Page 34 of Code Name: Harbor

“You know what he does to women, Connie. You know exactly what he does to women and now you’re standing in my cabin telling me we should deliver a woman to him.”

“I’m freaked out, Finn, and I’m merely offering options,” she whines.

I move toe to toe with her. “I don’t give a fuck how you feel about this. If I hear you say one more thing like that, ever, to anybody, you take your shit, you walk off this boat, and you don’t come back. Not for work. Not for anything. Do you understand me?”

Marcus’s head whips my way and Connie’s eyes flare with pain. “Finn…”

“Do you understand me, Connie?”

She doesn’t say anything for a second. She looks so wounded, as if I’d driven a knife in her heart. Then, “Yeah… I understand.”

“Good.”

Her capitulation should settle it, but I’m still angry. Pissed as hell she’d even suggest such a thing, and not just that she doesn’t seem to have any regard for an innocent woman dying, but that it’s Josie she would hand over to a monster.

The cabin is suddenly too small for me to be in. I take my jacket off the wall hook and head up the steps to the deck without looking at either of them.

The air outside is cold and clean. I inhale deep breaths to clear my head, wondering if I was too rough on Connie now that there’s a little distance between her words and me.

But fuck that. She’s talking about a death sentence to Josie and…

My hands curl into fists.

I hear Marcus’s footsteps behind me but don’t turn around. Instead, I walk down the gangway, onto the dock and toward the gate. The marina is quiet except for somebody two slips east playing music low through a cracked door.

Marcus catches up to me halfway down the dock and falls into step.

I ignore him as we walk past the end of the slips, past the harbormaster’s office, through the gate and across the gravel lot toward where my truck is parked.

“Talk to me, Finn,” he finally says as I reach in my pocket for the key fob.

I look out past the breakwater and exhale. “I had dinner with her last night.”

From the corner of my eye, I can see Marcus jolt. “Oh.”

“We had dinner on the Catherine,” I say, turning to face him fully.

He blinks in surprise.

Because he knows what that means. I don’t bring anyone on the Catherine. That boat is my sanctuary. It belongs to me, the one thing that doesn’t touch any other parts of my life. It has no part in my criminal underworld and represents the small part of my life that is good and normal.

“You must like her very much,” Marcus finally says.

“I like her way more than I should.” I look at him meaningfully. “And I’m going to keep her safe, Marcus. Whatever it takes and if Connie—”

“She won’t,” he assures me. “I’ll keep her in check.”

I stare at him, a silent message that I won’t tolerate her going off the rails.

“She’s scared, Finn,” Marcus says in a low voice. “Cut her a little slack. She’s had your back for a long time and deserves a little credit.”

I’m slightly chastened. “Yeah… fine.” I rub my neck, lifting my eyes back to Marcus. “Are you going to tell me I’m being stupid?”

He grins at me, bright white smile. “For following your heart? Never. But I am going to tell you to be careful. This is a dangerous game you’re playing with Voronin. You and I both know Mikhail wasn’t here to try to get information. He was here because they suspect it was us there that night.”

“I know,” I say on a long exhale. “Maybe I should stay away from Josie. Would that be the best way to keep her safe?”

“Maybe,” he says but then claps me on the shoulder. “But I’m going to tell you to eat the cheesecake.”