Murky Seas (A Rowan Gray Mystery Book 2)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “I do.” Daphne bobbed her head. “That’s not the issue, though. This ship is the issue. It’s hardly safe for a woman to walk the decks when she can be tossed overboard at any moment.”

  “I’m not sure how to respond to that.” Rowan kept her voice even as she attempted to figure out exactly what Daphne was getting at. “Do you want to cover the ship in plastic wrap – or perhaps a bubble – to make sure there’s no danger of someone inadvertently going over the side?”

  “That’s an intriguing thought, but that would probably ruin the ambiance.” Daphne rubbed a well-manicured finger over her cheek. “I was thinking more about having security guards stationed every twenty feet along the railing to make sure that there’s absolutely no way anyone could fall to their death – whether by accident or intent.”

  Daphne had a hoity-toity way of talking that Rowan didn’t particularly like. “I see. Well, that would entail putting a guard on every single balcony, too, since they look out on the open sea. I doubt very much that the company is going to foot the bill for that. Plus, well, the privacy issues would be profound.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” Daphne mused. “It’s a good point and yet … well … I almost died last night. Perhaps if you almost died you would have a different take on matters.”

  “Perhaps,” Rowan readily agreed. “I think you’re safe as long as you don’t wander the deck alone, though. I’m sure whoever came after you wouldn’t have bothered if you weren’t hanging out alone. I’m not saying it’s your fault, mind you, just that you should take added precautions while you’re on the ship. You know, just to be on the safe side.”

  “Yes, well, I already have a plan to make sure that doesn’t happen again,” Daphne said. “In fact, I have a meeting with the captain in twenty minutes and that’s exactly what we’re going to discuss.”

  “Michael?” Rowan knit her eyebrows. She’d only met Michael Griffin a few times. The man had a reputation as something of a sex machine and serial groper, so Rowan went out of her way to give him a wide berth. Quinn swore up and down that the reputation was exaggerated, but Rowan wasn’t taking any chances. “Well, he’s a nice man. I’m sure you’ll have a pleasant chat with one another.”

  “I think we will, too,” Daphne said breezily. “I’m going to ask him to lift the rule about security guards keeping watch in guest rooms overnight and then I’m going to make sure Mr. Davenport is close to watch my back for the remainder of my stay. I think that’s the only thing that will make me feel safe.”

  “Oh, um … hmm.” Rowan had no idea what to say to that so she pressed her mouth shut and stared at her feet. Part of her wanted to call Daphne on her attitude, but no matter how things went, Rowan knew she would come out of that scenario looking like the bad guy given Daphne’s terrible ordeal the night before.

  “Does that bother you?” Daphne locked gazes with Rowan. “I mean … is there a reason Mr. Davenport shouldn’t spend the night in my room?”

  Rowan wanted to answer that Quinn would be spending the night in her room, but she didn’t know if that was actually the case. He stayed close the night before because they both needed it. They’d made no further plans on what was to come. “I think Mr. Davenport is capable of making his own decisions.”

  “Yes, but … rumor has it that you two might be making decisions together now.”

  Rumor has it? Rowan didn’t bother to hide her irritation. “I didn’t realize you were keyed in to the ship’s gossip mill. Do you have something specific you want to ask?”

  “I like a woman who puts her cards on the table.” Daphne’s smile was serene. “You would do well in cosmetic sales, once you clean up your complexion and learn how to apply eyeliner in the proper manner, of course.”

  “Of course.”

  “As for the rest, I guess I’ll come right out and ask it,” Daphne pressed. “Are you and Mr. Davenport involved?”

  “Yes.” Rowan refused to lie.

  “I see.” Daphne clearly didn’t like the answer. She folded her fingers together and primly rested them on her lap. “Is this a monogamous relationship?”

  “We haven’t gotten that far.”

  “Meaning?”

  Rowan bit down on her bottom lip to keep herself from saying something harsh. She counted to ten, sucked in a breath, and then forced a smile. “Meaning that it’s a new thing for both of us.”

