Chapter 4 #3
Declan arched an eyebrow, looked at her, then at Stein. Okay. Maybe he’d have a quick talk with Stein before breakfast blew up.
“Stein, a word? Please.” Declan got up. Stein glanced at Austen, then gave him an odd look but nodded.
Declan took the stairs down two flights to the main deck and walked out to the lounge in the bow of the boat. Steinbeck followed him.
Declan turned, all lightness gone. “What’s your deal?”
Steinbeck took the words like a punch, reeled back just slightly, and then rounded on him. “What do you mean, what’s my deal ? She’s my sister, and I want to take her back to the Keys with me.”
“I think that’s probably up to her, don’t you?”
Stein stared at him, ground his jaw.
It was like negotiating with a grizzly. “What is your beef with me, Stein? I thought we were friends.”
A beat. Another. Just the sound of the boats lapping in the water as the waves moved under them. And then, “What do you know about the Petrov Bratva?”
Declan frowned. “What do you think I know?”
“My mind is in a thousand different places, but I want to give you the benefit of the doubt.”
“Do you? Because it feels like you’ve already made a judgment about me. Does this have something to do with how you got shot?”
A flinch, then, “The fact is that you told me that you hadn’t sold your AI program to the Department of Defense. You said it on the way to the conference in Barcelona. But I met my cousin Colt there, and he specifically said that you had.”
Declan frowned.
“And no, I didn’t want to believe him. Because I trusted you, Declan.
And then I got caught in the landslide—under your vault—” Something flashed in his eyes— memory?
panic? “Somehow I found my way out on the other side of the mountain, and that’s where I watched a couple Russians who were part of a mining crew blow up the mountain. ”
“They were the ones that shot you.” Not really a question, because it felt like the only answer, but Stein nodded.
“I did a little research when I got back to the States and discovered that they were part of the Bratva, the Russian mob. What are they doing in Mariposa?”
Great. Declan wrapped his hand behind his neck.
“All right, here’s the truth. Yes, the DOD has my AI program.
But it’s just for testing purposes, so they can see if it works on some of their drone equipment.
I did not let them—I did not license them to deploy it on any cyber soldiers, so that wasn’t a lie. ”
“I hope that’s the truth, because we’re going full-on Terminator, and you’re the director of Skynet.” Stein didn’t smile, so that wasn’t a joke.
“Calm down, Stein. I’m a patriot, and when the DOD came to me and asked for help, of course I was going to do what I could for my country.”
Stein’s eyebrow went up.
“Including trying to keep dangerous material out of the Russians’ hands.
You’ve heard the saying ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer’?
” He held up his hand. “They asked if they could come in and mine sulfite from the mountain, which, as you know, is a prime source of sulfur. I thought the money would help with the repairs for the island. And I was watching them because I knew they were lying. They were truly mining something called obsidite. It’s a mineral that helps?—”
“I know what it is,” Stein said. “And I know that in the wrong hands, coupled with your technology, it could create a cyber soldier that would be a threat to the entire world.”
“Exactly. That’s why I intercepted the shipment.
” And now he was treading on bigger secrets, the kind that might get him into trouble, especially since Stein didn’t work for him anymore.
And technically, the entire operation was top secret, so there was that.
But Stein had been a SEAL, so once upon a time, he’d had clearance.
Which meant he could keep a secret and was trustworthy, right?
And they had had a friendship once, or at least some semblance of it.
“Let’s just say that I have a plan to keep the obsidite out of the Russians’ hands. A plan that’s working.”
“But then it’s in your hands.” Stein met Declan’s eyes, a darkness in his own.
A beat. Declan frowned. “What do you think I’m going to do with it? Sell it to the highest bidder?”
Stein’s gaze didn’t waver. “You said it, not me.”
“Were you shot in the head too? Stein, I am not a terrorist . I’m not going to contribute to someone attacking America. I promise.”
Steinbeck just stared at him, his jaw tight.
“Really? Come on. You know me. You worked with me for five months.”
