“You don’t mean that,” Drake shouted. “You’ve got an assignment to complete, Agent Granger.”
“The hell I do. If you think Liz is so damn important, you protect her. I’m tired of hauling her sorry ass out of the water.”
She clenched one hand into a fist and clamped the other over her mouth to keep from telling him exactly what she thought about his sorry egotistical—
“And I don’t buy that all this protection is to simply cleanse your conscience for convincing her dad to turn evidence.” Mitch paused. “Spit it out, old man, why are you so concerned about her survival? You act like she’syourdaughter. Is she?”
A long stretch of thundering quiet followed as she slowly dropped her hands to her sides.
“Get some rest,” Drake said. “We’ll talk later.”
Mitch took a couple of steps back up the stairs. “Answer the damn question, Drake. Is she your daughter?”
Liz froze. Held her breath. Stared straight ahead. Waited. Seconds that felt like minutes ticked by.
Drake cleared his throat, paused. “I don’t know for sure.”
She sucked in a loud-enough-to-be-heard squeaky breath, tried to step back into the shadows, but stumbled over a rope.
“Who’s there?” Jumping from the ladder to the deck, Mitch turned toward the side rail, and, fists ready, took a few steps then glanced up. His gaze met hers, and he stopped.
She pressed her finger across her mouth, bounced it for emphasis. This was too much, and she couldn’t face anything else right now. Pleading for his silence, she bit the corner of her trembling lip.
“What’s going on?” Drake shouted down.
Mitch glanced up at the wheelhouse deck, barely shook his head. “Guess it was just the wind. You’re right. I think I’ll get some rest. We’ll talk later.”
The murmur of Drake and Reese talking from above sounded as if they were near the control panel at the front of the wheelhouse deck.
Tugging her close behind him, Mitch stepped to the edge of the stairs going down to the cabins. “I can’t believe I just lied for you.”
“You’ll get over it.” She brushed the backs of her hands beneath her eyes.
“Liz? What are you…” he hoarsely whispered, then dragged his hand through his hair as he blew out a cheek-puffing sigh. “How long have you been standing there?”
Chapter Ten
How long had she stood on the deck listening? They both knew the answer. Knew what each had heard. Instead of answering his question, she reached out to touch his arm. “I’m sorry about Keith.”
The words didn’t seem to be enough. Keith was killed giving Mitch and her a chance to escape. And…Drake? Drake might be her father.
Doubt flashed across Mitch’s face. His nostrils flared. Shoulders straightened. Defiance appeared to shove angst and anger aside. As if he’d just been touched with a hot iron, he forcefully jerked back, shaking his head. Then, he stepped on the boat rail. Flexed his knees. And arched as he dove into the water.
She wasn’t sure what his reaction meant, but her words had been meant as compassion for his pain. He’d rejected her in return. That was okay. Right now, she wanted to reject the whole damn lot, including her dad, Drake, Mitch, and everything OPAQUE and Coercion Ten stood for. After hearing Mitch’s splash, she found herself alone. Lost in the shadows and alone.
“Hell, the damn SEAL’s in the water,” Reese shouted from the wheelhouse.
“Keep an eye on him,” Drake said, jumping down on the main deck. “Better grab one of the guns. Scare off anything big that decides to nose around for a fresh meal.”
“On it. I’ve already got him on sonar.”
A look of surprise covered Drake’s face when he saw her standing over at the side. She didn’t bother to brush the tears from her face. He opened his mouth to speak, but she impatiently waved him off.
“Before you ask…I heard everything.Everything,” she said with a strength she’d never known she had. “This has become one of the worst days of my life. In fact, except for the day my mother died, thisisthe worst day of my life.”
“Sometimes life’s tough, cookie,” Drake enveloped her in his arms, holding her tight. “Really tough.”
“Tough? People are dying because of me. My life has been nothing but a lie.” She pushed out of the hug. “And now I don’t even know who my father is. I’d say this is just a bit more than tough.”
