Chapter 12
Phoenix stalked the deck, his hands balled into fists. Damn the bastard who'd done this to her. If the creep wasn't locked up, he'd hunt him down and beat the shit out of him. How dare he put a knife to her throat and scare the living crap out of her? What man did that?
Especially to someone as innocent as Ellie. She was a scientist. She studied elements. Wouldn't harm a fly. He knew her well enough to know that. She was dedicated, honest, and principled. She worried about her job and tried to do the right thing. Hell, she even got upset if she felt she'd broken a rule.
A weak beam of sunlight cut through the clouds, which were now dissipating. The gale had decreased to a stiff breeze, and the swells calmed to mere ripples lapping around the base of the rig.
But the transformation was lost on him. Phoenix let out an angry snort. She was a good person. Holding a knife to her throat and threatening her life was the lowest form of low. What a scumbag.
After her revelation, he'd made sure she was okay, then came up here to get some air. Witnessing her panic attack had dug up all kinds of unwanted memories. While he'd never suffered from attacks or PTSD, he had struggled with guilt. Survivor's guilt.
Even though he'd been the cause of it.
Ellie didn't know this, but he felt her pain on a deeply personal level. He'd been there. He was no stranger to fear. He knew how it felt, eating him up inside. The difference was, for him it came with the territory. Running headfirst into danger was his job, or it had been for many years. Subsequently, he'd learned how to handle it. He'd almost become immune to it.
Obviously, he mitigated the risks. They'd been trained to do that. Volatile situations were his bread and butter. Not like Ellie. Civilians leading normal lives shouldn't have to experience the kind of fear she had. That's what law enforcement was for. That's what they were for.
Still, shit happened. He knew that better than most, too.
Ellie would heal, but it would take a while. Two years wasn't a long time. No wonder she'd isolated herself on an oil rig in the North Sea. It didn't get any more remote than that. She was running away, hiding from the world.
He ground his teeth. Fucking prick. He hoped Rafael was having a hellish time inside. He damn well deserved it.
Phoenix did a lap of the deck, stopping in front of the railing. He and Boomer had fixed it earlier that day, so it was no longer a hazard. Even though the wind had died down, he hadn't wanted anyone leaning against it. Or worse, falling over it. The last thing they needed was a repeat performance of last night.
Phoenix frowned, his thoughts taking a dark turn. Had Ellie been a target? Or was the whole thing just a terrible accident? Maybe he and Boomer were reading too much into this.
He thought about what Ellie had said about her sample data and how the results didn't add up. She was conscientious. He imagined her work was precise and accurate. It would match her personality. So while he knew mistakes could be made, he also knew she'd checked her samples multiple times and was still coming up empty.
That was weird.
He hadn't mentioned it to her because he didn't want to spook her even more, but he'd been trained to figure out anomalies, to think strategically about things, and he couldn't shake the feeling that her samples had something to do with this.
Then there was the mystery item that had shot across the platform and careened into Billy, sending him flying overboard. Along with Boomer, Phoenix had searched the deck and taken a rough inventory—everything was accounted for. So what had come loose?
He raked a hand through his hair, worried. He didn't like this. Could Ellie be at risk? Could her life be in danger?
Stiffening, he made a decision. From now on, he'd have to keep a very close eye on her—just until things settled down. He was posted out here for the duration of the project. If someone was trying to hurt her, they'd have to get through him first.
With grim determination, Phoenix turned to go back downstairs. He pitied the man who tried that.
Sticking close to Ellie was easier said than done. Now that normal rig operations had commenced and she'd received the test samples from the well, she'd locked herself in her lab and hadn't come out all afternoon.
Phoenix checked his watch. 1900 hours. He was going on duty soon and wanted to see her before he did. He told himself it was to warn her to keep an eye out for anything unusual, but deep down, he knew it was more than that. His feelings for her were growing, despite his efforts to keep them at bay. He wanted to protect her, to keep her safe from harm, but he couldn't let her know how much he cared.
He wanted to check if she was okay, that she hadn't had any more panic attacks, that she'd recovered from the earlier incident.
When had he started caring so much?
It was now or never. He stopped pacing outside her lab and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
He twisted the handle and went inside.
She swiveled around on her chair. "Hey, Phoenix."
The moment he walked into the room, he could tell something was bothering her. "Hey, I just wanted to see how you were."
"I'm okay, thanks." She managed a weak smile. "I got the test samples today, and I've been going through them. To be honest, I've gone through them several times."
"And?" he prompted, guessing it wasn't good news.
She sighed, her slender shoulders sagging. "It's the same as the others. No hydrocarbons. I can't find any trace of viable oil deposits in this area. It just doesn't make sense."
He frowned. "What exactly does this mean?"
"It means there’s no oil here. There never was. I don't care what the geological surveys say. This is not a commercially viable reserve."
He put his hands on his hips and stared at her, deep in thought. Eventually, he asked, "Is that usual?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, is it usual to not find reserves despite what the geological surveys say?"
"Not really. I mean, some sites have more potential than others, but usually, the samples back up what the geological data says."
He exhaled, his heart aching at the sight of her distress. All he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and tell her everything would be okay, that he would protect her no matter what. But he couldn't. He had to keep his distance, to remain professional.
"What are you thinking, Phoenix?"
"I don't know. It might be nothing, but do you think there's something wrong with this situation?"
She sat quietly, studying him. "You mean, could there be something shady going on?"
"Yeah, like with the survey reports or the samples?"
"I don't know. I suppose there could be. I mean, the surveys are extensive and conducted by a reputable company, but there's a possibility they're incorrect." She thought for a moment. "There is another way to check, but it would involve getting surveys from another organization and comparing the two."
"Can you do that?" he asked.
"I can, but there'll be questions asked. If you mean, can I do it under the radar? I don't know. I could try."
"In light of everything that's happened, I think it's a good idea if you don't tell anyone about this yet. If the survey reports are the same, then no harm done, but if they're not... well, then we have to bring that to someone's attention."
Ellie paled. "I can't believe anyone would deliberately?—"
"They may not have," he said quickly. "You said yourself, it's just a way of double-checking the data."
She gave a small nod. "Okay, but I'll have to tell Suzi. She's a geologist, and she'll know who we can contact for a fresh set of reports."
"Okay, but no one else," he warned her, hoping he was wrong. It was just that this damn suspicion wouldn't go away.
"It's late now, so it'll have to be tomorrow." Ellie rose and stretching her neck.
He saw the tiny scar the knife blade had made as it caught the light and felt a renewed flush of anger. No one would hurt her again. At least, not on his watch. He would do everything in his power to keep her safe, even if it meant hiding his feelings. She could never know how much he cared, how much he wanted to be more than just her protector.
But unfortunately, that's all he could ever be.