Chapter 9
Ren helped Ryan connect the UUV to the Atalanta’s crane.
“Thanks,” Ryan said.
Ren nodded. “We had extra security on it all night. There were no problems.” He eyed the younger man, wondering if he could be behind the attempts on the fuel cell. He hadn’t heard anything from Vander yet.
Ryan put his hands on his hips, looking troubled. “We can’t let the fuel cell fall into enemy hands.”
“I know.” Ren turned his head and saw Halle on the deck. The bikini was blue today, and she was wearing a wetsuit again.
She saw him and smiled.
He felt that smile in his chest, God, and his cock.
Now that he’d touched her, he couldn’t stop. Holding her in his arms all night had been the best thing he’d experienced in a long time. Having her mouth on his cock…
He blew out a sharp breath. After she’d blown his damn mind, they’d both quickly showered and dressed for the day. She’d been due to meet her team, and he’d had to check in with his men.
“You’re not just a family friend to her.”
Ryan’s voice made Ren jerk his head around.
The man pulled a face. “Family friends don’t look at each other the way you look at her.”
“She’s special.”
“I know. I’d really hoped to convince her to date me.”
Ren’s mouth flattened.
“But she’s made it clear she’s not interested,” Ryan continued. “Now I know why.”
Ren lifted a brow.
“She’s in love with you.”
Love?The word was like a fist in Ren’s gut.
Ryan laughed. “You just went pale.”
“She’s too young for me.”
Ryan snorted. “She doesn’t think so. Besides, once you’re an adult, there are no rules that say how old you have to be to be with someone. I’d do anything to be with her.”
Ren narrowed his gaze.
“Cool it with the death stare.” Ryan held up his hands in mock surrender. “Halle and I are just friends. Like I said, she’s made that very clear.”
The ugly pressure inside Ren eased a little.
“Treat her right,” Ryan said. “Take care of her.” With a nod, the scientist turned away.
Ren watched the man walk away. Right now, he needed to focus on keeping both Halle and the fuel cell safe. Not just on wondering when he could touch her again.
The research team got busy getting the UUV into the water for the next test.
He and his security team had swept the ship and checked out all the security footage. There was nothing to point them to the identity of whoever was after the fuel cell. The rest of the night had been uneventful. Damien had set up the hidden camera to watch the UUV, and any movement would trigger an alert to Ren’s phone. He was one of the few aboard connected constantly to the ship’s satellite Wi-Fi.
Halle walked past Ren, her fingers dragging across his abs. He grabbed her hand.
She looked back over her shoulder, a teasing glint in her blue eyes. He squeezed her fingers.
“Tell me you aren’t going in the water today,” he said.
“I am. It’s my job. I’ll be more careful, and don’t worry, I have this.” She patted the knife he’d given her this morning. It was attached to her belt.
The SRK SK-5 was one of the knives he’d used when he was in Ghost Ops. Knowing she had it, felt right.
He nodded, but he’d still watch her like a hawk.
She headed down to the back deck, talking with the rest of the team. He heard her laugh.
He knew he wasn’t good enough for her. She’d seen some of his broken pieces, but there were more. And they weren’t pretty.
He was going to break her heart.
Tom would never forgive him. He’d never forgive himself.
Captain Shroff appeared at the railing beside him, scattering his thoughts.
“We’re not far from Hawaii now,” Jay said. “The tests have gone well.”
“They have. But I’m worried about whoever was poking around the drone last night.”
The captain stroked his beard. “Me too. Have you and your team had any luck working out who it might be?”
“No.” Frustration cut through Ren. “I’m doing some digging. If it’s someone working for a foreign country or group, there’ll be signs.” He paused. “Jay, it could be one of our crew.”
The captain’s face hardened. “If it is, they’ll be punished. I’m glad we’ll reach port tomorrow, and that UUV will be off my ship.”
Ren nodded.
Then what?Was he going to let Halle walk away?
Fuck. He couldn’t.
She deserved to know how special she was. He couldn’t be an asshole and keep pushing her away. He’d accused her of being too young, and she was the one acting like the adult.
Fucking hell. He needed to talk to Tom. The thought made his gut turn over.
Then, down below, he watched Halle dive gracefully into the water.
