Sunken Seas (A Rowan Gray Mystery Book 4)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Did you?” Sally cocked an eyebrow. “Did you apologize?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did she accept it?”

  “No.”

  “See, I knew that.” Sally rested her hands on her knees as she cracked her neck. “Do you want to know how?”

  “I sincerely doubt it.”

  “I try to make a point of staying out of your relationship, Quinn,” Sally offered. “I’m not sure I can do that this go around.”

  “You try to make a point of staying out of our relationship?” Quinn was flabbergasted. “Since when?”

  “Um … every day since you got together.”

  “You’re full of so much crap I’m afraid to flush because I’m sure I’ll clog the toilet line.”

  Sally’s frown was pronounced. “Listen, I like to gossip as much as the next person, but that doesn’t mean I involve myself in your relationship. Did I smack you upside the head when you didn’t make a move on Rowan right away? No. Did I get involved when you guys weren’t having sex for what felt like forever? No.”

  “You basically did both those things,” Quinn argued.

  “You’re remembering it wrong.” Sally was succinct. “This time I can’t stay out of it, though. This time I have to get involved.”

  “Oh, I’m going to hate this, aren’t I?” Quinn pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead. “Go ahead and tell me … although, do it gently. I’m not sure how much more I can take.”

  “And people say I’m dramatic.”

  “You are.”

  “Yes, well, it’s going to get worse.” Sally scratched the side of her nose as she pinned Quinn with a hard look. “You broke her heart.”

  Whatever he was expecting, that wasn’t it. Quinn openly gaped. Sally, though, she remained calm, refusing to scream and yell at him even though he would’ve been far more comfortable with the effort. “What do you mean?”

  “You broke her heart, Quinn,” Sally repeated. “It might seem ludicrous to us – and I tried to talk her down a few hours ago only to have her hurry away so she wouldn’t have to listen to me – but it’s rational to her.”

  “It’s going to be okay.” Quinn was almost a hundred percent sure of that. “I’m going to get away from everyone, talk to her alone, and apologize. Everything will be back to normal in a few hours.”

  “See, I don’t think that’s true,” Sally said. “That’s why I felt the need to come to you. She’s really upset.”

  “I didn’t mean for it to happen,” Quinn supplied. “I just lost track of time.”

  “You forgot her.”

  “Stop saying that.” Quinn extended a warning finger. “I did not forget her. It’s just … they wanted to have one drink. I thought I could extricate myself after that. I’m head of security and I’m supposed to work with these people so I couldn’t simply walk away when they wanted to talk.”

  “Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” Sally asked dryly.

  “I’m merely stating the truth.”

  “So … yourself then?”

  Quinn made an odd growling noise. “What do you want, Sally?”

  “To make sure you fix this.”

  “Fix her broken heart?”

  “Don’t sound so incredulous,” Sally chided. “You’re not looking at it the same way she is.”

  “And what way is that?” Quinn challenged.

  “First, stop giving me attitude,” Sally ordered. “I didn’t create this mess. You did. You should’ve seen her face when she finally realized you weren’t coming last night. It was … ridiculous. She kept looking toward the door at every noise. She thought she would see you there. When she realized you weren’t coming … .”

  “Don’t finish that sentence.” Quinn already felt guilty. He didn’t need Sally adding to the mix. “I didn’t mean for it to happen. Time and drinks got away from me.”

  “I get that. I really do. If I were the one you stood up, I would’ve punished you for a few hours – made you give me massages and flowers and stuff – and then forgiven you as long as the kisses kept coming and I felt you were really sorry. She saw things from a slightly different perspective.”

  “And what perspective is that?”

  “She saw them from the perspective of a teenage girl who came home one day to wait for her father. He never showed up either.”

  Quinn felt as if he’d been punched in the stomach … with a bag of bricks. “Oh, I didn’t even think about that.” He rested his hand on the back of the bench. “Of course she would be reminded of that.”

  “She doesn’t talk about that a lot to me,” Sally noted. “Does she talk about it with you?”

