Page 56 of Secrets Beneath the Waves

Voices drifted from ahead too far out of range to know what they were saying, but safe now. Harrington and his entourage were blissfully unaware of how close danger had come.

Ellie forced her breath to steady.

She looked around to make sure no one had seen her. Satisfied, she retrieved the man’s weapon and tucked it into her waistband. She dragged him behind the bushes and called one of her mom’s contacts to come and take him somewhere for interrogation. To find out who he was and what he wanted with Harrington.

Someone outside the CIA. An AJAX employee.

With one last glance at the unconscious assailant, she walked back to the restaurant and slipped in through the rear entrance, adrenaline still rocketing through her body, but her expression was composed.

Mark looked at her intensely when she returned to the table, concern etched on his face. “Everything okay? You were gone for a while.”

Ellie smiled apologetically as she slid back into her seat. “Sorry about that. Long line.”

Mark chuckled, his worry seemingly melting away. “No problem.”

For a fleeting moment, she felt guilty for pretending, but she quickly shoved the thought aside. Emotional connections made you vulnerable, her mother had drilled into her. Vulnerability got you killed.

“Where were we?” he asked.

Ellie leaned forward, her smile never faltered, even as her mind raced. “I was about to ask you about your favorite dive spots.”

Mark’s eyes lit up as he leaned back, stretching an arm along the back of his head. “That’s a good question,” he said with a grin. “I could talk about dive spots all night.” He took a sip of his drink, then set it down.

Was that a tell?She pushed down the thought.

“You’ve got the usual—Eden Rock, Devil’s Grotto—great for shore dives, especially when the silversides are in. Then there’s the Kittiwake, of course. Hard to beat a wreck that size, especially one sitting so shallow.”

Ellie nodded, her fingers tracing the rim of her glass. She resisted the urge to pick it up and drink from it. “I did the Kittiwake once. Loved the engine room.” She didn’t do that divebut had read about it as preparation for the mission. A twinge of guilt washed over her that lying came so easily for her.

Mark pointed at her. “If you want something off the beaten path, Babylon on the North Wall is unreal. Towering coral spires, black coral, and the drop-off is just . . . endless.” He paused to see if she was going to say anything. When she didn’t, he asked. “Ever been to the Maze?”

Ellie tilted her head. “No, don’t think so.”

“Lesser known, but incredible. Twisting swim-throughs, tunnels, and just when you think you’re coming out, there’s another passage. Keeps you on your fins.”

She laughed. “Sounds like my kind of dive.”

He smirked. “Alright then. Do you prefer deep walls or wrecks?”

“Anything that has an element of danger to it,” she blurted, although not sure why.

She glanced over at the bar where the man had been sitting only minutes before. A reminder that she already had enough danger on this mission.

Mark raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile tugging at his lips. “So, you like to live dangerously. That’s a little vague. What kinds of dangers do you prefer?”

“The kind that gets your heart racing,” she said, letting just enough mystery slip into her tone. “Scuba diving, skydiving, fast cars . . . maybe even going on a date with a stranger I met in a coffee shop.”

Mark chuckled, leaning in slightly. "Well, if that’s your definition of danger, I hate to disappoint you. I’m about as harmless as they come."

For the rest of the evening, she played her role perfectly. Laughed at Mark’s jokes and shared enough about her fabricated life to keep him intrigued.

But her thoughts went back and forth between the man she’d taken down outside and the enigmatic stranger sitting across from her.

Were either of them connected to her mission?

Regardless, one thing was clear: even paradise had its dangers, and Ellie Austen was right where she belonged—in the thick of them.

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