Jack smirked. “Why don’t you check your email in your office and then bring whatever you find back here? We can all go through the information together.”
“Why don’t I just use your computer?” Quinn shot back. “Or is there something there you don’t want me to see?”
“I didn’t bring a computer.”
“Oh.” Quinn was momentarily taken aback. “How can you travel without a computer?”
“We’re on vacation.”
“Besides, we’re not really computer people in real life,” Ivy added. “We spend most of our time outdoors. Jack uses a computer for work but rarely gets it out at home.”
“I think we can make that work.” Rowan got to her feet. “I’ll go with you to get the information, Quinn, and we’ll be back in about twenty minutes or so.”
Quinn was confused. “Why can’t you just wait here with them, Ro?”
Rowan blew out a heavy sigh. She’d done her best to be patient, but Quinn clearly refused to see what was right in front of him. “Because Ivy and Jack would like a few minutes alone to talk about things. Jack is worried about how things went and wants to make sure Ivy is comfortable going forward as a group.”
“Oh.” Quinn pressed his lips together, uncertain. “Am I supposed to be talking to you about the same thing?”
Jack barked out a laugh, genuinely amused. “You’re funny, man. I thought I was lost in the relationship game until I met you. You make me look like a genius.”
“Says the guy who refers to his fiancée as ‘my woman,’” Quinn grumbled under his breath. “Fine.” He held up his hands in capitulation. “We’ll go and check my email, give you guys twenty minutes to grope in private, and then be back to come up with a plan of attack. Does that work for everybody?”
Rowan grabbed his hand, amused. “You’ll have plenty of time to grope me, too. Don’t worry.”
Quinn’s expression softened. “Finally something I want to do.”
JACK WAITED UNTIL Quinn and Rowan were through the door to ask the obvious question.
“Are you okay? How did things go?”
Ivy, feeling more relaxed than she had in almost twenty-four hours, smiled. “It’s okay. We spent most of our time talking about how we discovered we could do different things. I like her. I’m more worried about you and Quinn. You don’t exactly play well together.”
“Don’t worry about us.” Jack’s fingers were gentle as they slid a strand of hair behind her ear. “We’re working things out. We’re not exactly buddies, but we both want what’s best for you and Rowan. We both want to solve this. We’re not going to start throwing punches or anything. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“Do you want to know what I think?”
“Always.”
“I think you do like him. This is just your way of interacting. You’re the same with Max. Maybe Quinn can be like another brother you never wanted.”
“Oh, see, that’s where you’re wrong.” Jack wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “I would gladly trade my sister for Quinn or Max.”
“You can’t have Max. I need him.”
“Fair enough.” He briefly lowered his forehead to hers and sighed as he swayed back and forth. “We’re going to figure this out, honey. I promise. I’ll be with you the entire time.”
“This isn’t exactly how we planned for our vacation to go. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Jack was matter-of-fact. “We’re together. That makes this the best vacation I’ve ever been on.”
“Me, too.”
“This is only the beginning, Ivy. We’re going to spend our lives going on vacations together. I’ll make sure of it. We’ll have plenty of chances to improve on the original.”
“I’m still glad we did this. Even though we’re dealing with murder — as usual — we’ve spent a lot of quality time together. I don’t take it for granted.”
“I don’t either. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
QUINN WAS STILL ANNOYED as he sat at his desk and checked his email.
“Fred came through. I have two files here to print out.”
“Make two copies,” Rowan suggested as she paced the area in front of Quinn’s desk. “That will allow everyone to read through the information. It will be easier.”
“I don’t understand why I have to make things easier for them,” Quinn grumbled.
“Because you’re a good guy and know they have help to offer.”
“Oh, that.” Quinn rolled his eyes but hit the button to print two copies. As the machine sprang to life, he turned his full attention on Rowan. “Did things go okay on your end? Ivy seemed more relaxed when we returned.”
“She’s nervous about a stranger knowing her secret,” Rowan replied. “I don’t blame her. You have no idea how terrifying that is.”
“You told me,” Quinn pointed out. “You could’ve lied and kept me in the dark, but you took a chance and told me the truth. That worked out pretty well, if you ask me. I think it will work out for Ivy, too.”
“It’s still terrifying. Plus, that’s different. I felt drawn to you from the start.”
Quinn’s lips curved. “I felt that way about you, too.”
“I guess I’m saying that I instinctively trusted you. Ivy doesn’t have that luxury. She’s not wildly attracted to you. Jack knows her secret because she trusts him. It’s not necessarily a bad thing to worry about who you tell your secret to.”
“I agree wholeheartedly.” Quinn slipped his arm around Rowan’s waist and tipped her into his lap, pressing a light kiss to the tender spot behind her ear. “I don’t think telling random people what you can do is a good idea. At all. However, life is about love and trust. If you find people you can trust, you should be able to be yourself with them.”
“Ivy’s life was different from mine, though,” Rowan explained. “She grew up in a small town. St. Clair Shores wasn’t exactly huge, but it was in a metropolitan area. I could disappear if I needed a break, or to hide. Shadow Lake was too small for Ivy to hide. Everyone knows everyone there.”