Could he watch her walk away from him?
He wasn’t strong enough to do that.
Every instinct he had screamed at him to keep her. To hold her and keep her safe.
It had been a long day.
A busy day. Halle hadn’t seen much of Ren, although she didn’t think he was actually avoiding her today. He’d watched her the entire time she’d been in the water, and anytime she’d caught his gaze, he’d smiled at her.
After that, when she had seen him, he’d seemed distracted. Not like a man excited to see the woman he’d made come hard the night before.
She sighed. She knew things hadn’t been easy for him, and relationships weren’t really something he did. His childhood had been tough, with no dad on the scene. He’d been raised by his mom and grandmother, and almost pulled into gang life.
She’d heard him say that the military was the best thing that ever happened to him, but she knew it had stripped away bits of his soul. Losing people did that, too.
Halle leaned on the railing and watched the moonlight glimmer on the water. Maybe she was na?ve in thinking she could make him want her the way she wanted him.
Maybe she was hurting him more in the process. Making him so conflicted about being with her.
With a shake of her head, she headed to her cabin. A shower would help. And she wasn’t going to think of the shower she’d shared with Ren.
She unlocked her cabin door and pulled off her hoodie.
There was a piece of paper lying in the center of her bed.
Weird. She didn’t remember leaving that there.
Frowning, she snatched it up and unfolded it.
Write the fuel cell code on the back of this paper, and leave it at the front of the ship in the blanket box.
Do it, or you’ll go overboard, and no one will know.
Her chest locked, and it was hard to breathe. She stared blindly at the dark, bold letters.
Tell anyone and you die.
Do as you’re told, and you live.
Her hands shook, causing her to crumple the paper. Who the hell was doing this?
It had to be one of the crew members. Maybe they’d been bribed? It couldn’t be one of her co-workers.
She needed to tell Ren. She pulled her hoodie back on and put the note into her pocket. As she walked down the hall, her heart started beating hard. If anyone saw her…
She knocked quietly on Ren’s door.
He opened it, just wearing a T-shirt and shorts, his face impassive.
“Ren…”
His face changed. “What’s wrong?”
“Please, let me in.”
He nudged the door wider, and she slipped inside. Then she whirled, her hands feeling so cold. She pulled the note out and handed it to him.
As he read it, she watched rage grow on his face.
He dropped the note on his desk and grabbed her hands. “No one is going to hurt you.”
“I know… God, who’s doing this?”
“I’ll find out.” His voice had gone into scary territory. “Your door was locked?”
She nodded. “Ren, I’m freaked out.”
He chafed his hands up and down her arms. “I promise I’ll protect you.”
“But I want you safe as well. We’ve got no idea who’s behind this. Or how dangerous they are.”
He cupped her face. “Halle.”
Then he kissed her.
A second later, the kiss went wild. Tongues stroked, they grabbed at each other. He spun and pinned her to the wall. She desperately tried to get closer, biting his jaw.
“You’re all I think about,” she whispered.
“I can’t get you out of my head.”
“Stop fighting this,” she whispered. “Us. Stop fighting us.”
He made a sound. Then he released her and whirled away. “Fuck, Halle, do you want me to break your heart?”
She lifted her chin. “You can’t.”
“I’m not the love and relationships kind of guy. Maybe once I was capable of it, but not now. I will break your heart.”
“Try it.”
His face twisted. “You’re so fucking stubborn.”
“So are you.” She moved closer.
With a sigh, he pulled her close. “Damn you, Halle.” He pressed his mouth to hers. This kiss was slow and gentle. He lifted his head. “I need to talk to my security guys about the note. Stay here.”
“Are you sure you can trust them? Are you sure we can trust anyone on the ship?”
His face turned grim. “I don’t know yet, but I know Jack wouldn’t have anything to do with this. I’ve known him for years. I’ll just talk with him. Stay here.”
“All right. Just stay safe and come back to me safely.”
As Jack leftthe security office, Ren locked the door and sat in front of the computer. Like him, Jack hadn’t been happy about the note.
Things were escalating and Ren didn’t like it.
A window popped up on the computer screen and Ren leaned forward. “Vander.”
