Page 29 of Honor Code

"In light of everything that's happened, I think it's a good idea if you don't tell anyone about this yet. If the survey reports are the same, then no harm done, but if they're not... well, then we have to bring that to someone's attention."

Ellie paled. "I can't believe anyone would deliberately?—"

"They may not have," he said quickly. "You said yourself, it's just a way of double-checking the data."

She gave a small nod. "Okay, but I'll have to tell Suzi. She's a geologist, and she'll know who we can contact for a fresh set of reports."

"Okay, but no one else," he warned her, hoping he was wrong. It was just that this damn suspicion wouldn't go away.

"It's late now, so it'll have to be tomorrow." Ellie rose and stretching her neck.

He saw the tiny scar the knife blade had made as it caught the light and felt a renewed flush of anger. No one would hurt her again. At least, not on his watch. He would do everything in his power to keep her safe, even if it meant hiding his feelings. She could never know how much he cared, how much he wanted to be more than just her protector.

But unfortunately, that's all he could ever be.

CHAPTER 13

Ellie was sitting quietly in her room reading a book when Suzi waltzed in, flushed and excited. Best guess—her roommate had spent the whole afternoon with Boomer.

"I really like him," Suzi confessed, eyes bright. "You know, he told me Phoenix hasn't been with anyone since he left the SEALs."

"Really?" She tried to act disinterested, but her ears pricked up.

"Yeah, Boomer said Phoenix took a real knock after what happened in Basra, and he hasn't been the same since."

"Basra?" Ellie frowned. "What happened in Basra?"

"I don't know," Suzi admitted. "Boomer wouldn't say, but I think something really bad went down. It must have been for Phoenix to check out of the Navy."

Her curiosity was piqued. Phoenix had never mentioned Iraq or given a reason why he'd left the Navy. When she'd asked, he simply said it was time. A very vague answer, by all accounts.

"Well, I'm sure he had his reasons," she said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Suzi gave her a sly smile. "How are you two getting on?"

"Fine. To be honest, I've been so busy with the test samples, I haven't seen him much today." Except for when he'd come to her lab and warned her that someone might be trying to harm her and it might have something to do with the oil reserves or lack thereof.

"I've just seen him," Suzi told her. "He and Boomer have gone on their shift. At least the storm has passed. It's much warmer topside now."

"Yeah, that's a relief." The last two days had been fraught with fear, anxiety, and frustration. She was glad things were getting back to normal.

Earlier that evening, after Phoenix had left her lab, she had contacted her friend, Ray, at Stanford. At first, he'd been reluctant to help, but when he'd heard why she needed the information, he'd said he'd look into it. There might be a way of accessing the satellite imaging data through the college's account.

She’d given him the relevant coordinates and asked him to call her back on her cell when he had something. Now it was just a waiting game.

Exhausted from the last few days, she fell asleep early, which is why she was wide awake at a quarter to five the next morning. Her first thought was to check her phone, but there were no messages from Ray.

Her second thought was to venture up on deck and stretch out the tension of the last few days. The added bonus was she'd get to see Phoenix. She could tell him she'd contacted Ray, and he was going to try to help her.

Careful not to wake Suzi, Ellie dressed in her yoga gear, grabbed her mat , hung her ID badge around her neck, and went up to the deck.

The sea was calm, the sky a deep indigo but lightening in the east, and there was not a cloud in sight. It promised to be a beautiful day. Ellie looked around but couldn't spot Phoenix or Boomer, so she laid her mat on the helipad, stretched, then broke into her routine.

She was halfway through a downward-facing dog when Phoenix appeared behind her. She straightened up, but not before she caught him checking out her ass. Hard not to, really, in that position.

"Morning." Somehow, he managed to keep his expression neutral, but Ellie could see a naughty sparkle in his gaze.

"Morning," she replied, willing her cheeks not to turn pink. At least the sun had only begun to rise, so there was still a misty predawn haze in the air. There were more important matters to discuss than her butt. "I managed to contact my friend."

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