“What are you saying?”
“She was always the odd one in town. Shadow Lake has one stoplight. Her best friend before Jack entered the picture was her brother. She doesn’t have a lot of other friends.”
Quinn smoothed Rowan’s hair as he considered what she said. “I didn’t really think about that. It kind of makes sense.”
“Yeah. She’s leery for a reason. I think she trusts me, although it’s not easy for her.”
“So it’s just me that she doesn’t trust.”
“I don’t know that I would phrase it that way,” Rowan hedged. “She trusts Jack with her whole heart, though. I think that was probably a good choice because he loves her beyond reason.”
“He certainly does,” Quinn agreed. “He handles her well. That whole ‘my woman’ thing was a way to distract her from worrying about what would happen now that we know her secret.”
“I picked up on that. He’s not the type to think about her as property.”
“They fit together.” Quinn tightened his grip on Rowan’s waist. “We fit together, too. I think we’re going to be able to come to a meeting of the minds, all of us working together and thinking things through.”
“I do, too.”
“If Ivy doesn’t trust me, it’s okay. She trusts you and you trust me.”
“I think it would be easier if you and Jack could at least pretend to like one another.”
“I didn’t say I disliked him.”
Rowan made a face. “You guys are one bad testosterone frenzy away from thumping your chests and declaring yourselves king of the cruise ship.”
Quinn smiled at the visual. “I would win that competition.”
“See!” Rowan waved a finger in his face. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Why are you guys acting this way?”
Quinn shrugged, noncommittal. “I don’t know. It see
ms to come naturally for both of us.”
“Well, knock it off. I don’t think Ivy being on this particular cruise is a coincidence. I happen to believe in destiny. She’s here for a reason.”
“And what reason is that?”
“She’s going to work with us — her and Jack — to help figure out what’s going on with this group. That means we need her. You’re going to have to find a way to get along with Jack if we expect this to work out the way we want.”
“I don’t dislike Jack,” Quinn stressed. “In fact ... I kind of like him.”
“You do not.”
“I do, too. It’s just ... I like him best when we’re sparring. I don’t know how to explain it.”
Rowan tilted her head so she could stare into Quinn’s eyes. “This is some weird man thing, isn’t it?”
“Pretty much.”
“Well, be careful that your sparring doesn’t turn into punching. That’s the last thing we need.”
“Yes, ma’am.” His smile was devilish as he lowered his mouth to Rowan’s. “We have ten minutes before we have to go back. I have an idea how we can fill that time.”
Rowan sighed. “Okay. This isn’t doing anything to fix your gender’s reputation as Neanderthal men, though.”
“I can live with that.”
TWO HOURS OF READING THROUGH boring files meant Ivy and Rowan worked up an appetite. Since Quinn and Jack were always up for a good meal, they headed to the dining room together.
Rowan and Ivy went through the line first, filling their plates. Jack was happy to see that Ivy’s appetite appeared to have returned, which was a great relief to him.
“You need a better poker face,” Quinn said as he moved to Jack’s side, an empty plate in his hand. “It’s okay to worry. You don’t want her to know you’re worrying, though. That will simply make her antsy.”
Jack rolled his eyes as he grabbed a roll from the basket and dropped it on his plate. “Since when are you a relationship guru?”
“Um ... since always. I could give classes on relationships.”
Jack snorted. “Now I know you’re talking just to hear yourself talk. You’re as clueless as me when it comes to relationships.”
Quinn wanted to argue the point, but Jack wasn’t wrong. “No matter what, I’m smarter than you. I’m simply not a genius when it comes to relationships.”
“No one is.” Jack’s eyes remained on Ivy. “At least she’s eating. She really hasn’t eaten anything substantial since lunch yesterday. She was too worked up to eat the room service I ordered last night and she pushed both breakfast and lunch around her plate without really digesting anything.”
“Do you constantly worry over her eating habits?”
“Not usually.” Jack added huge mounds of shellfish to his plate as he watched Ivy scoop up a big serving of pasta. “She’s a healthy eater, despite being a vegetarian. She’s a marvelous cook.”
“Except for those mushrooms you don’t like.”
“They taste like feet,” Jack deadpanned. “She loves them, though. She makes soup with them. She spends three straight weeks lost in the woods with her brother so they can pick as many of those stupid things as possible.”
“It sounds like it’s an interactive food affair.”
“That’s a good way of looking at it. I think they’re gross, but she was hunting for morels right after we met. It’s kind of an anniversary thing now. I went with her to hunt them this year, although I draw the line at eating them.”
“It seems like a weird thing to me, but if it makes her happy, I don’t see the harm.”
“There’s no harm.” Jack forced a smile. “If I had a way to get those mushrooms for her right now I would actually eat the stupid things just to get a smile out of her. She had me worried for a little bit.”
“Because she saw Emily Little’s death?”
“Yeah. That’s never happened before, at least like that. She’s seen through the eyes of a killer before. I thought that was the worst thing ever. I was wrong. This was worse. She felt Emily’s fear ... and I don’t ever want her to be afraid.”
“Right.” Quinn’s mind drifted as he filled his plate.
