Chapter 17
Ellie checked her GPS and set a course to the Discoverer. It was roughly fifteen miles away, and by her estimation, would take thirty minutes to get there. She had enough gas for three times that distance, so there and back should be no problem whatsoever.
The sea was calm and glassy, and with the sun shining down on her back, she almost felt at peace.
Almost.
If it wasn't for the falsified survey data, the sensitive nature of her task ahead, or the fact that someone was probably trying to kill her, things would be just peachy.
She could really have used some company today. What a shame Suzi had to go back to the mainland, although it was terrible news about her father, of course. Ellie had no idea what had happened to Phoenix. Yesterday, he'd seemed pretty adamant that he was coming with her, but maybe he couldn't get out of that repair job he'd been talking about. Henderson, as she had learned, could be a hard taskmaster.
She wiped a bead of sweat from her face and stared ahead, waiting for the hulking shape of the Discoverer to appear out of the shimmering haze. As long as she stuck to the coordinates, and her discussion with the geologist on board went according to plan, she should be back before lunchtime.
While she was anxious to compare both the survey reports and Ray's live data with the Discoverer's, she couldn't help feeling a sense of irritation that she was in this position. How typical. Her first leadership role and this happens.
What were the odds? Considering the train wreck that her life had been up until this point, she shouldn't have been surprised. Then a thought struck her.
Had she been a patsy? If this was some giant fraudulent scheme, had they purposely hired someone like her to oversee it, hoping her inexperience would mean she didn't question the survey reports too deeply?
Suddenly, she felt sick. Here she was, desperate for a job, fresh out of a two-year stint in the North Sea where she'd been part of a team of analysts, catapulted to chief engineer on the Explorer, an exploratory rig in the Gulf of Mexico. There's no way she should have gotten this job. In fact, she'd been surprised when they'd given it to her.
Her heart sank as the realization crashed over her like a tidal wave. They'd only hired her to fail.
And when she hadn't, when she'd started asking questions about the anomalies in the data, they'd tried to stage an "accident" to get rid of her.
Ellie's heart pounded in her chest, and she found it hard to breathe. Panic rose, choking her, as her mind raced with a thousand frantic thoughts. The betrayal, the danger, the uncertainty—it all swirled together in a dizzying maelstrom that threatened to overwhelm her.
Her hands shook as she gripped the tiller, her knuckles turning white with the force of her grip. Her pulse raced, blood roaring in her ears as her breath came in short, sharp gasps. It was all she could do to keep the inflatable on course, her vision blurring as tears of frustration and fear pricked at the corners of her eyes.
Not now.
She couldn't lose it out here in the middle of nowhere.
Ellie forced herself to take a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment as she tried to calm the chaos in her mind. She pictured Phoenix, his strong, steady presence a lifeline in the storm of her emotions.
She could almost feel his arms around her, his voice a soothing murmur in her ear.
It's okay. I've got you.
In her mind's eye, she saw his face. Got lost in those piercing blue eyes that always seemed to see right through her, to the heart of who she was. She remembered the way he'd held her during that last panic attack, his touch gentle but firm, anchoring her to reality.
She focused on the memory of his hands, rough and calloused but always so careful when he touched her. She imagined the warmth of his skin against hers, the way his fingers would trace the lines of her face, brushing away the tears that threatened to fall.
Slowly, gradually, her heartbeat began to slow. Her breathing evened out as the panic receded. The shaking in her hands subsided, and the world around her came back into focus.
She took another deep breath, letting it out slowly as she opened her eyes. She still felt shaky, but the worst of the attack had passed. She was back in control.
And it was all thanks to Phoenix. Even though he wasn't here with her physically, the thought of him had been enough to pull her back from the brink. Somehow, his strength, his steadiness, had become a part of her, something she could rely on when everything else seemed to be falling apart.
Up ahead, the gray form of the Discoverer loomed into view. She was nearly there. She squared her shoulders and pushed the inflatable as fast as she dared. Given what she now suspected, it was more important than ever that she get onboard and verify the data.
But once she’d verified it, who did she report it to? Henderson could well be involved. He was the one who'd hired her. A flush of anger made her grimace. How dare he think she was a pushover? Well, she was going to show him. As soon as she got back, she’d speak to Phoenix and together they could contact head office, or maybe they could contact someone in his organization and ask them what to do. Surely, they’d know how to handle something of this magnitude. The most important thing now was not to let Henderson know she was on to him.
Pulling up alongside the Discoverer, she gestured to one of the roughnecks manning the launch station. He beckoned for her to moor, and she threw him the rope to fasten to the makeshift dock.
The Discoverer was larger than the Explorer, but not by much. In fact, the two rigs were very similar in design, with their towering derricks rising high above the main deck, and the sprawling matrix of pipes, valves, and machinery that made up the drill floor. Like the Explorer, the Discoverer was equipped with state-of-the-art technology for deep-sea drilling and exploration, including advanced seismic imaging systems and remotely operated vehicles for underwater surveying.
She guessed they'd also be on skeleton crew due to the weekend, which meant fewer prying eyes as she made her way to the geologist's office. But as she climbed onto the deck, a sense of unease settled in the pit of her stomach.
The stakes had just gotten a whole lot higher. And if her suspicions were correct, she wasn't just fighting for her job anymore.
She was fighting for her life.