The Ocean Dark

22

Tori had her arms crossed, tight to her body, afraid if she let go she might fall apart. Skin flushed, heart racing, she felt wired in a way she had only ever experienced once before — down in the bowels of Penn Station, picking herself up off the ground after the train exploded. Gooseflesh rose on her arms, not from the night wind, but from the anticipation of the unknown.

Staring at the three men on the deck with her — the tempestuous Rio brothers and the eager Tom Dwyer — she saw something she did not expect. Their eyes were just as wide as hers, their faces equally haunted.

“Why aren’t any of you talking?” she asked. “What are you going to do?”

The wind took the words, but not before she realized what she’d said. Not what are we going to do, but what were they going to do. For better or worse, she’d always relied on the judgment of men, and now she was doing it again. Joining the crew of the Antoinette had been the first major step she’d made in her entire life that had been of her own devising, and now it appeared to have been a mistake. Just as falling for Josh had been.

Miguel’s dark eyes flashed with anger. So damn handsome. Usually the air of danger that came off him was alluring, but tonight he only seemed lost, even childish.

“We’re thinking,” he said.

Gabe ignored them all. The dynamic between the Rio brothers sometimes seemed more like father and son, with Miguel the more impetuous and Gabe carrying the grim wisdom of command. The effect had never been more pronounced than at that moment.

“Captain?” Dwyer ventured. The trust he placed in the Rio brothers shone in his eyes. He was worried, but he would follow whatever course they set for him without question.

Once that would’ve been me, Tori thought. Blindly following. She had always given her faith too easily.

Gabe turned to Tori. He’d been mulling things over, but obviously he’d heard her question. She had no idea which way he’d go with this. Gabe Rio wasn’t a criminal by nature. He’d gotten on the wrong side of the law solely because he had wanted to look out for his brother. But he had to have known that tying his fate to Miguel’s could lead to ugly places.

The ship swayed beneath them, and the silence of the sea engulfed them. Though Gabe’s eyes were full of determination, to Tori he looked trapped, and she realized that was exactly how she felt. How they could be trapped in the middle of the sea, a hundred miles from anywhere, was hard to imagine. But it was the truth, nevertheless.

“We’re going to get the guns back,” Gabe said.

Miguel stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking like a sullen teenager. “What about the FBI?”

Tori froze. “You think Josh is FBI?”

“Gotta be,” Gabe replied, looking around surreptitiously. They all gathered close to hear him. “Nobody else is gonna come out this far. Ocean interdiction … if it’s guns or drugs … that’s got to be FBI.”

“We’ll find out soon enough, I guess,” Miguel said.

Tori didn’t like the way the men looked at one another then. She had already figured out what the next step with Josh would be, but hearing the weight in Miguel’s words, the truth of it struck home. Only hours ago, she’d made love to the man who had betrayed them all, who was their prisoner.

FBI. Shit.

Two instincts were at war within her — one terrified to go to prison and the other unwilling to stand by while they beat Josh, or even killed him. He had deceived her, but that had been his job. And now that she had pondered it a while, she couldn’t believe that the passion in his eyes, the urgency, had been a charade. She played the last few weeks over in her head and understood now why he had waited so long to make a move on her, no matter how obvious she allowed her attraction to him to become. He had wanted to avoid the complication, but the sexual tension had become too much for both of them.

Damn it.

If she let this happen — if she let them kill him — she wouldn’t be able to live with herself.

“I’m coming with you,” she said. “I want to be there.”

Dwyer scoffed, but averted his eyes when she glared at him. The Rio brothers shared a wary glance before Gabe shook his head.

“Not gonna happen, Tori. You’re here to be the eyes and ears of Viscaya Shipping, and there are some things our employers don’t need to know. Some things they don’t want to know. It’s how they protect themselves.”

“Gabe—”

The captain shook his head. “No. Your part in this is done.” He turned to his brother. “Miguel, you and Dwyer get up to the wheelhouse. Set a course for that island, and pick a landing party. I want those guns.”

The two mates started immediately for the stairs. In the moonlight, Gabe turned back to Tori.

“We’ll go ashore at first light. If you want to come along for that, you’re welcome. But for now, go to bed. It’s better you sleep through this.”

He hesitated, but when she didn’t respond to his dismissal, Gabe turned his back on her and followed Miguel and Dwyer. Tori watched him go and then looked out to the sea again. Moonlight glinted white off the black tips of the waves.

Sleep. How could she possibly sleep with the memory of Josh’s kiss still on her lips?