Chapter 15
Cowboy took the elevator down to the Lido deck, instantly aware that he should have walked inside.
The gray drizzling sky was being pushed aside by an angry purple storm that was quickly engulfing the cruise ship, and thunder rumbled in the distance as lightning reached down from dark clouds, striking the water.
The captain was right. HERO Force might not be able to make it to the boat after all.
He moved quickly, careful not to slip on the wet decking as he ran half the length of the ship. The wind whipped across the deck, throwing rain into his face.
He reached the covered shelter of the elevator bay, pushed the button, and looked down at his drenched clothing before another crack of thunder brought his eyes back to the sea.
Their isolation was more apparent to him in the storm, the lack of any other people as far as the eye could see. There was only him, an unknown enemy, and whatever fate awaited them all.
And Charlotte.
He couldn’t forget Charlotte.
His stomach clenched. As much as he was enjoying her company, this easy mission was turning into something sinister, and he wished furiously she wasn’t here.
The sense of foreboding he’d experienced since the murder scene was discovered had only gotten more intense.
The last thing he needed was Charlotte getting into any of the trouble he felt swirling around the Gem of the Seas.
If she weren’t on this ship, you wouldn’t have gotten to be with her at all.
It was only supposed to be sex between them, but if he was being perfectly honest, he knew had feelings for her. How could he not? She was a bold, brassy woman with her heart on her sleeve, and everything about her called to Cowboy.
Maybe he could see her sometime when they got back to Atlanta. Dinner and a movie, that kind of thing. It had been a long time since he’d tried to seriously date anyone, but for Charlotte, he just might give it a whirl.
He thought of Logan and frowned. Nothing good could come from that dynamic, especially now that Cowboy was going to be in charge. It would be better to enjoy their time together and let it go than have it ruin his relationship with his men.
Wouldn’t it? He shook his head, determined to put the topic out of his mind.
He needed a plan to find the prince and princess and figure out who had taken control of the ship. The elevator doors opened and he walked inside. He needed to find Harrison, Abby, and Charlotte. They were the only people he could trust to help him on this mission.