Chapter 26 #2
I lean toward Thea, slipping my hand behind her head, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead like a promise. She lets out a shaky breath, and I hold her for an extra breath. Then I force myself back and continue following the line. “Put on your glasses and hat.”
She does as she’s told. I can sense her studying me beneath those glasses. She knows I’m stressed.
I’m glad Noah is out there, but he doesn’t know what or who we are looking for. We need to make it from the ship to his rental car across a wide-open space in which things could go very wrong, and my weapon is with him.
I take a deep breath. I just need to get Thea to the car.
The guard motions us up to the checkpoint to scan our badges, and for the first time, Thea manages to swipe her card without breaking out in a sweat.
“Look at you. Pretty soon you’ll be an expert at espionage,” I whisper, once we are clear of the workers and heading across the small gangplank connected to the dock.
“What every girl dreams of,” she says sardonically.
I heft her luggage onto the dock and pretend to fuss with the zipper while I scan the dock and the crowd gathered on it from behind my sunglasses.
A group of ten appear to be heading for a shuttle bus.
We may be able to blend in with that crowd.
There’s a young family walking near them, so I wait for the next group of passengers to gather on the dock.
“Is it safe?” Thea asks.
“See anyone out of place? Or dangerous?” I ask, putting her observational skills to the test.
She searches the crowd.
A group of six has made it up the gangplank with their luggage and is beginning to move. Not the ideal situation, but it’s risky to stay out in the open like this.
“Stay on alert and stick with this crowd.”
“Okay,” she says, walking slowly behind them. “Is that a bad guy?” she whispers, pointing discreetly to my right.
“That’s the ship’s second captain,” I say, as the man smiles and thanks us for joining the cruise.
“How about him?” she says, looking behind us at a single man carrying a single duffel. He’s wearing flip-flops and a sunburn that has started to blister.
“A passenger. Are you only suspicious of men?” Footsteps pound behind us, and I grab Thea, swinging her out of the way of a teenager before she gets shoved off the dock.
She lands in a dip, her back on my arm, her chest pressed to mine, her hair dangling below her.
“Women can be dangerous, too,” I say, my meaning heavy.
No woman has scared me more than this one.
“And men can be heroes.”
My gaze goes rogue, dropping to her lips before I yank her upright, getting back to the job. I can’t be a hero if I don’t protect her.
“Uh, Pierce?”
“Yeah?” I ask.
“Not to be sexist, but I think I found him. Unless the cleaning crew carries guns.”
I curse, finding the man next to a large cart of cleaning supplies that is headed toward the ship. He’s halfway up the twelve foot wide dock—not wide enough to avoid him completely. I guide Thea to the far side, keeping her out of the line of fire. Is he alone?
I quickly scan the rest of the dock and pull out my phone.
“Is he going to kill us and put our bodies in there?” Thea asks, slowing her pace. I nudge her on before she draws more attention than necessary.
I send an abbreviated text to Noah only he will understand describing the man and potential danger. “Not in front of all these people.”
“That’s less comforting than you think,” she hisses, latching onto my arm. It pains me to have to release her grip from me, but I need two hands. Always be ready to go on the attack, or risk being attacked.
“My friend has a black Ford Fusion. Black rims. A Dodgers sticker on the back window. When I tell you to, I need you to run.”
She swallows before answering. “Aye, aye, captain.”
I steer Thea closer to the group, and we walk slowly, heads down and covered by hats.
Twenty feet.
“Pierce?” There’s worry in her words. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to take care of him. You can take notes on the romantics of the moment if you’d like.”
The words are barely out of my mouth when the man steps out into the middle of the dock.
The group in front of us simply parts around him, but Thea stops. There’s no one left between us and him. I keep Thea behind me, my muscles taut with anxiety as I contemplate my limited options.
“Do you have the drive?” the man drawls.
I decide to take the conversation a different way. I don’t want him hurting these innocent bystanders. There are kids around. “G’day mate,” I say with an Australian accent, stalking toward him confidently. “Long time no see.”
He’s thrown by my approach and lifts the gun. Exactly what I didn’t want to happen.
Someone screams—possibly Thea—and then there’s an all-out panic to get away from the man with the gun.
So much for resolving this quietly. The friendly smile slips off my face.
“Thea, go.”
“I can’t move.” Her body trembles against my back as she uses me like her shield. “Also, I’ve changed my mind. Saving my life by putting yours in danger is less romantic in real life.”
“Now you tell me.”
“Give me the drive!” the man shouts, lifting the gun higher. He’s going to use it.
“All right. Let me get her out of the way.” I ease to the side of him, keeping Thea at my back.