Chapter 98

I run back on deck, ticking through the ever-lengthening list of things I have to handle: the cleanup, the investigation, and—oh, fuck—the press.

A lot spins through my head as I tell Marcus about Ryan’s call, and he has no more idea than I do how Ryan found out. Apparently he hasn’t stopped pacing while I was below, but he halts the moment I come up. He takes me by the shoulders and searches my face.

“Are you okay?”

I know what he’s really asking, and I nod.

“I’m fine. Pissed off, but okay.” I flash him a smile. “It’s work,” I add—and with Marcus, I don’t need to say more, because it’s the same for him.

Work is our escape. Our refuge. The engine that moves us and focuses us. Work problems are a nuisance and can make me furious, but they don’t paralyze me. It’s the personal stuff that can wreck me—moments like last night that feed my nightmares and fears and my urge to lock myself away. At least they used to have that power. Now I have Marcus and the st