  “So … he’s not your boyfriend?”

  “You’ll have to ask him that.”

  “I’m asking you.”

  “I don’t know if he’s my boyfriend because we haven’t talked about it.” Rowan pushed herself to a standing position and grabbed her camera from the table. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, this is a wildly unprofessional conversation and I have work to do.”

  “Yes, well, go back to your work.” Daphne made shooing motions with her fingers. “I’ll handle everything else.”

  Rowan wanted to ask what the woman meant by that, but she was afraid her temper would get the better of her and either she or Daphne would end up with a powder puff to the face (and possibly a mascara brush to the eye) if she didn’t leave right now.

  “Good luck with that,” Rowan gritted out. “I’ll have the photos from the conference uploaded within the next few hours.”

  “I’m looking forward to seeing them.”

  8

  Eight

  “Absolutely not.”

  Quinn planted his hands on his hips and vehemently shook his head to cut off Captain Michael Griffin before he even finished his request. He knew the moment the man called him into his office that there was going to be trouble.

  “I haven’t even gotten to the question yet,” Michael complained, glaring. “Don’t you think I’ve earned the right to finish my question?”

  “Sure.” Quinn bobbed his head even though his expression remained immovable.

  “Daphne DuBois has requested that you spend the night in her room to protect her.”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “Okay, well, I asked.” Michael’s grin was cheeky as he gestured toward the chair across from his desk. “She’s not going to like the answer, but I told her that there was no way I would force an employee to do something like that. I can’t wait to tell her. Oh, wait, I can wait.”

  “I’ll tell her.” Quinn’s temper bubbled toward the surface as he sank into the chair. “I’m legitimately looking forward to telling her. I think it’s going to be the highlight of my day.” His mind flashed to waking up with Rowan. “Or maybe the second best part of my day.”

  “Are you going to be pleasant when you tell her?”

  “No.”

  Michael made a face. “You know that I hear it from the higher-ups when you mouth off to the guests, right? It’s not fun.”

  “That woman is the devil.”

  “She could very well be the devil,” Michael agreed. “She sashayed in here and pasted this fake smile on her face … and this was after she demanded a meeting even though I said I was busy. She used this really friendly tone of voice and then proceeded to talk down to me like I was an idiot.”

  “Why didn’t you shut her down there?” Quinn was genuinely curious.

  “Because this cruise is a yearly thing and it brings in a lot of money,” Michael replied. “Listen, I’m only going to put up with so much crap, but I didn’t see the harm in asking. I explained I couldn’t force you to do anything and that I didn’t foresee you agreeing to her suggestion, but she didn’t believe me.”

  “Really?” Quinn rolled his neck until it cracked. “She has a unique sense of self. I have to give her that. I could’ve sworn on a stack of Bibles that she had eight arms last night. That’s how active she was trying to hold onto me.”

  “You made your escape, though, didn’t you?”

  “I certainly did.”

  “I understand you made your escape to a certain photographer’s room.” Michael’s eyes sparkled. “How did that go?”

  “Oh, geez.” Quin
n pinched the bridge of his nose to ward off a potential headache. “Have you been spending time with Demarcus?”

  “He is the best bartender on the ship.”

  “Yes, well, he’s also a gossipy pain in the butt.”

  “I can live with that.”

  Quinn sighed, the sound heavy and hollow. In truth, Michael was probably the best friend he had on the Bounding Storm. They didn’t spend a lot of time together – and Michael had no interest in following Quinn around to force social interaction – but they were still fairly close. “It was fine,” he gritted out after a beat.

  “Fine?”

  “That’s what I said.”

  “Demarcus said you spent the night and came out looking all sloppy and happy.”

  “Demarcus is going to get a boot in the rear end before the day is out,” Quinn shot back.

  “Oh, come on.” Michael didn’t bother hiding his mirth. “You’ve been panting after that woman since you first saw her. You’ve finally gotten her. Are we talking forever or for now?”

