Grave Seas: A Maddie Graves and Rowan Gray Mystery

by Lily Harper Hart

  Dylan shifted at the exact same moment that Maddie tried to squeeze around him. Her hand inadvertently made contact with his shoulder during the process, and the second they touched, she found her mind invaded by a series of images she didn’t know how to describe.

  The scenes overlapped one another … and there was screaming. It didn’t sound like a man screaming, though. It was clearly a woman … and maybe a child thrown in for good measure. Then there were more flashes, and they came so fast that Maddie actually staggered away from him in an effort to break the contact.

  “Are you okay?” Dylan looked concerned as he moved to catch her, but he wasn’t fast enough. Another man, this one with broad shoulders and strong arms, was already making sure she didn’t hit the ground.

  “Are you okay, Miss?” he asked, concern filling his eyes.

  “I … um … .” Maddie was understandably confused. She wasn’t even sure where she was.

  “Do you know this woman?” the man asked Dylan pointedly.

  “Her name is Maddie,” Dylan replied. “That’s all she said. I … who are you?”

  “Quinn Davenport,” he replied without missing a beat. “I’m head of security. I take it she’s not with you.”

  “I’m not,” Maddie volunteered quietly. “Nick. I want Nick.”

  Quinn glanced at her left hand, at the way the engagement ring and matching wedding band glinted under the lights. They looked fresh and new. “Is that your husband?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then I’ll get you to him. Do you know where he is?”

  “Tiki bar. Right over there.” She waved vaguely.

  “Okay. I’ll take you to him. You have nothing to worry about.”

  Maddie could only hope that was true.

  Four

  Nick couldn’t get to Maddie’s side fast enough, leaving the trio of women to pout about his lack of interest at the bar as he rushed to her.

  “Are you okay?” He dropped to the ground so he could be at eye level.

  Maddie was pretty far from okay. Her head was a mish-mash of visions that didn’t belong to her, but she couldn’t exactly volunteer that information in front of two strangers. She zealously guarded her secrets, which was one of the reasons she and Nick struggled through a full decade apart from one another. There was no way she could simply blurt out what she’d seen now, though.

  It would have to wait.

  “I guess I just got a little lightheaded.” She turned a rueful smile on him as she rubbed her cheek. “I feel pretty embarrassed.”

  “There’s no need to be embarrassed, Mad.” Nick slipped his arm around her waist and anchored her to his side, slowly flicking his eyes to Quinn. “You’re the one who sent for me?”

  Quinn nodded absently, his eyes on Dylan. “I am. Quinn Davenport, head of security.” He jutted out his hand in greeting and forced his attention to Nick. “I’m not quite sure what happened. She looked as if she was going to fall over.”

  Maddie’s forehead wrinkled as a pronounced frown overtook her features. “She is right here. You don’t have to talk about her when you can talk to her.”

  Quinn laughed despite himself. “I’m sorry.” He held up his hands in capitulation. “I wasn’t trying to go all caveman on you. Trust me. That wouldn’t go over well at home. It’s just ... I really thought you were going to pass out there for a second. We have a hospital wing. Maybe you should go down there and get checked out.”

  That was the last thing Maddie wanted to do. “I don’t think that’s necessary,” she countered firmly, making sure she held Nick’s gaze for an extended beat. “I’m not used to drinking and I had a few at the tiki bar. That’s on me.”

  Quinn smiled kindly at her. “That’s been known to happen.”

  “Yes, well ... .” Maddie rubbed her forehead. “I still feel like an idiot,” she admitted. “I think I should drink some water and take a little down time in the shade.”

  “We’ll head back to our room,” Nick insisted. “We can order room service if we need food. In fact, I ordered appetizers at the bar. We’ll take them to our room and eat them there. Then we’ll take a nap or something.”

  Maddie gratefully bobbed her head. “That sounds like a great idea. Then we can get in the tub.”

  He smirked. “Somehow I knew you were going to work that into the evening’s events.”

