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“What about it?”
“Deputy Director John Bishop Cross graduated from Princeton University. He was the quarterback on their football team. The PrincetonTigers. He has pictures on the wall in his office.”
Dane stared. “You think Cross could be the TigerKing?”
“It fits, sort of, at least, the name does. He wouldn’t know where the shipping lanes were, but he’d certainly know how to get stuff smuggled into Hawai’i.”
“But didn’t he tell all of you guys about the Navy’s missing weapons? Why would he do that if he was the one smuggling them?” Cain asked.
“Cover?” She thought back to his little talk. “And a way to control the flow of information. He brought us all upstairs and told us that the Navy thing was a big secret, so big that he didn’t want anything done in writing. Everyone was to work on it but only tell him if they found a lead. He said that emails weren’t secure enough. He even had the floor swept for bugs and took all our cell phones to a separate floor before the meeting.”
Dane leaned back in the seat. “That does sound strange.”
“Sounds like someone is definitely trying to control the narrative,” Cain agreed. “He could be the one we’re after, but we need proof. We have to find the motherboards.”
“Do you think they are still on Oahu?” Mac asked. “Wouldn’t they be gone as quickly as possible?”
“Maybe,” Dane said. “Or maybe not. Depends on who he is selling them to. If it were me, I’d want to make the sale as quickly as possible, then the buyer has to get them out, and it’s no longer the seller’s problem.”
“Coming up on the hotel,” Tac said as they drove down a quiet, tree-lined street.
“We’re not going in through the lobby.” Dane smiled at her. “You’ll look a little out of place. You and I are going through the restaurant and will enter from the back side.”
She looked down at her scrubs. They weren’t wrong. “Okay.”
Ten minutes later, she was sitting on the bed of a large room that had a window overlooking the dolphins’ pool. The beach and ocean lay just beyond the man-made lagoon. The king-sized bed was decorated with a comforter with large colorful flowers. There was enough space for a sofa at the other end of the room along with a chair and a coffee table. The furniture was done in shades of blue that matched the pictures on the wall.
The bathroom was off to the left of the bed. She’d used the facilities as soon as they’d gotten into the room. The massive, marble-tiled bathroom featured a separate shower and a whirlpool tub. Under other circumstances, she’d have been thrilled to be here. A weekend getaway with Dane… She swallowed.Stupid idea. What happened to never getting involved with someone she worked with again? She needed to keep reminding herself of that, but the kiss had just been so…good. It had been a while since she’d kissed someone like that. She couldn’t even remember the last time.
“You okay?” Dane asked.
“Wh—what? Sorry, I was daydreaming.”
“I asked if you want to take a shower.”
“Love to, but I need clothes to put on.” She wasn’t getting out of the shower, only to spend a lot of time wearing nothing but a bathrobe or, worse, a towel.
“Cass is going to be here in about fifteen minutes, so if you want to hop in, you’ll have clothes by the time you’re getting out.”
“Thank God. I am desperate for a shower.” She stood up and wobbled slightly.
He was there immediately, steadying her with his hands on her waist. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
She winced. “Yeah. I’m just a little woozy. I think I’m dehydrated. I’ll drink some water and be okay. Do you happen to have any of that Advil left?”
“Do you still have a headache?” Concern was written all over his face.
“A touch, but it’s more the bruises. My shoulder and arm hurt from being smacked into the wall.”
“Right. I’ll get them from Jace. Why don’t you get in the shower, and I’ll bring them when you’re finished?”
“Sounds good. Thanks.” She stared up at him, reluctant to move. She liked his hands on her waist. Having him close made her feel safe.
He finally dropped his hands and moved away. “Let me know if you need anything,” he said as he walked toward the door. “We have the outside door to the hallway double-locked and bolted. The two rooms share a foyer. I’m going to close your room door, but we’re right next door and I’ll leave our door open. You don’t even have to go out into the hallway to get to us, okay?”
“Thanks.” She smiled at him and then faced the mirror and grimaced. She really needed a shower, for more reasons than one.
The hot spray stung as it sluiced over the abrasions on her back. She winced but stuck it out. The heat relaxed her back muscles and she let the spray continue to soothe her body. Dane popped into her mind. It must be tough having his back seized up all the time. Just this bruising was killing her. She couldn’t imagine having a broken vertebra and dealing with the fallout of it.