  “We don’t know each other all that well,” Quinn replied, annoyed. “We’re having a wonderful time, though.”

  “Oh, that was a pathetic answer. It was almost so diplomatic it was so boring.” Michael made a clucking sound as he shook his head. “I expected more from you.”

  “Yeah?” Quinn came from a military background and while men were mostly respectful of women he would be lying if he said there wasn’t the occasional off-color joke. He even made a few himself. He couldn’t bring himself to offer anything like that where Rowan was concerned. “I like her.”

  “I know. I’ve seen you two together. You’re in your own little world even when you’re simply sharing drinks and staring at the ocean.”

  “So why did you ask?”

  “Because I was curious to see what you would say.” Michael leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers as he rested his elbows on his stomach. “It’s okay to like her. You know that, right?”

  “I know that. I have no problem admitting I like her. What I do have a problem with is the way the people who work on this ship won’t stop staring. It’s hard to date when you’re the only fish in the bowl.”

  “That will ease eventually. You just have to give it a few days … two weeks at the most.”

  “I hope so.” Quinn flashed a genuine smile as he stood. “I’ll track down Ms. DuBois and inform her of my decision. You don’t have to worry about doing it yourself.”

  “That would be great. I’m going to hide here until she focuses her attention on someone else.”

  Quinn shook his head, legitimately amused. “You could always volunteer to stay with her.”

  “Oh, I’ll never be that hard up. Did you see that hair? It’s like a helmet.”

  “I saw it. I can’t wait until I never have to see it again.”

  “Yes, well, speaking of helmets … um … you might want to wear a cup when you tell her you’re bowing out,” Michael suggested. “I have a feeling she kicks.”

  “I’ll keep it in mind.”

  ROWAN WAS tired when she hit her room. Between three hours at the conference, an annoying conversation with Daphne, and then another two hours on deck under the unrelenting sun, she was ready to hit the shower.

  Rowan never considered herself a jealous person until Daphne practically slapped her across the face with a dueling glove and challenged her to fight for Quinn’s affection. She had no intention of stooping to Daphne’s level, but she also didn’t want Quinn thinking she didn’t care enough to muster the effort. It was an interesting conundrum.

  Rowan was so lost in thought she didn’t notice the single flower leaning against her door until she almost stepped on it. She widened her eyes, glancing around the empty hallway before leaning over to pick up the pink rose.

  It was beautiful in its simplicity and Rowan pressed it to her nose to inhale the intoxicating scent. She’d seen the roses offered for purchase at one of the gift shops off the main lobby, the color selected specifically for the Cara G Cosmetics guests. There was no note attached, but Rowan was fairly certain she knew who sent it.

  The first thing she did upon entering the room was find something to use as a vase. She had to settle for a tall glass, but she really didn’t mind. Once she added water to the glass and stripped out of her clothes she headed straight for the shower.

  Ten minutes before she’d been exhausted, briefly wondering if she should skip dinner in favor of a nap. Now all she could think about was dressing up in something nice and finding Quinn so they could share a meal together.

  Her mood unbelievably uplifted, Rowan left her cell phone on the bed before disappearing into the bathroom. The night was looking up.

  “THERE YOU are!”

  Daphne, a fruity drink in her hand and a sarong hanging low on her hips as she danced back and forth in her bikini, fixed Quinn with a flirty smile as he approached her on the deck. It was almost five and Quinn couldn’t help but wonder if the cosmetics dynamo planned to drink her supper. He honestly didn’t care – or judge – but it would make things worse if the woman was drunk when he shot her down.

  “Here I am,” Quinn confirmed, sparing a glance at the group of Cara G Cosmetics representatives slurping drinks on pool loungers. “Do you have a minute to talk?”

  “I’ve got a whole bunch of minutes for you,” Daphne purred, puffing out her ample chest and causing the women to giggle in appreciation. “If you only need a minute, I’ll be so disappointed. What do you want to talk about? I’m guessing it’s about your sleeping arrangements tonight. You don’t have to worry. There’s plenty of room in my bed.”

