He caught her looking but then quickly focused back on the crowd. “You know you should wait with Evelyn and be safe. Letmefinish this.”
“And get all the glory? This will get justice for Dad. Plus, it could get me my career back.”
“Is it worth your life?”
“Is it worthyours?”
“I’m trained for this.”
“Good, then you can protect me. You’re trained to protect people, aren’t you? I could tell from the start. That’s how you knew my mother, isn’t it? You worked as a DSS agent to protect her?” she said.
“Yes.”
Cressida never dealt with the many people her mother worked with. Often her mother traveled abroad for months at a time. But Cressida had seen a few of the DSS agents. Never Braden, though. “How long did you work with her? Where were you assigned?”
“That’s a story for another time.”
“You mean a secret.”
He didn’t look at her, and that was telling.
“That’s right,” Cressida said. “I know she keeps secrets.”
“If you know, then why do you ask?”
“Because I’d love to know. We might not get another chance for you to tell me what she is holding over you.”
“You know that already.”
“Tell me about your niece, Braden.”
He started toward the boardwalk. “I’ll tell you everything after this is over. We need to focus, Cressida. Did you notice that theSea Reaperis not out in the bay?”
“Maybe it’s at the marina. He brought it in for the bash.”
“I don’t see it, do you?” Braden led her over to the pier. “Let’s confirm one way or another.”
He reached for her, and she pulled away. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he picked up the pace. She had to walk faster to keep up with his long strides. People hung out on their boats, laughing and having a good time, waving at them as they passed.
“You know, it’s kind of interesting people are having fun with the idea of pirates, don’t you think?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, factually speaking, they were and still are thieves. Robbers. Murderers and rapists. Look at even the modern-day pirates off the coast of Africa.”
“Did you visit the region?”
“For research on one of Dad’s shipwrecks for the book. It was risky, but I had a great guide and protection.”
“Let’s hope everyone here at the bash is only pretending,” he said. “As for Diggins, I don’t see theSea Reaper. So he was in the woods and now he’s not even in the bay. You think he knows you got the information he needed?”
“Pretty sure. I mean, why else was he waiting outside of her house? But then why did he leave?”
“Could be someone got to him. Something happened to him.” Braden pushed her behind him.
“What are you doing?”
“We’re looking for Diggins, but Derek Harlan is here looking for us. Or rather ... you.”