  “A little.”

  “She’s still haunted by a father who never came home. I know it’s not the same – or even remotely the same, for that matter – as what happened last night. I think it’s fair to say she has abandonment issues, though.”

  “I should’ve realized.” Quinn felt even guiltier than before, if that was possible. “I should’ve walked away before they even offered me a drink.”

  “Listen, don’t beat yourself up too much,” Sally admonished. “Nobody is perfect – not you, not me, and not Rowan – but it will probably benefit you to realize what she’s dealing with.”

  “I need to talk to her.” Quinn rolled his neck. “I don’t like this hanging over my head.”

  “I don’t think she likes it either. She’s been acting a bit … odd.”

  Quinn stilled, surprised. “Odd how?”

  “I think she’s focusing on work because it’s the only way she can push her worry and doubts out of her head.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning she’s become obsessive about one of the guests.”

  “I’m going to need more information,” Quinn prodded. “And, if you tell me it’s a man, I might be the one with a broken heart.”

  Sally snorted. “It’s a woman. Her name is Selena Dennis. She’s part of Andrea Morgan’s elite diving team.”

  Quinn was confused. “And Rowan is suddenly obsessed with her?”

  “She brought me a photo and showed it to me, asked if I could think of a way to find out who the woman was without making a big deal out of it. I told her to ask Andrea, but she declined. I think she’s feeling a little bit insecure because you spent the entire night with Andrea.”

  “I didn’t spend the night with Andrea,” Quinn countered. “I spent it with Anthony.”

  Sally quirked an eyebrow. “I’m not sure that’s much better.”

  Quinn scowled. “Go back to the photo. Did Rowan say why she wanted to know about the woman?”

  Sally shook her head. “She just said she wanted to know who the woman was. One of my waitresses recognized her, told her the name, and then Rowan couldn’t get out of there fast enough.”

  “But … why?” Quinn asked the question, but he figured out the answer on his own before Sally could provide her opinion. In truth, no matter how she tried, Sally couldn’t come up with the right answer because she didn’t know about Rowan’s ability. Quinn, on the other hand, knew all about it. “Son of a … .”

  “Do you know what she wants with Selena Dennis?” Sally was understandably intrigued.

  “No, but I’ve got a pretty good idea.” Quinn strode toward the door. “Thanks for giving me a heads-up, Sally. I’ll take it from here.”

  “Try not to yell at her,” Sally called out. “Insecurity is a pain in the keister, but Rowan comes by it honestly. The biggest part of her heart believes that her father died that day and they simply never found his body. A small part, one that refuses to completely let go, believes he purposely abandoned her because she wasn’t worthy. She just can’t get over that no matter how much you want her to.”

  Quinn paused, his fingers wrapped around the door handle. “I’m not angry with her.”

  “You seem angry.”

  “I’m angry with myself. I’ll fix this, though. I promise.”

  “Good luck.”
/>
  “Thanks. I think I’m going to need it.”

  ROWAN’S STOMACH GROWLED as she sat on the deck and watched Selena Dennis sip a piña colada and chat with several friends. The woman looked happy, relaxed even. That didn’t mean she would stay that way.

  Rowan kept her camera at the ready and snapped another photograph, frowning as she pulled back and stared at the image in the electronic viewfinder on the device’s back. The symbol would come and go from older photos as danger waxed and waned but Rowan wasn’t convinced it was always accurate so she insisted on snapping new photos whenever possible. It was a habit she couldn’t shake.

  “You don’t look happy.”

  Rowan jolted at the new voice, sliding a sideways glance to a smiling Nick as he moved closer. “I was concentrating.”

  “You look like you were concentrating hard.”

  “Yes, well, I can’t seem to help myself when it comes to my job.” The smile Rowan let loose with was full of faux sugar and light. “I haven’t seen much of you today. Have you been hiding?”

  Nick snorted. “Why would I hide? I’ve been busy coming up with an action plan for the dive site. If I knew you were looking for me, though, I would’ve made my presence known.”

