Chapter 4
Ren stood on the main deck, staring out at the horizon.
They were underway.
He listened to the familiar rumble of the ship’s engines. It was still early, the sun barely over the horizon, but they’d already left the California coast far behind.
Had Halle slept all right? Had she had any nightmares? He shoved his hands in his pockets. He knew all about nightmares. The bad dreams that clawed you awake, soaking your sheets with sweat.
He gripped the railing, hands curling tight.
What if he hadn’t gone to the bar last night? His gut tightened. He almost hadn’t because he’d been determined to avoid her.
To avoid the temptation.
She was safe. That was the important thing.
And he’d keep her that way during this trip.
Plus, he’d keep his hands off her.
You felt it. Just like me. The glimmer of something important.
He muttered a curse, then heard voices. Ren turned and spotted some of his crew on the deck, going about their duties.
Then, some of the scientists began to appear, all looking a little sleepy, or hungover. Ryan was yawning as he started opening some of their boxes.
“Good morning.”
When Ren heard Halle’s voice behind him, he turned.
She smiled at him, but he noted the dark smudges under her eyes. She was holding two mugs of coffee, steam curling off the top.
“For you.” She handed him one. “Cream and three sugars.”
Just how he liked it. His Ghost Ops buddies had liked to rib him to no end because he liked sweet coffee.
“Thanks.” He took a mug. “You didn’t sleep well.”
She shrugged a slim shoulder. “First night somewhere new.” She blew out a breath. “And a few bad moments, but I know I’m safe out here.” She sipped her coffee and looked at the ocean. “No one can get me aboard a ship.”
Something about those guys trying to grab her still nagged him. Traffickers tended to target vulnerable women who wouldn’t be missed. Something didn’t add up.
“You’re sure you didn’t recognize those men?”
She turned to him. “No.”
“Any other people who might do something like this?”
“Ren, are you asking if I have enemies?” She laughed. “I’m a marine biologist.”
“Angry ex?”
“No. There’s no angry ex.”
He already hated any man she’d dated. He took a drink of his coffee to wash down the bad taste in his mouth. “We’d better get to work.”
As she headed down the steps, the rest of her team called out hellos and Halle waved at them. Ren’s gaze drifted down her legs. Why did she have to wear shorts so short?
She glanced back, and caught him looking. She shot him a smile.
Ren pressed his lips together. She joined the others, and he watched them start prepping their computers and gear. Then, they gathered around a large box made of tough, black metal. The professor tapped a code into the electronic lock and it opened.
Ren walked closer and got his first look at the UUV.
It wasn’t anything fancy. It was torpedo-shaped, with two fins off the side, and made of a dark-gray metal.
“That it?” Jack, one of Ren’s security guys asked.
“Yeah. If this new fuel cell technology works, the Navy will be giddy.” Ren frowned. “And if others get wind of it, they’ll want it, too.”
Jack, a former Marine, nodded. “We’d better go over our security plan. Although no one can sneak up on us easily out here.”
Ren sipped his coffee without replying. He was a SEAL, and they’d infiltrated plenty of ships. And in Ghost Ops, they’d snuck into some damn-near impossible places. He knew it was possible.
The morning ticked away. Ren oversaw the crew and their regular duties. Soon, the sun was high overhead. The research team was still hard at work, setting up their lab.
Ren kept an eye on them, hoping to catch glimpses of Halle. She looked focused and competent as she went about her work. It was clear that she was good at her job.
He made himself turn away. He had his own job to do.
A few hours later, the Atalanta slowed to a stop.
Captain Shroff appeared. “Time for the first UUV test.”
They all moved to the back deck of the ship. Some of the crew members hooked the UUV drone to the small crane at the stern. Moments later, the crane activated, and lifted the drone over the water.
Halle stood nearby, holding a heavy-duty tablet in her hands. She was frowning at the screen.
Ren headed in her direction. “Okay?”
