Page 98 of Riptide
Reagan's eyes flicked between them. She disappeared to get Gabe's coffee but didn't go far. Cara could see her hovering near the counter, watching.
Gabe noticed too. His eyes tracked Reagan's movements, then returned to Cara. Something unspoken passed between them—an acknowledgment of the triangle they'd found themselves in. Gabe knowing Reagan was part of Cara's team. Reagan knowing Gabe knew. Nobody saying it out loud.
"How are you feeling?" Gabe asked quietly. "Your throat..."
Cara's hand drifted to her neck, where the bruises still throbbed beneath the silk scarf she'd used to cover them. "I'll live."
"That's not what I asked."
"It's the answer you're getting."
He nodded slowly. Reagan delivered his coffee, shot Cara a meaningful look, and retreated to hover at a slightly greater distance.
"Thorne's still out there," Gabe said. "We've got people looking, but he's gone to ground. Could be anywhere."
"I know."
"Which means you need to be careful. Stay visible. Stay around people. Don't go anywhere alone until we find him."
"I wasn't planning on it."
Gabe wrapped his hands around the coffee mug, staring into it like it held answers. "I also need to ask... your crew. Whatever you've been doing to fight back against Blaire. How's that going?"
Cara weighed her options. Lies, partial truths, deflection. She was tired of all of them.
"We've slowed her down," she said finally. "Maybe stopped her. But building a legal case? Something that would actually stick?" She shook her head. "Not yet."
"And now she knows you've been working against her."
It wasn't a question. Of course Gabe had figured that out.
"She called me this morning. Gave me until midnight to enjoy my last day of normal life."
Gabe's jaw tightened. "She threatened you."
"Not a threat. A promise." Cara met his eyes. "She's going to tell you everything she has on me. The inheritance questions, the identity gaps. Wants you to run me through your databases. See what comes up."
The silence stretched between them. Outside, a truck rumbled past. Inside, the fishermen laughed at some joke. Normal life, continuing on, oblivious.
"Cara." Gabe's voice was careful. "Whatever she has on you?—"
"It's enough." She cut him off. "It's enough to destroy everything I've built here. Everything I've become."
"You don't know that."
"Yeah, I do." She leaned forward, urgency bleeding through despite her best efforts. "You're a good man, Gabe. You believe in the law, in justice, in doing the right thing. And when you find out what I've done—what I really am—you're not going to be able to look past it."
"You don't get to decide that for me."
"I'm not deciding anything. I'm just... preparing you."
Reagan appeared again, refilling Gabe's untouched coffee. Her presence was a reminder—you're not alone, even when it feels like it. Cara appreciated that more than she could say.
Gabe waited until Reagan retreated before speaking again. "I need you to back off. Whatever you and the guys are planning—put it on hold. Just until we find Thorne."
"If I back off, Blaire destroys me anyway."
"If you don't back off, you might get hurt. Or worse." His voice hardened. "Blaire's being squeezed from all sides. She'sgoing to explode. And I don't want you anywhere near when she does."