On the screen, Vander nodded. “I don’t have anything definitive for you, Ren. We’re still running all the background checks. It doesn’t help that the Atalanta’s crew come from countries all around the world.”
“You haven’t found any red flags?”
“A few people with gambling debts, and ex-wives they pay money to, but nothing outside what they can cover with their salaries and investments.”
“And the research team?”
“Ryan Hughes had a large sum deposited into his bank recently.”
Ren straightened.
Vander held up a hand. “Don’t get excited. Ace traced it. It was an inheritance from his grandfather. Mark Davis is clean to the point of being extremely boring. Samantha Sorvino and Fitz Armstong are clear.”
Ren’s pulse started pounding. “And Halle?”
Vander leaned back in his chair, his face impassive. “She makes regular monthly payments to an offshore account. Just a few hundred dollars, but it’s like clockwork. The account is for a company called Bright Blue, but Ace hasn’t been able to track who owns the account or what Bright Blue does. Figured I should mention it.”
“She’s paying someone?” Ren frowned.
“Could be blackmail. Could be to fund something she doesn’t want anyone to know about.”
Ren shook his head. “No. Halle has nothing to do with whoever is after the fuel cell. Someone is targeting her.”
“I’m just sharing what we’ve found, Ren. I know she’s important to you.”
“Shit, Vander.” Ren sliced a hand through his hair. “I should never have touched her. I…she’s under my damn skin.”
“Women, the right ones, tend to do that.” Vander’s lips quirked.
“She’s young, innocent, so damn good. There is no way in hell I’ll ever deserve her.”
Now his friend’s mouth flattened. “You are a good man, Ren. One who risked his life for his country, and did a lot of shit so other people didn’t have to. I know what happened to Nasrin still haunts you.”
Ren pressed his lips together, the sound of his heartbeat echoing in his head.
“It was tragic, but not your fault.”
“I still hear her screams, Vander. I will never, ever forget that little girl.” A girl who’d died because her father had helped Ren.
“Don’t forget her, but don’t dishonor her life by not letting yourself live yours.”
Ren shook his head. He couldn’t focus on the past right now. “I need to find out who aboard the Atalanta wants that fuel cell and why.”
Vander nodded. “We’ll keep digging. As soon as I know something, I’ll be in touch. You’ll reach Hawaii soon?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Ren, if you need back up, you know Sawyer is on Maui. He’s a deputy sheriff there now.”
Sawyer Lane was another former Ghost Ops buddy. He’d only gotten out of the military in the last year, and taken a job as a deputy sheriff in Hawaii. It was the perfect job for him because Sawyer was steady as a rock, protective, and had the patience of a saint.
“I hope I don’t need his help. Thanks, Vander.”
“Be careful, Ren.”
Ren closed down the computer and headed back to his cabin. He found Halle pacing.
When she saw him, her shoulders sagged, and relief crossed her face. “Did you find anything?”
He shook his head and sat on the bed. He patted the spot beside him.
She studied his face, then sat. “What’s wrong?”
He took her hand. “I asked a friend of mine to run some checks…on everyone aboard this ship.”
“Okay. Did your friend find anything?”
“Nothing that tells me who’s after the fuel cell.” Ren paused. “I do have a question for you. Why do you pay money into an offshore account each month?”
Her eyes went wide. “Wow. Your friend is really doing some digging.”
Ren growled. “Halle.”
“Wait. You think I’m the one after the fuel cell.” She shot to her feet. “Ren, apart from my father, you know me better than anyone. I—”
He gripped her hips. “I don’t think you’re after the fuel cell.”
She eyed him. “Well, I’m happy to know you don’t think I’m a traitor or a terrorist.”
He tugged her into his lap. “What’s Bright Blue?”
“It’s a start-up developing technologies to rid the ocean of plastic waste. Two friends I went to college with started it. Conrad and Isabel are out to save the ocean. They’re doing good work and after my little incident, I’ll also be donating my time when I can to help them.”
Ren pressed his forehead to hers. “You going to save the world, Ariel?”
“One part of it, at least.” She yawned and slapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry.”
He hugged her. “I think it’s time to get some sleep.”
Her nose wrinkled. “Are you sending me back to my cabin?”
“No. You’re staying right here.” Where he could keep her safe.