Chapter 34

CHAPTER 34

MIRA

I t had been almost six hours and the storm was finally settling. I stood at my post at the window as the visibility started improving, desperately searching and hoping that Andrew's body wasn't going to be revealed lying prone on the ground.

So far, so good, though.

I could see the bridge now, and there was no sign of him. My fingers rolled into fists against the wall and my heart pounded.

We'd given up on the idea of him having simply wandered off hours ago. I'd checked and then double checked every inch of safe space I could reach on this platform and hadn't found him. He wasn't simply pouting somewhere in a corner.

He truly was gone.

A fact that his crew didn't seem nearly as worried about as they should've been, which made me wonder what kind of relationship he had with the men he worked with. It also made me question my judgment from this morning even more.

After those initial protests about going looking for him, they'd settled in and hadn't brought him up again. My own crew would've been beside themselves if one of our own had gone missing, but not these guys .

Thank God, Logan has already decided not to move forward with them.

I sighed as the rain finally subsided enough for me to see all the way to the other platform. There was still no sign of Andrew, which meant either that he'd made it or that his body had been washed overboard and would never be found.

A frisson of panic ran through me again. The incident report here is going to suck.

Not only had this happened on my watch, but the guy wasn't even on our fucking crew and yet he was going to affect our safety ratings. If only he had listened to me.

My brother was going to tear me a new one for this. He was also going to want to know where I'd been when Andrew had disappeared—and he was not going to be happy to find out that Logan and I had been behind closed doors together.

This day just keeps getting better and better.

I wouldn't lie to Slate, though. If he didn't like it, he didn't like it. Ultimately, Logan and I had needed to speak about retaining this crew and that was why we'd gone into the electrical room. My brother didn't need to know that we'd stayed a few extra minutes to make out.

As all these thoughts raced through my head, I kept looking out the window, waiting until the storm had calmed down enough before I finally turned to face the crew. Planting my hands on my hips, I gave them each a stern look and then drew in a deep breath.

"Right. It should be safe enough for us to head on over to the other platform now, but we're going to do it carefully, slowly, and you're all going to follow my lead, alright?"

Some of the guys nodded while others simply stood up, clearly ready to stretch their legs, but I wasn't ready to let them out yet. I moved to the door, blocking it as they started making their way there. "Once we're out the exterior door, the deck is going to be wet and slippery. Watch your step, hold on tight, and keep an eye on each other."

I waited for them all to nod this time before I finally turned to open the door. Right at the back of the group, Logan shot me a thumbs-up and motioned that he'd bring up the rear, which I hated. Out of all of these men, he was probably the most likely to slip.

Granted, he was wearing sensible sneakers now instead of those shiny shoes he'd worn at first, but he also had the least experience on deck. Unfortunately, I needed him to bring up the rear. He was the only other person around that I trusted and since these guys had a loose cannon for a boss, it stood to reason that they had to be watched.

Like freaking school children, lest someone else goes wandering off in search of their wayward leader.

So instead of calling him over to join me so I could keep an eye on him, I nodded and headed out, leading the way through a series of doors and walkways that would take us back outside. As soon as I opened the exterior door, a light drizzle of mist-like rain touched my face and I smiled, breathing in the tangy, salty air.

The wind had died down, and while this rain would drench us all before we got across the bridge, it wasn't so heavy that it actually affected us otherwise. I usually loved the calm serenity out here after a storm like the one we'd just had, but I couldn't savor it this time.

I needed to get these men to the accommodation platform safely and then I had track down our safety officer. Bradson would know if anyone remained unaccounted for, and if Andrew hadn't checked in, I'd have to enlist Bradson's help to launch our official search for the contractor. I stepped out further onto the platform, hearing the shuffle of feet behind me and keeping my eyes open as I carefully made my way to the railing.

The further I walked, the heavier the tang of salt in the air became. Everything was cold and wet, and the first thing we all did was to move to that railing and peer down into the water below. It was surging, angry and foaming from crashing against the legs of the rig.

Sort of eerie how we're all looking down at that and wondering if it was the last thing Andrew saw.

"Keep moving, people," I said as I pushed away from the railing and turned to the bridge .

Behind me, I sensed the movement as they followed, and a few moments later, when we were finally at the bridge, I heard a couple guys muttering. "If he did come out here and tried to cross, he's probably fish food by now."

"Yeah, no one would've survived that."

The other guy hummed his agreement and my stomach plummeted. I felt like I could throw up thinking about the man being hurled against the cement columns below. They were right, though. While it was possible that he'd made it across soaked but alive, it was also possible that the opposite was true. That he'd been dead since shortly after Logan and I had gone into that electrical room.

