Churning Seas

by Lily Harper Hart

  Quinn followed her gaze. “Let me handle this.”

  Rowan didn’t think that was a good idea. “She’s my friend.”

  “She’s my friend, too. We might only have one chance to talk her down. At least let me start.”

  Unsure about his plan of attack, Rowan merely shrugged and nodded. “Okay. If I feel she’s about to lose it and run, though, I’m stepping in.”

  “Fair enough.”

  Quinn pasted a placating smile on his face as they approached Sally. He kept Rowan pinned to his side, but his focus was on the gregarious chef. He’d never known her to be anything but kind. Sure, she liked to gossip with the best of them. She wasn’t cruel, though. She believed in treating people as equals, not tagging someone to treat differently. It was that sense of fairness Quinn intended to play to.

  “Hey, Sally.”

  “Quinn.” Sally bobbed her frizzy head. She looked nervous. “I wasn’t sure when you guys would be getting back. I decided to wait for a little bit.”

  “How long have you been here?” Quinn asked.

  “About ten minutes. Not long.”

  “Well, you didn’t have to wait in the hallway.” Quinn licked his lips. “You could’ve gone inside to wait.”

  “I didn’t want to invade anyone’s privacy.”

  “It’s a little late for that,” Quinn pointed out. “Nobody has any secrets left.”

  “There are always secrets.” Sally’s voice was small as she shifted her eyes to Rowan. She almost looked afraid to meet her friend’s steady gaze. “I know I upset you earlier ... .”

  “I think you have that wrong,” Rowan countered as Quinn opened the door to her quarters and ushered everyone inside. “I’m the one who upset you.”

  “That’s not exactly true.” Sally wrung her hands as she stared at the open door. “I was simply caught off guard.”

  Quinn kept his voice low as he addressed Sally. “I think we all need to talk about this, but I don’t want to do it in the hallway. Voices carry out here.”

  “Oh, right.” Sally shook her head as she quickly stepped over the threshold. She’d been in Rowan’s room numerous times — and was still bitter about why the newbie had gotten such a great cabin — but she couldn’t muster the energy to comment on it yet again. That could wait for another day. “So ... I acted poorly earlier. I want to apologize for that.”

  Rowan hated that Sally couldn’t seem to maintain eye contact. The women would snag gazes for a split-second and then Sally would look away. She was clearly struggling. “You don’t have to apologize,” Rowan offered. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  Quinn sat on the edge of the bed and pulled off his shoes, fascinated by the display of female relationship turmoil. He wasn’t sure if Rowan had figured out the true source of Sally’s discomfort, but he was curious to watch her reaction when she realized exactly why Sally was so upset. He’d recognized the truth within thirty seconds of finding Sally in the hallway.

  “I did do something wrong.” Sally was vehement. “I attacked you guys after listening to a conversation I wasn’t part of. I should’ve minded my own business.”

  Quinn cleared his throat. “Sally, I’m the one to blame for that. I wasn’t thinking. I know better than blabbing that way. I would like to blame the humidity, but my mind simply wasn’t working.”

  “Your mind was working better than my mind,” Sally argued. “All I could think about was myself when I heard. That’s not the sort of person I want to be.”

  “I think it’s normal to worry about yourself,” Rowan countered. “I don’t blame you for not wanting to be around me because I’m weird. My father warned me about stuff like this happening when I was a kid. I guess I kind of forgot because I didn’t think anything about Quinn mentioning what I can do out in the open like that.

  “I should’ve asked him to be quiet,” she continued. “It’s not your fault for being afraid ... or freaked out. It’s not Quinn’s fault for saying something. It’s my fault for getting complacent. I should’ve remembered the first rule my father taught me when it became apparent that I was different. People don’t look at you the same once they figure out you’re weird.”

  Quinn’s frown was pronounced. “Excuse me but ... what? Are you saying you regret telling me?”

  Rowan balked. “Of course not. You accepted me without question and I never thought that could happen with anyone. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. Most people aren’t that way, though. They’re afraid. That’s normal. You’re not normal. You’re ... extraordinary.”