  “It was a foregone conclusion,” she agreed.

  NICK WAITED UNTIL THEY WERE ALONE and on their way back to the room before asking the obvious question.

  “Are you really okay? I kind of want to take you to the medical wing. I’m not going to lie.”

  “I’m fine.” Maddie looked up and down the hallway to make sure they were alone and then stilled. “I didn’t get lightheaded because of the drinks. Well, maybe a little. That wasn’t what happened, though.”

  Nick’s fingers were gentle as they brushed Maddie’s hair away from her face. “What happened?”

  Maddie told him about the series of images that flooded her mind — and the screaming, something she would likely never forget — before grabbing his hand and squeezing. “I wasn’t expecting it. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

  Now it was Nick’s turn to be protective as he glanced over his shoulder to make sure they were still alone. “What do you think it means?” he asked finally.

  Maddie held out her hands and shrugged. “I don’t know. I couldn’t make heads or tails of anything I saw. I’m not even sure why I saw it. That guy ... he’s possibly the world’s most depressed man.”

  Honestly, Nick had paid very little attention to him. He’d been more focused on Maddie, which is how it should be. “Well ... I don’t know what to do. Do you think he’s a threat to the other people on the ship?”

  “I don’t know. I mean ... I didn’t get that sort of vibe from him. Honestly, I was more bothered by the fact that he wouldn’t shut up. I feel a little bad about that now. I was trying to figure out a way to get away from him.”

  “Did he make you nervous for other reasons?”

  “No. He was a boring guy. I just wanted to get away … and back to you. Besides, I didn’t see anything in those flashes that suggests he’s dangerous.”

  “You saw something that upset you.”

  “True but ... I still don’t know what that is. I need to think on it.”

  “Then we’ll think on it. In our room ... where we can eat all this greasy food and get naked. I might even keep you in there through dinner.”

  “You’re such a mother hen,” Maddie lamented, although she tucked in at his side as he slung an arm around her shoulders and marched her toward their room.

  They were almost at the end of the hallway when one of the doors along the corridor popped open, allowing a giggling couple to spill into the hallway. On instinct, Nick stopped moving so they wouldn’t accidentally slam into the couple.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry.” The woman, a petite brunette with an infectious smile, pulled up short when she realized they had an audience. “Were we being too loud?”

  Nick shook his head. “No. We’re just heading to our room.”

  “Oh.” The woman’s eyes went wide when she realized Nick and Maddie were heading into one of the special rooms. “You guys lucked out on one of the wedding suites, huh? We looked into getting one of those — we’re on our honeymoon, too — but they were out of our budget.”

  “They’re out of our budget, too,” Nick supplied. “The upgrade was a gift from my parents.”

  “Oh, well, that’s so sweet.” The woman glanced between them a second and then seemed to gain control of her senses. “I’m Lindsey Masterson, by the way. This is my husband Ben. Oh, gosh, I just love saying that. My husband.” She was positively giddy.

  Maddie liked the woman on sight. There was something fresh and innocent about her, and the excitement she had about having a husband was something the slim blonde could understand. “It takes some getting used to, huh?”

  Nick lightly s
queezed the back of Maddie’s neck. “I think it’s cute that you get all worked up about being able to tell all the women in the world that you’ve claimed me for life, Mad.”

  Ben chuckled as he directed his wife toward the hallway. “Yes, being married is great,” he agreed. “Right now I want to be married with a cocktail, though. We’re supposed to be finding a bar, Lindsey, not bothering these nice people when they’re trying to disappear into their room.”

  “It’s fine.” Nick waved off the comment when he saw the way Lindsey’s face fell. “We’re going to have a snack and a nap to rejuvenate ourselves.”

  “That sounds fun.” Lindsey’s smile was back, although watery this time. “Maybe we’ll see you in the main dining room for dinner.”

  “Maybe,” Nick agreed. “As for now, the sun really took it out of us. We’ll see you guys later.”

