“Do those sorts even exist?”
“More than I’m comfortable with.” Brimstone lifted his chin when the sound of footsteps on the deck became evident, nodding when he locked gazes with Quinn as he emerged from the darkness. “All quiet on the western front?”
Quinn ran a hand over his damp head as he took in the scene, confusion washing over him. “Brimstone, right?”
Brimstone nodded. “I was keeping your girlfriend company. She probably shouldn’t be out in a storm like this.”
“That’s why I’m taking her home.” Quinn’s voice was sharp. “What are you doing out here?”
“Just enjoying the night.” Brimstone took a step back and extended his hands in a placating manner. “We’re horror movie folk. There’s nothing about a thunderstorm we don’t like.”
“Yeah? Well, this one is going to be a doozy.” Quinn slipped his arm around Rowan’s shoulders. “Watch yourself.” The message was said in such a manner that it could hold many meanings.
Brimstone merely smiled in response. “I always do.”
ROWAN SLEPT on wet hair, which made the snarled bird’s nest she woke with the next morning a hideous mess. Quinn shoved her hand away when she tried to smooth it, grinning at her rueful expression.
“You look cute. Leave it alone.”
“I think you’re blind in the morning. I guess that works out well for me.”
Quinn pressed a kiss to her lips rather than commenting, his hand busy as it roamed her back.
“We didn’t talk much before crashing last night,” Rowan said when the silence stretched on a bit too long. “Did you have a problem herding the horror nuts to their rooms?”
Quinn shook his head, stretching a bit but remaining under the covers. “I had a few of those free drink vouchers in my pocket and enticed them to go inside by doling them out. They decided that was a better option than getting doused with rain.”
“That’s not so bad then.”
“No.” Quinn kept rubbing Rowan’s back. “Tell me about your visit with Brimstone.”
Rowan had been waiting for the questions to start on that front from the moment they hit her room, but Quinn was more interested in getting sleep than risking a long, drawn-out conversation. “He was … odd.”
Quinn shifted so he could look into her eyes. “Define odd.”
“He seemed to come out of nowhere and said he was watching me.”
“Watching you?” Quinn’s temper flared.
“He said he wanted to talk to me. The thing is, he didn’t say anything important. At least, well, it didn’t feel important. It felt odd. He asked about you, though.”
“What did he say about me?”
“That he noticed you and I spent the bulk of our day watching Callisto yesterday.”
“What did you say to him?”
“I … well … nothing.” Rowan ran the conversation through her mind. “Huh. I didn’t really notice that I never gave him an explanation for that and he simply let it drop. That’s weird, right?”
“I think any guy who chooses to call himself Brimstone is odd,” Quinn replied. “As for this particular guy, I’m not a big fan.”
“He seems all right to me. He’s a little strange, but everyone in this business seems strange. I think, just like everything else, the issues you face in a work situation are dependent on your life choices. I always liked to imagine that actors and actresses didn’t have problems because they were famous and seemingly rich. Now I think that’s not really the case. They simply have different problems.”
“Yeah, the two actresses I talked to last night weren’t exactly what I would call happy campers. I think you’re right about the money. These people aren’t making nearly as much as I initially envisioned.”
“Which one of them got close enough to put lipstick on your collar?” Rowan didn’t mean to come off as bitter, but she couldn’t ignore the jolt seeing the lipstick gave her.
“Nixie Waters.”
“That can’t be a real name.”
“I’m guessing not.” Quinn poked Rowan’s side to cajole a smile. “She tried to snuggle up but I made sure that didn’t happen. She wanted to buy me a drink and I believe her exact words were ‘lick me up and down.’”
Rowan was horrified. “She said that to you?”
“I was a gentleman and fought her off.”
“I’m sure.”
“I was,” Quinn promised. “I said the only one I want to lick me up and down was you. Wait … that came out wrong.”
Despite her desire to at least fake being cross, Rowan barked out a hysterical laugh. “That’s good to know.”
“I thought so.” Quinn extended his tongue and licked Rowan’s neck, causing her to squirm and giggle. The reaction made him feel warm all over. “Go back to Brimstone. Did he tell you anything of interest?”
“He just said to be careful of the people on the ship because they were all liars,” Rowan replied. “He said that the ones who know they’re liars are pretty much harmless. He stressed that it was the ones who thought they were telling the truth who were dangerous.”
“Huh. That’s kind of an odd thing to say.”
“That’s what I thought!” Rowan grew excitable. “It was right after I was talking to Rebecca Madden, so I can’t help but wonder if he was trying to warn me off her. Of course, he also noticed we were watching Callisto all day, so it could’ve been a warning about her.”
“I think Callisto knows she’s a liar and bully. I would think he was warning you about Rebecca. The thing is, I don’t trust him so I’m not sure how much weight I would give his opinion.”
“How come you don’t trust him? He didn’t leave lipstick on my collar.”
“Oh, geez.” Quinn pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m never going to live this down, am I?”
“Probably not.”
