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“It’s like she vanished without a trace.” Olivia shook her head as she examined the stream of data on the large screen. Garvey had stopped looking at it a few hours ago. Nothing they’d turned up so far had led to anything substantial.
“There has to be something. A credit card receipt. An ATM transaction.” Barrow stood over Olivia, providing a second set of eyes. “Something.”
Garvey was tired of listening to them argue about the possibilities. At this point, she could be anywhere. He’d already made a high-level sweep through the system before he’d showered, dressed, and come to the office. He’d prefer to locate her before his team did. The fewer people who knew about this, the better.
But he’d come up empty-handed.
Hackett clutched his mug, his brow furrowing as he slowly spun around in his chair. After a few minutes, he started absently scratching at his goatee. “She can’t have disappeared off the face of the earth.”
Garvey rubbed at his temples, unsure of what direction to take next. He wasn’t used to this feeling of helplessness, and he didn’t care for it one bit. “I wouldn’t bet on that.”
Hackett eyed him. “Got something to tell us, bossman?”
“She’s former CIA.”
“Excuse me?” Olivia’s mouth dropped open. “Ms. Fancy was a spook?”
“A damn good agent too,” Garvey murmured as he started pacing the length of the laboratory.
Hopefully they would draw their own conclusions without asking him how he knew this fascinating piece of information about her. He wasn’t particularly interested in hashing out his own past with the Agency right now. Their top priority was finding her. Not being read in. He really didn’t have time to explain that. He’d done enough dodging with his Riding Irish mates about where he’d gotten the explosives so easily.
On the drive into the office, the thought had crossed his mind that she’d set up all of this to get her hands on his technology. Running into each other on Waikiki Beach. Coming to work for him. Having near total access to the very lab he was standing in. The problems with Camino de Santiago, the Nightmarchers, and the Dullahans all weighing so heavily on him that he was distracted. Getting caught up in her and the beauty of her submission.
All very, very convenient looking back without blinders on.
Garvey wasn’t so blind as to think no one could pull the wool over his eyes.
All the factors were there, pointing to glaring signs he’d been taken for a fool. Fuck. He’d gone grinning and sinning all the way into her arms. He forced himself to push his destructive thoughts to the side and help the team get their units back.
“Anyone check to see if someone opened an account today at any of the banks on the island? Particularly ones with a safety deposit box attached?” Not that Garvey thought she’d choose something so stupid and simple, but at this point, he was open to anything.
“Three today,” Barrow stated. “None of them with boxes. I checked them out anyway. All legit.”
“Long shot anyhow.” Garvey stared off at the oversize map someone had taped to the far wall. The colorful image was filled with small, multicolored pins where they had been marking places around the world they’d like to visit someday. Maybe live. Something silly to break up the monotony that came from the long hours they all put in.
A cobalt-blue pin had been stuck next to the Haleakalā National Park on Maui.
“Someone check her house?”
“Sorry, bossman. I meant to include that in my info when you got here.” Olivia shoved papers aside, clearly looking for something. She extracted a small pad from beneath an empty potato chip bag. “Alarm company hasn’t showed the system being unarmed since mid-July.”
Around the time Arden had set sail for Oahu.
A hot slash scored through Garvey. “Fuck me.” He sprinted over to the main terminal and worked quickly to key in the passcode that would allow him access to the single computer in the room that wasn’t configured to the outside network. “Hackett, how quick can you hack into that satellite you were bragging about last week?”
“Already on it. Feed ’em to you in five.”
“Olivia, call Keehi Harbor. Find out if berth ninety-seven is empty.”
“A boat?” She glared at him, hands on her hips and purple hair swinging as she shook her head. “That information would have been handy an hour ago, bossman.”
“Yeah, yeah. Just get on it.” She was already talking to the owner of the marina by the time he finished his sentence. “Hackett?”
“Working.” Hackett cursed loudly. “Someone must have figured out I was in there last time. Codes aren’t the same. It’ll take me a few minutes.”
“Just get current sat images. Southern Pacific. I don’t care about the rest of the damn planet right now.”
“Real-time is going to take a bit of finesse.”
“Why don’t you just pull up NOAA? Their GOES satellites don’t move.” Garvey stared at Olivia as though she was speaking another language. “Do you people never listen to me? With all the babbling I do about climate crap, you’d think someone would have learned something by osmosis. Weather satellites are geostationary. They’re for studying weather, so the quality isn’t going to be top-notch, but it’s better than nothing at this point.”
“Get ’em on my screen now.” The terminal beeped as Olivia sent him the information. A vast expanse of blue filled Garvey’s display. “All right, baby. Where are you hiding?”
* * * *
Arden realized she had a visitor the second she woke. Out of habit, she immediately reached for her gun. The small holster she strapped to her thigh whenever she sailed was empty.
Sitting up, she spied a large shadow sitting in a chair at the foot of her bed. Her body tensed as she prepared to fight. Light flooded the stateroom as a nearby lamp flickered on.