  Quinn’s expression softened. “I didn’t mean to bark at you. I thought you were saying something else.”

  “I would never say that.”

  “Okay. Sorry.” He held up his hands in capitulation. “Let’s go back to talking about Sally.”

  “Yes, let’s go back to talking about me,” Sally readily agreed. “What is it you think I’m angry about?”

  Rowan licked her lips, uncertain. There was something about Sally’s demeanor shift that set off danger alarms in her head. “You’re angry because I’m weird. You think I’m a freak.”

  “Oh, girl, you need to get over yourself.” Sally rolled her eyes. “My mother reads tarot cards for money in New Orleans. She has the sight. I like weird people. Heck, I’m weird. That’s not why I’m upset.”

  Rowan looked to Quinn for help, confused. “I don’t understand.”

  “I think I might,” Quinn admitted, holding out his hand so Rowan could take it. He drew her to him and wrapped his arm around her waist as she remained standing. “I want Sally to tell you, though. It’s not my place.”

  “You know why Sally was upset?” Rowan was flummoxed. “But ... how?”

  “I saw it on her face when we found her in the hallway.”

  “You saw what?”

  “He saw that I wasn’t fearful of you,” Sally answered. “He recognized that I wasn’t angry simply to be angry. It’s more that I was hurt.”

  “Hurt?” Rowan drew her eyebrows together. “I would never purposely hurt you. I don’t understand why you would feel that way.”

  “Yeah, I know that you don’t.” Sally made a clucking sound with her tongue as she shook her head. “You honestly don’t get it, do you?”

  “You’re going to have to spell it out for her,” Quinn prodded. “She doesn’t see.”

  “See what?” The more they talked as if she weren’t in the room, the more worked up Rowan got. “What’s going on?”

  “I was hurt because you didn’t tell me your secret,” Sally explained. “I mean, I get why you didn’t tell me that first day. For all you knew at the time, I could’ve been crazy or evil. Heck, I could’ve been a loon. You could’ve talked to me after that, though, when you knew I was none of those things.”

  “Wait.” Rowan pinched the bridge of her nose. “Are you saying you’re upset because I had a secret?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s the only reason?”

  “Of course. I find the other stuff fascinating. Like ... how many different omens can you see? How many times have they come true? Is this why you asked me about that other symbol a few weeks ago? I bet it is. I wondered at the time, but now it’s all starting to make sense.”

  Rowan was incredulous as she flicked her eyes to Quinn. “I didn’t see this coming.”

  Quinn chuckled, the sound warm and throaty. “I did. I told you she would be fine with it. I didn’t know she would be this fine ... and this fast ... but it makes sense.”

  “Of course it does.” Sally waved off Quinn’s mirth. “We’re talking about me now, not you. I want to know absolutely everything.”

  Rowan stared at her friend for a long beat, taking in her sparkling eyes and wide smile, and then she broke from Quinn and threw her arms around Sally’s neck, catapulting everyone into a state of surprise. “Thank you for thinking I’m weird and not being afraid because of it.”

  Sally awkwardly patted Rowan’s back as sh
e met Quinn’s gaze over the ship photographer’s shoulder. “I already told you that I prefer weird people. I’m just mad I wasn’t aware of the secret. You’re going to have to make up for that.”

  “Okay.” Rowan bit back a sob. “I’ll make up for it.”

  Sally looked to Quinn for help. “What did I do? I thought everything was fine.”

  Quinn chuckled as he got to his feet and carefully extricated Rowan. “She’s had the longest day ever. She’s got a lot of information to share. I think it should wait until tomorrow, though. She’s exhausted and the humidity has given her a monster of a headache.”

  “Everyone has a headache,” Sally said. “That doesn’t change the fact that I would prefer getting the information tonight.”

  “You’ll have a better chance to talk things out tomorrow. Rowan needs her rest. Quite frankly, so do I.”

