Chapter Thirteen

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Mitch carefully considered his next words. “Throwing everything on the table…what if CT thinks Liz might be your daughter, too?”

The corner of Drake’s eye twitched.

“That’s no big deal, I’m already in danger,” Liz said.

“It’s not the same.”

“Of course it’s the same.” She glanced from one man to the other and back. “Besides, how would they even suspect such a thing?” She zeroed in on Drake. “Even you don’t know for sure.”

Staring at her, Drake chewed the corner of his mouth then turned to Mitch. “What do you think? Gut deep, what do you think?”

Mitch didn’t want to admit OPAQUE had become vulnerable, but everything that had happened so far shouted they were. CT had never been able to take the offensive against OPAQUE, and this whole scenario could be about OPAQUE playing catch-up. There were only two players in this game who were possible targets—Drake…and Liz.

“I think there’s a rat someplace,” Mitch forcefully said. “Not sure who. Not sure when. Not sure why. But I’m ruling very few people out as possibilities.”

Drake stepped into his personal space. “It sounds like you included me in that statement.”

“Yeah, that includes you, old man.”

“Then you make damn sure you keep her out of CT’s hands.” Drake’s ominous warning accompanied the snarl on his face. “And don’t let anyone get in the way of her safety. Got that? Not. Anyone.”

Mitch nodded. “Got it.”

A gauntlet had just been tossed between them. Each working for the good of Liz. Each on the same side. There was no way in hell Drake couldn’t be trusted. But CT was cruel with its leverage and targets. Cruel and manipulative. Anyone might crack under that kind of pressure. Anyone.

“Chopper at six o’clock.” Reese shouted, pointing skyward.

Mitch shaded his eyes and looked to the north. “Tell them to come on in. We’ll be ready in five.”

He motioned Liz to follow him downstairs. Once below, he checked her life preserver, always keeping his eyes on anything but her face.

“That was pretty intense up there,” she said.

“Yeah.”

“Surely you trust Drake. I mean—”

“Focus, Liz.” Mitch barely glanced into her eyes. “There’s a reason for everything I do. Your job is to focus and react. You do that, and we all just might survive.”

The kiss on the Q40 had made him realize being close to her was a definite jolt to his system. He didn’t need a repeat, so he looked away. Especially in the heat of an escape maneuver. Especially…Liz. His nostrils flared as he double-checked the straps on the front of her preserver.

“I think I’m pretty well secure, unless you plan to cut off my breathing.” She stretched to her side, evidently trying to get comfortable.

“Got to make sure you don’t drown,” Mitch said.

“Good idea.” She patted the life preserver. “That way you don’t have to haul my sorry ass out of the water again.”

A cold chill charged into his gut. The cut of her words had been hard and fast. And he’d been caught off guard. On the offense, she hadn’t even looked up from his chest. She’d simply stared straight ahead, letting the blow sink in. Even now, she stood perfectly still.

The words had hurt like hell, but he’d survive. Words were just words. Sometimes. Then again, there were times like this when the whole world depended on their significance and tone and purpose. He’d said enough in his lifetime to know the difference.

“Liz, look at my face.”

Slowly, she lifted her chin upward, scanned his face, then turned to the side. “We should—”

“I said look at me.”

Wounded defiance greeted him when she looked into his eyes. He gave her the same eyes-on-me gesture she’d given him at her stateroom door.

She shook her head. “Not funny.”

“Nothing about this case has been funny,” he said, letting himself make an easy excuse for his actions. “And whether you realize it or not, I’d give my life for you.”

“I know. That’s part of your job.”

He braced his fingers beneath her chin then leaned in next to her ear, his cheek brushing hers. “That’s not what I said, E-liz-a-beth.”

She pressed her cheek a little closer against his, and he let the side of his lips slide along her cheekbone as he stepped back. “And, what about my sorry—”

Pressing his fingertips to her lips, he couldn’t believe how deep a pit he kept digging for himself. “Talk like that will get you in trouble.”

A loud bump against the side of the short stairway leading to the cabin caused them both to jerk back and turn in that direction.

“Excuse me,” Reese said from the cabin stairs, his expression one of what the hell are you doing. “Drake wants to talk to us up on deck again.”

How long had he been standing there? Didn’t matter. Mitch knew that pit he was digging had just gotten even deeper.

Mitch tugged on the strap one more time. “I was making sure she had the life preserver hooked up right.”

“That’s exactly what I thought. You’re only looking out for Liz’s best interest.”

