“Not good enough,” Griffin said through clenched teeth.
“What’s not good enough?” Marin asked.
Following Ben, she climbed off the bow agilely, only to slip on the last step. Griffin caught her before she fell. Marin leaned into him coyly, but he held his body away from hers. Confusion marred her pretty face. Griffin didn’t blame her. He was conflicted by his need to keep her close when finding the thief should be his top priority. If he was going to find this creep, he needed to listen to Adam and put some distance between him and Marin. It wasn’t like he hadn’t warned her an hour earlier in the cabin. He just hoped she’d gotten the message.
Marin’s stepped out of his grasp and crossed her arms in front of her. “Do I get to know where you boys are taking me?”
Ben pointed toward a marina up ahead before taking Adam’s place at the wheel. “We’re docking adjacent to Fort McNair. From there, Agent Groesch and some others will take you to a State Department safe house on base. I hear it has a fabulous view.”
She worried her bottom lip. “I need to be in New Orleans by Friday night.”
“You’re booked aboard Air Force One,” Adam informed her. “And you’ll have a lucky Secret Service agent as your wedding date.”
“You?” she asked Adam, her tone a little too hopeful for Griffin’s comfort.
“Hell, no,” Griffin declared. “I told you I was taking you to that damn wedding and I still am.”
Marin’s face was hard to read. “Try not to sound so enthused about it, Agent Keller.”
She disappeared into the cabin. When Griffin went to chase after her, Adam stopped him with a hand to his arm.
“Dude, worry about the guy trying to kill her,” his friend reminded him. “You can kiss and make up with Marin afterward. And then you’ll both live happily ever after.”
Griffin grabbed Adam by the shirt. “I told you it’s not like that.”
Adam pushed Griffin’s hands away. “Yeah, yeah. It’s complicated. Too bad you’re the only one who thinks that.”
“Guys,” Ben interrupted. “Can we gab about Griffin’s need to get in touch with his feelings another time? I really need each of you on either side of the bow to tie the boat off.”
Adam made a kissing noise before scrambling up top and heading to the left side of the bow. Griffin debated going below to check on Marin. Adam didn’t know what the hell he was talking about. Except for the part about catching Marin’s attacker. That needed to be Griffin’s first priority.
Ben steered the boat alongside the dock. “Keller, get your ass up there to grab the lines on the starboard side.”
Griffin made his way to the front of the boat.
* * *
Ben was right. The house they took Marin to did have stunning views of the Washington waterfront and Arlington beyond. It was also furnished more tastefully than the last house, befitting of the foreign dignitaries who used this address as a hiding place. The home would be perfect if she were enjoying a weekend getaway in Washington, DC.
Except she wasn’t. She was essentially a prisoner. And even worse for her psyche, Griffin was obviously not sticking around to play the role of her bodyguard.
“There’s a gorgeous tub in the master bath if you’d like a long soak after swimming in the Potomac,” Agent Groesch said. “I guessed at the sizes of clothing you’d need, but you should find something upstairs that will fit you.” The female agent tsked at the tight shorts Ben and Adam had brought for her that morning. “Leave it to a man,” she mumbled as she walked back into the room the agents were using as an office.
Marin buried her hands into Otto’s fur. She was delighted to see the big dog awaiting her when she arrived. Otto’s presence almost made up for the fact that Griffin was abandoning her.
“The windows are bulletproof,” Griffin told her after he’d inspected the entire house.
He was standing in the wide hallway, carefully maintaining his distance from her. Just as he had during the boat ride; determined to play the cold, detached special agent. Marin was trying desperately not to let his distance hurt. She wasn’t having much success, however. She thought what they’d shared the night before—what he’d shared with her—meant something. Apparently, she was wrong. Again.
“There are two Uniformed Division officers at each exit, not to mention that you’re on a military base,” he added. “You’ll be able to relax here.”
Given how strung out she was emotionally, Marin wasn’t sure she could relax anywhere, but that was beside the point. “What time does the yoga instructor arrive?” she quipped.
He arched an eyebrow at her sarcasm, but he stayed where he was, poised to make a break for it through the steel front doors. Marin just wanted him to leave. The pretense of having a civilized conversation with him was too draining on her raw emotions. The sooner he left, the better. She opened her mouth to make another witty remark, one that would let him think she wasn’t dying inside, but emotion clogged her throat.
A whispered “be safe” came out of her mouth instead.
Not waiting around for his answer, she climbed the stairs quickly, wanting to put as much distance as she could between them before she broke down. She just made it over the threshold of the master bedroom when the door slammed shut behind her. Marin whirled around to find Griffin standing in the center of the room, a thunderous look on his face.