Deep Rising (An Outside the Lines Novel) (Entangled Select) by N.R. Rhodes Read Free Book Online Page B

to justice before he sets off another wave. Or do you want to see more innocent people die?”
    “Of course not!”
    Jared would do whatever he had to do to protect the innocent. Problem was, he didn’t know if Lana was among the innocent or the threat.

Chapter Six
    “Hi, Daddy.”
    Svetlana paced ten feet away, but he could still see her pale green eyes shining clearly. Any dilation in her irises would not escape his notice.
    “No, I’m fine,” Lana maintained. “How’s Mom?”
    He followed the muted flow of trivial conversation closely. He’d had his doubts upon reading the Intel reports, but having met Lana Orskya and interrogating her face-to-face, he seriously questioned her involvement in this terrible plot. After SEAL training, when he moved into DEVGRU, he’d been trained to detect the minutiae of deviant human behaviors. He knew how to interpret body language, variations in speech rhythms, eye movement, and other physical reactions in guilty parties. Over time, it had become second nature, and he could make a split-second decision on a person’s guilt or innocence. Thus far, he hadn’t been wrong. He believed Lana, but he didn’t trust his assessment because something about the woman distracted him, and there was far too much at stake to risk a mistake. So he’d watch her carefully and let the chips fall where they would.

    “Listen, Dad,” she said. “I was just wondering if you have Sergei’s new phone number?”
    In the silence of the cabin, he overheard her father’s thick accent as he proclaimed “no.” Jared had already forced her to reach out directly for Sergei, but the only numbers she possessed were no longer in service.
    Her fingers turned white. She clenched the phone as if her life depended on it. Crossing the room, Jared rested his palm atop hers on the receiver.
    “Don’t get any crazy ideas,” he warned in a harsh whisper. “We need to preserve the integrity of this situation.”
    Lana’s lower lip trembled. He moved closer. When she would’ve shimmied away, he stilled her with a hand to her hip. Her muscles tensed.
    “Easy,” he muttered.
    Her big eyes locked on his. He stayed there, counting the pulse in her neck, listening as her father rambled on about the weather and an aunt’s home cooking. When Lana continued to shiver like a sparrow he leaned into her neck.
    “Just take it slow,” he whispered.
    She leaned back. Her eyes searched his; her pupils dilated. And, for just a fraction of a second, he knew it wasn’t the call or the circumstances or the prospect of her half brother committing such brutal crimes that caused her quick intake of breath. For an equally mad moment, he wasn’t thinking of anything else either. Just the warmth and nearness of this woman. Damn it all to hell.
    He should call Gordon and quit now. He should get out because his judgment was skewed where this woman was concerned. But what then? He’d given his word. He’d accepted this mission. He didn’t want to think about the ramifications of refusing to do his job or what it would mean for the mission as a whole…or his future. And what about Lana? Another agent wouldn’t hesitate to hurt her, to use whatever means necessary to obtain the required results.
    She sucked in a breath and slapped her hand over the receiver. “Give me some space.”
    Yeah. A good idea. For both their sakes.
    He released her. “We don’t have all night.”
    Spinning away, she walked to the far corner of the kitchen. The tangled old phone cord trailed behind her.
    “Oh. Really?” Her voice assumed a nervous edge to it. “Do you plan to do as he suggests?” she asked.
    Perhaps another twenty seconds passed before he overheard her heartfelt good-bye. When she replaced the phone in its cradle, he approached her again.
    His government contacts, no doubt, had recorded the entire conversation, but he’d rather hear what transpired from her lips. Later, he’d compare dialogues and determine if she’d