  Ben offered up a mock salute. “Count on it. We might want to see that fancy room you guys got. I want to see if it would’ve been worth it to splurge.”

  “It’s pretty amazing,” Nick conceded. “We’ll see if we can set up a tour later.”

  “That sounds like a plan.”

  AFTER A TWO-HOUR NAP, Maddie was feeling much better. She showered and changed into a light summer dress — one that showed off her sculpted shoulders — and headed to the dining room with Nick.

  “I’m starving,” she admitted a bit ruefully. “I can’t believe I slept that hard.”

  “I’m just glad you’re not hungover.” Nick kept his arm securely around her waist. “I would hate for our first night on the ship to be ruined.”

  He wasn’t the only one. “I think I’ll stick to iced tea tonight.”

  “You can have a drink, Mad. I was only teasing you. This is our honeymoon. If you can’t cut loose now, when can you? We’ll be back in the real world soon enough.”

  “Yeah, I’m going to stick to iced tea.” She was firm. “I learned my lesson about day drinking. I don’t think we’re that sort of people.”

  “Speak for yourself. I’m having fruity cocktails on the deck every single day that we’re here. I’m just going to do it in moderation from here on out. I was just as drunk as you.”

  Maddie wasn’t convinced that was true. “You’re not the one who had the weird vision.”

  “No,” he agreed. “If I did we would have bigger problems. Still ... this buffet looks pretty good.” He inclined his head toward the towering mass of food. “I think you’re going to change your mind about having a drink after you stuff yourself on seafood.”

  “You’re probably right. I’m going to hold strong through dinner, though.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  They filled multiple plates, to the point where Nick had to make two trips back to the dessert table to make sure he collected all their food. They were seated and already digging in when Ben and Lindsey dropped into the open seats across from them.

  “Hey.” Lindsey was a giggling mess. “You guys look like you’re eating enough for ten people.”

  Maddie wasn’t insulted by the comment. Lindsey was so drunk it was obvious she had no idea what she was saying. Besides, she was eating enough for ten people. “I’m hungry after my nap,” she admitted.

  “We crashed out for several hours,” Nick said. “How about you guys? Are you having fun?”

  “Absolutely.” Lindsey bobbed her head. “We already had dinner ... although not as much as you guys. We’re going to head down to the dance club on the promenade. It’s supposed to be fun. Some girls told us about it.”

  “Do you want to come?” Ben queried. He was shyer than his wife but just as friendly. “After you eat, I mean. You guys can meet us at the club if you want.”

  “Oh, well ... .” Nick shifted his eyes to Maddie. “I’m not much of a dancer.”

  “It’s your honeymoon,” Lindsey wheedled. “You have to dance on your honeymoon. It’s a rule or something. Besides, don’t you want to make your wife happy?”

  Nick was taken aback. “I ... well ... do you want to dance, Mad?”

  “We don’t have to dance,” she answered without hesitation. “I’m not much of a dancer. I think we’re more likely to take a walk on the deck and look at the stars.”

  Ben turned wistful. “That sounds like my kind of night. Instead I’m going to be dancing.”

  Nick smirked. “Well, if you need a break, you know where to find us.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Come on,” Lindsey prodded, grabbing her husband’s hand. “We need to dance. I have dance fever.”

  “You always have dance fever,” he complained, although he didn’t put up a fight when she dragged him away. “I’m not doing any line dances or anything,” he warned. “You know I hate those.”

  Nick waited until they were gone to speak. “If you want to dance, Mad, we can.” He was uncomfortable with the prospect, but he did want her to be happy. “I mean ... it’s not going to kill me or anything.”

  She was amused with his response. “I want to stare at the stars, Nicky. I want it to be just you and me. You don’t have to worry that you’re somehow disappointing me. That’s exactly what I want.”

  He was relieved. “Good. Well, dig in.” He gestured toward her food. “I want to see if you can eat your weight in lobster and scallops.”

  “And crab legs. Don’t forget the crab legs.”

