Dark Tide. Susan Sleeman
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Название: Dark Tide
Автор: Susan Sleeman
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Короткие любовные романы
Серия: Mills & Boon Love Inspired Suspense
isbn: 9781472073389
isbn:
Maybe she would. Although Dani was his twin and they often thought on the same wavelength, he never knew what was going to come out of her mouth.
“Hello, Dani.” Gina marched purposefully across the room. Her strength even in the face of potential adversity didn’t surprise him in the least. Her vulnerability in the car, though—that’s what got to him.
Dani looked up, and Derrick could feel her demeanor change from across the room.
“Gina.” A sharp edge cooled her voice. “Long time no see.”
“It has been a while for sure.” Gina’s tone was far warmer than Dani’s, but then she didn’t have a twin brother who’d been summarily dumped. “I didn’t realize you were coming over.”
Dani cast an irritated look at Derrick, who shrugged in reply.
“No biggie,” he said. “It just didn’t come up.”
The teakettle trilled from the kitchen, and he escaped his twin’s glare to turn it off. He poured steaming water over a fragrant chamomile tea bag Dani had left in his cupboards. He kept an ear on their conversation—it seemed to be centering on babies and Dani’s recent marriage—and carried a mug for Gina and Dani to the family room.
“You mentioned your brother had been murdered,” he said, directing them away from the baby talk so they could create a plan to keep Gina safe. When her smile fell, he instantly regretted his blunt choice of words.
As he sat next to Dani, she socked him in the arm. “Tactful, sport. Real tactful.”
Normally he’d spar with Dani, but she was right. He was going out of his way to deny the attraction he still felt for Gina to the point of being rude. But what else could he do? He couldn’t follow his interest and pretend things would be different this time. She’d hurt him when she’d left, but he’d hurt her first when he hadn’t been able to commit long-term. Nothing had changed in his life. He still choked at the thought of a lifetime commitment.
So he had to get a handle on his feelings. How, he didn’t know. The only thing he did know for certain right now was if he let this connection that still existed between them continue to get the best of him, he’d hurt her again. And no man worth his salt would intentionally hurt a woman—or stand by and let her get hurt. So if someone really was after her, he’d have to protect her.
No matter how much it would hurt to have her back in his life...and then let her go again.
THREE
“It’s okay, Gina, take your time.” Dani’s eyes, blue as her designer shirt, never left Gina. “We’re here to help when you’re ready to talk about it.”
Gina tried to let the comfort of Dani’s tone take away her tension, but she could feel Derrick watching her from the arm of a leather chair, and his scrutiny made her nervous. She willed herself not to look at him and cleared her throat before beginning. “This all started with my brother, Jon. He was a member of the Coast Guard’s Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team stationed in San Diego.”
“Wow,” Derrick interrupted. For the first time his face appeared animated. “That’s a pretty exclusive job. Only the best of the best are chosen for those teams.”
“I’m surprised you’ve heard of them,” Gina said. “Most people don’t know anything about the teams.”
“I’ve read about their successes over the years. I find it fascinating. Traveling the globe. Fighting the war on drugs and smuggling.”
Right. A carefree life. No strings, no attachments. A job like that would probably be perfect for Derrick.
“Well, I haven’t heard of them,” Dani said. “I didn’t even know the Coast Guard stationed people outside the country.”
Gina nodded. “Oddly enough, they deploy on Navy ships and go wherever needed. They board suspected drug dealers’ and smugglers’ boats, arrest the criminals then turn them over to the authorities and move on. They can be gone more than two hundred days a year.”
“So they’re like the cops of the water?” Derrick clarified.
“Yes, except they don’t do any of the investigative work on the cases. The Coast Guard team solely handles the arrests.”
“Would be hard to be married to a man gone so often.” Dani stared into the distance.
Gina was sure Dani was thinking about how hard it would be to leave her new husband, and a flash of jealousy bit into Gina at how deeply dedicated the woman seemed to be to her marriage. If Derrick had shown the willingness to make that kind of pledge to her...but he hadn’t. She forced her mind back on her story. “It takes a big commitment and one Jon was looking to move out of after Sophia was born.”
Gina’s voice faltered as she thought about what came next in her story. “His wife, Becki, was in a terrible car crash last year. She was seven months pregnant at the time. She didn’t survive, but fortunately they were able to save Sophia.”
Dani slid forward and squeezed Gina’s hand. “I’m so sorry. That must’ve been rough. Especially with your brother’s frequent deployments.”
“Thankfully he was on leave while Sophia was in the neonatal unit at the hospital. But once she was healthy enough to come home, I moved in to take care of her. Since I was on summer break from teaching, he went back to his team until he could push through the paperwork to officially resign.”
“So you’re a music teacher like you’d always dreamed?” Derrick asked.
“Yes,” she answered, wondering if Derrick ever missed a thing anyone said. “I’m a high school orchestra director. At least, I hope I’m still employed after my hasty departure.”
“I’m sure they’ll understand.” Dani slid back in her seat and draped an arm over the sofa. “So was your brother killed on duty?”
“No. He died in a car crash just a few miles from our apartment.”
“Just like his wife,” Derrick mumbled to himself.
“No, not like Becki at all,” Gina snapped then instantly felt bad about it. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted like that, but I’m certain Jon was murdered. Becki was simply late for a doctor’s appointment so she was driving recklessly. She lost control and hit a telephone pole. From that day on Jon drove like a little old man. Slow and cautiously. The police say he was speeding and lost control near a cliff. I know better. He would never want to leave Sophia without a father, too. If he lost control of the car, someone must have tampered with it.”
“That should be easy to prove,” Derrick said. “Didn’t the police conduct an investigation?”
Gina faced him, making sure she conveyed the same tenacity she’d once hoped would convince the San Diego detective to keep looking into Jon’s case. “They say they did, but if so, how could they reach this conclusion? It just doesn’t make any sense. And I told them that. I kept after them until they finished the investigation and handed me his personal possessions.” She shook her head. “They СКАЧАТЬ