“We do. Although ... I don’t know that we’re better off knowing. I mean, I’m grateful we know. For this particular instance, I’m particularly glad. However, I think it somehow makes things worse. Knowing brings fear. Now, fear is a great motivator. It’s one of those things that can cause people to do the extraordinary. It can also freeze you.”
Rowan turned sheepish. “That’s what you think it’s doing to me, right? Freezing me.”
“I think that’s what it did to you that first day,” he clarified. “No one expects you to be Wonder Woman but you — although I wouldn’t mind if we played that game, including outfits, one night — and what you learned yesterday leveled you. It would’ve done the same to me.”
“Really? How would you have reacted?”
“I don’t know. I’ve thought about that a great deal. I had a lot of time on my hands since you passed out at eight last night.”
Rowan pursed her lips. “I’m a lame drunk.”
“You are ... extraordinary on every level. Drinking might not be your forte, though.”
“That’s a polite way of saying I was being ridiculous.”
“You were thrown.” He hated when she disparaged herself. “Anyone would’ve been. We’re stronger when we work as a team, though. I get why you were considering keeping the information to yourself. If you only had limited time left, you wanted it to be a happy time.
“I refuse to accept that,” he continued. “We’re meant to spend a lifetime together. I believe that here.” He tapped his heart. “I need you to believe it, too. If you believe, we’ll both get what we want.”
“That seems like a roundabout way of thinking.”
“Something tells me you’re going to agree once I get out the chocolate sauce. I have ways of making you see things my way.”
“A sugar buzz?”
He snorted. “Let’s see, huh?”
“Okay. Just so you know, though, I’m probably going to wear you out after.”
“Oh, no, sweetie. I’m going to wear you out.”
“Let the games begin.”
IN THE END, ROWAN WAS DEFINITELY the one worn out. She conked out before ten, chocolate sauce still smeared on her cheeks. Quinn didn’t bother trying to clean her up. The housekeeping staff was collecting the sheets the next day anyway. It would be fine. Besides, after the previous night, she needed the sleep. It was good for her.
Because he didn’t need sleep, and he was antsy, he pulled out his computer to check on the searches. Surprisingly, there was already one solid match ... and he was beyond intrigued.
“And what do we have here?” he murmured, checking himself when he remembered Rowan was passed out beside him. He took a moment to check on her, pulling up the blanket to make sure her bare shoulder was covered. She looked like an angel and he had every intention of repeating cheesecake night at least once a month for the rest of their lives. He didn’t even mind The Golden Girls.
Once he was assured that Rowan was indeed down for the count, he turned back to his search. He had every intention of digging as deep as possible tonight. He wanted to wake her with answers and a firm plan. Whether that was possible, he didn’t know. He would do his best.
She needed it and he needed her.
THE NEXT MORNING, ROWAN LAUGHED when she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was standing on end — some of the flavored sauces somehow ending up in the endless waves that cascaded around her shoulders — and there were smears on her cheeks and lips.
“You must be falling in love with me all over again,” she teased, swiping at her cheek. “Wow. This stuff is really caked on.”
“Shower.” Quinn pointed her toward the stall. “We don’t have a lot of time. I called a breakfast meeting in the conference room. Food is being delivered. We have to be there in thirty minutes.”
The news surprised her. “Did you find something?”
“I found ... several things,” he clarified. “I’ll tell you with everyone else over breakfast.”
Rowan turned pouty. “I want to know now.”
“Yes, well, even you can’t get everything you want.” He tickled her ribs, causing her to squeal as he prodded her toward the shower. “Almost everything, but not everything. If I give in to your every whim, you’ll get spoiled.”
“And what’s so wrong with that?”
“Nothing ... but I would prefer going over the information only once. We land in port today. That means we’re going to have to deal with more chaos than usual.”
“Fair enough. I’m going to expect you to spoil me again tonight to make up for it, though.”
“Consider it done.”
DAVE, NICK, PAUL, AND FRED were prompt for the meeting. Dave insisted he would inform his men of the developments after the fact — apparently they were out late because they didn’t have Rowan duty — and Quinn was too harried to put up a fight.
“So, Leon Spencer isn’t a real person.” He ran through what he’d discovered the previous evening, leaving nothing out. He was succinct, and when he was finished, everyone had perked up some.
“Well, isn’t that interesting,” Fred drawled. “When do you think he changed his name?”
“The dive card is three years old. He said it lapses in two years. That means he was going by Alexander Fletcher as recently as three years ago.”
“He clearly got excited about the prospect of the dive,” Fred noted. “He made a mistake. That benefits us. Have you tracked anything down about this Australian dive? It must be a big deal if he mentioned it.”
“Oh, it’s definitely a big deal,” Nick confirmed. “That dive made news all over the world. Even the mainstream media picked up on it. It was a significant find.”
“Do you know the people involved with that project?” Rowan queried. “Can they give you the lowdown on this guy?”
“I’ve already placed a call. I’m hoping they will get back to me in a few hours.”
“It’s a good lead,” Fred supplied. “It’s still a common name. I’m assuming you’ve already started a search.”
