Page 45 of Snow

He bit back a grin as she took two deep breaths and visibly relaxed once she was standing on solid ground. She had spent the entire flight trying to pretend she wasn’t miserable, but he had caught every death grip on the seat and every tiny flinch when turbulence hit. Not that he would tell her, but it had been cute.

Snow grabbed both of their duffel bags. Nova looked over as he slung both bags effortlessly over one shoulder.

“You know,” she shouted over the noise, “I can carry my own bag.”

“I know you can. But judging by how fast you sprinted off that helicopter, I figured if I didn’t grab your bag, you might leave it behind in your escape attempt.”

She rolled her eyes at him, though he caught the faint smile tugging at her mouth before she turned away.

Grinning, he shifted his attention back to the structure around them. The rig was massive. He had been offshore before during trade school training, but nothing quite this size. Multiple platforms branched off from the main deck like steel limbs stretching across the Gulf. Cranes loomed overhead while piping and industrial equipment wound through every level.

At first glance, it looked impressive. At second glance? It looked like a nightmare to secure. There were so many places to hide something.

If something illegal were happening here, they would have plenty of room to conceal it.

A man in jeans, boots, and a navy Gulf Ventures work shirt approached them with a friendly smile plastered across his face.

“Mr. Iverson? Ms. Hart?” he called over the helicopter noise. “I’m Clint. Assistant to the rig supervisor.”

Snow noticed Nova glance sideways at him for half a second, confusion flashing in her eyes before she hid it. He realized then that outside the team, she had never actually heard his real name before. To her, he had only ever been Snow.

Snow shook his hand briefly while Nova introduced herself beside him.

“Brett, our rig supervisor, wanted to greet you personally,” Clint continued, “but he’s dealing with something on the other side of the rig right now. He asked me to apologize on his behalf.”

Snow gave a casual nod, though internally he filed the excuse away. Eventually he would determine if it was just a convenient excuse or a valid one.

“If you would like, I can show you to your room,” Clint offered. “Then, after you get settled, I can give you the grand tour.”

“We would appreciate it,” Snow said.

As they followed Clint across the deck, Snow immediately noticed the guy’s attention drifting toward Nova every few seconds. It wasn’t subtle either. Clint’s eyes lingered too long when she pushed her windblown hair behind her ear or glanced around the platform.

Snow felt that protective and territorial instinct kicking in, which was ridiculous because Nova wasn’t his. Not to mention this was a mission. That reminder didn’t stop the irritation crawling up his spine anyway.

Clint led them through a maze of corridors and stairwells before reaching the top floor of the residential quarters.

“You guys are lucky. You get this floor to yourselves,” Clint said as he walked them down the hall.

Snow glanced at Nova and caught the brief narrowing of her eyes before she quickly masked it. He knew instantly she was thinking the same thing as he was. This arrangement wasn’t luck. Someone had intentionally put them up here, isolated from the rest of the crew and away from curious eyes and ears.

Still, he kept his expression neutral. “Works for us.” Which it did because he knew that there was no reason for anybody to be on this floor besides Nova and him.

Clint stopped at a door near the end of the hall and produced a keycard from his pocket, swiping it against the door’s keypad.

“Here we are,” he said, pushing the door open.

Snow stepped inside first, Nova right behind him. The space was larger than anticipated and very clean. Two double beds sat against opposite walls. A small desk was centered between the two beds against the wall, just under the window that looked out to the rig’s deck and the endless Gulf beyond.

Snow glanced at Nova. “You can take this one,” he told her.

“Actually, this is the only room we’ve got available right now. I hope you both don’t mind sharing,” Clint said, looking between them, a grin on his lips.

Snow felt Nova stiffen beside him, though her face remained carefully neutral. The arrangement didn’t bother him, as he had slept in far worse conditions, but he could see the slight discomfort on Nova’s face, especially the way her jaw tightened.

“You mean to tell me that there are no other rooms available?” Nova asked, her eyes narrowing.

“Afraid not,” Clint said, not sounding apologetic in the slightest. “Many of the rooms are still under construction. And all of the finished ones besides this one are occupied.” He shifted on his feet. “It’s not the Ritz, but at least it’s new. The beds have fresh linens, and there are new towels in the bathroom.”