criminal."
Shock radiated through Brant's body. Rebecca wants to leave Max . It was like the universe and all of its stars and planets had shifted their alignment. When his brain started working again, he thought of a way that he could help her out. "What if I said I might have proof?" he answered slowly.
Bullfrog's head swiveled as he gave up all pretext of reading and looked at him directly.
"Like what?" Her hopeful tone plucked at him the same way her despondency had earlier.
Avoiding Bullfrog's wary stare, Brant cast an eye around to make certain no one else was near enough to overhear him. "Remember the account you told me about?"
"Yes."
"Well, I had Hack look into it for me," he murmured, just loud enough for Bullfrog to overhear. "It's a foreign account, Becca. We're not supposed to have any foreign accounts."
"Oh, my God," she breathed. "You weren't supposed to tell anyone else!"
He winced. "I didn't say it was Max's," he promised. "Hack just checked out the company for me."
"Oh. Okay." Her voice sounded a little shaky. "So having a foreign account means he's doing something wrong, right?"
"I don't know. Probably. He could get in trouble with the Navy. And what's he doing to make all that money? Do you have any idea?"
"No." He pictured her shaking her head. "Maybe that guy Tony has something to do with it."
"Has he shown up again?"
"I haven't seen him." She fell thoughtfully silent. "Thank you for checking on that for me, Bronco, but I really need to handle this on my own from now on."
"Are you sure you're up to it?" Not that he doubted her inner strength, but he'd seen her kowtow to Max's demands, and it was hard to picture her defying him.
"I don't know. I feel like I'm walking on eggshells," she admitted.
Her words sparked an immediate visceral response in him. Now he wanted to protect her, damn it. "Listen, I'm here for you," he said on a low note. Beside him, Bullfrog dropped his face into his hands and moaned.
"Thank you. I just... I can't involve you any more than I already have."
"It's okay," he assured her. "I don't mind. Call me whenever you feel like it."
"Thanks." But he could tell by her tone that she had no intention of calling him for anything. "I'll see you."
"Bye." There was the briefest pause, and then the line went dead. Hanging up, he looked over to find his friend slowly dragging his hands from his eyes.
Bullfrog's mouth formed a straight line. "Are you sure you should have told her?" he demanded.
Brant ignored him, pulling his sandwich out of the bag to unwrap it. The ocean breeze threatened to snatch away the wax paper.
"Do you really want to get the CO in trouble? He'll ruin your career if he finds out you encouraged her."
Brant took a huge bite of his sandwich as he considered his reply. "I have to help her," he said finally. "She's a friend."
"She's the CO's wife."
"No shit, really?" He took another huge bite. "Anyway, she's planning to leave him," he added few chews later.
He refrained from mentioning how much her announcement rattled him. On the one hand, he was delighted to hear that she'd decided to move on. Max wasn't worth the dirt on the soles of her dainty little shoes. On the other hand, her being single would complicate their friendship. Without Max between them, there'd be no clear boundaries, no reason for him to deny himself the pleasure of her company. So he could spend time with her—yay. But time together would inevitably deepen their affection on both sides, and Brant didn't do deep— ever . Sticking to superficial connections meant less risk of anyone getting hurt. Of all the women on earth whom Brant didn't want to hurt, Rebecca was numero uno.
Bullfrog folded his arms over his chest and leaned back reflectively. "Max is never going to let her leave him," he predicted.
The words shook the bars of Brant's complacency. "What the hell choice does he have? If she wants to leave him, she can leave him," he insisted, taking a vicious bite out of his
Shock radiated through Brant's body. Rebecca wants to leave Max . It was like the universe and all of its stars and planets had shifted their alignment. When his brain started working again, he thought of a way that he could help her out. "What if I said I might have proof?" he answered slowly.
Bullfrog's head swiveled as he gave up all pretext of reading and looked at him directly.
"Like what?" Her hopeful tone plucked at him the same way her despondency had earlier.
Avoiding Bullfrog's wary stare, Brant cast an eye around to make certain no one else was near enough to overhear him. "Remember the account you told me about?"
"Yes."
"Well, I had Hack look into it for me," he murmured, just loud enough for Bullfrog to overhear. "It's a foreign account, Becca. We're not supposed to have any foreign accounts."
"Oh, my God," she breathed. "You weren't supposed to tell anyone else!"
He winced. "I didn't say it was Max's," he promised. "Hack just checked out the company for me."
"Oh. Okay." Her voice sounded a little shaky. "So having a foreign account means he's doing something wrong, right?"
"I don't know. Probably. He could get in trouble with the Navy. And what's he doing to make all that money? Do you have any idea?"
"No." He pictured her shaking her head. "Maybe that guy Tony has something to do with it."
"Has he shown up again?"
"I haven't seen him." She fell thoughtfully silent. "Thank you for checking on that for me, Bronco, but I really need to handle this on my own from now on."
"Are you sure you're up to it?" Not that he doubted her inner strength, but he'd seen her kowtow to Max's demands, and it was hard to picture her defying him.
"I don't know. I feel like I'm walking on eggshells," she admitted.
Her words sparked an immediate visceral response in him. Now he wanted to protect her, damn it. "Listen, I'm here for you," he said on a low note. Beside him, Bullfrog dropped his face into his hands and moaned.
"Thank you. I just... I can't involve you any more than I already have."
"It's okay," he assured her. "I don't mind. Call me whenever you feel like it."
"Thanks." But he could tell by her tone that she had no intention of calling him for anything. "I'll see you."
"Bye." There was the briefest pause, and then the line went dead. Hanging up, he looked over to find his friend slowly dragging his hands from his eyes.
Bullfrog's mouth formed a straight line. "Are you sure you should have told her?" he demanded.
Brant ignored him, pulling his sandwich out of the bag to unwrap it. The ocean breeze threatened to snatch away the wax paper.
"Do you really want to get the CO in trouble? He'll ruin your career if he finds out you encouraged her."
Brant took a huge bite of his sandwich as he considered his reply. "I have to help her," he said finally. "She's a friend."
"She's the CO's wife."
"No shit, really?" He took another huge bite. "Anyway, she's planning to leave him," he added few chews later.
He refrained from mentioning how much her announcement rattled him. On the one hand, he was delighted to hear that she'd decided to move on. Max wasn't worth the dirt on the soles of her dainty little shoes. On the other hand, her being single would complicate their friendship. Without Max between them, there'd be no clear boundaries, no reason for him to deny himself the pleasure of her company. So he could spend time with her—yay. But time together would inevitably deepen their affection on both sides, and Brant didn't do deep— ever . Sticking to superficial connections meant less risk of anyone getting hurt. Of all the women on earth whom Brant didn't want to hurt, Rebecca was numero uno.
Bullfrog folded his arms over his chest and leaned back reflectively. "Max is never going to let her leave him," he predicted.
The words shook the bars of Brant's complacency. "What the hell choice does he have? If she wants to leave him, she can leave him," he insisted, taking a vicious bite out of his
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