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Plus, after all this effort I put in to keep him onboard, I wasn’t going to just bow my head and walk away.
“Good idea,” Colt said. “And maybe some clean water.”
Brandon flashed a displeased look at me and I shrugged. Brandon put the kit on a side table next to the door and walked back into the kitchen, slower this time. I had no doubt he’d stick near the door and listen if he could get away with it.
Colt held my elbow in one hand and the tweezers in the other. He focused on the pieces of glass and fiddled with one, angling to pull it out. “I don’t really need the water, but that guy looked like he wanted to beat me up.”
“I think that’s just the way he looks,” I said, not wanting to admit it wasn’t him that Brandon was mad at.
Colt used the tweezers and started pulling a bit at the glass. I winced. It stung more when he plucked.
“I need you to stay still,” he said.
“It hurts,” I said through clenched teeth, trying not to sound angry. This wasn’t his fault. Now that the chaos was over, the glass was hurting more.
“Maybe if we sat down,” he said. He looked around and then noticed a door down the hall, a workout room. “In there.”
He picked up the kit and then tugged me toward the room before I could say anything in protest. I wasn’t sure about getting out of hearing range of Brandon, but I wasn’t going far. Colt was slim, even if he was taller than me. I had a feeling I could beat him up if I wanted if he got frisky. Or weird.
I followed him to the workout room. No one was inside. The room was supplied with treadmills and weight benches and a wide window overlooking the river side of the ship.
My loafers squeaked a bit as I walked, wet with juice and water and coffee mix. I didn’t smell very nice, and the scent mixed with the cleaners in the room.
There were benches along the side of the wall facing into the workout room. There was a table nearby with fresh towels, a water cooler and mini paper cups. Colt moved to the benches and sat the kit on the table. “Turn on the light?”
I hadn’t noticed the lack of light with the big window, but I looked for a switch, hit it, and florescent bulbs flickered to life overhead. It did brighten up a lot.
I sat down next to Colt, and he picked up the tweezers again, holding my elbow steady. He plucked out bits of glass and examined my cuts. “So whoever stole your tablet,” he said as he aimed the tweezers at my skin again, “you didn’t see him at all?”
“I’m trying to remember,” I said. “I heard that commotion in the kitchen. I wasn’t sure if I should continue getting myself a coffee or not. I was just going to finish making my coffee and leave, and then someone entered the room while I was pouring.”
“Why didn’t you ask the lady at the bar for coffee?” he asked.
Did he think I was lying? I was, but that was beside the point. “I don’t know,” I said. “She seemed to only have booze, and that horrible orange juice.”
“The mimosas?”
Oh yeah. I’d heard of those. At least I sounded more innocent now. “I guess,” I said. “I’m not much of a drinker. I came inside, saw the dining room, and was just poking around, exploring the ship. I’ve never been on a cruise. I smelled coffee, and I just thought I’d get a quick cup. It was an early morning and I needed to get my head together and wake up.” He pulled a tiny piece of glass from my skin and a sting radiated through me. I yanked my arm back. “Ouch.”
“Sorry,” he said. He dropped the piece of glass in one of the paper cups on the table and came back. “Bring your arm back. I thought I saw one more.”
I didn’t really want to, but I wanted my arm to stop hurting. My pain tolerance was pretty low at this point.
There was one more piece. This time, he plucked it out gently and I hardly felt it. “So, you’re a doctor of some sort?” I asked. “You’re pretty good at that.”
He dropped the piece of glass and the tweezers into the cup and then checked the kit again, finding some disinfectant wipes. “No,” he said. “Almost thought to become one, but then there’s not a lot of money in being a doctor. Not unless you’re a specialist or a surgeon. And then you work all the time.” He shook the wipe package and ripped it open. He brought it to my arm and held firmly to my elbow once again. “This is going to sting worse than the glass. Just try not to jerk your arm again.”
He pressed the wipe to my skin at first and then got a fresh one to wash the cuts clean. I did my best not to move, but couldn’t help making fists once the solution started to burn at my cuts. Yes, I was a big baby when it came to antiseptic and bandages. I usually just wiped a cut down with water and a cloth and hoped it healed. I hated the sting. “So, what do you do?”
