Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Zachariah
The situation in Miami wrapped up with relative ease and I found myself back on the boat by midnight. I hated to miss a night with Lucinda. The moments I had to check on her, she’d been having fun, but she’d turned in early and had her dinner in her cabin.
I hadn’t been able to reach Marcus but I would deal with him in the morning.
Perhaps him and his blonde submissive were enjoying their time together.
I felt relief in my gut. Although I had suggested it, if he wanted to see Lucinda off the boat, I would have ended his life.
I didn’t expect Lucinda to remain alone forever, but If I couldn’t have her, he didn’t deserve her either.
Once back on the boat, I’d returned to my usual morning perch in front of the security feeds in my stateroom, waiting for Lucinda to appear. By ten o’clock, she hadn’t emerged. Was my sweet sub not feeling well? I called Carol.
“Yes, Sir?” she answered
“Carol, come to my office please.”
“On my way.”
A few minutes later, Carol knocked and entered.
I shut off the monitor and joined her in the main room.
“Did you speak with Lucinda last night?” I motioned for her to sit. “Was she not feeling well?”
“I was told she was having dinner in her cabin, but I haven’t seen her since she and Marcus were hanging out on the diving platform yesterday around noon.”
“What were they doing?”
“Sir.” She blushed and averted her eyes. “They seemed to be getting along well. I could have the staff check on her.”
“Yes. Do that and report back to me immediately.”
“Of course, Sir.” She stood. “It’s been a lot of activity the last three nights; she might have just needed a night to recover.”
“Please, Carol.” I stood up, half ready to go check on Lucinda myself.
Carol nodded curtly and ran out the room. I went back to the cameras, but not to check on the hallway outside of her room. I punched in the search for the camera on the stairs leading to the diving platform and ran the tape back until I found what I was looking for.
Lucinda stepped on the platform, appearing to enjoy the view. A hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her back. I switched to another angle, but I only caught the door to the storage closet closing.
Fuck, a blind spot from the ship’s cameras. I fast-forwarded until Lucinda came back into the camera view, but she no longer looked normal.
Lucinda looked terrified.
“She’s gone!” Carol yelled through my office door.
“What?” I flung the door open and stepped toward her. She cowered back. “What did you say?”
“I’m sorry sir, but Lucinda, she wasn’t in her room. Her stuff is gone.”
I stormed toward Carol, but stopped myself. She was supposed to be my eyes and ears on the boat. How could she possibly miss a whole passenger leaving? Especially one she knew was important to me.
I stepped back around my desk and lowered myself into my seat. “Carol.”
“Yes, Sir.” She had tears in her eyes. Carol was a submissive and disappointing me killed her.
“You have fifteen minutes to find out what happened to Lucinda and how she got off of my boat without you or I knowing.” I gripped the edge of my desk to ground me, flexing and releasing my fingers.
“Anyone involved, is gone. No excuses, you understand?”
“Yes, Sir.” She turned to walk out the door.
“And for fuck’s sake. Find me Marcus Davenport.”
She nodded and closed the door behind her.
In my gut I knew Marcus had let the cat out of the bag.
I didn’t think he had some great moral epiphany, but perhaps he wanted her for himself.
No excuses would matter. He had disobeyed me, and I needed to find out why, but that was another problem for another day. Today’s problem was finding Lucinda.
I went back to the security cameras, combing through footage, trying to find out where she’d gone.
After entering her room at three-thirty and accepting room service delivery at four-thirty, she never stepped foot outside.
That would mean someone fucked with the cameras. I couldn’t imagine anyone on my staff betraying me.
What was I missing?
And then I spotted it.
Around twelve-thirty in the morning. A woman dressed in a black hoodie and leggings, her face not visible on the camera, entered Lucinda’s room. Five minutes later she left alone, appearing surprisingly shorter than when she’d entered.
“Son of a bitch.” Another camera picked up movement on the helipad. The young woman and Marcus climbing the steps to my helicopter and ascending into the sky.
