In Too Deep (17 page)

But the Avery he knew wouldn’t have done something like that without a good reason.

Knox’s brain was still spinning when he heard a commotion at the entrance to the hotel bar.

“I need to see him immediately. It’s urgent.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, it’s hotel policy not to provide information about our guests. If you’d like to leave your contact information I’d be happy to provide Mr. McLemore with a message.”

Knox reached into his wallet, pulled out a wad of cash without really looking to see what it was, and tossed it onto the bar. He was across the lobby of the hotel, grasping Avery’s arms before he even registered the intent.

“Avery.”

The relief that chased across her face was nearly his undoing, but he steeled his resolve.

“What’s going on?”

“We have to go, right now.”

She tried to tug at him, but he planted his feet and didn’t budge. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

She made a small, wounded sound and recoiled from him. For a second he regretted his harsh words, but he couldn’t quite banish the part of him that wanted to hurt her as she’d hurt him. It was selfish and petty, but there nonetheless.

“Look, I know you’re pissed at me and have good reason, but McNair is going to do something to the
Chimera
.”

“What are you talking about?”

A bark of frustration rumbled through her throat. “The drug runner who left us on that island, he was there today. With McNair. And I heard another couple of his guys talking about explosives.”

“What?”

“They were friends, Knox. Business partners. McNair’s diving company is a front for running drugs in the Caribbean. Think about it, this explains a lot.”

Knox had to admit she was right. He’d thought all along that something about the drug runners and the situation with McNair was off, he just couldn’t figure out what.

“And since I just ruined his attempt to interrupt the salvage of the
Chimera
by announcing the truth, he’s planning on something else. Something big. Something with explosives.”

She gripped his arms, pulling herself up onto her tiptoes. “Knox, we have to stop him. Please.” Tears swam at the base of her lashes. “We can’t let him get away with this. The
Chimera
is too important.

Grasping her hand, he said, “Let’s go.”

15

B
EFORE
THEY
WERE
out of the bar, Knox had his phone pressed to his ear. “Kennedy, find me the fastest boat you can. I need to get to the
Chimera
right away.”

Avery listened as Knox relayed the details to Trident’s office manager. Jumping into the rental car, they headed back to the marina without stopping for anything.

A few minutes later, Kennedy got back to them with information for a speedboat rental. She also let them know that the crew had been contacted and a select few—with military training—were meeting them.

The group meeting them had grabbed some supplies from the
Amphitrite
. Avery didn’t want to think about what was inside the bags as they were loaded on to the rental boat, but she couldn’t help it. The bags had to be full of weapons. What else would they bring?

The men moved together like a well-oiled machine, Knox right at the forefront directing everyone.

Within minutes of arriving they were bobbing against the increasingly choppy water. The boat was fast, but was it fast enough?

Dread twisted through Avery’s belly.

Knox had tried to leave her at the dock, but she’d cut the argument short by climbing on board. He could have carried her off again, but they both knew they didn’t have time to waste.

He’d glared at her, but left her alone.

Knox had made call after call from the moment they’d entered the boat.

Avery sat at the back, alone. Everyone else, the men who’d been friendly with her just hours ago, acted as if she wasn’t even there.

But she couldn’t dredge up the energy to care. What they thought of her didn’t matter nearly as much as protecting the
Chimera
.

The clouds overhead swirled angrily. Wind buffeted from all sides. It didn’t take long for rain to start lashing against them. She wasn’t sure if it was from the storm or the speed at which they were flying across the roiling surface, but the drops pelted her, stinging.

She huddled down, trying to make herself as small as possible.

God, were they going to make it in time?

Closing her eyes, Avery sent up a prayer. A warm arm settled around her shoulders, pulling her tight into the shelter of a large body.

She didn’t need to open her eyes to know it was Knox. She recognized the feel of him. The scent of him, even rain drenched.

Avery buried her face in his chest, accepting the comfort for however long he was willing to give it to her.

“He used the information about your PhD as blackmail,” Knox murmured in her ear.

It wasn’t a question, but she nodded her head. “It was after Melody OD’d. When she’d been arrested for possession several years before, my parents had disowned her. Even when she OD’d, they refused to help her. But I couldn’t just abandon her. I left school, but had already accepted a position on an upcoming project. They never asked for proof of my graduation so I just...didn’t give it to them. I always intended to go back, but...”

“That was the find that made your career,” Knox finished softly.

She’d been part of the team to discover evidence of an ancient city off the coast of the Mediterranean. She’d found herself interviewed by major archaeological publications, the subject-matter expert consulted on multiple documentaries.