When her vision cleared, she saw her gun resting on the arm of the chair Garvey was sitting in. His expression was blank. His eyes flat and emotionless. She’d seen that look in his eyes before, but it was usually focused on other people.
She didn’t like it focused on her.
There were a thousand different things she wanted to say to him. But the past week of sailing and separation from him had dulled her ire. He wasn’t here to harm her. Or even kill her. If so, she would have never woken up.
“How did you find me?” One of Garvey’s dark eyebrows lifted. She drew her knees to her chest and tried to look at everything but him. “I figured you’d catch up to me eventually. You were quicker than I expected. Thought I’d have a few more days.”
“To do what? Destroy a lot of hard work?”
“Your equipment is fine.” It pained her to know he thought she was capable of destroying millions of dollars worth of equipment in a snit. “I knew you were a lot of things, Garvey. But a liar wasn’t one of them.”
“And I never expected you to be a thief. For the record, I never lied to you. Not once.”
She scowled. “Omitting details is still lying. However minute. You know how I felt about my tech being used by the CIA for questionable purposes.”
“That’s a pretty wild accusation.”
The type on the sheets of paper she’d found had been burned into the back of her mind. “That paperwork didn’t specifically call out the Agency as your customer. Peary Robotics 412, Incorporated. I know a shell company for the CIA when I see one.”
She knew the name because she’d been involved in the team that had come up with the damn name when it had been set up, but he didn’t need to know that. Camp Peary was the location of The Farm. And the numbers? Well, he probably wouldn’t remember they’d met on April 12 when he’d sat at the table with her in the cafeteria. The very first day they met.
If he was going to play the damn omission game, so could she.
“This wasn’t your tech, Arden. While you may have helped develop it, clean it up, it’s ultimately not your choice who uses it.”
She noticed he hadn’t denied her claim. “But if you’d told me the CIA was your customer—”
“You wouldn’t have signed on to the project. I apologize for not disclosing my intent in the beginning. That is on my shoulders entirely. The rest of the team didn’t know, either, because it wasn’t important.”
“Wasn’t important?” she asked incredulously. “Who the hell are you to decide who gets read in?”
“Knowing the customer’s identity wasn’t information necessary to complete the project. Nothing. Not a single shred of what we were doing hinged on knowing that the CIA was involved.”
Arden huffed out a breath. “I should have known you would find some way to spin it so you weren’t the bad guy.”
Garvey shifted forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I told you, I’m still trying to stop the bad guys. This could be key in that fight.”
“How? By putting state-of-the-art technology into the hands of the very same people spying on Americans? On American soil?”
“No,” he answered carefully. “By training new operatives. Putting them in high-stress situations. Real time. Real life. Danger they are prepared for and didn’t learn from some fucking textbook. This will help them be adept with what they truly face out in the field. I want to make sure they have the tools to stop whatever asshole feels like trying to take out the United States on any given day.” His voice was steady even though she could see emotion running through his eyes. Garvey was passionate about this project. “Not every American is happy-go-lucky about how the government is being run right now.”
“That’s a flimsy excuse. Like you’re trying to justify their actions. Yours.” How could he act so sanctimonious after the stunt he’d pulled with the Camino de Santiago club?
“People use things for nefarious purposes all the time. It’s not something you can control. Or should even try to.”
Oh sure, just toss that back in her face. “Funny coming from a man who reeks of control.”
His eyes flashed, darkened. “Did I ever once make you do something you didn’t want to willingly do? Lay it out in detail, and I will apologize with everything that I am.” She remained silent, knowing everything they’d done together, she’d done with absolute consent. “Not making something because you’re worried about its use is robbing yourself of a lot of things. Namely your life. You’re still letting the bad guys win. The route may be different. But the destination is the same.
“I know it won’t help, but they didn’t come to me. I developed the idea but lacked the financial backing necessary to see it to fruition. I still had contacts back in Langley. You may have been done with them, but some of us weren’t. When we met up again, and I found out your area of expertise, I knew I had all the pieces I needed to move the project forward.”
She blinked. “I was your meal ticket. Awesome. Seems we’re both good at choosing our careers over our relationship. This is the second time we’ve done it.”
“I never used you to get your cooperation. My intent was never to charm you into bed, to get you under my command, just so you’d agree. I’m ashamed to admit, for a short time, I thought that was exactly what you’d done to me.”
Thinking back, she could see how he’d made that assumption. She’d have connected the dots in the same way.
“I meant what I said, Arden. That I should have told you years ago how I felt. That’s real. My feelings haven’t changed. And they never will, no matter how angry you are with me. All I can do is ask for your forgiveness.”
She stared at him for a long time, hearing the sincerity in his voice. She wanted to believe him. Wanted to believe he’d made the choices he had out of desperation. But Garvey clearly wasn’t as done with the CIA as he led everyone to believe. She wasn’t convinced that he wasn’t still a part of the Agency in some way.
“I love you, Garvey. But...I don’t know if I can ever trust you again. Not like I need to. Like we need. Love isn’t enough to repair that kind of damage.”