Trouble was, Mitch hadn’t worked with Reese enough times to know what he’d do with what he’d seen. Better to find out now than later. “About what you saw…”

“I didn’t see a thing.” Reese blanked his expression. “You’ll find I don’t see much. Especially when it doesn’t concern me.”

The three of them reported back on deck and were promptly met by Drake’s pacing. He stopped. “I thought about what you said. About Russ and Liz being bait to get to me. There’s one thing wrong with that thinking. If your hypothesis is right, why haven’t they taken me out?”

“CT isn’t after you personally. At least not yet.” Everything was coming together in Mitch’s mind. If he was right, a lot of people had a lot to lose.

Stopping in front of Mitch, Drake cocked his head, his expression quizzical. “If they don’t want me, who do they want?”

Mitch pointed at himself, then straightened. “First, CT wants me. Wants Reese. Wants Josh and Stealth, Keith and Cat. Anybody else you put on this job. Coercion Ten believes you’ll pull in your best to protect Liz.”

Reese glanced upward as if in thought. Liz stood quiet.

“They’ll cripple OPAQUE. Maybe take it down.” Mitch motioned the chopper to move into place. “If nothing else, CT can run rampant while OPAQUE recovers. Except that’s when they’ll take you out, Drake. Without you, someone else would have to take over. Maybe they’ve already got someone in mind.”

Blowing out a long, loud sigh, Drake nodded. “Someone we don’t know is CT.”

“Likely. Could even be someone already in OPAQUE.”

“That’s a hard thought to swallow.” Drake clenched his jaw, his tone harsh, his stance I’ll-be-damned.

There was nothing any of them could do about that prospect at the moment. But they needed to get a move on this plan of escape. Sure, they’d gained space between themselves and the CT group heading in their direction, but that gap could close rapidly.

“Reese, tell the chopper to push smoke upward.” Mitch hoped that would at least mask exactly who was leaving the boat. Because, sure as anything, CT had their satellite feed trained on them.

Within minutes, whup-whup-whup could be heard approaching from the north. The blur of smoke began to settle seconds before two divers jumped into the water. They made a quick swim to the boat, and Reese quickly pointed them toward the wheelhouse. He gave them few directions; they already knew what was expected.

The chopper settled overhead and lowered two rescue lines. One, a six-inch-wide ladder. The other, had an airlift rescue vest attached.

Looking a bit unsure, Liz pointed at the rescue vest. “I take it that one’s for me.”

“What makes you so sure?” Reese joked.

“Listen, I may have a life jacket on, but I don’t plan to climb a ladder, flying in the wind, over the Gulf of Mexico.”

Drake walked over and gave Liz a hug. “Nothing to worry about. We just need to get you out of here and somewhere safe.”

“Don’t take me out of the country. I’ll never get back in.” She hugged him in return.

“Sure you would.”

She shook her head. “Might take some doing. Same day I was fired, I lost my passport.”

The three men shared a quick passing glance.

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Mitch said, checking her vest, and the hoist rigging, once again. He needed to make sure they were off the boat before the smoke cleared. “Now, lean back and get ready for a fun ride. Relax. Reese will be on the other line, right beside you as the hoist pulls you both up.”

“What about you?” she asked.

“Drake and I will be up next. First, we need to finalize where we’re headed.” Mitch nodded upward, letting his hand brush the side of her leg as he steadied the rig.

“Hey, I forgot to tell you.” Reese nudged her arm, then wrapped his leg and one arm around the ladder line. He winked in her direction. “I think your hair looks cute like that. Darn cute. In fact, I think I’ll call you Short Stuff.”

“Nobody asked your opinion,” Mitch snarled. Was this going to be the payment for the guy keeping his mouth shut about what he’d seen?

“Imagine that.” Reese winked at Liz. “Looks like somebody’s a little green.”

The roar of the chopper was deafening, but Mitch still heard the comment. He pointed up. “Get on the damn chopper. Now!”

The two hoists lifted, slow and easy, disappearing into the haze of dropped smoke, heading for the open doorway. Everything was falling in line for a smooth escape from the boat. From there, the group should be able to lose CT’s lock on them. How they’d found them this time was still a question to be answered.

A thought shifted in his mind, trying not to get lost in the excitement of the moment. “Hey, Drake. Liz said something about losing her job and losing her passport all in one day? Don’t you find that strange?”

