“There’s one more thing you should know.”
Dutch looked into Malin’s eyes, wondering if the one more thing would finally put him over the edge of not being able to forgive her. He almost wanted to tell her he didn’t want to know.
“I knew that Zamed was taking you to Islamabad. I also knew the location where he planned to keep you.”
“That’s how Doc and Razor found me as quickly as they did.”
Malin nodded.
“But they didn’t know the information came through you.”
“They didn’t, but if you doubt what I’m telling you is true, I can prove it.”
Dutch leaned forward, at first putting his elbows on his knees, but he didn’t stop there, he rested his head on Malin’s lap instead.
When she ran her fingers through his hair, Dutch sat up and took her hands in his.
“I don’t need you to prove anything to me.”
“Dutch…do you…can you ever…”
“If I had stayed and we had talked this out, we could have continued our pretend life here on the island a lot earlier.”
Her grip on his hands tightened as she kept her eyes focused on his.
“I’m not sure I can say I forgive you, if that’s what you’re looking for.”
“Okay…”
“Is what you did something you should be forgiven for, or did you do what you had to do while, at the same time, ensuring the least amount of collateral damage? At great risk to yourself, I might add.”
“That’s what I meant earlier. When I said that I asked myself what you would do. I knew that no matter what, you’d make sure whoever you put in danger would be rescued as soon as possible.”
“Are you also the one who gave us the intel about where Alegria was being held?”
Malin nodded and bit her bottom lip. “Why did you walk away and leave me at the shore earlier?”
“I had to process through whether what you did was out of revenge. I’m sorry, Malin, but I needed time to think.”
“What made you come back to the house now?”
“I realized something about both of us.”
She nodded, waiting for him to continue.
“There was one person who could tell me about how things went down in Islamabad. That person was Alegria. However, I knew I couldn’t contact her and ask her, because more than I needed to know what she’d tell me, I need to protect you. That’s when I knew you’d done the things you had because you had no other choice, not to put Alegria and me in danger.”
“It’s the truth, Dutch.”
He nodded. “It’s also why you won’t tell me your theory. You don’t want me to be in the same kind of danger you are.”
Malin nodded.
“Montgomery warned you away from the money trail. When we arrived back in the States, you believed the agency was going to burn you. Both of those things tell me that the CIA is involved.”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“How far-reaching is it, Malin?”