“A little bit of everything,” he said. “You’re not bleeding too badly.”
“I think I’ll live,” I said. This was going to be a disappointing conversation if he wasn’t going to give up much information. Maybe if I divulged a bit of info myself, he’d stick around. I looked down at my dress, stained and sticky and pressed up against my body. With the cool air blowing in from the vents, it was getting chilly. I wiped at the stains. “I’m going to have to find another outfit.”
He tossed the wipes into another cup and then started opening bandages. “Should I bring you down to your stateroom?”
I wanted to play up some more sympathy. I sighed. “Maybe. I might just go home after this, though.”
“Why?” he asked, applying the bandage to my skin and then pressing the edges so it stuck.
“I was hoping to find Mr. Murdock. I haven’t caught him onboard. I might just be wasting time being here,” I said.
His eyes widened but he focused on my arm. “You haven’t been able to talk to him?”
A reaction. He was curious. I got the feeling he was digging for information as much as I was. “I haven’t seen him in a few weeks. No one here seems to know where he is. The younger Mr. Ethan doesn’t seem to know I worked for his father so he must have never told him about me. And I’m...” I pressed my lips together, trying to summon some heat to my cheeks to make a blush and then turned my gaze away. “Sorry. I really shouldn’t be talking.”
“No, go on.”
I batted eyelashes as I looked up, trying for sheepish and shy, peering at him through some of my long brown hair that shifted over the glasses. “I was hoping he’d be here on this ship so I could talk to him personally. Some said he was here every year, so I was taking a chance. I was going to try talking to different people onboard, and see if they know what’s happened to him.”
“Why do you need to find him so badly?”
“The information he has me deal in is rather sensitive. If he’s missing, I don’t know what else to do. I only worked directly under him.”
Colt released my elbow and then peered at me. The lights above reflected off of his glasses, hiding his eyes. “What’s your name again?”
“M...me?” I asked, suddenly wishing Brandon was still here. I should have known this was going to come up. I considered giving a fake name, but I wasn’t sure.
Colt made a small smile. “There’s no one else here to ask.”
“Sorry,” I said. I considered going with something that sounded like a nickname. I pressed a palm to my cheek. I tried to stall so I could think up something. I stood up, shaking my head. “I’m just a mess. I should go look for the tablet.”
“We can go talk to security,” Colt said. He stood, walking toward me, giving me a warm smile as his green eyes softened. “They’ll want to know your name so they can help you find your tablet.”
He wasn’t going to let that go. And I was going to lose him if I tried to run away now. “I...”
There was a soft knock at the door and it opened. Raven appeared. He looked at Colt and then back at me. He made his voice deep and rumbly. “Miss Kitty Lane?”
I was going to kill Corey. Or Axel, Raven... or even Blake, whoever came up with that name. Kitty? Seriously? I forced a smile. “Yes?”
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“You scheduled an appointment at the spa,” he said. “They’re waiting for you.”
“What?” I asked, and then side-glanced Colt, who appeared amused. “Okay...”
“Would you like to follow me?” Raven asked. He wore all black, like one of the crew.
No. “I don’t remember scheduling a spa treatment.”
“Your name is on the list.”
“Sounds like you’ve got plans,” Colt said. He motioned to my arm. “You’re all fixed up now. I should get going.”
I could have thrown fireballs at Raven for this. I was losing my target. “Will I see you onboard later?” I asked Colt.
“Actually, I hadn’t planned on staying...”
“Oh,” I said, pouting and trying to look really disappointed. Probably going way too far. “I just thought I’d ask you to dinner or something. To thank you.’
“No thanks needed,” he said. “It was nice to meet you, Miss Kitty.” He winked and then headed for the door.
Raven stepped aside, looking placid, compliant. Colt nodded to him as he walked past and was gone.
When I was sure he was out of earshot, I squeaked-stomped my way toward Raven. “Why’d you interrupt us?” I asked. “I was going to get him to stay.”
“He’ll stay,” Raven said. He closed the door, leaving us alone in the weight room. He looked over my dress, focusing on the stains.