“You seem distracted,” Jack said after a beat. “What are you thinking about?”
“You said she has magic dreams.”
Jack glanced around to make sure nobody was listening and scowled. “Shh.”
Quinn rolled his eyes. “No one cares what we’re talking about. Most of them probably think we’re together because we’re so intense.”
Jack snorted. “Dude, I so wouldn’t date you if I rolled that way. You’re too bossy.”
“You like your women bossy.”
“One woman. I like Ivy bossy.” Jack smiled fondly as he watched his fiancée cross the room and sit at a table with Rowan. “She seems to be doing better.”
“Yes, and I’m glad for that.” Quinn meant it. “The thing is, you said she can do weird stuff in her dreams, go places.”
Jack was instantly alert. “What are you getting at?”
“Hear me out.”
“I already don’t like whatever you’re going to say.”
Quinn chuckled, genuinely amused at Jack’s reaction. “She’s been in Emily Little’s head. She saw what happened.”
“And I’m not asking her to go back there.” Jack was firm. “Get that notion out of your head right now.”
“It wouldn’t be real for her, though,” Quinn persisted. “She could see what went down without being in any danger. That’s like the perfect ability. She’s a witness who can’t be hurt because she’s not really there.”
“No.” Jack vehemently shook his head. “I won’t do that to her. She was inside Emily’s head. That means she was the victim. If you think I’m putting her through that a second time, you’re crazy.”
“Maybe she can control her environment and look at the scene from a different angle.”
“And if she can’t, she’s trapped.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean she’s alone,” Quinn pointed out. “You can go into the dreams with her. You can protect her.”
Jack opened his mouth to argue and then snapped it shut. He was honestly intrigued by the suggestion. “I don’t know,” he said finally. “I have to think about it.”
“Think about it.” Quinn was unnaturally bright. “I think this is a great idea.”
“That’s because it’s not your girlfriend. Would you be so geeked to try it if Rowan was the one who could get hurt?”
“No. The thing is, she would want to do it anyway because that’s who she is. I think Ivy is the same way.”
“And I think Ivy is the love of my life and I will not purposely hurt her for anything.”
“Don’t hurt her. Go with her.”
Jack sighed. “I said I would think about it. Don’t push me to make a decision before I’m ready.”
“Fair enough.” Quinn finished filling his plate with food. “Just out of curiosity, do you want to beat your chest and declare yourself king of the cruise ship?”
“Is that a real question?”
“It’s something Rowan said.”
“Well, I don’t want to beat my chest. You, on the other hand, are a different story.”
“You’re not exactly a barrel of monkeys either.”
“I’m more fun than you.”
“In your dreams.”
Seventeen
The foursome spent their dinner hour watching the political group’s main players and trying to get a feel for the dynamics of the group.
“If you ask me, Guthrie is trying to take over,” Jack noted as he leaned back in his chair and wiped the corners of his mouth with his napkin.
“Why do you think that?” Rowan asked.
“Because he took the chair at the head of the table,” Quinn answered.
“I believe she was asking me,” Jack muttered.
“Oh, geez.” Ivy rolled her eyes. “Why do you guys feel the need to fight? Ther
e’s no reason for it.”
“We’re not fighting, honey,” Jack replied. “This is simply the way we communicate.”
“Well, it’s stupid.”
“I agree.” Rowan scorched Quinn with a pointed look. “Knock it off. Go back to why Guthrie is trying to take over. All I see is a guy holding court in front of nine other people.”
“Yes, but should he be holding court?” Quinn challenged. “At least on the surface, he should fake feeling sad over Margaret’s death. None of those people look sad.”
“Perhaps it’s because Margaret was an unlikeable person,” Rowan suggested. “No one I spoke with thought much of her.”
“Which makes me wonder why they didn’t try to usurp her power before this,” Ivy mused. “The group has been in existence a couple of years, right?”
“It started with the three of them in a local fellowship group,” Quinn explained. “It grew from there.”
“And took over the church,” Jack added. “Maybe someone at the church didn’t like attention shifted from a message of faith to one of attack.”
“I can see that,” Ivy said, wiping her hands before reaching for her iced tea. “That would mean it’s a person of faith doing the killing, though.”
“Or a person hiding behind faith,” Rowan corrected. “Most people of faith, those who truly believe, are good people. Sure, every once in a while a bad egg gets into the carton, but that’s honestly the exception rather than the rule.”
“I’m still leaning toward the possibility that someone joined the group late in the game so he or she could get close to Adkins,” Quinn supplied. “Maybe it’s not one of the executive group members.”
“I thought you said that was unlikely given the fact that the cameras were shut down,” Rowan countered.
“I still don’t know why that request was made,” Quinn admitted. “I’ve asked around. Margaret made the request. Whether she thought it was a good idea or someone else asked her to do it, though, I have no idea. The only one who might know who made that request is Emily, and she’s dead, too.”
“She’s the one I don’t understand,” Ivy said. “She was basically a secretary. She had no power. Why kill her?”
Wicked Ghostly Seas: A Rowan Gray, Harper Harlow and Ivy Morgan Mystery Omnibus Page 36