We'd only know for sure once we got inside and I spoke to Bradson. Anxiety formed a ball of dread in my stomach that got bigger every time I glanced at the turbulent water below. No one spoke much as we crossed, everyone gripping the railings and concentrating on not losing their footing as we made our way to the platform.

Once I got to the other side of the bridge, I moved out of the way and waved Andrew's crew past, some of the anxiety easing now that we'd almost made it to safety. Being responsible for the lives of these outsiders had not been fun and I was more than relieved that it was over.

As I watched them pass, I said a silent prayer of thanks that we'd all made it. Then I gave Logan a grim look when he finally came across the bridge. His eyes were still filled with worry as they searched the platform and even the waters below, but I knew the feeling. It was the same one I had.

"What's our liability here?" he asked softly as he paused in front of me.

I shrugged. "Nothing yet. Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

He dragged in a deep breath, then nodded. "Fine. Let's go find the safety officer."

"Way ahead of you," I said, inclining my head toward the door.

Bradson emerged and joined us out in the rain with relief written all over his features. "Thank God, you're okay. We were so worried."

I reached out and squeezed his shoulder. "We're fine. It was boring, but boring is better than action on this thing. Is everyone accounted for?"

He nodded. "Except for the crew members tending to the machines and equipment and those who are on duty, most everyone is gathered in the cafeteria. Some retired to their bunks, but they made sure to check in before they went."

Relief spiraled through me. "That's great news. Let's head on inside. I need to talk to you about the contractor."

"The contractor?" He frowned as he followed us to the cafeteria, his trusty clipboard in hand as he paged through the sheets of paper on it. "Which contractor and why? Is something the matter?"

"Maybe," I said, breathing in the familiar scents of chicken and fries drifting from the kitchen.

It was comforting. A feeling others might get from walking into their mother's homes. To me, however, it was rig food that brought that olfactory sense of belonging.

The other guys from Andrew's crew had made a beeline for the food and coffee, and I eyed them for a moment once we'd joined them in the cafeteria. I sure hoped that if I was missing, my men would be more worried about me than they seemed to be.

"Mira?" Bradson's voice interrupted my thoughts. "I asked who you needed to talk to me about. According to my sheets, all the contractors and crew members were accounted for between the production platform and here. Is there anyone in particular that you're worried about?"

I squeezed my eyes shut, then turned to face him with an apologetic smile on my face. "Yeah. Sorry. I guess I zoned out for a minute there. I'm just so happy to be back here. Andrew McMahon. Did he check in with you?"

As I asked the question, Logan nudged me in the ribs and pointed through the crowd. Right there, not five tables away, sipping a coffee and reading a book, was the fucking contractor. Andrew didn't even seem to have noticed us yet, his feet kicked up on the tables and several empty plates scattered around them.

Without wasting a minute to second-guess what I was about to do, I gritted my teeth and marched over to him, smacking his feet off the table before I rained hell down on him for the stunt he'd pulled. "What the fuck were you thinking, McMahon? Not only did you violate a direct order to stay put, but you've had us all thinking that you'd drowned for the last six hours. Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

"It's not a direct order if I'm not under your authority," he said lazily, taking a long moment to dog-ear the page he'd been reading before he lifted his gaze to mine. "Besides, you knew where I was. I made it pretty clear that I was going to come here and I told you I could handle getting over that bridge, so I don't know why you'd think I drowned."

My jaw slackened. "You don't know why we'd think that you drowned? You saw that storm. The wind. The rain. You're fucking lucky you didn't drown, whether or not you thought you could handle it. The least you could've done was to tell us you were leaving."

He waved his hand dismissively. "I might've if you hadn't disappeared, but in any event, here I am. Well fed and alive. All's well that ends well."

"No, it's not. You owe us an apology. At the very least. We were worried sick about you. Your men considered putting their own lives at risk out there to find you. One of them could've gotten injured or killed if I hadn't stopped them. What you did was selfish, stupid, and really fucking dangerous. We don't tolerate that kind of conduct here."

"You're overreacting," he drawled with a shake of his head.

My eyebrows shot up, my heart racing and my cheeks flushing as I scoffed at the asshole. "Oh, you think that was overreacting? How does this sound? You're no longer welcome on this rig. You're fired."

The room hummed with silence in the wake of my declaration. A declaration I hadn't had the authority to make, and besides, the guy hadn't even started working yet. I doubted that he could be fired, per se, but it was the thought that mattered.

Every eye in the room was on me, and then I felt them shifting to the man behind me. Logan. The guy who actually held the power over Andrew's fate.