“I wondered if you caught that. We’ll need to check what kind of assignments she’s been covering.” Drake grabbed the lowering chopper line, then pushed it in Mitch’s direction.

“You’re next,” Mitch said.

“I’m not going.” The boss motioned the chopper crew not to lower another line.

“The hell you’re not,” Mitch shouted.

“Hear me out.” Drake stood firm. “I think you’re right. CT used me to get to my best agents. And I think they also want Liz as leverage. We already lost one agent. I can’t afford to let them get you or Reese. Or any of the others. And, I can’t let them take Liz.”

“What are you saying?”

“If Liz and I are the ones feeding their operation, we need to break the food chain.”

“Such as?”

“I’ll stay with the boat. Me, and the two guys the chopper dropped. We’ll take CT on a merry little ride around the Gulf.”

That made sense on a lot of levels, but there was always the possibility the plan would backfire. Then his boss would, for sure, be in the crosshairs. “Let’s say I agree with the break-the-chain theory. What do you want me to do?”

The smoky haze was lifting, dissipating rapidly. He needed to decide whether to contest Drake’s idea or not, and he needed to decide now.

“Get on that chopper. Get yourself, Liz, and Reese someplace safe. Contact Josh and let him know what’s going on.” Drake looked like a man with a heavy load. He shoved a sealed envelope into his hand. “Give that to Liz when you land.”

Tucking the envelope in his pocket, he nodded. “Why Josh?”

“I plan to stay far away from him and Stealth and Cat, too. In fact, I’ll steer clear of anybody involved in this case. That’ll allow you to use the Shades to set up your position.” Drake sighed. “You know I’m right.”

Mitch swiped the back of his hand across his chin. “Okay, we’ll go with your plan. Where do you want us to head?”

“Anything I say would be tainted. So you get nothing from me.” Drake grabbed Mitch’s arm in a brothers-in-arms hold. “I’m confident in whatever you decide. You’re in charge of this assignment. You find a place. You keep her safe. And, you and Reese make damn sure you come out alive on the other side.”

“You stay alive, too, old man.” He wrapped his leg and arm around the ladder line then yanked for the chopper to lift him up. “If you don’t, I’ll hunt you down and kill you again.”

Drake laughed loud and long, then headed up the wheelhouse ladder.

This was not the way Mitch had planned for his theory to turn out. But for the life of him, he couldn’t see any other way. Time to head out. Keep his wits about him. Think with his own brain, not everything OPAQUE had drilled into his tactical training.

Once at the chopper’s open doorway, he stepped onto the landing skids, leaning back against the edge of the chopper floor.

Reese stood in the doorway. “He’s not coming?”

“Nope.”

“I figured as much.”

Liz slid up behind them, and both men braced their arms in front of her. “Where’s Drake?”

The boat roared southeast out of the remaining smoke haze.

“What’s going on?” Her voice held an edge of desperation as she placed her hand against Mitch’s back. “Please tell me what’s happening.”

“Everything’s under control. I’ll explain later.” He watched the boat speed out of sight, wishing he knew how this would all end.

The three of them moved inside the chopper and buckled up. One of the crewmen closed the door then radioed to the front that they were ready to leave.

Mitch laid out the protection strategy in his mind. Devised his plan. Worked through all foreseeable obstacles. There were a lot of unknowns. Always were.

“Who’s in charge?” the crewman asked.

“Me,” Mitch replied.

“Where to, sir?”

“First, Dallas. Need a small jet waiting. Pilot ready for takeoff.”

The crewman relayed the info to the front.

“Reese, make your way from Dallas to Utah the fastest way possible. Coordinate with Josh on arrangements. I want you to find out everything you can on her dad.” Mitch stared into his eyes. “Talk to friends. Enemies. Get a photo and show it to people who don’t recognize his name. Check out his house. Top to bottom. Inside and out. You know the routine.”

Liz leaned forward. “Don’t forget the secret room in the house.”

“Got it.” Reese nodded. “Where and when should I meet up with you two after that?”

“I’ll be in touch.” Mitch motioned to the crewman.

“Yes, sir.”

“Make the drop in Dallas fast. Set down. Ten seconds. Up. Head straight north thirty minutes. Send the bill to OPAQUE.”

“Yes, sir. Where should I tell the jet pilot you’re headed?”

“California. Coronado. NSWC. Have them get permission to land.” Mitch leaned his head against the backrest, crossed his arms across his chest, and closed his eyes. “Tell them SEAL Reserve Lieutenant Mitch Granger requests shelter…for two.”