“I needed the money for Melody’s care. I couldn’t pass up the opportunities that discovery opened for me.”

He nodded. Avery tipped her head up, not caring about the rain that fell onto her face because she wanted to see him. He watched her, his expression shuttered.

Was this him getting closure?

And if that was all he wanted from her, didn’t she owe it to him?

“McNair threatened her. She’s helpless, with the mind of a child. She can barely tie her own shoes, Knox, and the asshole threatened her when I started arguing that I couldn’t give him what he wanted.”

She was still afraid he’d find some way to follow through on the threat. The damage had already been done to her career, but there were still plenty of ways McNair could hurt her, including harming Melody.

“She’ll be fine, Avery. I promise.”

Pulling his cell from his pocket, Knox made a quick call. She had no idea who he was talking to, but from his end of the conversation it was clear he was arranging for someone to keep an eye on her sister.

Tears mixed with rain, flowing over her eyelashes and down her cheeks.

It had been a hell of a long time since anyone had been there to help with her problems. Until Knox shouldered some of the weight—without being asked—she hadn’t realized how heavy the responsibilities had become.

She wouldn’t trade them for anything. Melody was her sister, end of discussion. And no matter her mistakes, she was paying for them, the price higher than anyone could expect.

“Thank you,” she whispered, trying to get hold of her emotions again.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Avery? I could have helped.”

She just shook her head. “I’ve been alone for so long. And I was comfortable that way. It’s hard to place my faith in anyone. You were different, though. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to let you in, I just didn’t know how.”

His palm cupped her cheek, warm and wide. With his thumb, he tipped her head back so she was staring up into his eyes.

And what she saw there made her breath catch. Softness, pain, hope...love.

“After the accident that killed my brother—the accident that was my fault—I didn’t care about anything, including my own life. I can’t tell you how many times I wished I’d died that night with him. I thought it would have been easier.”

Avery sucked in a harsh breath. Hearing Knox, one of the strongest men she’d ever met, admit to that kind of despair felt so wrong. She wanted to wrap her trembling arms around him and hold him tight.

His fingers tangled in her wet hair, flexing and pulling her closer.

“I was wrong. Jackson and Asher helped me realize that to a certain extent. Their friendship saved me, more than they probably realize. Before them, I was alone. By choice. But life isn’t meant to be lived that way, Avery.

“The Teams showed me a brotherhood that goes so deep it’s more than a bond forged in fear and blood. It’s a turn of phrase people like to throw around—I’d die for him, kill for her—but for us it’s real and everyday.”

His thumbs slipped across her cheeks, down her jawline, over her lips.

“That kind of connection is important, but with you...there’s more. You’re important to me, Avery. I need you in my life. And I’d do anything for you.”

The tears were back, because she wanted what he was offering her, but she didn’t deserve it. “I lied to you.”

“Yeah, I figured that out.”

“I’m so sorry.” A heavy lump settled in her throat. Avery needed his forgiveness or there was no way they could move forward. Her entire body vibrated with the certainty that he wouldn’t be able to look at her the same way ever again, not when her life, the woman he’d thought she was, was built on a lie.

“I don’t care, Avery. So you don’t have a damn piece of paper. You’re good at your job. You know what you’re talking about, and that experience is a hell of a lot more important.”

“But...”

“Look, if anyone understands how one decision can screw an entire life, it’s me. I’m not the kind of man to judge a person by their mistakes, but by what they do about them.”

She stared up at him for several moments, overwhelmed. Once again, he’d demonstrated to her the kind of man he was, honorable and understanding.

“God, you make it so easy to love you.”

Knox laughed, the sound rushing out of him with surprise. “I do, huh? Pretty sure you’re the only person who’s ever thought so.”

Avery smiled, something she definitely hadn’t expected to be doing when the day started. “Absolutely, and I should know. But, please, don’t do something stupid when I’ve only just found you. Knox, you can’t go after McNair alone.”

“I’m not. I’ve already called a contact with the Coast Guard and they’ve notified their counterparts. A joint task force is meeting us at the dive site.”

Relief had Avery sagging against him.

“Hey, hey.” Pulling her up into his arms, Knox settled her in his lap. He found her lips, sinking them both into the heat of the kiss.

And she let him distract her, because she had no idea what they would find when they reached the
Chimera
, or if they would make it out alive considering they were barreling straight into a hurricane.

* * *

B
EN
THROTTLED
DOWN
the boat. Speed had been important, but now they needed stealth. Before heading out, they’d grabbed the guns and ammo Trident kept stocked on the
Amphitrite
.