She gave him an absent-minded nod. “Yes. There are lots of sensors on the UUV for my research. Noise levels, water temperature. I’m just getting them all calibrated for the first test.”
There was a splash as the UUV lowered into the water.
The team moved around excitedly. Ryan had a large laptop resting on top of some crates. “All systems are in the green. Ready to launch.”
“Launch,” the professor said.
Ryan touched some buttons, and the UUV powered up. A second later, it sliced through the water. The rest of the team huddled around the laptop.
“Halle, is your data coming through?” Sammy asked.
“Yes.” Halle gave a thumbs up.
“Fitz?” Sammy said. “How’s your data looking?”
Fitz, who looked a pale shade of green, nodded. “Fine, I think… God.” The scientist spun, slapped a hand to his mouth, then ran across the deck. He hit the railing, leaned over, and barfed.
Ren winced. He guessed the patches weren’t working. He needed to make sure poor Fitz stayed hydrated until the seasickness passed.
The team all started talking about things that Ren didn’t understand. He shook his head. They were lost in their work.
He leaned against the railing. The UUV was out of sight now, and he only had eyes for Halle. She was absorbed by whatever was on her tablet. So damn smart. He’d always known that, but it was different to see it in action.
The team continued working, and it wasn’t too long before the drone came back into view, stopping back at the side of the ship.
Ryan grinned. “Everything functioned as planned. Fuel cell is operating at optimal levels.”
The team cheered.
Test one was complete.
Halle hunched over her laptop.She was in the computer lab, and it was late. She was going over her data.
She tapped the keyboard, staring up at the screens attached to the wall. She had to admit, the Atalanta was amazing. The computer lab, and attached main lab for testing, had everything a scientist could want.
The rest of her team had left for dinner a while ago, and Halle’s empty stomach grumbled, reminding her that she should have gone, too. She reached for her half-eaten bag of chips.
“Working late?”
She looked up and saw Ren leaning in the doorway.
Her heart did a little stutter. His dark-blue polo shirt was stretched tight over his muscular chest and arms. Did he know how good that looked?
She’d been so aware of him today as she’d been working. Even when she’d been busy with the work she loved, she’d known exactly where he was. Usually standing on deck, unfazed by the pitch and roll of the ship.
“The sensors on the UUV collect data for me,” she told him. “I’m just running some analyses on today’s results.”
“You missed dinner.”
She smiled. “I got caught up with the sound information. I have a bit of a habit of doing that.”
“You shouldn’t miss a meal.” He walked forward, and set a mug and something wrapped in foil on the bench beside her.
She lifted the mug and smelled. “Hot chocolate.”
“I know you like it.”
“I do. Thanks.” She took a sip and opened the foil.
“It’s just a chicken salad sandwich,” he said. “Nothing fancy.”
“It’s perfect.” She lifted her arms and stretched out her stiff neck and shoulders. Then she took a big bite of the sandwich, chewed, and swallowed. “I think I need some fresh air.”
Ren hesitated. “Come on. I know a spot.”
Holding onto her mug, she stepped out of the lab, and Ren took her other hand. She bit her lip and curled her fingers with his.
He led her along the main deck, all the way to the front of the ship. She could see the water sloshing below as the Atalanta cut through the waves. He moved over to a large metal box and opened it, pulling out some blankets.
“You’ve done this before.”
“The bow of the ship is one of the places I come to be alone.” He wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, and she gripped it. “It can be hard to find solitude on a ship full of people sometimes.”
“Look at the stars.” She cradled her mug and looked up at the beautiful night sky. The Milky Way stretched overhead, sprinkled with stars. “You don’t see stars like this in the city.”
“One of the perks of living on a ship. Sunrise and sunset over the ocean, the stars every night.” He leaned back against the railing. “It’s pretty amazing.”
She eyed him. “You needed this. Being out here. The solitude.” He turned to look at her. “After the military.”
