“No idea. Knight called yesterday to say they’d landed and demanded to know where we were. He was calling from an unsecured phone, and it was just before we were due to leave for the restaurant. Dad told him that we’d pick them up from their hotel after we finished at the restaurant. He threatened to come down there, and Dad warned him that he could blow your cover if he did that. He agreed to back off as long as we filled him in on everything when we picked him up and stopped shutting him out of the loop,” Oz said.
“Okay. So where are they now?”
AJ shrugged. “When I got to the hotel last night, neither of them were there.” He tightened another screw in the propulsion unit and tested the binding. “I went back this morning and sat outside the hotel while I had breakfast. Nothing.”
“Should we be worried?”
“About what?” AJ asked.
Oz frowned. She’d been asking herself the same question for much longer than she was comfortable with now. “That they are who they said they are. And that they’re possibly on Mehalik’s payroll.”
“If they are?”
“Then we’re fucked and Mehalik is the one who is toying with us. Not the other way around.”
“And how can we find out?” AJ frowned at her, obviously thinking.
“Until they show up, we can’t.” Oz hated the uncertainty and wished they had answers, but they were past the point of no return. Changing their plan with regards to Mehalik would either spook him and blow the mission, or tip him off to what they were planning. They couldn’t risk the mission without knowing they were compromised. Suspicion was all well and good, but gut instinct could be wrong. Maybe.
“We don’t have any other choice now,” Finn said softly, echoing Oz’s thoughts. “I just have to hope that Mehalik doesn’t know about the task force.”
“If he does, he’ll kill you,” AJ said.
“He probably will anyway,” Finn said.
“That’s why he wants to meet on his boat. Totally under his control and blind for us,” Oz added.
“That’s what he thinks.” Junior held up a small device that was coated in a silicone casing. “Listening devices. As soon as you’ve got those propulsion units ready we’re going to plant these little beauties on the hull. Under the water line.”
AJ shook his head. “Under the water line all you’re going to hear is water and the engine.”
“Not if we place them right.” He pointed to the schematics he’d been poring over with Billy. AJ looked at him skeptically. “Trust me.” He clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ve done this before.” He winked and Oz watched the play between them and the way AJ shook off the argument. She wished she could let it go so easily.
The door opened and Ariel strode in, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the air. “I’ve got the extra tender we’ll need later.”
“What’s that for?” Finn asked.
“It’s the only way we can all get close enough to his boat to help if you need it. We’ll be ten seconds away, Finn.” Ari squeezed her arm.
Finn looked over to Oz. “It’ll work, right?”
Oz nodded and smiled, determined not to let her own fears add to Finn’s. She pulled her into a tight hug. “Everything’s going to be just fine.” Oz wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince, Finn or herself. Either way, it didn’t work.
Chapter Forty
Bailey stopped outside Cassie’s apartment block. Less than a week ago, she’d pulled up outside this building and enjoyed spending time talking to the woman beside her. This time, she didn’t even turn off the engine. The journey back from Florida had been difficult, and she knew she was mostly at fault for that. She’d sulked like a teenager most of the way, and when she had said good night to Cassie after they went to dinner, she’d had to stay far away from her to resist the urge to pull her into her arms and kiss her again. She wanted to smell her skin, taste her lips, and feel the softness of her cheeks beneath her fingertips. The fact that Cassie didn’t want the same thing hadn’t lessened her desire, but she refused to put them both in a situation that was even more uncomfortable. Instead, she’d skulked away to her room and spent the whole of the last day barely speaking at all. She’d rebuffed pretty much every attempt Cassie had made at a conversation, and the atmosphere in the car quickly became unbearable.
How could so much change so quickly?
“If you want to come up I can write you a check—”
“I’m kinda tired. If you could mail it, that would be good.” She just wanted her to leave. She didn’t want to have to keep pretending nothing had happened when it had. Something so small and seemingly insignificant had changed her fundamentally, and although it didn’t make sense, she didn’t want to lose it. But clearly, Cassie didn’t feel the same way. She wasn’t sure which part hurt the most.