  Sally heaved out a sigh, resigned. “Fine. I’m not happy about this part of it, though. It feels like punishment.”

  “We’ll make up for it tomorrow.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  ROWAN FELT MARKEDLY better when she woke. The storm hit not long after Sally left, and the soothing sound of the rain and thunder lulled her to the point where she slept hard. Quinn was staring at her when she opened her eyes.

  “What? Am I drooling?” She wiped at her mouth.

  Quinn’s grin was quick and light. “No. You look like an angel when you sleep. Has anyone ever told you that?”

  “As a matter of fact, my father used to say that to my mother when I was a kid. He said his favorite thing to do was watch me sleep.”

  “Well, that makes me a little less angry with him.”

  “That makes one of us.”

  “Yeah, well, hopefully Fred will be able to get somewhere with the code. We have to give him time.”

  “Okay.” Rowan snuggled closer, enjoying the warmth of Quinn’s body as she melted against him. “What time is it?”

  “A little after seven. I was thinking we could go to that mainland diner you like for breakfast and spend the day doing stuff that you want to do.”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know. How about breakfast, sandcastles, and a quiet day of reading?”

  “What about the code? I thought, once we had a solution to that, we would find a place to start looking for answers on my father.”

  “And as soon as we have information, I think that’s a fine idea,” Quinn said. “The thing is, I don’t expect Fred to come through with answers after only a few hours. It’s probably going to take longer than that.”

  “Oh.” Rowan couldn’t hide her disappointment. “I thought maybe it would be sooner.”

  “He’ll work as fast as he can. It will still take time.”

  “Okay.” Rowan sucked in a breath. “Well, then, if we have a day to ourselves, I think sandcastles on the beach is a fine idea. I want to take my camera with us, though. I might want to take some photos on the beach and the weather looks nice.”

  “It’s supposed to be humid again, but it shouldn’t be too bad this morning.”

  “That sounds like a plan.” Rowan rolled to look at the table at the far side of the room, frowning when she noticed the bare spot. “Did you move my camera?”

  Quinn followed her gaze, confused. “Why would I move your camera?”

  “I don’t know. It was on the table before we left last night.”

  “Are you sure? Maybe you put it someplace else.” Quinn propped himself on his elbow so he could search the room. Despite being bigger than most employee lodgings, Rowan’s quarters were hardly expansive. “I don’t see it. Are you sure you didn’t leave it in your office? You were down there before we left for dinner.”

  “I know. I moved the photos to a flash drive in my office. I didn’t leave my camera there, though. I never do. I always bring it back. Last night was no different. I brought the camera back and then we took a nap before dinner.”

  Quinn racked his brain. “I don’t specifically remember you having the camera with you when we returned.”

  “Well, I did.”

  Quinn recognized the obstinate tilt of her chin. “There’s no reason to panic. Let’s get up, search the room, and take a shower. If it’s not here, I bet it’s in your office. We’ll head down there before going to breakfast. There’s no reason to panic.”

  Rowan’s voice took on an edge. “Do I look as if I’m panicking?”

  “You look as if you’re frustrated,” Quinn clarified. “I want to point out that you have no reason to be frustrated with me.”

  Realizing that he was right, Rowan immediately checked her anger. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. Let’s search the room and get cleaned up. We’ll find it.”

  “I TOLD YOU IT’S not here.”

  Rowan’s voice bordered on shrill as Quinn moved into her office and studied her desk. The laptop she worked on during the afternoon rested there, but the camera was nowhere to be found.

  “Well, maybe you left it someplace else.” He recognized he was grasping at straws, but the disappearance of the camera bothered Quinn on a level he wasn’t quite ready to accept.

  “How would I leave it someplace else? I never leave it behind. I always take it to my room.”

  Quinn couldn’t argue the point. He’d never known Rowan to be absentminded. She was beyond diligent when taking care of the camera. It seemed to be an extension of her and she was mindful of how she handled it. “Well ... you had a headache yesterday. Maybe you simply weren’t thinking. Maybe it’s in the tiki bar. We were there before we came here.”

