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Turned out that the guy had a private jet capable of transatlantic crossing, and Negal wondered if he would be willing to lend it to their team along with a pilot. It could make their search for the missing Kra-ell pods a little easier, but not by much. They still needed to trek on foot and interview locals about strange artifacts and unexplained disturbances to radio and cellular transmissions, so asking Kalugal for a favor was probably not needed.
They would book a commercial flight to one of the major airports and continue from there. Some of the journey could be made by jeep, but a lot of the area they needed to cover didn't even have roads and had to be traversed on foot.
How the hell did Dagor expect Frankie to do that so soon after her transition?
The reality was that she couldn't join them, and Dagor had to accept it. Thankfully, it wasn't Negal's job to break the news to him. Aru was the leader of their team, and that unpleasant task would fall to him.
Once the boat aligned with the cruise ship's lower deck, the Guardians aboard the larger vessel sprang into action, securing the smaller one with ropes to ensure its stability against the gentle sway of the waves.
As a platform extended from the gangway, serving as the transitional bridge between the boat and the ship, Negal was the first to hop on, and then he turned around and offered a hand up to Margo.
"Thank you." She put her hand in his, and given her startled reaction, she'd felt the electrical current passing between them.
He let go as soon as she was stable on her feet and offered his hand to Jasmine. This time there was no reaction, even though she gifted him with a dazzling smile.
The woman was truly beautiful, sexy, and flirty, and she also seemed like a nice person. Normally, he would have zeroed in on a female like that in a heartbeat, and by now, they would be heading to his cabin for some afternoon delight, but he found himself almost indifferent to her. He appreciated her beauty and her charm, but she didn't stir anything in him, and once again, it was all Margo's fault.
He was obsessed with her and didn't even know why.
The rest of the boat's passengers didn't need his help, so he guided the ladies inside.
As he'd expected, Mia was there with her motorized wheelchair, and next to her, Frankie was seated in a simpler, manual version with Gertrude standing behind her and holding the handles.
Damn. That wasn't good.
Negal had hoped to have more time before he needed to deal with the nurse, and the bright smile and hand wave she offered him were like a knife to his gut. He truly hated to disappoint her, but they wouldn't be spending the night together. He would be her date for the wedding, though. That part of the promise he could still deliver.
The one he hadn't expected. but wasn't surprised to see there, was the clan's sole female Guardian. Her task was probably to escort Jasmine to the lower decks, where she would stay until the ship returned to Long Beach.
There was no way Kian would allow the human to roam the ship unaccompanied.
"Frankie!" Margo rushed to her friend. "What happened? Why are you in a wheelchair?"
"I'm fine." Frankie rose to her feet and embraced her friend. "The doctor wouldn't let me come here unless I agreed to sit in a wheelchair and have the nurse take me." She turned to Gertrude. "This is my friend Margo. Margo, this is Gertrude, the ship's lovely nurse."
"Nice to meet you." Margo offered Gertrude her hand and immediately turned back to Frankie. "You still didn't tell me why you needed medical supervision in the first place."
Looking tired, Frankie sat back in the wheelchair. "It's a long story, and your new friend is waiting for you to introduce her."
"Oh, that's right." Margo turned to Jasmine. "Jaz, these are my friends Mia and Frankie. Besties, this is Jaz."
"So nice to finally meet you." Jasmine offered her hand to Mia. "I've heard a lot about you."
Mia's eyes clouded with worry. "What did you hear?"
"That you are a famous children's book author and illustrator and that you met your fiancé in a Perfect Match adventure. I would love to hear everything you can tell me about it." She laughed. "I should say whatever you are willing to tell me. From what I've heard, a lot of scrumptious naughtiness happens inside those adventures."
"Oh, my." Mia blushed prettily. "That's true. But I'll gladly share everything else. And just to clarify, I'm not even close to famous."
"You will be," Margo said. "Your illustrations are inspired. The characters pop off the pages."
Negal didn't wait for the introductions to continue. "If you'll excuse me, I'll take my leave." He smiled at Margo and Jasmine. "It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'll see you both later."
He was pretty sure that he wasn't going to see Jasmine until they reached Long Beach, but he didn't need to be the one to tell her that.
"Wait," Gertrude called after him. "Are we still on for tonight?"
Looking over his shoulder, he forced a smile. "Of course." Negal turned around and kept on walking.
