Page 101 of Hidden Depths

“They’re getting ready to leave,” he said. “I’m afraid Lansky’s not waiting till after the storm. If we don’t do something, we’re gonna lose them.”

“Maybe they’ll get shipwrecked.”

“I can stall them,” Sara said, staring at Lansky, who was leaning on the car talking on the phone.

“You have an idea?”

“If I hand myself over, I can stall them long enough for the storm to close in. They’ll have to wait then. It will buy us some time.”

Tom had turned his full attention on her. “That’s a ridiculous idea. He’ll shoot you and leave anyway.”

“Not if I make myself indispensable.”

“And how do you propose to do that?”

“I’ll tell him my dad has something he wants.”

“Like what?”

Sara’s eyes dropped to the ground. “I loved my dad, but he wasn’t a good man. Lansky killed him and my mom because my dad didn’t deliver what he’d promised. I can offer him that. He had a stash of treasury bonds. They were going to help finance Lansky’s latest scheme.”

“Why didn’t your dad hand them over when he was threatened?”

“Because he sold them off to someone else. I can tell Lansky I have them in a safe deposit box. The banks are closed right now. We’ll have to go tomorrow.”

“I’ll do it.”

“It won’t work.”

“I’ll tell him you told me all about it before you left.”

“It won’t work.”

“Guys,” Isla interrupted. “While I agree Sara shouldn’t put herself at risk like that, we have to do something, or we’ll lose them. We’re running out of time, and arguing is only wasting what little we have left.”

“There’s no way I’m letting you hand yourself over to that murderer,” Tom said. “Let me call my contact in Florida and see how far away they are.”

“Lansky’s about to leave.”

“And we’ll do whatever it takes to stop him. But not that. If we do this, we do it my way.”

“How can you even say that? You’re the one who disobeys orders at every opportunity. You put your life at risk to capture criminals who had no connection to you. If you can do it for someone who doesn’t matter, why can’t I do it for someone who does?”

“Because it’s different.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m trained, and you’re not.”

“That’s not why you won’t let me go. You don’t think I can do it.”

“That’s not why.”

“Then tell me.”

“I told you, you’re not—”

“It’s because he cares about you,” Isla said.

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