“I have,” Quinn agreed. “There are three possibilities. I’ve weeded out most of the rest. The one I’m leaning toward is Alexander Fletcher of Coral Gables. His parents were rich, to the point where he never needed to work a day in his life. He was independently wealthy from birth. His mother is gone now but his father isn’t … and the father is a millionaire fifty times over.”
“You must have more than the money tipping you toward him,” Paul prodded.
“This particular Alexander Fletcher was mentioned in a paranormal investigation blog because he funneled a million dollars into the exploration of a former South Carolina plantation that was supposedly haunted.”
“A million dollars?” Rowan made a face. “That’s a lot of money to throw away on something like that.”
“It is,” Quinn agreed. “The reason it was so noteworthy is because two of the crew members filming there died. The money was paid out on wrongful death suits.”
“Oh.”
Paul leaned forward. “When did this happen?”
“Four years ago.” Quinn nodded when a murmur of understanding went through the room. “Yeah. The timing fits, too. He might’ve been forced to change his name because of the lawsuit, not what’s going on with the Phoenix Society. His name is apparently mud in certain circles, and I have a message into the blog author to get more information. No response yet.”
“What else do you know?” Fred asked.
“He’s fifty-four, which makes him the same age as Michael. He went to the same school. Those are the biggies. We still have to dig for the rest.”
“Still, that’s something.” Nick leaned back in his chair. “Do you want me to encourage him on the dive aspect? If he really thinks he can get in the water with us, he’s more likely to let things slip.”
“I was thinking the same thing. He has the most respect for you because of what you do. I definitely want you to press that issue w
ithout tipping our hand.”
“No problem. I ... .” Nick broke off, furrowing his brow. “Do you hear that?”
“What?” Quinn glanced around, unsure. “What is it you’re hearing?”
“A scratching noise, by the door.”
Quinn frowned and climbed to his feet. Fred and Dave automatically followed, serving as backup. Quinn glanced at each of them in turn before shoving open the door. He wasn’t sure he expected to discover anyone outside. The face he found, though, flabbergasted him.
“Michael? What are you doing?”
The captain, who had been trying the door handle, flushed at being caught and let loose a nervous laugh. “Oh, you are in there. I wasn’t sure. I was hoping to talk to you before we hit port.”
Quinn shifted from one foot to the other, suspicion and unhappiness rolling through him. “Sure. What do you want to talk about?”
“Oh, well, it can wait until after this meeting.” Michael’s gaze was curious as it hopped from face to face. “What is this meeting about, by the way?”
“We’re talking about the dive,” Quinn lied smoothly. “I will be participating again.”
“And Rowan needs to be here for that?”
Quinn didn’t like his tone. “Rowan wants to be on one of the submersibles so she can take photos. It’s something that will be completed on her downtime. I’m not sure what the problem is.”
“Oh, there’s no problem,” Michael said hurriedly. “I was just curious. Um ... if you can spare ten minutes, I just want to touch base with you on a few things in my office when you’re done.”
Quinn was distinctly uncomfortable. “Sure. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Great. I’m looking forward to it.”
14
Fourteen
Michael’s reasoning for calling the meeting only served to make Quinn more suspicious.
“I thought we could talk about safety procedures around the docks,” he started.
Quinn frowned. “Which docks? The one our passengers disembark at?”
“No, I’m talking about the one the dive teams leave from to go to the wreck.”
Quinn’s stomach did an uneasy somersault. “Why would you want to talk about the safety at those docks?”
“Because I figure a lot of our guests will want to get up close and personal with history.”
“Yeah, but ... we have no control over those docks. They’re not our territory. Nick Green handles that security, and I can guarantee he’s not going to encourage any of our guests to descend on that location. He doesn’t want the area being overrun.”
“Curiosity is a human thing, though,” Michael pointed out. “Are you sure he’ll be able to maintain proper security?”
“I am. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Oh, well, if you’re sure, that’s good enough for me.”
Quinn managed to keep his expression flat, but it took a lot of effort. He’d been certain Michael was simply an unknowing dupe in all this. Now, things were different. Michael had to know about Spencer changing his name. He wouldn’t simply forget the man used to be known as Alexander Fletcher. Did he know why? Was he aware of Spencer’s ridiculous theories and ideas? Had he been part of this since the beginning? It seemed like a ridiculous notion and yet he couldn’t shake the nagging doubt weighing him down.
“It’s not our concern,” Quinn reiterated, slowly getting to his feet. “If that’s all, I have preparations to make for the dive this afternoon.”
“Of course.” Michael offered up a half-hearted wave. “I didn’t mean to distract you. I hope you and Rowan have fun on your dive.”
“I’m sure it will be great.” Quinn strode toward the door, forcing himself to remain facing forward rather than back. If he looked over his shoulder, he was afraid of what he would find staring back from the face of a man he thought of as a friend. “Have fun at port.”
“Oh, you know me. I always have fun.”
“Yeah, well, that’s why I said it. Never change, Michael.”
“I don’t intend to. This is who I am. There’s no sense in changing.”
“Right. Well, I’ll see you later.”
“Yup. Have a nice day.”
