowered her arms by her side, relaxing the grip she had around her body.
“Do you come out here much?” Sam asked.
“The minimum is a couple of times a month, but maybe more depending on what’s happening.”
So her timing sucked. “You must love days like this,” he said and gestured to the smooth, sparkling ocean. “It’s so beautiful out here.”
She glanced at him, surprise on her face. “I do.”
He smiled, hoping she would open up to him. If he could show her he wasn’t a bad guy, maybe she’d give him the benefit of the doubt next time.
Or reduce his suspension.
Chapter 6
Penelope appreciated the change in subject. Though her heart rate had slowed, all her muscles were tight, as if expecting another attack. She exhaled and focused on the man next to her. She’d expected with his cowboy tendencies, he wouldn’t take the time to appreciate his surroundings. Maybe she’d been unfair to judge him so harshly. He smiled at her, relaxed and unconcerned. Not the least bit bothered about their near brush with death. “Why are you being so nice? You’d be out on your boat if not for me.”
“Seems it’s lucky for you I’m not,” he answered.
A good point, but not an answer. When she continued to look at him, he sighed.
“No use holding a grudge over something I can’t change,” he said. “That way leads to misery. Sure, I’d like you to reverse your decision, but you did what you thought was right. Let’s forget about it.”
Some things you couldn’t simply forget about.
Breathing deeply to control the nausea in her stomach, she studied him. Arms relaxed by his side, shoulders down, a partial smile on his face—he seemed genuine.
In the past, she’d been abused by people she’d only given a warning to and she’d stopped him working for a week. Not everyone would have come over when they’d seen her in trouble. She was so glad he had. She blew out a breath and shivered, the fear still very close to the surface even if she was safe now. The radio on her belt squawked.
“Penelope, are you there?” Declan. He’d want a full rundown. She grabbed the radio from her belt and answered. “Yes, I’m here.”
“Are you all right?”
“I’m uninjured.” She wouldn’t get the image of the gun pointing at her out of her mind any time soon.
“What were you doing out there? I thought you were working in the southern gulf.”
She bristled. “I’m catching up. I was supposed to be out here a couple of days ago.”
“Come back in. You can chat to the police and then take the day off.”
She shook her head, even though Declan couldn’t see her. “I’m fine. I’ll finish what I’m doing here and then return.”
“You should come straight back and give the police your statement. What if the men return?”
She shuddered and glanced at Sam. He shook his head, and she breathed a little easier. “I don’t think so. Sam did a good job of convincing them to leave.”
“Sam still with you?”
“Yeah. We’re taking a breather on the island.”
