“Aw, how romantic,” Annabelle snarled, sitting up and wiping the blood from her nose.“Makes me want to puke.”
“How did you know I was listening in?”Barry asked her.
“You’re cute, but not that bright,Barry.You put a bug on me, so I figured it was only fair to do the same to you.”
Chapter 42
Barry stood stupefied that not only did Annabelle know his real name—probably had for a while—but she had managed to put a bug on him.He should have suspected something after their dinner when she’d told him about the sleight of hand.She had managed to slip her number into his pocket without his knowing; it could be just as easy to put a bug on him.
“The data I found on your phone.You left that for me to find.”
“All the evidence needed to point to Miles.”
“Why give up Carver?”
Annabelle sighed heavily.“I hadn’t planned on his getting caught.No one has caught him in the seven months he’s been doing it.”
Barry caught Mac as she swayed on her feet.“All these months you’ve been selling sharks?”she asked in disbelief.
“Not from the very beginning, but close.”Annabelle shrugged, not caring, as if the selling of sharks was inconsequential to her.
“Most of the sharks in that cove were tagged.What did you do to the tags?”
“Destroyed them,” she answered in a ‘duh’ tone as if it should be obvious.
Mac closed her eyes; Barry could see the pain etched in her features, and he wished he could take that away.“She can’t hurt them anymore.”
“You’re right,” Mac agreed.
The police arrived at that moment and handcuffed Miles and Annabelle.The three of them gave their statements, and Barry promised to relinquish all the evidence they had found.When done, they returned to their cars.Barry had parked right behind Mac.“Ready for that talk?”
Mac winced.“Can we not and say it was a moment of insanity?My life had just been threatened, and I was running on adrenaline?”she asked, looking hopeful.
Barry felt like he had been delivered a devastating blow to his heart.“So, you don’t love me?”
“No, I mean I do, yes, but—” Mac covered her face with her hands and sighed heavily before removing them, her eyes closed.“Barry, there is no future for us.”
“Why do you say that?”She loved him; they could figure this out.There had to be a middle ground because he refused to give her up now that she’d confessed her love.
“You belong in Vegas, and I belong here.”
“I live in Vegas not belong there,” he corrected as if there was a difference.
“But that’s where your job is,” she argued.She couldn’t ask him to give up his career for her, and given the state of the sharks and how many people were hunting them, they needed her now more than ever.
“I can quit,” he stated, shocked at how easy it was to say that.He loved his job, and he loved his teammates, but he loved Mac more.
Mac shook her head, tears pooling in her eyes.“I couldn’t ask you to give up your career any more than you could ask me to stop mine.I’ve seen you in action.This is your calling.I can’t ask you to stop doing it.”She couldn’t be selfish and keep him here, as much as she wanted him to stay.She had to be realistic.
“How about a compromise then?”he suggested.
“How?”She looked weary as if she were afraid to hope.
“We live here part of the year during the migration season, and during the off-season, you live in Vegas.I’ll still do the occasional mission.It’s a win-win.”
“Can you really do your job part-time?”
“It’s not preferred, but I refuse to lose you.I’ll tell my boss, and I’ll only do missions where they need the full team.”Barry took her hands in his, kissing her knuckles before placing her hands over his heart.“What do you say, Mac?Will you give this love a chance?”
