She’d learned from the best.
“How much do you know?”
“Not much,” she said. “Only what my ex told me, and what my godfather was able to fill in.”
She could hear the shock through the handset. “You talked to him?”
She told him about Colt’s surprise visit. “He said the platoon had been sent on a mission and was KIA, but that he wanted to go to Russia to make sure. He asked me to put him in touch with my godfather.”
She’d been devastated when Colt told her Scott was presumed dead but had tried not to show it. Being careful of Colt’s feelings? She was assuming he had them.
Scott swore. “That is all we fucking need. It’s bad enough with the reporter and her damned ‘Lost Platoon’ articles. You have to stop him. If he finds anything or figures anything out, he could put us all in danger.”
“From who?”
“I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to find out.”
He filled her in on what he knew. The lost communications. The warning he’d received. The missile that had taken out over half the platoon. How the rest of them had barely escaped. How he’d ordered the survivors to scatter and go dark until he could find out what had happened. And about the death of the woman who’d warned him. Kate could tell there was more there, but she didn’t press. He also told her what he’d been able to dig up so far, and his suspicions on where the leak had come from.
When he was done, Kate knew he was right to be worried. The implications were huge. Whoever had set them up would have a vested interest in making sure the truth stayed buried in Russia.
“You need to call him off, Kate.”
“Are you sure?” She paused, knowing how this could go over. “Maybe he could help?”
Colt had no allegiance to anyone and access to resources she didn’t even want to know about.
“His hatred of me outweighs everything else. Three years ago, he told me he’d kill me if he ever had the chance. I believed him.”
Kate wanted to put her head in her hands and weep. Notjust for the lost friendship between the two men, but because she knew Colt had meant it. “God, I’m so sorry.”
His voice softened. “I’m not. But I need you to do this for me.”
“I’ll try.” She had no idea how to get Colt off the trail, but she’d think of something.
Twenty-seven
Annie was relieved to see him, but Dan’s grim expression told her that she hadn’t overreacted to the two men on the beach.
“We need to get out of here,” he said.
She didn’t waste time questioning him. They gathered their belongings, left money in the room to cover the cost of lodging, and slipped out the back door that led to the car park.
He moved between the cars as if looking for something. He must have found it, because he stopped in front of a compact silver car, which seemed to be the only car size they did on the islands. It was odd not to see SUVs around. The high cost of “petrol” apparently discouraged gas guzzling. When he opened the driver’s-side door on the right, she realized he’d been looking for an unlocked car.
He reached across the seat to open the passenger door, but stopped her before she could climb in. “You need to get in the backseat and lie down. I don’t want anyone to see you.”
It was tiny back there, but she didn’t argue.
He popped the plastic steering wheel casing off and an impressively few minutes later the car came to a rumbling start.
They hadn’t taught him that in the navy. “Grand theft auto on your résumé?” she said dryly.
She hadn’t really been serious, but he was. “Fortunately for me juvenile records are sealed.”
“You aren’t a juvenile now.”
He grinned. “I’m just borrowing it. I don’t want to take the chance of those guys seeing us on foot.”