His face turned serious. “Ghost Ops was tough. When I came home…”
She reached out and touched his hand. “You can tell me, Ren.”
His gaze bored into hers.
She wondered if he’d talked to anyone. She knew he caught up with her father frequently for beers and dinners. But something told her Ren kept what bothered him bottled up.
“Tell me,” she murmured.
“I lost friends, good men.” He shook his head. “Recently, I stayed with my friend Shep. He blamed himself when four of our guys got taken in an ambush.” He blew out a breath. “We only got one out alive.”
Her chest squeezed. “I’m so sorry, Ren.”
“For me it wasn’t just one thing. It was a slow trickle. Like a drip of all the terrible stuff that I saw. Terrible things. I spent some time working undercover.” He shook his head. “I don’t regret any of it. Everything I did was to protect my country.” His gaze ran over her face. “Protect the innocent people who I never want to see those horrors. I knew it was time to get out. And at first it was hard. I think being on the Atalanta helped me smooth out some of my messed-up kinks. But they aren’t all gone. They’ll never be gone.”
Halle gripped her blanket harder. “You’re trying to tell me that you’re the older, experienced man, and I could never understand what you went through.”
His mouth flattened. “Halle. You’re—” he blew out a breath “—young, fresh, good. You have your life ahead of you. There’s no way any asshole with baggage like mine should tarnish that.”
She swiveled. “All I heard was young and na?ve, and to run along and be a good girl.”
“Halle—”
“No, Ren. Don’t. I’m good at my work. I’ve been lucky to have a good father, but I went through a lot when I was growing up. Dad was away. All the time. I was incredibly close to my mom.” Halle smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. She understood, just like Ren did, that grief never, ever went away. The dull throb of something missing. It wasn’t always as keen these days, although it could attack hard some days when she least expected it. “Mom was awesome. She loved the ocean. Part of the reason I studied marine biology was because of her. I lost her, right when I was becoming a woman.” She stared blindly at the dark sea. “So, I may not know combat, but I understand loss and hardship, Ren.”
“I know, Ariel.” He wrapped an arm around her. “I’m sorry you lost her.”
The nickname warmed her again. “I was in the car with her. When we had the car accident.”
“I know.”
She closed her eyes. The warmth in his voice was getting to her. Right then and there, it felt like it was just the two of them in the entire world.
“Mom swerved to miss a dog, and then we hit another car. It pushed us into an intersection—”
Her voice cracked. The memories hit her like bullets, peppering hard—the sounds, the blows, the screams, the crunch of metal and breaking glass.
Ren’s arm tightened on her, and he took her hand.
“She was bleeding,” Halle whispered. “I was trapped, and freaked out, but I was mostly okay.”
“You broke your leg. And two ribs.”
She wasn’t surprised he knew. “But I lived. I was trying to fight off an asthma attack, and I knew Mom was hurt bad.” Her throat thickened. “She kept trying to reassure me. I held her hand.” She met his warm brown gaze. “I held her hand as she died. Watched when she took her last breath.”
“Baby.”
“It took them over an hour to get us out of the car.”
And she’d sat there the whole time holding her mom’s cooling fingers.
“Halle.” He pulled her into his arms, and shuffled them a few steps. He sat down on a built-in bench and pulled her onto his lap. He was warm and strong, and she held on tight.
“I couldn’t work out how she could just be gone,” Halle murmured. “She’d made me breakfast that morning. She’d joked with me about this boy I liked at school. And then by that afternoon, she was gone.”
“I’m sorry, baby.” He rocked her.
“Dad came home from wherever he was.” She touched Ren’s face. “And someone special sent me an entire box of cotton candy.” She stroked his stubble. “Mom is why I try to do everything that matters, and give it one hundred percent. I don’t want any regrets. If something feels right, and important, I’ve got to take the chance.”
He stared into her gaze, emotions flickering through his eyes.
Then Halle leaned forward and touched her lips to his.