Stein seemed to consider that, his chest rising and falling. “What happens when the Russians find out that you’ve stolen their obsidite?”
“They won’t,” Declan said. “I have a plan.” His voice softened. “And I would really like Austen to stay if she feels welcome. Your sister is... she is... I’d like to get to know her better. I think that there’s something between us, and if it’s possible?—”
“No,” Stein said.
Declan raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think she needs your permission to stay on this boat with me.”
Steinbeck’s mouth tightened.
“No, I don’t.” Austen walked up behind Steinbeck. She glanced at her brother. “Hawkeye’s looking for you. He wants to leave.” Then she glanced at Declan, back at Steinbeck. “But I’m staying.”
Steinbeck cocked his head. “No, I think you need to?—”
“I don’t care what you think, Steinbeck. I do appreciate you looking for me. Of course I do. If you hadn’t, then I’d still be out in the ocean. But you’re just going to have to let go a little bit and let me live my own life.” She crossed her arms.
So this was something between the two of them.
And Declan wanted to let them sort it out, but not if it meant her being pushed into something she didn’t want to do.
So, “Steinbeck, I will make sure she gets to the island safely. I’ll have Doctor Julia look her over.
And then we’ll look for her boat. I promise you I will get her back to Key West in one piece. ”
Now Austen looked at Declan with a sort of raised eyebrow. “Oh goodie. I feel like I’m eight years old and you guys are fighting over who gets to babysit me. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” She pinned her gaze back on Stein. “And making my own decisions. I’m staying.”
Then she turned to Declan. “Which means I’m going to need a tour.” She held out her hand.
Oh, interesting. He took it.
“I’ll see you back in the Keys, Stein. Don’t worry about me, I’m in good hands.” Then she looked up at Declan and smiled.
His entire body just about exploded.
Well. Well.
Hawkeye had come down the stairs too. “Ready to go?” He held a croissant sandwich wrapped in a napkin in one hand and a cup of coffee in a to-go cup in the other.
Austen let go of Declan’s hand, stepped up to Stein, and gave him a hug. Steinbeck stiffened, then put his arms around his sister and whispered something into her ear.
Probably something along the lines of “Watch out for the terrorist.” Declan shook his head. Yes, he wanted Stein off his boat.
She finally let him go and turned back to Declan. “Was that a spa I saw on the lower deck?”
“Absolutely,” said Declan, glancing again at Stein. Stein met his gaze, and Declan caught a warning in it. Whatever.
Honestly, the fact that Stein thought he could be involved in something, well, terroristic sort of snagged him. He wanted to add a “You’re fired” to their conversation, but Stein already didn’t work for him anymore, so there was that.
But as they walked away, a coal burned inside him at the man’s betrayal. Declan had trusted him. Let him into his life.
Declan followed Austen along the back of the boat to the big lounge area in the stern. She stopped, watching Hawkeye and Steinbeck cast off.
“Sorry about that,” she said. “Steinbeck and I have always had a sort of toe-to-toe relationship. Of course I love him dearly. He’s a great brother and he’s my twin.
But that’s also the problem. He was born two minutes before me, so that makes him my older brother, and he has let that go straight to his head.
That and the fact that I’ve always been a little independent drives him crazy. ”
She looked at Declan, gave him a wry smile and a shrug.
“Not that he’s a guy that we shouldn’t worry about.
He was wounded three years ago in Poland in an explosion.
Nearly lost his ability to walk, and let’s not forget he was shot just a couple months ago, so there’s been plenty of floor pacing over Stein. ”
“I think you guys are probably a lot alike,” Declan said quietly. “I don’t have a sibling.” The words pinched, but he pressed on. “But I certainly wouldn’t mind one who did everything he could to show up to help me.” He offered a smile and she met it.
“I guess so,” she said.
Hawkeye’s boat motored away, Steinbeck at the rail.
Austen turned. “So tell me about the yacht.” Then she reached out and took his hand again. “This is going to be a fabulous two days.”
Yes. Yes, it was.