Page 70 of Secrets Beneath the Waves

“This won’t come back on you. I promise.”

That was probably true. The men had done her a favor by loading the body into their sedan. They’d probably dispose of it in the ocean or bury it somewhere on the island.

“You texted me and said you needed my help.” Matthew’s tone turned angry. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”

He had a point.

She hesitated and struggled to find the right words. “Like my text said, three Middle Eastern men were following me. They were armed. I don’t know why they targeted me, but they did. I tried to lose them, but they were too good. They knew what they were doing. I . . .”

She stopped, her breaths came in shallow gasps.

How did they know those things?

She was sent to Cayman to find a mole selling state secrets to Iran. Almost immediately, she was confronted by three Middle Eastern killers. The two events had to be related.

Could Matthew be trusted? Ellie still didn’t know for sure.

Trust no one, her mother’s words echoed in her ears.

What if Matthew is the mole? What if he’s the one who tipped off the men?

She hated even entertaining the thought. Matthew had been nothing but supportive since this mission began and was obviously romantically attracted to her.

He didn’t seem or act like a traitor. But one unanswered question gnawed at her psyche: Who told the men she was in the Cayman Islands?

The circle of people who knew that information was small. Her parents, of course. Her handler at the agency. And Matthew. That was it as far as she knew. Her parents and handler could obviously be trusted. That left Matthew.

If he was the mole, it would explain everything. How those men had known exactly when to strike, where she’d be vulnerable. He could even tell them where she lived.

The thought sent fear shooting through her body. That meant she wasn’t safe anywhere on the island. Matthew could be leading her into a trap right this minute.

“Where exactly were you when I texted you?” she asked, her voice casual on purpose.

Matthew’s lips twisted to the side, but his focus remained on the road. “At my apartment. You know, working.”

Ellie frowned. Turned her head to the side so he wouldn’t see her skeptical reaction.

His apartment was on the other side of the island. If he’d been there, how had he gotten to her so quickly after her text? Something about his answer felt . . . off. Was it the slight upward lilt in his tone, like he was trying to sell her on the idea?

She didn’t have the answers but filed the detail away. She bit her lip to keep from pursuing her concerns. Maybe she was overthinking. She didn’t really know how much time passed between when she texted him and when he picked her up at the hotel.

Matthew’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “So, you shot one of them. How did that go down?”

“I didn’t shoot him. I broke his neck.”

The admission hung in the air. She watched carefully for a reaction. See if he grimaced or showed any sign of disappointment.

She demonstrated the motion with her hands, then let them fall limply to her lap. It wouldn’t hurt for him to know that she could snap his neck in a second as well.

“I didn’t even think twice. It was automatic. One second he was alive, the next . . .” Her voice trailed off, and her hands still shook as she stared at them. She couldn’t believe she’d killed a man with those hands. It all seemed like a dream.

Matthew reached out and gently covered her hands with his. “Ellie, listen to me. You did what you had to do. If you hadn’t, he would’ve killed you. You know that, right?”

He really seemed genuinely supportive. If he were lying, he was good at it.

She regretted having doubted him.

“There’s still two of them out there,” she said, feeling vulnerable.