Sea Haven 01 - Water Bound

the shadow and enhanced it first. He smiled and shook Lev’s hand again. “Been a long time.”
    “Too long. Nearly lost my woman. She was getting ready to dump me
    — again.” Lev’s fingers settled possessively around the nape of Rikki’s neck. “I’m not the best letter writer.”
    Rikki made no response. He could feel her body vibrating and there was the gentlest of rocking. He knew she wasn’t aware of it, but her distress level was increasing in direct proportion to the number of people crowding close to her.
    “You okay, Rikki?” Mike asked, looking at her, not at Lev.
    She nodded. “Just tired. The current was strong.”
    “There’s an outsider hanging around asking questions. He’s asking about the divers. I don’t know what he’s after, but be careful, Rikki,” Mike warned.
    “I’ll look after her,” Lev said.
    Her frown deepened and she took a step away from him. “I don’t need looking after. That’s what got us into trouble before, remember?”
    She’d missed her calling. She needed an Oscar, blending her annoyance with their fictitious previous relationship. He was very aware her step had taken her closer to the two men and it bothered him on some weird primal level. He shouldn’t be a jealous man. He shouldn’t really have those kinds of emotions. Nevertheless, he considered this might be a perfect time for target practice.
    Lev forced a grin. “Yeah. I remember. Little Miss Independent. She spit on my money.”
    He took her hand and drew her around the two divers back toward the parking lot and the safety of the truck. These men needed time for the shadow memory to work. They would think they knew him but were having trouble placing him. And he didn’t dare stay long around Mike, the man was too perceptive by far and he was fighting the planted memory.
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    She shrugged. “If you’d rolled the hoses properly in the first place, we wouldn’t have needed the money to replace them.”
    Definitely an Oscar. They sounded like they’d been together forever, and the men had to know how fussy she was about her equipment. They were divers. They were probably just as fussy. He laughed. “You’re not suckering me back into that old argument. Come on, let’s get home.”
    She went with him, lifting her hand to the divers as she climbed into the driver’s seat. “You know they think you’re kissing ass just to get back into my good graces.”
    He smirked as he carefully stowed her gear. “They also know the balance of power will swing right back once I worm my way inside your little heart again.”
    “You should write fiction. The Sea Gypsy is my boat. If you want to be captain, you’ll have to go buy your own boat. You have enough money.”
    “I’m content to work under you.” He gave her another male smirk as he seated himself on the passenger side, his dark glasses firmly in place.
    She rolled her eyes and started the truck. “You’re good at role playing, Lev—Levi.”
    He turned his head. She had a tone. Thoughtful. Speculative. His gut knotted up again.
    “Yes. I play roles to survive, Rikki. I slip from one identity to the next.”
    Without speaking, she drove up the narrow, steep road lined with eucalyptus trees that led to the highway, but her frown was back and this time, it didn’t bode well for him. He waited, letting her work it all out in her mind. He knew the direction her mind was going.
    She drove all the way back to the farm without saying a word. He respected her silence. At the house, she took care of her equipment first, making certain everything was ready for the next dive, just as she’d done on the boat. He went into the house and left her to it, powering up the laptop so he could be sure that everything for Levi Hammond was in place. His social security, driver’s, diving and tender’s licenses were all being replaced after the theft dutifully reported to the cops. He even had a copy of the “police”
    report.
    Levi Hammond had a secure history, as did his parents and his grandparents on both sides. Lev was always thorough. He even had set up a history of credit card use, with an excellent credit rating as well. The credit cards were coming along with his birth certificate. He double-checked that no one had tried to access any of his records, including his school records.
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    Obviously, Petr Ivanov hadn’t heard of him or become suspicious of anyone in Rikki’s life.
    On the other hand, he’d put a flag on Rikki’s records