Page 343 of Hidden Depths
“The side that wants to finish planning before midnight.”
“That wasn’t an answer.”
“It was the only one you’re getting.”
We left Frank, Rose, Ivy, Willow, and Hazel aboard Sea Whisper under Coast Guard protection.
Calle went to the exchange point with one of the SEALs.
She carried a copy of Grandpa’s journal inside the waterproof case.
From a distance...
It would look real.
The remaining SEALs, Nathan, and I took a Coast Guard boat north without lights.
No siren.
No radio.
Nothing that would announce our approach.
The ocean was black beneath us.
The moon disappeared behind the clouds.
Nathan sat near the bow, staring toward the distant coastline.
I moved beside him.
“Did Mom ever suspect?”
“No.”
“You never told her?”
“No. I haven’t seen her much over the years.”
“Not even after Dad died?”
He shook his head.
“She was grieving. I wouldn’t use her loneliness to get what I wanted.”
“That isn’t what I meant.”
“I know.”
He looked toward me.
“Your mother deserved more than a man who appeared when she was vulnerable.”
“So you gave her nothing?”
“I gave her friendship.”
“And what did that give you?”
