Chapter 17
"Where did you get that?" Vanessa asked when I showed her the bracelet.
Her eyes filled with rage as she stared at it in my palm. She reached a hand out to take it from me, but I pulled it away. I wasn’t letting anybody have this.
In her stateroom, we had a little privacy, for the moment.
"This is Kate's bracelet. It has an inscription to her on it. It's the one she was wearing last night when I met her at the bar.”
Vanessa took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. In a slow voice that betrayed her anger, she said, "Teagan, you didn't meet anyone at the bar. There is no one named Kate aboard the ship. Not now, not last night.”
I stared at her in disbelief. "This is her bracelet. It has her name on it.”
"Where did you get that?” Vanessa asked again.
My lips tightened, and I finally admitted in a hushed voice, "From Luciano’s stateroom.”
Vanessa's eyes rounded like saucers. "You broke into their stateroom and rummaged through their things!?”
"No. I didn't break in. I just happened to slip in while the stewardess was cleaning the room,” I said, trying to sound innocent.
Vanessa glared at me.
“She didn't see me.” Like that made it okay. “I didn't rummage through anything. I found it on the floor.”
"Teagan, you can't do that kind of thing.”
I looked at her like she was crazy. "Well, I'm glad I did, because it proves they killed her."
"It doesn't prove anything. It proves that someone named Katherine once had a bracelet, and you stole it from her."
"I didn't steal anything.”
"You've got to put it back.”
"What!?"
"You heard me. You just can't take things from other people's rooms. Especially not Luciano's. You understand how big a deal this is? If you screw this up, Declan will never forgive me.”
"I'm not screwing anything up. I'm proving that your fiancé’s would-be business partners are murderers."
Vanessa groaned, "You're insufferable. When are you gonna let this thing go?"
"I'm sorry, but I'm not letting it go."
"I knew I shouldn't have invited you along. I knew I was going to regret this."
"Yeah, well, I should have listened to that voice in the back of my head as well.”
The door opened, and Declan pushed into the master stateroom.
The tension was thick. It wasn’t hard to read the room.
His eyes darted between the two of us. "Is everything okay?"
"No," Vanessa said. "Everything is not okay. She's on her shit again."
Declan looked confused. "What's the problem?"
"I found Kate’s bracelet," I said. "She was aboard this ship. Now she's not. I think she's dead."
Declan sighed. "Not this again.”
"I have proof," I said, dangling the gold bracelet. "This belonged to Kate.”
Declan stepped close and eyed the bracelet. "Let me see that."
I pulled it away. "No. I'm not giving it to anyone. This will prove Kate was in Luciano’s stateroom.”
"Where did you get it?"
"She broke into their stateroom and stole it," Vanessa said.
"What!?"
"I didn't steal anything. I found it. It's evidence."
Declan did a double-take. "You broke into Luciano’s stateroom and took that?"
A frustrated exhale escaped my mouth, and I told him the story. “It proves she was in the room.”
Declan's jaw clenched, and his face reddened. The veins in his neck bulged. "Give me the bracelet," he demanded.
"No.”
"Give. Me. The bracelet!" he growled, drawing close.
I pulled away from him. He had murder in his eyes.
"You're about to blow a billion-dollar deal. Do you realize that?”
"I'm sorry. But Luciano and his wife murdered that woman."
"Sophia's middle name is Katherine. That's her bracelet. She was wearing it last night at dinner.”
I swallowed hard, suddenly feeling ill. I shook it off. "No. That's not true."
"Yes, it is. Give me the bracelet, now!"
I froze and did nothing.
"I have got to do damage control. You’re gonna give me that bracelet, one way or the other. Do you understand me?”
I swallowed hard.
“Then you're going to get off the boat at the next port and fly back to wherever it is you came from. I've had enough of this nonsense." Declan grabbed my wrist, pulled it to him, and took the bracelet.
I didn't put up much of a fight. I was terrified at that point and dumbfounded.
Declan stormed toward the door.
"Where are you going?"
"To fix this."
He pulled open the door, stepped into the hallway, and slammed the hatch shut.
Vanessa glared at me. "Every time I bring you into my life, you fuck it up.”
My eyes brimmed, and tears spilled over. I rushed out of the room and into the hallway. I followed Declan down the spiral staircase to the below-deck staterooms.
He stormed to Luciano’s room and banged on the hatch.
Luciano pulled open the door a moment later with a confused look on his face.
"Is your wife missing a bracelet?" Declan asked.
"I don't know," Luciano replied. "Honey? Are you missing a bracelet?”
Sophia stepped to the door a moment later. She was out of the shower, and her makeup had been done to perfection. She wore a cream bikini with a sheer sarong. Her eyes found the gold bracelet, and relief washed over her face. "Yes, thank you. Where did you find it? I've been looking for this."
The muscles in Declan's jaw flexed, and he glared at me as I hovered nearby. "You can thank Teagan for that. She found it on the deck."
It burned him up inside to say that, but it was better than telling the truth. The truth could blow the deal. Declan wasn't stupid. He was the kind of guy who would always look out for his interests.
"Oh, thank you so much," Sophia said. "You're such a doll."
"I was confused at first,” I said. “I didn't realize your middle name was Katherine.”
"Not my middle name. My mother's name. You asked about the bracelet yesterday. I told you it was a gift to my mother from my father, God rest their souls. I really should stop wearing it and put it in a safe, but it's like having a piece of them with me all the time."
I stood there for a moment, not sure how to respond. "That's so special. I’m sorry, but I don’t remember that.”
Declan glared at me.
“I'm glad I was able to get it back to you," I said, playing along.
"It seems I am forever in your debt," Sophia replied.
Declan forced a smile and said to Luciano. "I thought you might be up for a game of billiards."
"Only if we play for money.”
"You name the stakes."
"Careful, I might recoup my poker losses.”
Something told me that if Declan wanted the deal to go through, he might start losing at the poker table.
"How about we meet in the sky lounge in half an hour,” Declan said.
Luciano smiled. "I look forward to it."
He closed the door, and Declan’s smile faded.
He turned to me, grabbed my arm, and pulled me down the hallway.
When we were far enough away, he said in a hushed tone, "I don't know what you're up to, but it stops now. You want money? Is that what it is? You threaten the deal until I pay you to stop acting like an asshole?”
"No. I don't want or need your money.”
"You're going to behave and play nice. I don't care what you see on this boat.
If you see that man shoot someone in cold blood on this boat, you're going to look the other way and pretend you didn't see a thing. You got me? As soon as we get to the next port, you’re going to get off the boat.
I'll pay for a ticket back. Hell, I'll fly you on my private jet. But I want you gone, and I never want to see you again. Are we clear?”
"Crystal,” I replied, trying not to shake.
Declan could be intense at times. This was one of those times. I swear, if he thought he could strangle me and toss me overboard, he would have done it. He might still.