“Of course. Well,” Cassie said, “thanks for everything. Finding Daniela, driving most of the journey, and for, well…everything.”
Bailey swallowed thickly, her throat threatening to close on her. “It’s what you were paying me for, right?”
“Bailey, I’m…” Cassie’s words trailed off, and Bailey could tell she was fighting back tears. “I guess so. I’ll mail it in the morning.” She pushed the door open and stepped out. “Thanks again.”
Cassie turned at the door and raised her hand as though she was going to wave good-bye, but she seemed to think better of it and ran her hand through her hair, stepped inside, and Bailey watched the door swing shut behind her.
“I’m sorry too, Cassie.” She put the car into drive and pulled away from the curb. “More than I ever knew was possible.” Jazz whined in the backseat. “I know, girl. She was your friend. Shall we go home? Don’t know about you, but I could use a good night’s sleep.”
The apartment was cold when she pushed the door open and reached for the light switch. Everything was just as they’d left it five days ago. The blankets she’d used when Cassie had slept in her bed still sat folded neatly over the back of the sofa, her corkboard was still full of pins.
“What is it with me and women, hey, girl? It seems the only ones I want to know don’t want anything to do with me.” Jazz leaned against her leg. “You’re right, except you.” She dropped her bag onto the table, put food in Jazz’s bowl, and pulled open the fridge, looking for her own dinner. She was greeted by two bottles of beer, a carton of sour milk, some leftover takeout that should have been thrown away before she left for Florida, and half an onion. She pulled out the onion, trying to remember why she had half an onion sitting on the shelf in her fridge. It had been weeks since she’d cooked. Surely it hadn’t been sitting there that long. She turned the dried up vegetable over in her hand and cringed when the pulpy substance turned juicy and ran over her hand.
“Oh, that’s disgusting.” She promptly threw everything but the beer into the garbage and called for takeout. She unpacked and tidied the apartment while she waited for the delivery. She didn’t want to stop and sit down because she didn’t want to think about how empty the apartment felt. Even Jazz, her constant shadow, couldn’t make the oppressive feeling of emptiness abate. She finally sat down to her Mongolian beef for one and realized just how alone she was. She’d become accustomed to having Cassie beside her when she wanted to say something, anything.
She stabbed at a piece of beef and ignored the tear that fell and mixed with her dinner. “See, Jazz, what did I tell you? Too damn ornery to be anything but alone.”
Chapter Forty-one
Cassie felt even worse than she had with the hangover. She might have avoided the truth with Bailey, but she wasn’t about to start lying to herself. She missed Bailey. They’d spent five solid days together, sharing wonderful conversations, intimate details of their lives, and laughing more than she had in years. Bailey had given her so much in such a short space of time. Not only had she located Daniela, but she’d helped Cassie see herself beyond the façade she created so long ago. She wished she’d had the guts to tell her that.
> She went through her morning routine on autopilot, but Bailey was never far from her thoughts. Part of her wished she’d told Bailey the truth about why they shouldn’t see each other. But the bigger part knew she would never have been able to say the words, and she felt ashamed once again. Ashamed that even after all these years, she was still giving William the power to control her life. Ashamed that she had allowed fear to cost her any chance at maintaining a friendship with Bailey. Intellectually, she knew she had nothing to be ashamed of, and never had. William was a bastard and had used every trick in his impressive arsenal to make her life hell. But whether he was in her life or not, it was like he was still inside her. When you cut down a tree you can see the rings of its life from the center out, and every ring that marked her interior life had his name etched in it. She had fought with every weapon available to her and had given everything to survive him. But somewhere along the way she had given up too much of herself trying to survive. She had lost the parts that made her Cassie. For those few days with Bailey, she had found them again and she had almost let herself forget.