I threw the remote across the room. It shattered in a million pieces. I stabbed at the first number on my phone.
“Hey, Boss.” Harold. The poor guy shouldn’t have answered.
“Who the fuck stole my helicopter?”
“What do you mean?” he huffed. “It’s on the helipad at your house. Did you want it to stay on the boat?”
“You took off right off after dropping me off?” I stormed down the halls, looking for anyone else on my staff to terrorize.
“Yeah, Marcus and another guest needed to get back to the mainland.” He hesitated, obviously realizing he’d done something wrong. “We dropped them off in Jacksonville and then headed back to the house.”
“Who was the guest?” I made it to Lucinda’s room and didn’t bother knocking. I used my passkey and let myself in. Her bed was freshly made, her closet and bathroom, empty.
“I don’t know, Boss.” Harold grunted and snapped at someone. “Just assumed someone Marcus had met on the boat. It was late. I didn’t give it much thought. I’m sorry, Boss. Who is—?”
“I want my helicopter back here within the hour.” I didn’t give him a chance to finish his questions. I hung up the phone and turned to find Carol in the hallway.
“I told you to keep an eye on her.’
“Sir, I am so—”
“Did you know she was leaving?” I stepped in front of her. “Did you help her leave?”
“No!” She blinked and took a step back. “I am just as shocked as you are, Sir. But. . .”
“But, what?” I took off again, back toward my stateroom. Carol followed closely on my heels.
“I’m not sure I understand why it matters?”
I stopped and Carol bumped into me. I turned. Her hands shot out to steady herself.
“I just thought she was another guest,” she stammered.
“Do I go through this kind of trouble for just a guest?” I stepped forward. She scrambled back a few feet. “Do I scene with a someone three times if they are just a guest?”
Her eyes grew wide.
“Do I focus so much on aftercare and know her favorite things if she’s just a guest?” I towered over her, but instead of fear, an amused twitch lifted the side of her mouth.
“What?” I barked.
“I figured you knew her before this trip, but I didn’t realize you were in love with her.” Carol smirked.
“Be careful, Carol.” I lowered myself into my office chair and placed my hands on the edge of the desk.
“I don’t mean to overstep. I never question your methods, I’m sure you have your reasons, but I have never seen you with someone the way you are with her.”
“It can’t happen.” I flexed and unflexed my fingers and closed my eyes. The motion of the boat rocking in the water had a way of soothing me. The ocean waves calmed my soul.
“Then why are you bothering going after her?”
My eyes popped open.
Much like the ocean, Lucinda’s presence calmed me. Being with her made me better. Her laugh and smile soothed my jaded soul. I’d had five days to focus on her, and it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t nearly enough.
“Because I’m not ready to let her go.”
Lucinda
It was so easy. Too easy.
I heard the helicopter return and my phone in my stateroom rang fifteen minutes later.
I hesitated to answer, thinking it was Zach, but thankfully it wasn’t.
“Oh good. You’re up.” Marcus’ voice was muffled by the sound of wind. “Pack a small bag. I’ll make sure the rest of your stuff gets to you later.”
“What? Where am I going?”
“I’m heading back to the mainland. I suggest you do the same. Mandy will be there in a few minutes.” He was walking. “The two of you will switch clothes and then you’ll meet me on the sky deck.”
“Marcus!”
“You told me this afternoon you wanted to get off the boat. Here’s your chance.”
“I don’t know.” I watched the door, expecting Zach to burst through it at any minute.
“Zachariah will not take kindly to me breaking his trust, but if you want to confront him, I think it would be wise to do it some other time and not in an environment where he is in complete control.”
For Doms I imagined there wasn’t many places on the planet where that wasn’t the case. Marcus had explained that he didn’t really understand Zach’s motives, but he did know he’d been following me on camera over every inch of the boat since I arrived. Listening to my conversations.
Zach used to entertain me with is mastery of impersonations. He’d imitated Marcus to a tea in our scenes. He knew stuff about our conversations. He’d even directed Marcus on occasions via text message.