  “How could I forget those?”

  ROWAN WAS FEELING NOSTALGIC WHEN she woke the next morning. She stretched her arms over her head and then slid her gaze to Quinn, who was lightly snoring beside her. He had an arm thrown around her waist and seemed lost in dreamland.

  She took a moment to stare around the room. When she first arrived on the ship, she expected to be housed in a teeny-tiny cabin, perhaps with other people. Instead, she was issued what was considered prime digs in a room that was still smaller than even the tiniest New York City apartment but was considered downright extravagant by cruise ship standards. When she arrived, she thought she would never get used to living on a ship. Not only did that turn out not to be true, but she actually found that she loved her new life. Sure, Quinn was part of that, but the freedom she felt on the open seas was also a mitigating factor.

  “Why are you thinking so early?” Quinn groaned, throwing his arm over his face and making a grumbling sound deep in his throat. “It’s early, Ro. You should still be asleep.”

  “I slept hard last night,” she admitted, grinning at his crabby expression. She was usually the one who had trouble functioning in the morning. He generally woke up ready and raring to go. It was nice that he could still surprise her. “It seems weird knowing that when we leave this room in an hour — and I do plan on leaving in an hour because I need a big breakfast after last night — that we won’t be coming back.”

  Quinn’s grin was wolfish. “I can probably be motivated to help you work up an even bigger appetite this morning if you give me a second to wake up.”

  She snickered and pinched his side. “I’m being serious. This is it, Quinn. Pretty soon this place won’t belong to us.”

  She wasn’t often melancholy so Quinn decided to indulge her. “It’s been a good room,” he acknowledged, rolling to his back and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. “We fell in love in this room.”

  “Yeah. It makes me a little sad to leave.”

  His gaze was speculative as it slid to her. “If you want to stay here ... .” He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence. He’d had to pull a small miracle to secure the room they were moving to. His services were in demand, though, so he managed it with a single call … and a forceful line in the sand.

  “I don’t want to stay,” she promised. “I’m not an idiot. We need the space and the new room is going to be great for us. I can actually put my laptop and camera in a place that’s not on top of us.”

  Quinn was honestly relieved. “That’s good.”

  “I don’t want you to think I’m not grateful for what you’ve done. It’s ... amazi
ng. I just want to take a moment to say goodbye to the room. I know it’s schmaltzy, but the happiest times of my life were basically experienced in this room.”

  “And you think you’re not going to get other happy times?”

  Her expression fell. “Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous. I know we’re going to be even happier in that room. I’m looking forward ... and I’m thrilled that we can plan a life together. We’re getting married.” She turned to him, her eyes sparkling. “Have you thought about that at all?”

  He slid his arm around her waist and tugged so she was pressed against him, her blue eyes staring directly into his somber brown orbs. “I think about little else. Let’s practice being married right now.”

  She laughed, as he’d intended. “We can practice when we get to the new room. I want to enjoy this room for a few more minutes and then get up. I won’t torture you for much longer.”

  “I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but it’s never torture to be naked in a bed with you.”

  “Oh, you say the sweetest things.” She pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “When do you want to get married?”

  The conversational shift was so jarring Quinn was surprised he didn’t have whiplash. “Oh, well ... I don’t know. When do you want to get married?”

  “I guess it depends. Do you want a big or small wedding?”

  He pursed his lips. He wasn’t expecting this conversation so he hadn’t yet had time to gauge what the appropriate answer would be. “I want what you want.”

  Her gaze was withering. “No, that’s not how it works. You’re supposed to have input. I think there are benefits and drawbacks to both.”

  He blew out a sigh. “Is this you becoming a Bridezilla? I’ve heard about that phenomenon, by the way. I’m ready.”

  She poked his chest. “I’m being serious. This isn’t a trick question. I want to know how you feel.”

  “I feel that I want you to be happy,” he hedged. “If I had a choice, though, I guess I would opt for a smaller wedding. Friends and family mostly.”