Garvey quietly stood, the corners of his mouth pulling down. He extracted the clip of her gun from his pocket, slipped it back into place, loaded the chamber, set the safety, and handed it to her.
“How can you be sure I won’t shoot you?”
He paused at the door to the galley and looked back at her over his shoulder. “Because you don’t need a gun to hurt me.”
An hour later, she’d grown bored of listening to the water lap against the hull. At staring at the beams running overhead. She was also annoyed with the endless crying jags that kept sweeping over her.
Just when she thought she was done, she’d curl up into a ball and start all over again. There were only so many tears she could shed. Besides, moping about how much this whole situation sucked wasn’t going to solve anything.
The best thing she could do would be to sail back to Maui. Bury herself in her work. She would call Lily as soon as she docked. See if she could convince her best friend she needed to take another vacation.
Paris, this time. Or somewhere as far away from Hawaii as they could get. They could commiserate about how much men sucked. Luring Lily with the promise of spending hours in the Louvre was better than burying her face in a half gallon of ice cream.
Her stomach rumbled a reminder that she hadn’t eaten since yesterday. Coffee first. Then ice cream. Then she’d raise anchor and set sail. She pulled on a pair of shorts and shuffled into the galley to fill a pot with water but stopped short when she saw the box she’d stowed the VR units in when she’d taken them.
Surely Garvey had taken them back when he’d left. Tentatively, she reached over and opened the box. Inside, the units were still wrapped in their clear protective sleeves.
So he’d come all this way, tracked her out to the middle of the ocean, and hadn’t even taken the equipment she’d stolen from him? That didn’t make sense.
As she walked toward the door leading to the deck, she flipped the snap on the holster still strapped to her thigh, keeping her hand on the butt of the weapon just in case. Cautiously, she cracked open the door as she lifted her gun, cradling it as she inched forward.
She recognized the figure standing at the bow staring out at the turquoise water surrounding them for miles. “I didn’t realize you were still here.”
Garvey shoved his hands into his pockets as he turned. “Afraid I need a ride to shore. So unless you plan on tossing me overboard, we’re stuck together for a few days.”
“Really? The man who plans for every contingency doesn’t have a way home? Wait a second.” She narrowed her eyes. “How the hell did you get here?” When he flashed her a wicked grin, she held up a hand to stop any retort he could have given. “I know. I know. The world isn’t ready for your awesomeness yet.”
She prepped two mugs of coffee and joined him on the deck again. The horizon stretched out before them, a clean line unmarred by land. “For the record, I could do with a little less of your awesome.”
Garvey smirked. “You sure enjoyed it whenever I was inside you.”
“Totally different awesome,” she murmured. Despite her anger, she smiled. He really did have a special brand of awesome that she’d grown quite fond of. “I know I screwed up too. I shouldn’t have snatched the equipment. But I was upset. And it isn’t just you I’m angry with. I’m going to need some time to get things right with myself. And with you.”
“Take it.”
She sat, dangling her legs over the edge as she stared across the water. “I’m sorry I let you down. I think I let myself down even more.”
As her eyes filled with tears, Garvey squatted. “First off, you have never, and will never, let me down. What you did? Taking the equipment? That was you being yourself. That was you taking the initiative because you believed so strongly in something.” He touched her chin, turning her face toward his. “If half the people cared as much as you do, Arden, the world would be a better place.”
“You’re right, though. About letting go of control. If I don’t, I’m just going to be miserable for the rest of my life. If I don’t utilize my talents because I’m afraid of the repercussions, that isn’t living,” she said quietly. Something resonated in the tightness clenching her chest.
He sat beside her, holding out his hand, and she took it, closing the space between them until he hugged her close against his chest. He cupped the side of her neck and played over the spot where her heart beat the strongest. His touch was magical. Eradicating all the tension she’d held on to for the past week. It wouldn’t erase the pain completely; the emotional scars ran too deeply, were too fresh right now. But it certainly gave her hope.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
She felt his throat move as he swallowed. “The first night we were together, when you spent the night. You said that was something you never did with your Doms. Yet you stayed with me. Why?”
“Because everything with you is right and balanced. And so whole and perfect. I...you give me a feeling of comfort and safety. It’s so strong and natural for you. Like... I feel like I’m right where I need to be with you when I’m in your bed. With you. In your arms. No one else has given me that.”
“All right. Thank you.” He pressed a kiss against her forehead. “I can find my own way home once we get to Maui.”
His heart beat strong and sure under her hand. “No. I don’t want to run away from this. From you. From what we’ve found. Ever since the day on the pier in Waikiki, you’ve been handing me pieces of your heart. And I cherished every single one of them. I may be angry with you, but I don’t think it’s irreparable.”
“I don’t want to run, either. You’re too important to me. I want to stay and fight. Even if we’re yelling and screaming at each other, I still love you. It’ll take some time, but we’ll work this out. We’re both too damn stubborn not to.”
Mending the divide was going to take effort. On both sides. And time. She’d meant what she’d said about trusting him. He’d earned it before. And she knew they would work together to gain it again.
