The Reef

loss.
    Saying nothing, she pushed away from the table and walked out into the rain. On a muttered oath, Matthew shoved his bowl aside and went after her.
    “Is this how you handle things now when somebody puts a mirror up to your face, Red? Walk away?”
    She stood at the starboard rail, gripping it tight while the rain poured over her. To the north, lightning cracked the sky.
    “I didn’t know.”
    “Right.”
    “I didn’t know,” she repeated. “Not when I signed on. If I had, I wouldn’t . . . I would never have been a part of anything connected with VanDyke. I wanted to work with Hayden again, to be a part of something big and important. So I never looked beyond the opportunity.” She was ashamed now, as she hadn’t been when the anger and resentment had been so huge. “I should have.”
    “Why? You had a chance, you took it. That’s the way things work.” He hooked his thumbs in his pockets to keep himself from touching her. “You made your choices, and so what? Bottom line is VanDyke’s not your fight anyway.”
    “The hell he isn’t.” Fresh fury had her whirling around. Rain streamed from her hair and face. Thunder grumbled in the distance. “He isn’t your personal demon, Matthew, whatever you think. He took from all of us.”
    “So you took something back from him. You earned a little fame and fortune on the Nomad. Like you said, you don’t care who paid for it.”
    “Goddamn you, Lassiter, I said I didn’t know. The minute I found out, the minute I realized he’d arranged to have me on the ship, I packed up and left.”
    “You packed up and left because you were afraid I’d take advantage of your parents. Don’t pull this crap, Tate. I know he called you, told you what was going down. You were on Hatteras in record time.”
    “That’s right, and one of the reasons I could be was because I’d already tendered my resignation and arranged for transport. The hell with you,” she said wearily. “I don’t have to prove anything to you. I don’t have to justify anything to you.”
    But she realized she had to justify it to herself. Impatient, she pushed dripping hair back from her face. “I thought I’d gotten the assignment because Hayden had recommended me.”
    A little kernel of jealousy glowed green just under his heart. “You and this Hayden got a thing going?”
    “He’s a colleague,” she said between her teeth. “A friend. He told me that my name was on the approved list before it got to him.”
    “So?”
    “Follow the logic, Lassiter. I did. Why would someone have done that? I wanted to know why, and who, and I found out. VanDyke chose me. He didn’t strike me as a man who forgets. How many Tate Beaumonts with a master’s in marine archeology do you figure are out there?”
    Because it was starting to make sense, he began to feel like a fool. “At a guess, I’d say one.”
    “Right.” She turned back to the rail. “He had to know who I was,” she said quietly. “And he wanted me on the Nomad. Whether you believe me or not, I was leaving the expedition before my father contacted me.”
    He let out a long breath, rubbed his hands over his wet face. “I believe you. Maybe I was out of line, but I was steamed over the idea that you’d work for him just to build your rep.” The quick, cold look she shot over her shoulder had him feeling like a worm. “I said I was out of line. I should have known better.”
    “Yes, you should have known better.” Now she sighed.Why should he have trusted? she asked herself. They didn’t really know each other anymore. “It doesn’t matter. I’m glad we cleared the air about it, anyway. I’ve been stewing over it. I don’t like knowing he’d used me. I like knowing less he’s been looking over my shoulder all these years.”
    It was a possibility that hadn’t occurred to him. As it took root, the violent emotion that bloomed from it dimmed jealousy. He gripped her arms, lifting her to her toes. “Did he ever contact you, try anything?”
    “No.” To keep her balance, Tate splayed her hands on Matthew’s chest. Rain beat down on them in fat, warm drops. “I haven’t seen him since the day he threatened to have us shot. But obviously, he’s kept track of me. My first postgraduate expedition was for Poseidon, in the Red Sea. For Poseidon,” she repeated. “And now I have to wonder how many projects I’ve been involved with he’s had a hand in. How many doors he opened for me, and