Knox had been hoping not to need it, but it was obvious they’d arrived before the authorities, and he couldn’t afford to wait and give McNair the opportunity to get charges in the water.

Nodding to the handful of men he’d brought with him, they began preparing.

“I thought you said you’d called the police or whatever.” Avery said, her voice going shrill.

Grasping her by the shoulders, Knox turned her away from the flurry of activity and to him. “I did, but they aren’t here yet and we can’t wait.”

The storm had increased, wind whipping so hard it practically tore the words out of his mouth.

“The hurricane is getting closer. These are just feeder bands right now and they’re bad enough, but when the real storm hits in a few hours...” They’d already heard reports of waterspouts.

He should have fought harder to make Avery stay onshore. His stomach clenched into a hard fist. If anything happened to her, he’d never forgive himself. He already lived with so much regret, he couldn’t handle adding more.

“I need you to promise me you’ll stay on the boat, Avery.”

She shook her head. “I’m coming with you.”

“You’ll be a distraction. I can’t do my job if I’m worried about protecting you.”

“This isn’t your job anymore, Knox.”

“It is today.”

Her eyes, big and blue, pulled down in the corners with fear and sadness.

“I have the skills and training, doc.” He smoothed away the strands of hair sticking to her wet cheeks. “I’ll be fine. As long as I know you’re here safe. Please, give me this.”

Reluctantly, she nodded.

He heard a shout from the front of the boat. McNair’s ship came into view and it was past time for talking.

Knox instructed Ben to bring them alongside McNair’s boat where it had been anchored. His guys grabbed on, boosting themselves up and over onto McNair’s deck. The men Knox had brought on this mission were up for the task—two Navy sailors, an ex-Marine and an ex-Ranger. Avery had told them McNair had six men at the press conference, but it was possible he’d picked up more.

Still, Knox liked his odds. These guys were good.

They stayed low as they crept across the deck, expecting shots to ring out at any moment, but everything was quiet. Too quiet.

Knox waited until he was certain Ben had headed off, taking Avery a safe distance away, before turning his focus to the mission at hand.

It was late afternoon, but the angry storm clouds made it dark and gray.

He wished he had comm equipment. Trident would be investing as soon as they got out of this mess. Even if they never had to use it, it would be worth having.

He used hand signals to send his guys sweeping through the ship. Clearing the deck, they headed below, subduing two men who were too busy drinking beer to notice they’d been boarded in the first place.

Knox fought the sensation that he was a step behind. He’d felt out of sync this entire time, knowing there was more going on with McNair, but unable to figure out what it was.

“None of this makes any goddamn sense,” he growled out once everyone was gathered back on deck.

“There are no launches aboard.”

He’d noticed that as well, but he’d swept the area, looking for evidence that they were already diving, placing the explosives. Knox was familiar enough with the coordinates of the wreckage to know they weren’t.

Maybe they’d been tipped off and rather than fight had left on the launches. Avery had mentioned she thought someone else on the Trident team was compromised. How else would McNair have known about their relationship?

He’d deal with that later.

The cell in his pocket vibrated. Pulling it out, he recognized Avery’s number.

“I’m fine, doc,” he said.

“That’s nice,” said a gruff voice. “But Ms. Walsh isn’t. Perhaps you’d like to return to your boat and rescue her. You do have a bit of a hero complex, Knox.”

His hands fisted helplessly by his side. “What do you want, McNair?”

An engine rumbled in the distance, getting louder and louder. It was too much to hope that it was the authorities finally arriving.

Dread settled like a stone as he watched the speedboat they’d rented approach the ship again.

Four figures gathered together. Ben was at the wheel, steering them back. Next to him stood another man, his knees bent as his body moved with the fluid motion of the boat. Behind them, McNair stood, his back lodged against the side of the boat with his arm wrapped hard around Avery’s throat, holding her up on her toes and cutting off her air.

Ben throttled back the engine and they drifted close. Knox’s finger twitched on the trigger of his gun, trained on the man holding his woman.

“I wouldn’t try that, Knox. You might hit Avery, and I’d hate for you to have to watch someone else you love die right in front of your eyes.”

Knox sucked in a harsh breath. Avery whimpered, although he didn’t think it was because McNair had caused her physical pain.

She stared at him, her eyes wide. They weren’t filled with fear as he’d expected, but resolve.

“Don’t,” he whispered, hoping McNair would think he was talking to him instead of Avery. “Please, don’t do anything stupid.”

Helplessness filled him, a heavy weight that was hard to bear. He’d experienced it before and had hoped never to feel the sensation again.

“Drop your weapons, gentlemen.”