Page 89 of Secrets Beneath the Waves

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb,” she said, her voice hardening. “You told me you were at your apartment when you got that text, but I know that’s not true. So why don’t you tell me where you really were?”

He hesitated, as he looked away. “Ellie, I thought we were going diving. This isn’t the time for this.”

“No!” she said sharply. “This is exactly the time. We’re alone, and I want answers. Now!”

She put her hand on the gun for effect. Matthew ran a hand through his hair. Another sign of deception.

“I was downtown,” he finally admitted, his voice low.

“Why did you lie to me?” Ellie demanded, her fists now clenched at her sides.

He looked up at her. His blue eyes met hers with an intensity that made her wince. If she was wrong and he was innocent, he might not forgive her for the harshness behind the tone.

“Matthew! I’m only going to ask you one more time. Why did you lie to me?”

“Because I didn’t want you to know that I was following you.”

“You were following me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I was worried about you, Ellie. And . . .”

“And what?”

He hesitated. Rocked back and forth on his feet, extremely nervous.

“Your parents . . .” He trailed off, swallowing hard.

“What do my parents have to do with this?” she asked roughly.

“They told me to keep an eye on you. Your dad said I was personally responsible for your safety. That if anything happened to you . . . I would pay for it. I was afraid that if I failed . . .”

She saw the genuine fear in his eyes. She could see her dad saying that. Threatening him.

“I thought if I told you the truth, you’d be mad at me, so I said I was at my apartment.”

“I am mad at you. For lying. If we’re going to work together on this mission, I have to be able to trust you.”

“I know. I screwed up.”

“You’re not my babysitter!”

“You’re right. You can take care of yourself.”

Ellie glared at him. Her mind raced as his words hung in the air. Was he telling the truth? It seemed like it.

There was something raw in his expression—fear, maybe even regret—but Ellie couldn’t ignore the nagging voice in the back of her mind. She wanted to believe him. Sheneededto believe him. But she’d been trained to trust actions, not words, and every instinct screamed at her to remain skeptical.

“I don’t know if I can trust you,” she said, her voice quieter now but no less firm.

Matthew flinched, as though her words were a physical blow. “Ellie, I’ve always had your back. Youknowthat.”

“Do I?” She said as her gaze narrowed. “Because from where I’m standing, all I see is someone who lied to me. Someone who might still be lying to me.”