Page 85 of Poison Evidence

He gave a sharp nod.

“If you’d failed, he would have died right along with you and everyone in the Osprey. He risked himself just as much as you did, with one difference. He knew exactly what he was facing when he stepped on the ferry that night. You and Undine were clueless. For you, it was just a PR event. But he knew, and still he got on the boat.”

Luke’s nostrils flared, and she knew she’d hit a nerve. She rubbed her eyes with her one good hand. The world was becoming clearer by the second.

“He’s a spy. For Russia. And in case you haven’t noticed, our relationship isn’t as sweet as it was in the early post-Cold War era. Don’t fool yourself into thinking they’re our allies.”

“I’m not. But Dimitri Veselov is—our ally, I mean.” She closed her eyes and asked herself if she could betray Dimitri’s secret to Luke. Would Luke use Sophia and Yulian in the same way Russia had? Dimitri had feared the US government would use them, but Luke wasn’t government—well, he was in the uniformed service for NOAA, but that wasn’t armed forces. Luke was here as a private citizen. Seeking an old friend, or settling a score?

His attitude suggested the latter, but something in his expression suggested the former. Luke wanted to believe in and maybe even help Dimitri. She believed it in her gut.

A knock on the door was followed by a man poking his head inside her small clinic room. When the man saw she was awake, he stepped into the room. “I’m sorry to disturb you so soon after surgery, Ms. MacLeod. I’m Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kaha’i Palea, from the Honolulu FBI Field Office. Curt Dominick asked me personally to handle this investigation, and I have a few questions for you.”

There went the idea of telling Luke about Sophia. This manwasgovernment.

She pressed the button to raise the head of her hospital bed so she was almost sitting up. “Of course, Agent Palea. I’ll do anything I can to help you track down and arrest the man who shot me—Zack Barrow.”

“We’re just as interested in the man who abducted you, Dimitri Veselov.”

“Dimitri didn’t abduct me.”

The agent’s brow furrowed. “I was under the impression that you told Attorney General Curt Dominick in a text message conversation that you’d been abducted by Veselov.”

She frowned. The anesthesia must still be clouding her brain. She should have seen that coming and tried a different tactic. She cleared her throat. “I thought he had, but not long after that conversation, it became clear that not only was I not his prisoner, but that he was protecting me. I’d be in Syria right now if not for Dimitri Veselov.”

“You are aware, Ms. MacLeod, we don’t need your testimony to convict him on the theft of top secret military technology.”

She shrugged. “I hear the Navy is getting it back. And he never actually touched the cases or equipment without my permission. CAM was always under my control.”

“We’re on the same side, Ms. MacLeod.”

“I’m not entirely sure of that, Agent Palea. You see, my country—the government I work for—sent me to Palau with top-secret equipment, intending to use me as a spy, without warning or assistance. That’s not feeling like the same side to me. So if you’re here hoping I’ll help you go after Dimitri, when he’s the one person whodidprotect me when my government failed, you’re going to be disappointed.”

He sighed. “Regardless, I need to question you.” The agent—whose name, features, and accent indicated he was hapa, if not full Hawaiian—cast a sideways glance at Luke. “I’m afraid my questions will get personal.”

This man was sent by Curt, which meant she could trust him, but in the back of her mind was the memory of FBI interrogations she’d suffered right after Patrick’s arrest. They hadn’t always played fair, and a few agents had twisted her words to make her sound like she’d confessed to something she’d known nothing about. Up until the night in the mangrove swamp, it had been one of the scariest experiences of her life.

“Lt. Sevick stays,” she said firmly.

Agent Palea cleared his throat. “Fine, then. I understand you had sexual relations with Veselov on the night you were attacked in the mangrove swamp. Did that relationship continue after you were made aware Veselov was a Russian spy?”

Curt stroked Mara’s back as she leaned against him on the sofa. He had at least a half-dozen calls to make, but right now he needed to be a husband, and holding Mara was his number one priority.

She’d been battling severe nausea from the moment Ivy disabled CAM’s tracking beacon, likely a combination of stress and morning sickness, but the result had been difficulty keeping food down and he’d been worried for her and their unborn child.

She’d managed to eat and hold down a decent-sized meal after Luke called to say Ivy was back in Koror, but the news that she’d been shot had tempered their relief.

“I can’t help but feel like it’s my fault, Curt. I was so excited we finally got the funding for the survey, I didn’t question why.”

He kissed her temple. She’d been beating herself up for days, and no amount of talking could convince her she was blameless. It didn’t help that she was more than a little angry with him for telling Ivy to cooperate with the assassin.

He blamed himself too.

He’d fucked up, but from what Luke had told him, Veselovhadprotected Ivy. Zack Barrow had been the one who fired the shot.

Without Veselov, Ivy could well be en route to Syria right now.

His cell phone rang, vibrating against his chest where Mara pressed against him. She leaned back and pulled the phone from his breast pocket.

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