Quinn smirked, wrapping Rowan tight in his arms before rolling so she was pinned beneath him. He made loud smacking noises as he kissed her neck, causing her to squeal and fight his amorous advances. Her heart wasn’t really in it, though, so Quinn carried on a bit longer before raising his head.
“That’s not fair,” Rowan gasped out, grinning when Quinn ran his hand over her flat abdomen. Her sleep shirt rode up during their wrestling bout and large splashes of skin were now visible. “Brimstone isn’t interested in me. He’s just interested in lurking. I think it must be part of that whole creepy horror movie guru thing.”
“He’s interested in more than lurking,” Quinn argued. “I simply can’t figure out what he’s interested in.”
“It’s not me.”
“You’re probably not the whole of it, but I think you’re a part.”
She wasn’t the type to fish for compliments, but Rowan couldn’t stop herself from digging for more information. “What makes you think that?”
“Probably for the same reasons I’m so enamored with you.” Quinn tickled her ribs, eliciting another giggle before sobering. “He makes me nervous.”
“But … why?”
“Because he looks at you the same way I do.”
Rowan lifted her fingers to run them along Quinn’s jaw. “I guess it’s good I don’t look at him the same way I look at you, huh?”
“That’s the only reason I haven’t killed him yet,” Quinn teased, pressing a hard kiss against her lips and groaning when his phone dinged on the nightstand. “Crud. I guess the real world waits.”
He rolled to his back and grabbed the phone, holding up a finger to still Rowan as he answered. “Davenport.”
Rowan watched him, only mildly interested in the conversation as she ran her fingertips over his sculpted abs. Quinn raised a suggestive eyebrow as he talked, his expression promising more cuddling and play before heading up for breakfast. All of his flirty energy escaped quickly when something in the conversation caught his attention.
“Are you sure?” Quinn rolled to a sitting position, all business. “When was the last time anyone saw her?�
�
He tilted his head to the side as he waited for a response. Whatever it was, Rowan was convinced it was something he didn’t want to hear.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Quinn disconnected and turned his full attention to Rowan. It was clear that their morning fun was over.
“I’m almost afraid to ask,” Rowan intoned. “What’s going on?”
“Callisto Collins is missing.” Quinn chose his words carefully because he knew Rowan was the type to let misplaced guilt weigh down her diminutive shoulders. “She never returned to her room last night and my men can’t find any sign of her this morning.”
Rowan felt sick to her stomach. “But … .”
Quinn held up a finger to still her. “We don’t know that anything bad has happened yet. She might’ve spent the night in someone else’s room.”
Rowan knew he was trying to make her feel better, but it was a lost cause. “We should get moving.” She was resigned to things getting worse as the day progressed. “We’re probably already too late, but we definitely need to get moving.”
“Then we will.” Quinn pressed a kiss to her mouth. “It’s going to be okay.”
Rowan wanted to believe him, but she couldn’t. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”
11
Eleven
Quinn left Rowan to get ready, her hair serving as a stark reminder that it would take her longer to make herself presentable than him. She was only slightly agitated by it, but by the time she found Quinn in the front lobby he had a better handle on the situation.
“Anything?”
Quinn, who was trying to hide his distress behind a placid smile, shook his head. “It’s not good. Callisto was in the dining room drinking the night away until well after midnight. Then she just … disappeared.”
“But how is that possible? I thought you had people watching her.”
“I did, but they lost track of her. There was a lot of activity. I guess some of the horror fanatics got out of hand. They were trying to rein in the trouble when she took off. They assumed she went back to her room, but they didn’t dare knock until this morning. When she didn’t answer, they entered under the guise of a welfare check. As far as they can tell, she never went back to her room last night.”
“But … .” Rowan’s stomach roiled with turmoil. “You think she’s already dead, don’t you?”
Quinn glanced around to make sure no one was listening, but no one so much as raised an eyebrow in their direction. He rested his hands on Rowan’s shoulders as a form of solace as he searched for the right thing to say. “We don’t know that. We can’t know that. Right now, all we know is that she appears to be missing. We can’t even raise the red flag on that because then we’d have to admit we were watching her.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I’ve sent out word with the maids to be on the lookout for her. Every time they come across a sign turning down service for the day, they’re contacting my office so we can check.”
“That won’t go over well. People won’t like their hangovers interrupted.”
“Do you have a better idea?”
Rowan shook her head. “No, but it’s probably already too late.”
“I never knew you were such a defeatist.”
Rowan balked at the assertion. “I’m not. I’m a realist.”
“That’s not how it sounds to me.” Quinn realized his tone was harsher than he intended and adjusted it appropriately. “Sweetheart, you can’t do anything about this. You can’t change things. If she is dead … .”
“Then we failed. I mean … I … failed.”
“You didn’t fail,” Quinn argued. “This isn’t your job. It’s my job. I failed.”
“You don’t believe that any more than I do.” Rowan tugged a hand through her damp hair as she shifted her attention to the ornate double doors that led to the rest of the ship. “What will you do now?”
Quinn knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to shake Rowan until she snapped out of her doldrums. He doubted that would have the intended effect, though. “I’m going to start asking around.”
