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underestimation is an effective weapon. There’s value in knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your allies, as well as your enemies.”
    So he’d been testing her abilities. Respect for him welled in her, as did amusement. Her handshake test had been on target after all. “Sound policy.”
    He chewed at his inner lip. “Look, we share the same unique problem, Amanda, whether or not you want to admit it. I know you were missing for three months.”
    “Kate wouldn’t dare reveal that.”
    “She would and she did. To me, where revealing it was safe,” he said. “Kate was terrified for you, and I supported her like any decent brother—surrogate or otherwise—would.”
    “Just like she supported you?” Amanda asked, gaining insight. He and Kate were really close. Family. Inside, she felt a little ache. She didn’t have that.
    “Yes,” he admitted, then stared down for a moment before looking back into her eyes. “We were both missing for threemonths and we don’t know why, Amanda. We both need the truth. The only reason I haven’t been dumped on my backside is because I have an advantage.”
    She looked at him, questioning.
    “Secretary Reynolds,” Cross continued. “He knew me well and he trusted me. That’s the only reason my career isn’t in the jeopardy yours is in. But that doesn’t mean I don’t think about those three months, or worry about what happened during them. Will what I said or did be the reason people are killed?” He lifted his shoulders. “I don’t know. I need to know, Amanda. Just as much as you do.”
    Empathy streamed through her. She knew this hell, this doubt and fear, and saw all her deepest feelings reflected in his eyes.
    “So, do we work together to find the truth, or not?”
    Their gazes locked and the truth settled over Amanda like a shroud. Whether or not either of them wanted it, they shared a bond birthed in fear and doubt, and it created an intimacy between them she’d never felt before in her life. An intimate bond that she never would have allowed herself to feel, much less admit existed. But this refused to be denied. This…connection.
    “We do.” Amanda nodded, totally intrigued by Mark Cross. “Absolutely.”
    “Good.” He swallowed a drink of water. “You look hungry. Are you?”
    “Yes.” She’d been eating practically nonstop since her return, but still couldn’t seem to stay full for more than an hour.
    “Let’s go to the galley and fix some lunch.” He moved toward the metal stairs, his long body casting a shadow on the white deck.
    Amanda followed him, glad to be out of the relentless sun. The glare was strong; inviting a wall-banger of a headache she wanted to avoid. When they sat down, she said, “So tell me about your experience.”
    He opened a picnic basket and pulled out fried chicken, potato salad and baked beans. Then a bowl of fresh fruit: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and kiwi. “I’d just finished a high-risk rescue mission and was starting my leave. I had three months, including use-or-lose days, and things were relatively quiet at the office, so I decided to binge and use all the time off at once. I planned a whale of a vacation. I’d take the boat down to the Bahamas and cruise the Caribbean, being totally decadent.”
    Decadent she could believe. The man oozed testosterone. But a man who lived by a self-imposed, six-date limit didn’t get decadent with the same woman for three months. “Alone?”
    “Yeah.” He seemed uneasy about the question. “I like my privacy.”
    “Me, too.” She gave him the lie. They didn’t get close to people outside of work because it took too much effort. It was easier to avoid relationships than to live lies and make excuses for unexplained, extended absences and some of the “dark side” mission requirements that came with the job. She popped a tangy raspberry into her mouth, and immediately wanted another. “So what happened?”
    “Day three, I went to sleep on the boat