She cried as she wrote the check for Bailey, so much so that her tears blotted the ink across the paper in a black river, ruining her first two attempts. She printed the name and address on the envelope, dropped it into her bag, and tried not to remember how good it had felt to be held in Bailey’s arms. She had no doubt that Bailey had wanted her—or, at least, the woman she had been for those few days. Cassie. There was only one problem. I’m not Cassie anymore.
She fastened her coat, picked up her bag, and closed the door to her apartment. The apartment of Professor Sandra Burns.
She walked quickly, dodging puddles, holes in the sidewalk, and dozens of other people on their morning commute across Boston. The T stop was less than a hundred yards from her apartment toward the waterfront, and the gray water, dark clouds, and chilly temperature reflected her mood perfectly. She changed trains on automatic pilot and walked down Main Street to her lab on Vassar. She’d never really considered it before, but she had to pass the coffee shop where she and Bailey had met, and all she could see was the pain in Bailey’s eyes when she had told her their kiss had been a mistake. She wished she could take it away.
She stopped at the large blue mailbox and fished the envelope from her purse.
“I’m sorry.”
She dropped the envelope in the slot and walked away, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Chapter Forty-two
“Are you ready?”
Finn turned around at the sound of Oz’s voice and watched her shrug into her jacket, covering the shoulder holster and the Glock she was carrying. “Would it matter if I said no?”
Oz sat beside her. “Despite everything I said earlier, yes. It would matter. If you want me to I’ll take you away from here right now.”
“He’ll come for me.”
“I don’t care. If you don’t want to do this, I’ll spend the rest of my life protecting you from him. Whatever it takes, baby.”
She toyed with the idea. Running away meant hiding and living the rest of their lives in fear. She tried to picture Oz beside her, constantly on alert, forever watching, waiting for the day when he would find them. Every single day for the rest of their lives, they’d wonder if that day would be the day. Just like my mum did. She wanted to cry for the parallels she could see between their lives. But she didn’t have the time. She had freedom, something her mother had never had, and as scared as she was she couldn’t truly accept the thought of having to give it up. The past few months with her father in prison had given her a taste of real freedom, and she craved more. Oz had given her the opportunity to do what she needed to do, whenever she needed to. She’d encouraged her to explore their relationship, herself, and what it was she truly wanted. She’d given her the courage to not only pursue her desires, but to hold on to them and never let go. She couldn’t run. No matter how scared she was, she would make her stand now and have faith in the people who loved her.
“No. I can’t do that. I can’t make you live that life.”
“I’d rather do that than have you go in there anything less than confident that this will work. Because if you’re scared, he’ll know.” Oz’s voice cracked. “And I can’t lose you.”
Finn closed the distance between them and kissed her soundly. “You won’t.” She threaded her fingers through Oz’s. “You’re too good at keeping me safe for anything to happen.” For the first time in a long time, she couldn’t read the look in Oz’s eyes. She wasn’t sure if it was pride or terror she saw staring back at her. Maybe it was both.
“I hope I’m as good as you think I am. I don’t want to let you down.”
“That simply isn’t possible, sweetheart.” She wrapped her arms around Oz’s neck and enjoyed the way Oz’s arms wrapped around her back, the warmth of her body and her solid heartbeat against her chest. The smell of coconut, lime, and apples tickled her nose, a sweet combination of suntan cream, shower gel, and shampoo. Underneath them all was the scent that smelled like home, an aroma that was slightly musky, yet so rich and spicy that her mouth watered—Oz. Seconds became minutes as she relaxed and pushed the fear into a tight ball in the pit of her stomach.
“We need to go, baby,” Oz whispered in her ear and she nodded against her chest.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Oz kissed her gently. “Come on. Let’s go save the world.” She smiled and Finn saw the cocky façade fall into place.
