Chapter 23 #3
She looks from Wes to me and blows out a breath. “Okay, Trixie. As soon as we board the next batch of passengers, I’ll tell you everything.”
“Everything?” I blink her way with surprise.
She nods. “Everything. I’ll come clean to all of you.”
“It’s going to be okay,” I tell her. “Now go climb that hill with your captain.”
“Thank you,” she says, and she squeezes my hand before she goes.
Marina catches up with Wes, and they’re already talking, already laughing at something only the two of them can hear, and Tinsley watches them go with her arms crossed tight enough to wrinkle polyester.
“This isn’t over,” she mutters, then pivots and stalks off toward the elevators as if Tallinn personally offended her.
I watch her go, then glance back at Wes and Marina. They look easy together. So very natural. “It looks over to me,” I muse.
Elodie waves a dismissive hand. “Oh, please. Drama exhausts me. I’m headed into town. A few hours to myself, and I fully intend to take a bite out of the most delicious thing this place has to offer.”
“The desserts?” I ask.
She gives me a look. “The men,” she says, already striding down the gangway.
I’d worry for Estonia, but they’ve survived invasions before.
Ransom pulls me closer. “It’s not over for Marina, is it?”
“Not even close.” I watch her crimson hair bob up the hill beside Wes. “She told me there’s a whole story coming. She just wants a little time to be happy first.”
“And you’re giving it to her.”
“I am.” I lean into him. “She’s still a mystery. But she’s a mystery who’s decided she wants to be known. That’s a start.”
“I’ll keep an eye on her.”
“You won’t have to. Wes has that covered.” I turn into his chest. “Though I do love a man with protective instincts.”
“Someone has to keep this ship safe from chaos.”
“You married the chaos.”
“Best decision I ever made.” He tilts my chin up, his eyes warm. “Ready for the next cruise?”
“Are there going to be any more murders?”
He winces. “I hope not.”
“Then yes. Absolutely ready.”
He kisses me while Tallinn sparkles in the morning sun.
Bess and Nettie wander past us.
“I just want to see the Vikings,” Nettie says.
Bess doesn’t break stride. “Vikings are extinct.”
“Viking descendants, then. Tall, blond, possibly named Sven.”
“We’re in Estonia,” Bess tells her. “Sven is two countries over.”
“Then Estonia better produce a substitute. I’m flexible.”
“As I said, we have four hours,” Bess reminds her.
“That’s plenty of time to collect a Viking.” Nettie rubs her hands together with glee.
“Don’t you dare,” Bess tells her. “This ship leaves tonight, and I don’t have time to bail you out of an Estonian prison!”
“You’re such a pessimist.”
“I’m a realist who knows you!” Bess turns my way. “We’ll wait for you two just outside the ship. If she’s holding a Viking when you get there, I had nothing to do with it.”
They’re off, and I grin because some things never change. Somewhere out there, an unsuspecting Estonian man, Sven or otherwise, has no idea what’s coming for him.
Run, Sven. Run.
“And then there were two,” I murmur.
Ransom steps in and slides his arms around me as the Baltic breeze curls in from the harbor. “That happens to be my favorite number.” His lips curve with wicked intent.
“Oh? Why is th—” I begin, but he doesn’t let me finish.
Ransom kisses me senseless, right here in the atrium as the last of the passengers disembark. The harbor hum fades. The rattle of suitcase wheels dissolves. Somewhere behind us a passenger cheers as though this is part of the entertainment schedule. On this ship, it very well might be.
I grip the lapels of his jacket because gravity has become optional. When he finally lifts his head, I blink up at him, breath slightly rearranged.
“Wow,” I breathe. “You certainly know how to sweep a girl across international waters.”
He brushes his thumb along my jaw. “You’re the only destination I care about.”
I laugh and tweak his ribs until he smiles all on his own. “Now let’s go rock Estonia.”
The Emerald Queen gleams behind us, already preparing for her next sailing.
New passengers will board. New secrets will unpack themselves beside the evening gowns.
New lies will pour with the champagne. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned about cruising the world with my closest friends, a dangerously handsome security chief, and a few quirky pals who can’t seem to stop complicating my life—it’s that paradise is temporary.
But murder?
Murder always books a return trip.
Thank you for reading!