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Because I married—and will marry again,soon—a romantic.
Now it’s Friday, a day of rest before things get busy leading into Sunday’s nuptials. But I guess Archer has other plans, because I’ve been looking for him for the better part of twenty minutes, walking the decks and ducking into each room this boat possesses. I check the ballroom, and the piano we did filthy, filthy things upon two nights ago. I make my way through the bar and catch a glimpse of the friendly Calum stocking the back wall with far more booze than Archer and I could ever consume without being airlifted and having our stomachs pumped.
But he already got the ‘work as little as you wish’ talk. He’s made his choices, and I’m not one to repeat myself.
“Can I help you with something, Doctor Mayet?”
“Um…” I stop in the middle of the room and turn an almost complete circle in search of the man who, at any other time, refuses to take his eyes off me. “Yeah.” Chewing on my bottom lip, I come around to study the bartender an easy decade younger than Tim. “Have you seen Detective Malone?”
His brow quirks high on his forehead. “You’ve lost him?”
“Impossible as it seems.” I start toward the bar, a soft chuckle in the back of my throat. “We’re on a boat. We’re an easy mile from the shore, so it’s not like he’s gone for a swim. I’ve checked every room. Every bathroom. I’ve checked the office.” And in there, I discovered an uncomfortably large stack of money, guns, passports, and paperwork. Some of which withmyname and face printed on.But of course, those are not the things we’re supposed to discuss.“I checked the kitchen already. And the front of the boat, in case he was out there getting a little sun.”
“And yet,” his lips twitch with a smirk he works hard to tamper, “you can’t find him?”
“No. We’re on a fricken boat, Calum! Where the hell could he be?”
“Have you checked the,” he points straight up, “helipad?”
I look at the ceiling, my eyes flaring wide. “There’s a helipad?”
“Right up there.” He grins when I bring my focus back down again. “It’s where they land hel?—”
“Helicopters! Yeah, I got it. Do the Malones often landhelicopterson their boat? Or was it more a ‘we have a little paint leftover, so let’s mark the roof with a giant H’ kind of thing?”
“Uh… well…” He picks up a brand-new bottle of whiskey and turns to place it on the glass shelves. “It’s been used by an actual helicopter a time or two. Sometimes, if Felix is already on the water and he needs to get back to New York quickly, he’ll call the chopper in.”
“He will…” My stomach swirls with an actual, tangible ache. “And he borrows this helicopter from, like… Mr. Cordoza or someone, right?”
“I mean, he has.” He grabs another bottle and stacks it beside the first. “Mr. Cordoza has also flown out to join us a time or two.”
“Good.” I release a stressed breath and shake my head. “Cordoza’s chopper. Cordoza’s money.”
“The brothers bring their own out too, though.” He drops a bomb in my lap and ends his sentence with a smile. “Felix, mostly. But Cato and Micah have joined us in the past.”
“What…” Swallowing the ball of dread nestled deep in my throat, I rasp past the lodged lump, “What about Archer? Has he flown in the helicopter?”
“Not since I’ve been in their employ.” He switches bottles for glasses and begins wiping the crystal with a towel. “My understanding was that the five brothers had been estranged until earlier this year.” He lowers his voice. “Until old man Tim died. Then things got better again, and the brothers reunited. Prior to this week’s cruise, Doctor Mayet, I had not had the opportunity to meet Archer in person.”
“Right.” I bring a hand up and run it through the end of my ponytail. “And Felix is quite a wealthy man. Of course he would buy a chopper. That’s just what he does. I doubt Archer even knows about it.”
“Well—”
“Oh come on, Calum!” I drop my hand again and growl. “He’s a cop. His salary is abysmal, considering the danger he works with daily. But it’s enough to have a nice truck and a shitty apartment. He’s just a cop, who happens to have inherited shares in a four million dollar boat. Split that between five brothers and my world isn’t exploding.”
“He also owns the chopper, Doc.” Snickering, his chest, and shoulders bounce with mirth. “I hadn’t met Archer prior to this week, like I said. But I was around when Felix made this purchase. Each brother invested.”
“Bullshit.” I turn on my heels and start toward the glass doors that lead to the deck. “Bullllllllshit, Calum!” Grabbing the handle, I swing the door open, only to stop and peer back. “How much does a helicopter cost these days?”
He coughs out a laugh. He knows he’s got me on the hook. “The Bell cost them about five million dollars, ma’am. They each invested.”
“This year?”
He reaches up to scratch his nose, like he thinks that’s a suitable way to cover his smile. “Yes, ma’am. They were estranged before that, remember?”
“My husband spent a million dollars this year? On a helicopter?”
“According to Felix…” He looks down to hide his twitching lips. “Yes, Doctor. It may not be proper for me to tell you, but…” He shrugs. “Mr. Malone told me to give you anything you want for the duration of this trip.”
