Page 85 of Snow

“What—”

He lifted one hand.

Catching his drift, she clapped her mouth shut.

For several seconds, all she heard was the constant hum of machinery and the waves moving far below them.

Then she heard it. It was an engine.

Snow moved toward the railing, Nova following close behind as the low rumble grew louder before abruptly changing pitch.

It was a boat, and it was moving away from the platforms.

They both stared toward Platform Three, but the clouds that had rolled across the sky while they had been talking now covered the moon, swallowing most of the surrounding water in darkness. Nova strained to see something—running lights, a silhouette, anything—but there was nothing except black ocean.

Snow’s entire demeanor changed beside her. The man who had been kissing her seconds earlier disappeared, replaced instantly by the Navy SEAL she had seen emerge whenever something didn’t feel right.

“That sounded like it had come from Platform Three,” he said quietly.

Nova’s stomach tightened as a conversation from earlier suddenly replayed in her head.

Brett asking Clint if Delilah was fixed because he wanted to take her out.

Nova turned toward Snow. “Do you think that could have been Delilah?”

Snow continued staring into the darkness long after the sound of the engine had disappeared.

“I don’t know.” His hand closed around hers. “But I think it is about time we find out what’s happening over there.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The darkness was exactly what Brett needed.

Heavy clouds had swallowed the moon, leaving the Gulf black except for the occasional glow of distant platform lights behind him.

The small boat cut through the water as he guided it farther away from Platform Three, the engine vibrating beneath his feet while the salt-heavy wind whipped against his face.

He would have preferred to wait to do this. That had been the plan from the beginning. Keep everything quiet until Ms. Hart and Mr. Iverson finished whatever bullshit inspection Silverman had sent them to conduct. After that, he could return to business.

Unfortunately, Andre had changed the timetable. The call had come earlier that evening. Andre had an interested buyer for the UUV, someone with deep pockets who wasn’t patient and willing to pay double the asking price. But they wanted proof the device worked, and they wanted delivery next week. Which meant Brett needed a successful test now.

His gaze lifted toward the sky as another gust of wind swept across the open water. The storm system moving through the Gulf had grown considerably faster than anyone had predicted and was expected to start affecting operations by morning.

Under normal circumstances, Brett would’ve considered the timing another complication. Tonight, it was a gift. By tomorrow, anything unusual could easily be blamed on the weather.

He smiled. Sometimes the universe worked in his favor.

Brett adjusted his heading, watching the navigation display as the platform lights behind him became smaller. He wanted to be far enough away to avoid any detection, especially with Ms. Hart and Mr. Iverson snooping around.

His thoughts drifted unexpectedly to Nova Hart. Now there was a complication he wouldn’t mind spending a little more time investigating.

Brett smiled to himself as he remembered seeing her earlier. She was a beautiful woman, no question about that, but there was something else about her he found intriguing. Maybe it was the confidence. Maybe it was the way she looked him directly in the eye when she spoke instead of becoming flustered like so many women did around him. Whatever it was, she was on his radar. Unfortunately, so had Iverson. The prick seemed permanently attached to her whenever she wasn’t in the office area. It was as if he acted like some overprotective guard dog.

Brett’s jaw tightened. He still hadn’t decided what he thought about the man. There was something about Iverson that didn’t quite fit the role he had supposedly been sent there to perform.

Brett had spent enough years working offshore to recognize men who belonged in that environment, and Iverson certainly knew his way around a platform, but his constant awareness bothered Brett. The guy watched exits. Paid attention to people coming and going and noticed things most consultants or engineers wouldn’t give a shit about.

Maybe he was simply protective of Nova. If so, Brett could understand why. Given the opportunity, he wouldn’t mind having a go at the beautiful attorney himself.