“That’s the plan.”
ROWAN TOOK UP RESIDENCE ON THE deck as she waited for Quinn. She felt uneasy after Michael’s abrupt interruption. She was plagued with questions.
What was he doing? She couldn’t ever remember him being in that part of the ship. When he wanted to talk to Quinn, he merely summoned him via text to come to his office. That part of the ship basically belonged to Quinn and Rowan, who had offices in the corridor.
The obvious assumption was that Spencer sent Michael to gather information. Rowan and Quinn were spending a lot of time in parts of the ship that the Phoenix Society group couldn’t access. That had to be frustrating, especially since they appeared to be on an observational mission. They were basically experimenting, although they were using subterfuge to do it. Rowan would’ve much preferred a straightforward assault.
She snapped a few photos of departing guests. They were clearly having a good time as they made their way to the island. Rowan recognized the glee and excitement in their voices as they studied the pretty port from afar. This was a new adventure for them. They had no idea she was grappling with old fears in their wake.
“Hey.”
Rowan almost jumped out of her skin when she turned and found Darcy standing behind her. The blonde had her own camera gripped in her hands and a sunny smile on her face. The smile seemed out of place given the edge Rowan saw in the woman’s eyes.
“Hey,” she replied neutrally, forcing herself to remain calm even though her heartbeat had picked up a notch. “I didn’t realize you were out here. I thought perhaps you’d already left for port.”
“Not yet. I was actually hoping to talk to you before I leave.”
“Me? Why?”
“Because I find you interesting.”
Rowan didn’t believe that for a second. “I don’t think many people can say that with a straight face.”
“Oh, I disagree.” Darcy’s smile never wavered. “You’re surrounded by people who just can’t get enough of you. They watch your every move, as if you’re about to do something amazing at every turn. It’s ... fascinating.”
Talking to Darcy was always an excursion into uncomfortable territory. Rowan had no idea how she was supposed to react, but she was fed up with the woman’s mind games. “I think Quinn is the only one who finds me fascinating, and he’s a little biased.”
“I think he sees you clearly enough. He’s definitely biased, though.”
“Yeah, well, speaking of Quinn ... um ... I’m supposed to find him so we can hit port together. It was nice to see you. I should probably get going, though.”
“Wait, don’t leave.” For the first time, Darcy’s cool facade slipped and she looked a little desperate. She cast her eyes around the deck, as if making sure she was alone with Rowan, and then lowered her voice. “I was sort of hoping we could have lunch together on the island. Just the two of us, I mean.”
“Oh, well, that’s a lovely offer.” Rowan’s stomach constricted as she attempted to maintain her cool. “I appreciate it, but I have other plans.”
Darcy didn’t give up simply because Rowan shot her down the first time. “For the entire day? You can’t really have the entire day scheduled.”
“You would be surprised.”
“Yeah, but ... it’s just lunch.” Darcy pasted a pleading smile on her face. “I mean ... it’s only an hour. You can spare an hour.”
“I’ll have to talk to Quinn.” Rowan didn’t miss a beat. “I believe he has the entire day planned. If we can fit you in, though, I’m sure we’ll make a legitimate effort.”
“No. He can’t go.” Darcy fervently shook her head. “It has to be just the two of us.”
There was no way that was going to happen. Rowan wasn’t a complete and total idiot. “I’m spend
ing the day with Quinn.”
“What? Are you saying you can’t even spend an hour away from him? That seems a little codependent.”
“Perhaps,” Rowan conceded. “You probably don’t want to attack my relationship constructs when you’re trying to get me to rearrange my schedule to appease you. That seems like a weird way to get your way. That’s just my opinion, though.”
Darcy looked almost desperate as she moved closer to Rowan, to the point where she was officially invading her space. “I’m sorry for insulting your boyfriend. That wasn’t my intent.”
“You insulted me, too.”
“Yeah, well, you can take it.” Darcy furtively glanced over her shoulder again. “We really do need to talk.”
Rowan took the bait, even though she was convinced it was a bad idea. “And why is that?”
“You know why.”
“I don’t know anything.” The ship photographer adopted an air of innocence she thought Quinn would’ve been proud of. “I might need further explanation if you expect me to understand.”
Darcy made a face. “Oh, well, very cute.”
“Thank you.”
“That was an insult, not a compliment.”
“Funny, it sounded the exact opposite to me.”
Exasperation practically rolled off Darcy in waves. “Listen, I’m not trying to be difficult, but there are some things we need to discuss and I’m working on a timetable here. It would be great if you didn’t give me grief.”
“I’m not leaving this ship with you at any time, including right now,” Rowan countered. “It’s not going to happen. I might be persuaded to have lunch with you, but only if Quinn can come, too. Otherwise, you’re fresh out. I won’t compromise on either of those issues.”
“But ... you have to.”
“Why?”
“Because you just do.”
“That’s not an acceptable answer.” Rowan took a step back from Darcy, increasing the distance between them. “I’m not leaving. If you continue down this avenue, I’ll be forced to call over security. I’m guessing that’s not what you want.”
Raging Seas (A Rowan Gray Mystery Book 9) Page 13
