Page 48 of Guarded By the SEAL
Wyatt shoved his hands in his pockets as she climbed into his truck, started the engine, and drove away, doing his best to control his fear. As long as she didn’t get in Pritchard’s boat, they would be fine, but a helpless feeling gnawed at his gut. “Let’s roll, gentlemen.”
CHAPTER23
Teslyn donned Wyatt’s sunglasses and got out of the truck, her heart racing in her chest. She had fond memories of this man from her childhood, but he was responsible for her mother’s death, and could be planning her own at that very moment.
The marina had four narrow docks that went out into the water, each with slips along both sides. She spotted five other people—three on boats and two on docks—only one of the latter who could be Will Pritchard. A wave of nausea rolled through her stomach as she headed toward the figure, surrounded by water that threatened to swallow her whole.
“Just don’t get on the boat, and you’ll be fine,” she whispered to herself. She was in a public place, meeting a high-profile politician. And while the dock seemed terribly skinny, she told herself there was nothing to be afraid of. Gulls squawked overhead as she made her way along the dock. It would be a beautiful day if it weren’t for the murderer she was meeting. She stifled a hysterical laugh.
She reached Pritchard, the man’s sunglasses hiding his eyes just as hers did. “Will?”
One side of his mouth hitched up into a grin. “What, you’re not going to call me uncle anymore?”
“It’s been a long time.”
“Almost ten years,” he said. “What do you want to talk to me about?”
She looked around, wondering if one of the boats was his, wondering if he had anyone waiting in the wings like she did with HERO Force. “I want to know why a congressman was hanging around in our trailer. Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”
“That’s simple.” He eyed her for a beat, the silence stretching out between them. “I loved your mother.”
Teslyn balked at that, a laugh of disbelief escaping. “I find that hard to believe.”
He gestured toward the motorboat beside him. “Come for a ride with me. I’ll tell you all about it.”
She held up her hands. “I don’t do boats. I don’t know how to swim.”
“That’s what life jackets are for.”
“I’ll pass, thanks.” The dock vibrated beneath her feet, and she turned to see a man and a woman walking toward them, chatting.
“This is a very public place for a very private discussion, Teslyn.”
She crossed her arms, careful not to cover up the microphone between her breasts. “We’re staying here.”
He looked out over the river, which led to the ocean. “You’re named after my sister, you know. Theresa Lynn. She died in the eighth grade from cancer. Leukemia.”
Teslyn’s vision seemed to narrow, leaving only Pritchard’s face left in view. “Excuse me?”
“Marilyn, she wanted to name you something unique. She’d been friends with Theresa all the way through grade school, and it was important to me. It fit.”
He was asking her to connect dots that were too far apart, the shape they formed impossible to imagine as true. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying you should get in the boat. We have a lot to talk about.”
He was getting her off-track, confused. She needed to stay focused. This wasn’t about who her father was, whether it was Will Pritchard or not. What was important was clearing her name in Marilyn’s murder so she could become a guardian to Ivy. “My mother was blackmailing you.”
He leaned in close. “Keep your voice down,” he ordered.
She took a step backward. “And you didn’t want anyone to know. You’re a politician, a big man with big goals, isn’t that right? But Marilyn knew enough to bring you down. She could take it all away, just like that.” She snapped her fingers. “And you couldn’t stand a woman like her having that kind of power over you.”
“A woman like her?” He laughed without humor. “Your mother was the love of my life, Teslyn.”
She scoffed. “She was not.”
“You didn’t know her like I knew her. Before the drugs, before the drinking. She was a different person. A beautiful person. I never stopped loving her, not through all of it. I never stopped loving either of you.”
Anger burned through her in a rush. “This isn’t about me. This is about Marilyn, and how youkilled herbecause she was going to expose you for the fraud that you are.”