Marcus was right. As much as I wanted to confront him and get answers, I wasn’t on equal footing. I was in his domain, and I had to take the chance to escape.
I also needed a chance to speak to my father.
“I’ll meet you on the sky deck,” I agreed.
A knock at my door catapulted me into action.
The helicopter dropped me off in Jacksonville. Marcus continued with the pilot back to South Carolina.
I booked a flight to Dallas for the next morning and arrived at my father’s house to find him having breakfast. I’d sent him a text warning him I was on my way.
His housekeeper entered the kitchen at the same time I did.
“Lucinda,” Ms. Mason greeted me. “It’s so good to see you. Can I make you anything for breakfast?”
“Just some fruit and toast, thank you.”
“Of course.” She nodded.
“You made it back quick,” my father observed. He was dressed for golf in khakis and a blue-and-white-striped polo. “Have you spoken to your mother lately? She’s sent me a few messages, looking for you.”
My mother attempted to be in my life, but mainly for the wrong reasons. It wouldn’t bother me so much if she wasn’t so damn obvious about it. My trust fund was immune to my dad’s financial issues. Since I’d turned eighteen and the child support had gone away, she was looking for another cash cow.
My dad still loved her, but he also hated her. I was starting to understand what that felt like.
“How was your trip?” He sipped his coffee.
“It was…” I didn’t know how to answer his questions. “I’m happy to be back.”
“Good.” He patted my hand and went back to his tablet.
Ms. Mason sat a plate in front of me. Two slices of sourdough toast covered in butter with a side of grape jelly sat alongside an assortment of my favorite fruits.
I plucked a piece of pineapple off the corner of the plate and popped it in my mouth.
The sweetness covered my tongue and my brain fired off all the things I’d miss about the last few days.
The things Zach had done, which should have clued me in something was off.
My favorite fruit served to me or waiting in my stateroom. The lime in my water instead of lemon like the other guests. The vanilla-scented candles in my room and in the playrooms.
“You okay, honey?” Dad put his tablet down and shifted in his chair to face me.
“Dad, I need you to tell me what happened with Zach.”
“Uncle Zach.” His voice rose. “Why are you asking about him? He’s no longer a part of our life.”
“Just tell me why he left.”
“Sweetheart.” He stood and handed his empty plate to Ms. Mason.
“Dad, please.” I stood. “I just need to know what happened.”
He turned back to me and must have seen the anguish on my face.
He inhaled and exhaled then turned back to Ms. Mason and nodded for her to leave.
She looked worried but didn’t say a word and left.
“Zach has always been reckless, making decisions that put himself and those around him in danger.” He sat back down. “The FBI had approached me and told me Zach was involved in a scheme stealing money from the company. It was several millions of dollars, but he did it to pay off a debt he owed.”
“What type of debt?”
“I’m not talking about a gambling debt. It was more dangerous than that.”
“I don’t understand.” I bit a piece of my toast.
“He owed a Columbian cartel money.”
The toast turned into glue in my mouth.
“The FBI offered him a deal in exchange for his help in bringing down the cartel’s business in the US.”
“Was he prosecuted?” I pushed the plate away. “Was he put into witness protection or something?”
“No, he paid the money back to the company and gave enough information they chose not to prosecute him. With his help, the FBI and a rival cartel were able to eliminate the group Zach worked with and no further action was taken. The FBI got what they wanted, the company was paid back.” My dad took my hand.
“But, after all this went down, I didn’t want his actions to put you or your future in danger. I asked him stay away.”
“But you and him were my family.” I took my hand back. “Why wouldn’t you stand by him? Maybe he needed some help.”
“I wasn’t willing to risk it.” He leaned back in his chair and scratched his forehead. “I knew the two of you were close. You had a crush on him, and I didn’t want you to get hurt or worse.”
“A crush.” I stood up and paced. “It was more than a crush, Dad.”
My dad shook his head.
“I’m in love with him.”