“How?” Dot always kept her phone with her.
“Martin sent something to her that allowed it to be installed.” He still wasn’t looking at her.
Unease crept onto her skin. “And my phone?”
He faced her. “Remember that funny video I messaged you?”
“The cute bulldog puppy one?” It had made her smile and brightened what had been a really shitty day.
“Yeah. Watching it installed the same tracking software on your phone.”
“So you’ve known where I was at all times over the past few months?” Her skin crawled at the idea someone was following her.
“Your location only, not who you were with or what you were doing. It made it easier to arrange for Kristy and Steven Hamilton to distract you.”
“Who had access to the data?” she demanded.
“Only me. Martin wanted it, but I refused to give it to him.”
Small mercies. The idea of Martin tracking her was unsettling. But why didn’t she feel the same way about Lee? She refused to follow that line of questioning. Instead she asked, “So you knew I was coming for the children?”
“Yeah.”
“Why didn’t you move?”
“Because I wanted Jordan and Cody to go back to their families.”
It still made no sense. “Why didn’t you leave them before we arrived? You could have left them in the cave, waited from a distance until we found them, and then disappeared.”
He dished up the noodles and handed her a bowl. “Because I didn’t know if Martin would be with you. It could have been another test by Stonefish. Then Georgie turned up and distracted me before I could leave.”
Nhiari stared at the food. He’d been tracking her. For months he’d known exactly where she was if he cared to look.
It felt like such a violation of her privacy.
“So tell me again, why should I trust you?”
Chapter Seven
Nhiari’stonewasmild,but her eyes sparked fury. Inwardly Lee winced. He should have known his confession wouldn’t go down well. Now wasn’t a good time to tell her about the other ways he kept track of what was going on in Retribution Bay.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to stop Stonefish.” He tried to keep the defensiveness out of his tone.
“Including seducing a police officer?” The blunt statement didn’t hide the thread of hurt in her voice.
Shit. He stepped forward and she stepped back.
Damn it.
He never had the right words when he really cared. His mother had discouraged him from sharing his feelings. But for Nhiari he’d try. He sat to give her space and stirred his noodles. “I’ve already admitted I asked you out hoping to get information, but I promise you, that’s not how it ended. That night meant a lot to me.”
She glared at him and limped to the other side of the cave.
“You told your father you trusted me.” He would hold on to that admission.
“I trust you not to kill me,” she retorted and glanced over her shoulder at him. “I’m useful to you.”
“You’re more than that, Nhiari.” He hesitated. Telling her the truth would give her the upper hand over him. Was that wise? When this was over, he would be behind bars. Perhaps it was better for her if she still saw him as a villain.