“You just said you couldn’t do that without admitting that we were watching her.”
“I changed my mind.”
“You changed your mind?” Rowan was shriller than necessary, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. “You’ll make everyone suspicious.”
“I’m not new,” Quinn argued, keeping his voice firm. “I’ll merely say some blonde asked about Callisto and said she was missing. This boat is full of blondes. It will be fine.”
“And then what?”
“I don’t know.” Quinn opted for honesty despite the fact that he desperately wanted to make Rowan feel better. “We can only take it one step at a time.”
QUINN LEFT Rowan to pout … or do whatever she felt necessary to make herself feel better. She was shaken, but he couldn’t focus on that when he had a missing person to find. The odds of Callisto being alive given what he knew about Rowan’s ability were slim, but he couldn’t simply give up. It wasn’t in his nature.
His first stop was Michael’s office so he could fill in the captain on what was happening. He made sure to tell his modified story rather than the truth – Quinn was the only one on the ship to know Rowan’s secret and he was determined to keep it that way – but the hungover captain (apparently he’d gotten lucky with a movie extra the night before) didn’t seem nearly as worried as Quinn felt.
Once he was done there, Quinn left his staff with instructions to go through every inch of the ship. If something happened on deck the night before, something that left behind blood evidence or the like, the storm most likely washed it away. That didn’t mean they couldn’t look. They might luck out.
After handling that bit, Quinn made his way to the restaurant. He needed to talk to those nearest and dearest to Callisto. Given the woman’s attitude, he had a feeling she didn’t have a lot of options in the “real friend” department. Someone had to know which direction she left in the previous evening, though. Someone had to know if she left alone.
Unfortunately for Quinn, the first person he ran into upon entering the dining room was Brimstone. Since Quinn was on edge and didn’t trust the man, he took the opportunity to question him. “Do you have a moment?”
Brimstone seemed surprised, but he remained calm despite Quinn’s gritty resolve. “Sure. What about?”
“Last night,” Quinn replied. “I need to know if you saw Callisto Collins during your travels.”
“Callisto?” Brimstone knit his eyebrows, surprise evident. “Huh. I thought you were going to give me a warning to stay away from your girlfriend. I guess you’re full of surprises, huh? I should’ve known that after your reaction on the beach that first night.”
Quinn refused to be baited into an unnecessary argument. “Rowan is an adult and can talk to whoever she wants. I’m not her keeper.”
“You didn’t look happy to see her talking to me last night.”
“That’s because we were in the middle of a storm and you were hiding in the shadows,” Quinn shot back. “I don’t like people appearing out of nowhere.”
“And here I thought you didn’t like people talking to your girlfriend. My bad.”
Brimstone looked a little too pleased with himself for Quinn’s comfort. “Rowan is capable of taking care of herself. She believes you’re harmless. I don’t happen to agree with that assumption, but she’s a big girl. She makes her own decisions.”
“How very … modern man … of you.”
“Whatever.” Quinn rolled his eyes and tamped down his growing irritation. “Callisto Collins,” he prodded, directing the conversation in a more important direction. “Did you see her last night?”
“I think everyone saw her,” Brimstone replied, rubbing his chin. His expressive eyes were thoughtful as they roamed Quinn’s face. “You seem upset. What’s going on?”
“Maybe I’m simply not a morn
ing person. Have you ever considered that?”
“I think the bulk of the people in this business aren’t morning people,” Brimstone replied. “You seem somehow … different, though. Where’s your girlfriend?” He peered around Quinn’s shoulder, his expression shifting when he didn’t find Rowan close. “Did you get in a fight or something?”
Quinn didn’t have a lot of patience to begin with and Brimstone was quickly eroding what he had left. “I need to know if you saw Callisto Collins last night – and where, for that matter. The more you change the subject, the more convinced I become that you’re hiding something.”
“What would I possibly be hiding?”
“That’s a very good question,” Quinn replied. “I’m thinking I should start digging to see if I can find out.”
“Whatever floats your boat.”
“Fine.” Quinn held up his hands, disgusted. “I don’t have time for this. I need to find Callisto and I’m on a timetable. Do what you want to do … as long as it means staying away from Rowan.”
Brimstone widened his eyes, his lips curving with amusement. “I thought you said she was an adult who could make her own decisions.”
“She is and she can. I’m also an adult and I make my own decisions. I’ve decided that you’re up to something weird and I don’t like the way you look at Rowan. I really don’t like the way you seem to be fixating on her.”
“I barely know her. I hardly think I’m fixating.”
Quinn wasn’t convinced. “That’s good. It should be easy for you to keep your distance.”
“Wow. You’re really wrapped tight this morning, aren’t you?” Brimstone’s mischievous smile was back. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”
“Not in the least.” Quinn was done messing around. He shifted to move past Brimstone, his shoulder smashing into Brimstone’s and causing the other man to take an inadvertent step back. “I hope you have a nice day on the ship. I have work to do, though.”
Brimstone watched him go, contemplative. “I hope you have a nice day, too.”
Stormy Seas (A Rowan Gray Mystery Book 3) Page 10
