Chapter 20
Freaked out, I didn't want to open the hatch.
I inched toward it, twisted the handle, and pulled it open. My eyes panned across the room, looking for any sign of the redhead.
The room was empty.
There was no way someone could have gotten out of the room that fast.
I felt silly, but I called out, "Kate?”
I took a step into the compartment, rounded the bed, and looked on the other side.
There was nobody there.
With caution, I peered into the walk-in closet. Except for my clothes, it was empty as well.
My heart raced.
I moved back across the room to the hatch. The deadbolt was latched. There was no way someone could have locked it from the outside. Not without a key.
I hadn’t had enough to drink to hallucinate something like that. But maybe with all the stress, my mind was playing tricks on me.
Adrenaline still surged through my veins, and the headiness from the wine vanished. Alert and awake, there was no way I could fall asleep now. I needed to get out of the room and get some fresh air. I unlocked the deadbolt, pulled open the door, and peered down the corridor.
It was empty.
I stepped out of my room, locked it, then moved toward the spiral staircase. I took it up to the main deck and walked into the foyer, then through the main door to the side deck.
The wind raced as the Vesper plowed through the inky water, heading southwest. The moon glowed overhead, and the seas were calm. Too calm to have slammed the door to the en suite like that.
There had to be some logical explanation for it all.
The sounds from the sky lounge drifted down as the boys still played poker.
I walked to the aft deck, took a seat on the settee, and curled up. I watched the frothy wake the boat left behind. It was calm and soothing.
It wasn't long before a stewardess came by to check on me. "Can I get you anything?”
I smiled. "No, thank you. I'm fine.”
"Are you sure?"
I nodded. "On second thought, a bottle of water would be great?”
"Certainly. Would you like that chilled or room temperature?”
"Room temperature is fine.”
She spun around and darted away, wearing white shorts and a royal blue polo shirt. It was the standard uniform aboard the ship.
She returned a moment later with the water, along with a blanket and a pillow. "Just in case you want to relax under the stars for a moment.”
"You think of everything," I said.
"That's my job,” she replied with a cute smile.
"I'm Teagan," I said, extending my hand.
"I know. My name is Elizabeth. I'll come back to check on you in a little while. Let me know if you need anything.”
"I will.”
With another smile, she darted away.
I stayed there for a bit, letting the wind and the wake calm me down.
I must have dozed off.
When I woke around 4:00 AM, the boat was silent but for the drone of the engines and the water. I pulled myself off the settee, left the pillow and the blanket for the stewardess, and staggered back down to my stateroom. I passed Luciano's room, which was quiet.
I put the key into the slot at my door, twisted the handle, and pushed inside. The room was empty and just as I’d left it. After deadbolting the door behind me, I checked the bathroom and the closet for good measure. Then I crawled into bed and fell back asleep rather quickly.
Just as I dozed off, someone banged on the hatch. I peeled open a sleepy eye and looked at the clock. It was 6:30 AM already.
"Get up, bitch!" Vanessa shouted through the hatch in an affectionate tone. "We're going diving! Breakfast is on the foredeck. See you there!”
I groaned and would rather have rolled over and gone back to sleep.
But she was right. I couldn't stay in this cabin the entire time.
I needed to get out and get some sunshine.
Maybe that was my problem. I'd been so inside my head since my encounter with Earl Vernon Maddox that I hadn't created enough new experiences to blow out the cobwebs.
Sometimes, the best medicine was getting out and doing things.
But at times, the weight of the world was on my shoulders. Heavy stress and fear weighed me down.
I pulled myself out of bed, put on shorts and a tank top, then made my way up to the foredeck to join the others. We had anchored just off Puerto Maya. As far as the eye could see, crystal clear blue water.
It was paradise.
The warm breeze blew across the foredeck.
It would be almost impossible to be depressed in a place like this.
There were plenty of excuses to leave all your troubles behind.
A million activities to occupy an idle mind—scuba diving, snorkeling, jet skiing, hiking, shopping, sightseeing, or just laying out, soaking up the intense sun.
The first officer collected passports, took a tender ashore, and cleared us in. Immigration issued entry permits, and the port paperwork was taken care of. There were perks to being with the uber-wealthy.
The breakfast spread was amazing.
A little bit of everything. Waffles, blueberry pancakes, French toast, ham and cheese omelettes, scrambled eggs, bacon, avocado toast, hashbrowns, fresh juice, gourmet coffee, and plenty of butter and jelly.
I dished up a sampler platter. I had my full appetite back, that was for sure.
Much more of this, and I wouldn’t be able to fit into these tight shorts.
Luciano smiled as usual. He always seemed to be in an upbeat, adventurous mood. Sophia seemed mildly annoyed by everything, but that was her default status. I think she enjoyed being mildly annoyed. Hannah and Sebastian looked fresh-faced and ready for the day's adventure.
I sat between Sophia and Vanessa. When Declan joined the table, he made as little eye contact with me as possible. It didn't take a mind reader to know my presence annoyed him.
I didn't say anything to Vanessa about seeing Kate in my room. It was just my imagination, and I didn't need anyone else to tell me I was crazy. I was beginning to wonder about that myself. I didn't need confirmation.
I'd been off the anxiety meds for several days now. Maybe with the fresh air and bright sunshine, my head would finally clear. The medication had to be out of my system by now.
"I can't wait for today's dive," Luciano said. "I must say, I've been looking forward to this for several weeks now."
"Are you an avid scuba diver?" I asked.
"As often as I can. When I was young, I wanted to be an underwater explorer. Discover shipwrecks, dive to new depths, encounter new aquatic life, and perhaps find ancient civilizations. There is a whole other world below the surface, one we have barely explored.”
"What kept you from doing that?" I asked.
"Shipping was the family business. Exploring the oceans is a noble pursuit.
But not noble enough for my father. I have great admiration for people who make careers of their passions.
I guess you could say my true passion is making money.
Shipping enables that. In the end, my father was right," Luciano said, in a reflective tone, "I'm more practical than a dreamer. But I do love the dreamers.”
After breakfast, we gathered our things and regrouped on the aft deck.
Declan had hired a dive master to lead us on this expedition. The aluminum double-hull dive boat pulled to the swim platform of the Vesper. The dive master would provide everything—tanks, masks, BCDs, fins, wetsuits, you name it.
I had a little trepidation about going, but I put that out of my brain.
I told myself I wasn't entertaining negative thoughts.
Not this morning. Not ever. That was all behind me, and I wasn't going to feed those voices.
I mean, there's a fine line between being paranoid and being justifiably cautious.
And there are definitely times when you should listen to that little voice in your head that tells you not to do something.
I was still trying to sort that out.
Declan pulled me aside before we all boarded the dive boat. "Are you sure you want to go?"
His tone was clear. He didn't want me on this adventure.