He stood in the harsh glow of the fluorescent hospital lights, familiar and so very different at the same time. She recognized the outward man in his Tevas, flowered dive shorts and raspberry-red T-shirt. Hacked-off sleeves showcased his diver-down tattoo with that hint of a scar tracing from his shoulder.
The set of his face, the glint in his eyes, however, was completely new. All the events of the past weeks gelled together...his undeclared Glock, his odd dive pattern, why his dolphins still hadn't been released even with so many trips out...
Why they'd been attacked.
Darcy reevaluated that new glint in this man she suddenly realized she didn't know at all. The mindset, however, she recognized well since she'd seen it stamped on so many before him—her father, her crew, every one of those countless faces populating her world since childhood.
She'd wanted Max because he represented something so very different from her father, her co-workers and yes, even herself—government protectors by training, trade and blood.
Looking into his eyes, she knew. He wasn't so different at all.
Max Keagan was one of them.
Chapter 11
Max schooled his features to stay blank, tough as hell to do even after eight years of CIA undercover work. Darcy's look of comprehension—disillusionment—stabbed clean through him.
She was a smart woman. No doubt, she'd put enough pieces together to realize he wasn't simply Dr. Max Keagan. Now necessity, not to mention safety, dictated she learn the rest.
Or at least enough to keep her safe.
He stepped farther into the room, resisting the urge to wince at the ache to his joints from the rapid rise. He'd suffered worse. Luckily the fight had ended quickly. Too much dive time would have added a trip to the decompression chamber.
One small thing to be grateful for in a helluva day.
Okay, two things. Seeing Darcy awake and ready to spit nails shot a bolt of relief through him that threatened to down him faster than their underwater attackers.
The General's eyes landed square on him. Quietly measuring. The old guy still hadn't decided what to think of him. He'd expressed gratitude for the phone call.
Protectiveness had come later, seconds after his military transport plane landed. Why the hell was his daughter tangled up in some covert flight with dolphins, for God's sake?
What the hell was she doing with Max?
He hadn't missed the General's assessing frown. No doubt Darcy's dad hoped the flowered dive shorts were only a part of the cover.
Sorry, old guy. Can't help ya there.
Daniel Baker followed into the room, sweeping around to the side to lounge against the wall and finish off a candy bar. His third since they'd staked out Darcy's door two hours ago.
Darcy's gaze flickered from Max over to Crusty. Shock rippled from her for a split second before her face blanked. Yeah, damned smart woman. Keep quiet until her suspicions were confirmed. She looked away and concentrated on raising the head of her bed.
When she looked back, her composure was solidly in place. "Apparently there's something more going on here than I thought."
Too composed. Max studied the bandage on her arm and reminded himself of his vow to do anything to keep her safe. Her ego would heal a lot faster than another stab from their attackers.
The General stood sentinel by his daughter's bed. "Keagan is a CIA Officer."
The bald statement hung in the air like a toxic cloud.
Max waited for the fallout. Silence echoed, cut only by the rattle of passing carts and the hum from the nurses' station.
Finally a smile tugged at the corner of Darcy's full lips but never made it to her eyes. "That's one damn good cover act you've got going there, Doc.
Accepting the jab as the least he deserved, Max strode deeper into the room. He took up residence by the window so he could monitor the parking lot while talking. "My superiors have sent the okay to tell you some of the background, given what happened. But even with your level of military clearance, understand we can't tell you everything."
Her lips pinched. "Of course I understand. It's my job to understand."
Max winced. Score two for Renshaw. "I'm here to locate enemy surveillance equipment in the harbor."