Page 27 of Poison Evidence

He’d done his duty for his country on one condition: his sister, Sophia, had to be removed from the training program. Of course, that was his fatal mistake. He’d let the spymasters in the GRU know he cared about his little sister.

When he found the man who’d hurt his sister this time, he’d break every bone in his body with a ball-peen hammer.

His breaking point as Parker Reeves had come when he received orders to take out Luke Sevick if needed to maintain his cover.

He could have done it. There’d been a moment when they were pulled into the Osprey, when Luke was removing his harness. One little push, and Dimitri would still be in the US Coast Guard, stationed in Neah Bay, no one the wiser that he was a Russian agent. He’d have been the surviving hero of the night, and Luke would have been mourned for his tragic, heroic, accidental death.

But Dimitri had reached out and pulled Luke into the Osprey without regret.

Luke had calmly met his gaze, said thanks, and handed Dimitri a parachute.“Better get going,”he’d said.“Because it won’t go well for you if you stay.”

Dimitri jumped moments later, thus killing his alter ego, Parker Reeves.

In Ivy’s eyes, Dimitri was every bit the lowlife her ex was. She wouldn’t give a damn that he was protecting the only family he had.

He ran his hand over his face, trying to erase his thoughts so he could focus on the job at hand. It would take a few hours to reach the Rock Islands. He could get there faster thanks to the souped-up engines, but there was no point in tipping off the Navy as to whatLibertycould do. Plus, Ivy needed time to hack.

He started the engines, setting a course for the islands where Russia’s prototype Air/Underwater Unmanned Vehicle went missing, hoping to hell he’d be able to find it before other hostile nations got their hands on it.

Chapter Ten

Not a day had gone by since that cold November night when Luke Sevick had taken flight in a boat with Parker Reeves that he didn’t think about the Russian spy and wonder if he’d survived the jump from the Osprey. Jump conditions had been less than ideal. The aircraft had been low, and Parker had been rushed. No time even to inspect or secure the chute.

It had bothered him that, in all likelihood, he’d never know if Parker survived, not unless the Russian’s body turned up on the Canadian coastline.

Every day that no body was found was another day he breathed a small sigh of relief, even though it didn’t mean anything, really. Parker’s body was just as likely to have been washed out to sea. But still. Luke couldn’t help but root for the guy.

Yesterday, at last, his question had been answered in the form of a card. Parker was alive, and he’d reached out to Luke.

He’d spent the night trying to figure out why, then early this afternoon, he’d heard the news from Palau. He’d bet everything he had that Parker Reeves and Jack Keaton were the same man.

Parker was wanted in the US for espionage. Luke had had no choice but to tell Curt Dominick and the other investigators the truth of what happened on the Interceptor, and the Justice Department had quietly issued a warrant they knew they were unlikely to ever serve.

Undine was the only person who knew Luke had let Parker go. Now, thanks to Parker’s note, he faced a difficult choice. Rat out the man who’d helped save everything Luke held dear? Or quietly catch a flight to Palau and track down the spy himself?

As appealing as a trip to Palau was—given that the scuba diving was among the best in the world, he and Undine had discussed it as a potential honeymoon destination—their wedding wasn’t until August, and the sudden trip could raise questions.

He and Undine had been living in a damn fishbowl for most of the winter. There’d been no hiding what had happened in November, and to his horror, he’d been made the face of the news story. It was only in the last two months that life had begun to settle down—after they’d moved yet again and this time managed to keep their home address secret. But had things settled enough for him to go after Parker anonymously?

News reports from Palau were scant on details. Palau was hardly on the international radar, and there hadn’t even been guns involved. So far, reports indicated the only people hurt were the terrorists—who’d suffered broken bones thanks to Jack Keaton. Only Palauan government officials had been identified as guests at the event.

It was unclear if any terrorists had escaped arrest or not.

Unable to concentrate, Luke left work early. At home, he could make discreet phone calls to find out more about the guest list. He frowned as he passed the gym on the drive home. He and Undine had made plans to meet there in an hour. Maybe they’d have time for a run later in the evening.

Undine yanked the door open before he had a chance to pull out his key. “Oh, thank God you’re home. I’ve been trying to reach you. I was just about to call the gym to ask if you were there.” She flung herself at him, and his arms closed around her. He would never get enough of this, the moment of holding her at the end of the day. Even when she was upset as she was today—or maybe especially when she was upset—it was a gift to have this woman in his arms, to be able to comfort her.

Last November, he’d been within ten minutes of not having this life.

He tilted her head up to meet his gaze. “What happened?”

“I just got a call from Mara. Ivy MacLeod was at the party in Palau that was attacked by terrorists.”

The name was vaguely familiar. “Ivy. The new hire at NHHC? The woman who replaced you?”

“She’s a new hire, yes, but she didn’t replace me. She’s not an underwater archaeologist. She’s the GIS person. The mapping and remote sensing expert. Patrick Hill’s ex-wife.”

Patrick Hill. The traitor who was about to go on trial for espionage and arms dealing. He frowned. “Is she okay?”

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