Everyone was busy moving into position. Everyone except Knight and Whittaker. They still hadn’t heard from either man, and concern was mounting as Oz helped her into the tender. Billy and Charlie both thought it a good idea to approach Mehalik with a light guard for the evening. It was a display of trust, a friendly gesture between two business associates. It also left Junior, AJ, and Ari free to fill other key roles in the plan as Oz accompanied Finn in the small dinghy that would easily get them to the marina where Mehalik had subtly demanded she wait for him to pick her up. He still seemed to think she had a land base somewhere in Eilat, and that was just fine by them. However, it also meant that Oz would be landing them well away from the marina so they could be seen approaching from the land.
The night was calm; barely a ripple on the ocean disturbed the reflection of the moon as it began its journey across the night sky. Lights twinkled from the shoreline, making it easy to see where they were heading, and the safety of the Whirlwind faded into the black behind them. Finn stared up at the stars and made a wish to see everyone on the boat again, safe and sound, before the end of the night while Oz tied off their small craft.
Bright lights and strings of faux Chinese lanterns were strung around the perimeter of the marina. They approached on foot and crossed the small bridge from one quayside to the other. The fifty-foot yacht sat in its berth and was easily the height of a house. Three decks of white fiberglass, mahogany decking, and polished brass handrails waited for her. The acrid smell coming from the diesel engines turned her stomach the closer they got to the stern. That’s what she blamed it on, anyway.
“Good evening, Daniela. It is lovely to see you.” Mehalik leaned on the rail of the middle deck, casually hanging over it to smile down at her. He was wearing a dark shirt, white chinos, and a smug smile.
“And you, Masood. May we board?” She worked hard to adopt the disdainful and disinterested look that she felt was appropriate for someone who wasn’t easily impressed by such flashy expressions of wealth. After all, she had grown up in such surroundings. Her father had ensured that.
“You may, of course. I’ll come down to meet you.” They approached the rail and a gate was held open by a tall man, his arms and neck so thick with muscles that the veins bulged under his skin. “This is my friend Hakim.” Mehalik introduced them as Finn stepped onto the deck.
“Nice to meet you, Hakim.” She offered her hand and noted the slight tremble as he returned her grip.
“And you, Miss Sterling
.” His eyes flickered to the side and his head moved subtly. She would have missed it had she not been watching him so closely. She knew he was trying to tell her something. She just wished she knew what.
“Won’t you follow me, Daniela, and I’ll show you around my little boat.”
Finn laughed. “Little?” She motioned around her. “This is far from little, Masood. For a boat it’s positively palatial.” Years of living with her father had prepared her to play the role she found herself cast in, pandering to the ego of yet another megalomaniac. The beaming smile and look of pride on his face told her everything she needed to know about dealing with Masood Mehalik from that point forward.
“I am very glad you like it. Please,” he said, waving her to go ahead of him as one man with an automatic rifle slung over his back let loose the stern line while a second man watched from the upper deck. “This way,” Mehalik said as he guided Finn down onto the aft deck and the captain backed them out of the marina. It wasn’t what they had hoped would happen, but they had expected it. Why get someone onto a boat if you didn’t plan to take them away from the shore? “The wood has all been hand carved.” He stroked the dark wood lovingly. “This deck alone took a team of craftsmen three weeks to complete.”
The vast expanse of dark wood made the deck look smaller than she had expected. “Worth every second.”
“Absolutely.”
The captain expertly steered them through the Northern Lagoon and out into the Strait of Eilat. They were moving quickly, the shoreline growing smaller by the second. “Wow, that’s fast.”
“Yes, I have two large engines. Three hundred and fifty horse power each. I dislike moving slowly.”
She followed him through the sliding doors into the salon, looking around him as his back obscured the view in front. The dark wood continued throughout, with dark drapes over the portholes, and the upholstery she could see was similarly colored. The darkness was actually oppressive, and she couldn’t understand why someone would ruin such a beautiful boat with such awful interior design. “It is a beautiful boat.” The sliding door clicked closed behind them and the noise of the great engines faded. From behind her, rough hands tugged her arms out to the side and ran the length of her body.
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