Page 24 of Honor Code

Heading back to their cabin, Phoenix said, "If it was sabotage, the culprit must have known the railing would come loose in the storm. He'd know he was putting lives at risk."

"That's what worries me," Boomer muttered. "Whoever did this wanted to create an incident."

"Well, it worked. We nearly lost Billy."

"But why?" Boomer asked, scratching his head.

"That is something I don't know," Phoenix replied with a weary sigh. "But I intend to find out."

CHAPTER 11

"Want another game of pool?" Suzi asked her.

Ellie shook her head. "Nah, I'm done. I think I'll go back to the lab and take another look at those samples."

While the storm blew itself out, most of the roughnecks, scientists, and analysts were stuck below deck with nothing much to do other than hang out in the recreational lounge or the mess hall. Even she couldn't work, not without fresh samples to analyze. Only the security teams were working, taking turns to make sure the drilling equipment was secure, everyone was accounted for, and no one ventured topside.

After what had happened to Billy, the private security operatives had cracked down on personnel going up, even to get fresh air. “No unauthorized access” was the phrase used, and Ellie couldn't help feeling she was somehow responsible.

Phoenix and Boomer had been pretty scarce, which was both a relief and a disappointment. After what had happened at the med center, she longed to see Phoenix again but was also scared about how she might react. She hadn't wanted a man so much in a long time, if ever, and she was desperately afraid he'd see that.

Not since Rafe.

She shuddered. What that guy had put her through. It didn’t bear thinking about.

When they'd first met, she’d been very much in love. Rafe was exciting, intoxicating, and a little bit dangerous. A lot dangerous, as it turned out. But for a play-it-safe lab geek like her, he was addictive. A bad boy in every sense of the word.

Looking back, she had no idea what Rafe had seen in her. Yet, he'd gone out of his way to wine and dine her, show her a good time, and finally, seduce her.

Ellie shook her head. She should have realized he was up to no good. Too smooth, too fast-talking, too many secrets.

Even so, she hadn't wanted to claw at Rafe's clothes and strip him naked every time she saw him. She’d never had this deep-seated desire to be with him, to find out more about him, to discover what made him tick. Not like she did with Phoenix.

Ellie guessed it was her natural curiosity kicking in. Phoenix was an enigma, a puzzle, and she wanted to solve it. There was so much she didn’t know about him. The only problem was, she sensed there might be something there she did not want to find. What she didn't want was to throw herself under a bus like she had before. Rafe had made her question everything. Men. Herself. Her own judgment.

It had knocked her confidence, and fast-forward two years, she was still single, still having panic attacks, and still unable to trust anyone.

Damn Rafe.

He'd really screwed her up.

Ellie looked up as the subject of her thoughts entered the room, followed closely by Boomer. Both men looked a lot more relaxed than they had earlier and were dressed casually in jeans and loose shirts, towering above everyone, easily the most handsome men in the room. Her gaze lingered on Phoenix, admiring the way his shirt hugged his toned chest and shoulders.

"Hey!" Suzi lit up like a candle and sidled over to Boomer. "I thought we weren't going to see you guys this afternoon."

"We had some stuff to do," Boomer said vaguely.

Ellie glanced at Phoenix, only to find his piercing blue eyes already focused intently on her. It made her quiver inside.

"Can I have a word?" he asked, his deep voice sending another tremor through her body.

Uh-oh. Her heart leaped into her mouth. What could he possibly want to say to her in private? Had she done something wrong? Or was this about what had happened in the med center?

"Sure." They walked a little distance away from the others. As they went, Ellie heard Suzi ask, "What's that about?"

"Not sure." Boomer gestured to the pool table. "How about a game?"

"You're on!"

---