  “I had the camera with me in here. I know because I followed the photos on my camera as I was double-checking the flash drive.”

  Quinn vaguely remembered her doing that. “Did we go anyplace between here and your cabin?”

  “No. You came with me to my cabin, we took a nap, and then you went back to your cabin to shower and change for dinner. I never left my quarters while you were gone.”

  A hard ball of fury formed in the pit of Quinn’s stomach. “You know what that means, don’t you?”

  Rowan nodded, morose. “My camera is gone. I’ve had that specific camera for a long time. My father gave it to me.”

  It was more than that, but Quinn was reluctant to point out what she was missing. He had no choice, though. “I’m really sorry about the camera, and I will do everything I can to help you recover it. That’s not the thing I’m worried about most, though.”

  “What’s worse than the camera being gone?”

  “The fact that someone managed to get into your room while we were gone and steal the camera,” Quinn replied without hesitation. “The laptop is still in your office, which means whoever it was didn’t make it down here, but the camera is gone. There has to be a specific reason for someone taking it.”

  “Okay, I’ll bite. Why would someone want to steal the camera?”

  “Because you took photos of the rig workers and people on the ship yesterday. Someone took notice of that and wanted to get rid of the photos.”

  Rowan was dumbfounded. “I have all the photos backed up on the laptop, though. Not only that, but they’re in the Cloud, too. I have multiple backups.”

  “I’m guessing whoever did this didn’t realize that.”

  “So, what do we do?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m not going to let it slide.” Quinn slipped his arm around Rowan’s waist and anchored her at his side. “We’ll figure it out. This isn’t over.”

  “The camera is gone, though. That was my last big gift from my father.”

  Nausea rolled through Quinn. “I’m so sorry. There’s still a chance we can find it, though.”

  Rowan wasn’t convinced. “I think it’s gone. It’s probably a sign. My whole life is signs, right?”

  “It’s not a sign.”

  “I think it is.” Rowan pulled away from him, her face shadowed in a grief she couldn’t find the words to express. “We should get
going. You wanted breakfast, right? Let’s get breakfast.”

  “This isn’t over, Ro,” Quinn repeated. “We’ll figure it out.”

  “Sure. I hope you’re right.”

  10

  Ten

  Quinn was officially worried about Rowan.

  Her affect seemed flat. She wasn’t interested in holding a conversation. Worse, he could tell she was fighting back tears.

  All over a camera.

  No, all over a camera her father gave her right before he disappeared, Quinn corrected himself. It was the last big gift he gave her, and she held onto it for a decade because she felt it kept them connected. Up until a few weeks before, Rowan believed her father had died. She never thought it possible that he would leave her. She lost the family home, almost all of her father’s belongings, and struggled to afford college in the immediate aftermath of his disappearance. The one thing she managed to hold on to during that time period was the camera.

  And now it was gone.

  “Where is your head?”

  Fred joined Quinn in Rowan’s quarters an hour after Quinn called asking for help. Whatever was going on, Quinn knew he needed an extra brain to keep himself on task. He was too flustered to figure things out without help.

  “I don’t know.” Quinn planted his hands on his hips as he surveyed the room. “I’m trying to figure out if anything has been touched in here.”

  “Is there anything you want to tell me?” Fred, a taunting smirk on his face, lifted Rowan’s bra from the back of a chair and held it up. “No matter what, I still love you as a person.”

  “Knock that off.” Quinn grabbed the bra and shook his head. “This is Rowan’s room.”

  “I figured that out when I saw the makeup and hair products in the bathroom. What seems to be the problem? This place is cleaner than my entire house.”

  “Yes, well, it’s not the cleanliness that bothers me,” Quinn admitted. “It’s the fact that Rowan’s camera was taken from here while we were at dinner last night.”

  Fred sobered. “Someone broke in?”

  “I don’t know.” Quinn’s frustration was palpable as he moved to the door and studied the keycard scanner. “I have my guys running the video for this corridor. I don’t understand how someone got in here.”