  He had a smarmy quality that Rowan wasn’t completely comfortable with. She didn’t retreat, though, instead fixing him with a weighted look. “And here I thought you were avoiding me after you mentioned knowing about my past. I guess that was silly, huh?”

  Nick didn’t look happy with the conversational shift, but he didn’t run away. “I double checked your file and there was a notation in it about your circumstances as a teenager. That’s how I knew.”

  Rowan didn’t believe him for a second. “Well, I guess that explains everything … including why I feel as if I should know you.”

  Nick’s eyes were clear as they locked with hers. “I guess I just have one of those faces.”

  “Yeah, I guess.” Rowan licked her lips before turning her attention back to Selena. “What can you tell me about her?”

  “Selena?” Nick arched an eyebrow. “Why do you want to know?”

  Rowan shrugged, noncommittal. “A few of the waitresses were talking about her,” she lied. “They said she was a real party animal.” Rowan was playing a hunch, but she wasn’t worried about Nick calling her on it. He seemed too wrapped up in his own games to care about the ones Rowan wanted to play.

  “I don’t know if I would call her a party animal,” Nick hedged. “She likes to hang out with friends, but when it comes to work, she’s very good at what she does.”

  “And she’s part of the elite dive team, right? What exactly does that mean?”

  “She’ll be with the first group that goes down.” Nick’s expression was thoughtful. “Why are you interested in that? You’re not a diver, right? Why do you care?”

  “I guess I’m just curious.” Rowan pursed her lips as she raised her camera and snapped three shots in rapid succession. She stared at the viewfinder again, her stomach refusing to unclench. “How dangerous is the initial dive?”

  “I don’t know.” Nick’s response was slow, deliberate. “Why do you ask?”

  “I’m just curious. I’m curious about the entire thing.”

  “You seem the curious sort,” Nick agreed. “I don’t know what to tell you about Selena. I am curious why you’re so interested in her, though.”

  “I’m merely interested in the job,” Rowan corrected. “As for the rest … I was merely asking questions.”

  “Yes, well … .” Nick didn’t get a chance to finish because his attention was diverted by an approaching Quinn. “Ah, here comes your paramour. Perhaps he’ll know why you’re so interested in Ms. Dennis.”

  Rowan cringed when she heard Quinn’s footsteps on the deck behind her. “Well, great.”

  “Mr. Davenport, it’s good to see you.” Nick beamed. “How are you this afternoon?”

  “I’m good, Mr. Green,” Quinn replied, his voice even.

  “Would you care to join us?” Nick asked. “We were just having an illuminating discussion.”

  “Actually, I was hoping to have a private discussion with Ms. Gray.” Quinn managed to keep his wits and manners on display, but just barely. “You don’t mind, do you?”

  “Of course not.” Nick held up his hands as he took a step back. “I’ll leave you to your discussion.”

  “Great.” Quinn remained where he was, his eyes focused on Rowan’s face until he was sure they were alone. The second Nick made his escape, Rowan looked as if that was exactly what she wanted to do. There was no way Quinn was going to allow that to happen.

  “I should probably get going,” Rowan said lamely, hating the fact that she felt so uncomfortable in Quinn’s presence.

  “Oh, you’re not going anywhere,” Quinn countered. “In fact, if you try leaving, I’m going to cuff you to me until we work this out.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  “Nope. It’s a promise. We need to talk, and we’re going to do it right now. I won’t wait another second … and I honestly don’t think you want me to.”

  Rowan considered arguing but she was too tired and defeated to muster the energy. “Fine. I’m furious, though. You should prepare yourself.”

  Despite his worry, Quinn’s lips quirked. “Right back at you.”

  8

  Eight

  “Fine. What do you want to talk about?”

  “Don’t take that tone with me.” Quinn was firm as he tugged Rowan toward a set of chairs near the edge of the deck. That section of the boat was empty, which meant they could talk without fear of being overheard. “I know you’re upset, but we’re going to work through this right now.”

