Trouble was, Mitch hadn’t worked with Reese enough times to know what he’d do with what he’d seen. Better to find out now than later. “About what you saw…”
“I didn’t see a thing.” Reese blanked his expression. “You’ll find I don’t see much. Especially when it doesn’t concern me.”
The three of them reported back on deck and were promptly met by Drake’s pacing. He stopped. “I thought about what you said. About Russ and Liz being bait to get to me. There’s one thing wrong with that thinking. If your hypothesis is right, why haven’t they taken me out?”
“CT isn’t after you personally. At least not yet.” Everything was coming together in Mitch’s mind. If he was right, a lot of people had a lot to lose.
Stopping in front of Mitch, Drake cocked his head, his expression quizzical. “If they don’t want me,whodo they want?”
Mitch pointed at himself, then straightened. “First, CT wants me. Wants Reese. Wants Josh and Stealth,Keithand Cat. Anybody else you put on this job. Coercion Ten believes you’ll pull in your best to protect Liz.”
Reese glanced upward as if in thought. Liz stood quiet.
“They’ll cripple OPAQUE. Maybe take it down.” Mitch motioned the chopper to move into place. “If nothing else, CT can run rampant while OPAQUE recovers. Except that’s when they’ll take you out, Drake. Without you, someone else would have to take over. Maybe they’ve already got someone in mind.”
Blowing out a long, loud sigh, Drake nodded. “Someone we don’t know is CT.”
“Likely. Could even be someone already in OPAQUE.”
“That’s a hard thought to swallow.” Drake clenched his jaw, his tone harsh, his stance I’ll-be-damned.
There was nothing any of them could do about that prospect at the moment. But they needed to get a move on this plan of escape. Sure, they’d gained space between themselves and the CT group heading in their direction, but that gap could close rapidly.
“Reese, tell the chopper to push smoke upward.” Mitch hoped that would at least mask exactly who was leaving the boat. Because, sure as anything, CT had their satellite feed trained on them.
Within minutes,whup-whup-whupcould be heard approaching from the north. The blur of smoke began to settle seconds before two divers jumped into the water. They made a quick swim to the boat, and Reese quickly pointed them toward the wheelhouse. He gave them few directions; they already knew what was expected.
The chopper settled overhead and lowered two rescue lines. One, a six-inch-wide ladder. The other, had an airlift rescue vest attached.
Looking a bit unsure, Liz pointed at the rescue vest. “I take it that one’s for me.”
“What makes you so sure?” Reese joked.
“Listen, I may have a life jacket on, but I don’t plan to climb a ladder, flying in the wind, over the Gulf of Mexico.”
Drake walked over and gave Liz a hug. “Nothing to worry about. We just need to get you out of here and somewhere safe.”
“Don’t take me out of the country. I’ll never get back in.” She hugged him in return.
“Sure you would.”
She shook her head. “Might take some doing. Same day I was fired, I lost my passport.”
The three men shared a quick passing glance.
“Let’s get this show on the road,” Mitch said, checking her vest, and the hoist rigging, once again. He needed to make sure they were off the boat before the smoke cleared. “Now, lean back and get ready for a fun ride. Relax. Reese will be on the other line, right beside you as the hoist pulls you both up.”
“What about you?” she asked.
“Drake and I will be up next. First, we need to finalize where we’re headed.” Mitch nodded upward, letting his hand brush the side of her leg as he steadied the rig.
“Hey, I forgot to tell you.” Reese nudged her arm, then wrapped his leg and one arm around the ladder line. He winked in her direction. “I think your hair looks cute like that. Darn cute. In fact, I think I’ll call you Short Stuff.”
“Nobody asked your opinion,” Mitch snarled. Was this going to be the payment for the guy keeping his mouth shut about what he’d seen?
“Imagine that.” Reese winked at Liz. “Looks like somebody’s a little green.”
The roar of the chopper was deafening, but Mitch still heard the comment. He pointed up. “Get on the damn chopper. Now!”