  The gaggle of women let loose with a series of cat sounds, a few making claws with their hands and swiping them through the air.

  “I know someone who is going to be having a good night,” Penny intoned, beaming.

  “Yes, I know someone who will be having a good night, too,” Quinn said. “Can we talk, Ms. DuBois?”

  “Call me Daphne.”

  “I’m fine calling you Ms. DuBois. It’s more professional.”

  “Yes, but it’s also cold.” Daphne wrinkled her nose as she ran her finger down Quinn’s chest. “You don’t make me feel cold.”

  “I think you would prefer having this conversation in private,” Quinn supplied, catching Daphne’s hand and shoving it back. “I know I would.”

  Daphne stilled, her eyes momentarily shifting from flirty to murderous. She recovered quickly and plastered the familiar fake smile on her face. “Okay, well, do you have a specific location where you’d like to chat?”

  “I’ll bet he wants to chat in his bedroom,” Penny teased.

  “Over there will be fine.” Quinn pointed to an empty spot in front of the railing.

  “Okay, well, let’s go.” Daphne squared her shoulders as she moved in that direction. Quinn was secretly relieved that she didn’t appear to be shaky on her feet. Once they were alone, Daphne swiveled and fixed Quinn with a blinding smile. “I never took you for being shy. If you’re upset about the teasing, well, you don’t have to worry. I know you’ll be staying in my room to do a job … nothing else. All that talk was simply my friends blowing off steam.”

  “I’m not staying in your room.” Quinn was matter-of-fact. “That’s not going to happen. It’s not part of my job description. It’s simply not how this night is going to go.”

  “But … I talked to the captain.”

  “Who cannot make me do something I don’t want to do. I can place a security representative outside of your room if that makes you feel better, but he will not be forced to spend the night in your room either.”

  “Forced? That’s such a harsh word.”

  “Can you think of a better word?”

  “Um … how about want? Why don’t you want to spend the night in my room? I’m a witty conversationalist.”

  “And I’m not interested.” Quinn crossed his arms over his chest, giving off an air of authority and aloofness th
at couldn’t possibly be mistaken for anything other than it was. “I am not some prize in a game you’re playing. I’m not up for manipulation. I can’t be bullied.”

  “I wasn’t trying to bully you,” Daphne protested, her demeanor faltering. “I don’t appreciate being talked to in this manner. I hope you know that.”

  “I don’t really care.” Quinn rolled his neck as weariness descended on his broad shoulders. “Please stop playing games because I’ve got a full schedule. I’m trying to figure out exactly who wanted to throw you off this ship. I’m guessing I have a lot of suspects to sift through.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Take it however you want,” Quinn snapped. “I’m done messing around, though. If you have a legitimate security question, the door to my office is always open. Otherwise … I’m busy.”

  Quinn turned on his heel and stalked toward the bar, the pressure in his chest lifting when he realized he’d tackled the hardest part of his day. Things could only get better from here on out. The feeling of euphoria only lasted a few seconds, right until Penny Parker stepped in front of him and cut off his avenue of escape.

  “Now what?” he barked, immediately lifting his hands by way of apology when he noticed the way the woman jerked her shoulders. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”

  “It’s okay.” Penny’s voice was small and she took a moment to collect herself. “I didn’t mean to bother you. It’s just … um … I wanted to apologize for whatever it is that Daphne said to you. She doesn’t always understand the way she comes off. She doesn’t do the things she does on purpose.”

  “See, I’m going to part ways with you there. I think she knows exactly what she’s doing. Like a typical bully, she gauges people. She wants to see how far she can push them before they push back. I can’t be pushed at all without pushing back. That’s the message I just conveyed to her.”

  “And she doesn’t look happy about it,” Penny noted, inclining her chin toward the lounger where Daphne dejectedly sat as she downed a huge drink. “She’s going to be a bear tonight. She’s been telling people all day that she’s going to get to know you better.”