  Rowan heaved out a long-suffering sigh as she sank into one of the chairs, lifting her camera to study a photo before turning her full attention to Quinn. “I’m not upset.”

  “Okay, don’t lie.” Quinn took the chair next to her and fixed her with a determined look. “I don’t like how flippant you sound.”

  “How do you want me to sound?”

  “Like my Rowan.”

  He was so earnest Rowan wanted to melt right there, but she held firm. “Your Rowan?”

  “Yeah, that’s how I think of you.”

  “You didn’t last night.”

  “That’s not true,” Quinn protested. “I had every intention of meeting you at the tiki bar. Things got away from me.”

  “I heard.”

  Quinn struggled to maintain his temper. He’d never seen Rowan so purposely blasé. It irritated him to his very core. “I didn’t mean for it to happen. It was an accident. That doesn’t make it right, though. I’m very sorry.”

  “You don’t have to be sorry.”

  “But I am.” Quinn grabbed three fingers on her left hand so she couldn’t pull too far away. “It wasn’t on purpose. I had every intention of getting out of there right away, but Anthony wanted to talk about the salon setup and I didn’t feel as if I could simply take off.

  “This isn’t an excuse, mind you, but I thought you would want to know the way it went down,” he continued. “I agreed to sketch out the layout for him and he insisted I have a beer. I wasn’t really in the mood, but I did it anyway.”

  “Ah, peer pressure,” Rowan lamented. “If only you weren’t so susceptible to doing what the other cool kids are doing.”

  Quinn frowned. “I guess that’s fair, although I really wish you wouldn’t act so cold and just come out with what’s bothering you.”

  “Nothing is bothering me.”

  “Ugh. You’re going to be the death of me.” Quinn rolled his neck and stared at the setting sun before continuing. “We talked a bit about Afghanistan and traded stories. One beer turned into several beers. I lost my head.”

  “I’m not your keeper, Quinn. You don’t have to explain yourself to me.”

  “I do. I said I would be at the tiki bar in a few minutes and it didn’t happen. I am so sorry. I don’t even kno
w if I can express how sorry I am.”

  Part of Rowan wanted to take pity on him, but she tamped down the urge. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” She averted her gaze. “I should probably get inside and upload these photos.”

  “Oh, we’re nowhere near being done,” Quinn said. “I made a big mistake. I should’ve walked away before the beer started flowing. I need you to know that I am sorry, though. I didn’t mean for it to happen … and I certainly didn’t mean to hurt you. That’s the last thing I wanted.”

  “I don’t want you to be forced to spend time with me when you don’t want to do it,” Rowan supplied. “That’s not the kind of relationship I want.”

  “That’s not the kind of relationship I want either. That’s not what happened, though. I simply … lost track of time. It was like being in the military again. People were sharing stories … and it was a brotherhood of sorts … but that doesn’t explain away what I did. I can’t go back in time and fix it, though. All I can do is apologize.”

  Rowan swallowed hard. “You should’ve texted. That would’ve been enough.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry for that, too. I swear it won’t happen again.”

  “I don’t want you to think of me as your mother.”

  Quinn cracked a smile. “I can guarantee that’s not how I think of you.”

  “Okay.” Rowan held up her free hand in surrender. “It’s fine. I accept your apology.”

  She said the words he longed to hear, but Quinn couldn’t leave things how they were. They weren’t in sync yet. Not even close.

  “You’re still hurt and I know why.” Quinn kept his voice low as he squeezed the fingers he held. “You were abandoned as a teenager and you can’t help equating what I did last night to what happened when you were eighteen.”

  “I don’t know that I was abandoned. I might’ve been orphaned. Heck, I probably was orphaned.”

  “Probably,” Quinn conceded. “That doesn’t change the fact that you can’t get over the idea that you might’ve been abandoned. It’s okay, Ro. I get it. I didn’t mean to stir all this up.”

  Rowan opened her mouth to respond, but no sound came out so she snapped it shut.

  “What were you going to say?” Quinn prodded.