Page 100 of Secrets Beneath the Waves
She hesitated. The truth tasted bitter. “That someone close to me is selling me out.”
“I agree. And I can’t help you if I don’t know what you’re doing in the Caymans. You're obviously not a low-level man on the totem pole like me. I saw the way you handled yourself down there. You’ve had training. So tell me the truth. You owe me.”
Ellie exhaled. “Fine. I’ll give you this much: I’m on a mission.”
“I already figured that one out.”
“Those men? They’re after me. I had a confrontation with them the other day. I killed one of them. There are three of them. Maybe more.”
Luke’s brows lifted, but he didn’t speak. She could see the questions swirling in his eyes, but she didn’t give him a chance to voice them.
“That’s all I can say,” she added firmly. “So don’t ask me for details. You know how missions work in the CIA. Need-to-know basis.”
“They must’ve followed you.”
She shook her head. “I took all the necessary precautions. I would know if someone was following me.”
“How would you know?”
She twisted her lips to the side for effect. “I’m trained to know. You’re right. This isn’t my first rodeo. And I’m good at what I do.”
In a way, thiswasher first rodeo. Her first real mission, but she wasn’t going to tell him that.
He leaned back against the bench, wincing slightly. “Fine. But if you’re going to put my life in danger, I think I deserve to know more than that.”
Ellie didn’t respond. She didn’t know she was putting his life in danger. Was he the one who knew what was coming? She hated that she still doubted him, but how could she not?
If he were working with the terrorist group, he deserved an acting award. She was highly trained to detect deception, and he seemed genuinely perplexed by the day’s events.
“I would ask why you sank the boat,” he said, “but I know you won’t tell me.”
“No. I won’t. Although it should be obvious. I need them to disappear. And I need you to forget that you saw anything. Like you told me to forget about the envelope you gave to the cruise ship crew member.”
He moaned in disapproval, then clasped his wound in pain. She regretted having brought it up again. Without another word, they started the journey back to the marina.
As they approached, Ellie scanned the dock. Her heart stuttered when she saw a familiar figure lingering near the edge.
The third man.
He watched the water, his posture tense. Even from a distance, she could see his face twist in surprise when he spotted their boat approaching.
For a split second, he froze, his hand hovering near his pocket as if debating whether to stay and fight or flee. His gaze darted from the boat to the parking lot, calculating. Then like a rubber band snapping, he bolted, his feet pounding against the wooden dock like he couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
She saw him get into the sedan and drive away, confirming he was one of them.
Ellie pointed him out to Luke. “That’s one of the men. He was waiting for us.”
Luke followed her gaze, squinting in the sun. “And now he knows we made it. I guess he will assume that his friends are dead.”
“This is a good thing. He can tell his boss. They’ve sent four men to kill me. Three of them are dead, and I’m still very much alive.”
“If they’re that intent on killing you, they’ll send more.”
“I have no doubt about it.”
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
