The Perfect Murder (Maximum Security #4) - Kat Martin Page 0,109

every two weeks wasn’t easy, but having two weeks off all at once had its advantages, and the pay was good.

A guy named Joe Wickersham warned her that rig life wasn’t for everyone. “There ain’t no windows in your room, you know? So you got a problem with enclosed spaces, this ain’t the job for you.”

She was beginning to understand that. The cafeteria was big, with plenty of lighting, lots of tables, and room to move around, but you couldn’t see outside. In a lot of ways, the rig was like a giant submarine. She would be glad when they were headed back home.

Her gaze went to the door as Reese walked in. The man with him was taller, more muscular, with a thick barrel chest. But it was Reese who dominated the space, clearly the man in control.

Her pulse kicked up the way it always did. As he strode toward her, she felt the same spike of awareness that hit her every morning when he walked into the office.

“How’s it going?” he asked.

“Great. It’s an interesting life. It’s not for me, that’s for sure, but the people who work here seem happy with their jobs.”

He nodded. “Good to hear.” He glanced around the room, taking note of available tables. “Let’s get something to eat.” They went through a line that offered a variety of food, everything from lettuce wraps to enchiladas to good old American standards like burgers and chili.

Good food was important on a rig.

“There’s a supply ship on the way,” Reese said as they sat down across from Dave Pierce and the big guy he had walked in with, Tony Sandini. “We’re scheduled to go for a ride, take a look at the rig from the water. You like the ocean, right? You don’t get seasick or anything?”

“Nope.”

“Good. Soon as we’ve finished our boat ride, we’ll take off back to Houston.” His gaze heated. “I’ve got plans for us tonight.”

Kenzie’s stomach contracted. He just had to look at her the way he was now and she wanted him. She swallowed and nodded. “Okay.”

The supply boat was a red-and-white affair sixty feet long. The platform produced its own power and water, but food supplies, all sorts of products that were needed on a daily basis, arrived by boats out of Galveston.

Kenzie stepped onto the deck and immediately lost her balance as a heavy wave lifted the vessel several feet into the air. Reese’s strong hand wrapped around her waist to steady her, and she smiled. “Thanks.”

“My pleasure.” His hot glance said his mind was already on the night ahead. Kenzie felt a rush of heat, but Reese’s attention had returned to the job at hand.

He followed Tony along the deck toward the bow of the boat, where a big metal crane was offloading supplies to a deck that circled the base of the rig. An elevator lifted the goods to the various decks, where they were unloaded.

Reese was busy asking questions, but as the boat pulled away from the lower deck to circle the four massive pillars supporting the rig, Kenzie was absorbed by the beautiful day, the clear blue sky, and foamy white waves breaking against the hull.

She watched a seagull circling above her and smiled at the warmth of the sun on her face. She noticed Reese moving farther away as Tony explained something about the crane.

It took a moment to realize something in the atmosphere had shifted. She turned at the sound of shouting and running feet. The engine stalled and a wave washed over the bow. Then the big boat shuddered and erupted in a fierce explosion, pieces and parts flying into the air with murderous force.

“Kenzie!” Reese raced toward her. He was still several yards away when a second explosion ripped through the air, lifting the center of the boat out of the sea and flipping the deck onto its side.

Kenzie screamed as she hit the cold water, the shock taking her breath away. Kicking her legs, she pushed toward the surface, broke through, and dragged in a deep breath of air. The sea was littered with huge chunks of wood and pieces of plastic, some of them on fire, but the boat itself seemed to be holding together in some kind of tenuous bond. But where was Reese?

Treading water, she turned in a circle, madly searching for him, determined not to panic, fighting to stay calm until she found him. He had been farther away, somewhere past the crane on the bow