Page 72 of Riptide

“What happened, man? We thought you were dead.”

“They’d planned this. For so long.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “That night. I’d gone to a party for intel. Dom Marretta. Raine Presley.”

“What? Why Raine?”

“Dom had been dealing in stolen secrets. He’s dirty. We’d been in the Air Force together and got an invite. Raine was there. She was working with an agency but wouldn’t say which one. She’d gone undercover with Marretta, promised him she’d get him data. She swore—” Evan released a loud cough.

“You don’t have to do this now. The auction isn’t until tomorrow night.”

“Raine said she’d never sell secrets. Raine—"

“We’ve got to tell Garrett.”

“I was ambushed. They’d hired a guy who looked like me to do the jump. He wore a helmet, but he knew. It was a suicide mission. He needed the money for his family.”

“What the hell?”

“Marretta is sick. He’s fucking sick. He knew.” Cough. Cough. “He needed time to torture me. He tried to get secrets. You know I’d never fucking give it to him. I’d hidden data with Selby. She was a cover. She wasn’t supposed to be involved, but they told me they broke into her apartment.”

“She’s okay. She’s with Garrett.”

“The auction. I’ve got a list of assets for sale. I’ve got names, dates. It’s hidden. But the players…the women and girls…we’ve got to save them.”

“We will, we will,” Seth assured him. “Ev. You got to rest, man.”

“Garrett,” he managed, his voice a whisper as his eyes fluttered shut.

“Don’t worry. Garrett’s going to be here soon. I’ll let him and Marcus know what happened. I’ve got you, brother.”

As Evan drifted off to sleep, Seth’s heart pounded in his chest, a mix of anger and anticipation coursing through his veins. Whatever happened tomorrow would change the world. There was no room for error. They could not allow government secrets to fall into the hands of bad actors. Lives were on the line. The future of the country was on the line.

More committed than he’d ever been, Seth grew determined to put an end to Marretta once and for all. This was the last time he’d ever hurt another person he cared about.

Chapter Ten

With a towel wrapped around her torso, Kaimana stared into the mirror. She dragged the brush through her wet hair. The tips of her locks lay wet on her clean skin. With each stroke, she imagined the euphoria she’d feel when they rescued the girls and arrested Marretta.

More than that even, she’d be free. Free from Dom Marretta and his goons. Free to live her life. Free to go to school. Free to explore her relationship with Seth.

Kaimana smiled as she heard the bedroom door creak open and turned to greet him. “Hey.”

“I’ve got good news.” Seth wore a broad grin.

“I could use some.”

“Evan is awake.” Seth nodded. “He’s going to be fine.”

“Oh my God, he’s awake,” she exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hands. “Wait. I have to go see him.”

Seth reached for her. “He’s sleeping again. Garrett just arrived and he’s sitting in the room now watching over him.”

“Are you sure he’s going to be safe here?”

“Marcus has guys on rotation all over the property.” He held up his phone and flashed the security screen. “All the doors are secure. Property is secure.”

“You swear he’s all right? I can’t believe I wasn’t there when he woke up.”

“He asked for you right away and I told him you were safe. He’s still weak so he was only awake for a few minutes. My guess is, knowing Evan, he’ll be ready to roll tomorrow morning at o dark thirty.”