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I also didn’t like thinking these thoughts about the guys. When I thought it might be Axel or Brandon, I pictured their faces and the wave of guilt washed over me again for even considering them.
“So how do we find out for sure?” I asked.
“We start with finding out where people were when we took a swim. It’ll help when we can get to the boat and I can talk to Doyle.”
“Oh boy,” I said and made a face, even though he couldn’t see it. My throat was already closing up at the idea of getting a lungful of smoke…and attitude.
“He’s our best shot,” Blake said.
“How do you know he didn’t do it? Maybe Doyle has some revenge kick going.”
“He couldn’t have thrown you over, let alone me. He’s not that strong. Besides, you would have smelled him a mile away. And didn’t you talk to him while looking for me after I was already overboard?”
That was true, I didn’t remember a smoke scent like the one that always lingered like a cloud around Doyle.
Suddenly, the sound of the motor ceased, startling me. I jerked my head just as the boat lurched the opposite way, knocking the back of my head into wood.
Pain seized me instantly along the crown of my scalp. I bent forward, well away from whatever I’d hit, and covered the spot with my hand. I seethed, feeling the heat spreading over the top of my head.
Blake hovered over me. “Honey, you’re fixin’ to get laid up if you keep knocking your noggin.” He touched my arm softly.
I warded him off. “Don’t!” My head throbbed, and I was biting my tongue not to curse up a storm. It felt wet, and I assumed I was bleeding to death, but I didn’t want him to touch it and make it hurt more.
“Let me just make sure you don’t need stitches.”
“You can’t see it in the dark.”
“Hey!” Liam’s voice came from above in a harsh whisper. “You two ready?”
I pushed myself up to stand, this time lifting my arms around my head protectively to feel out where the walls were, finding the banister I’d bashed my head on.
Blake went up first and then dropped a hand down toward me. I took it, letting him guide me up the stairs, keeping my other hand protectively over my head.
As we got above deck, I caught sight of lights from the massive cruise ship nearby. Those were the only lights we had to navigate by.
I’d never been on a ship as large as that cruise liner before yesterday. It was several stories tall and, from sea level, seemed even bigger than it had when we’d first boarded. Inside, it was like a floating hotel and mall all in one.
The small boat was harder to navigate in the dark, but it was Liam who met me once I was on deck, and he motioned for me to hang on to the rail. We skirted around the edge of the deck. The air now was heady with ocean saltiness and metallic from the boat.
My body tensed. I pictured all the people that had been on board as if they’d witnessed what happened to me and had even approved. It was strange to return somewhere I wasn’t wanted. Wasn’t my style. Was it too late to turn back?
The little boat pulled up alongside, dangerously close from my perspective. The cruise ship seemed so stable while we rocked back and forth with the waves pushing us, making it appear we might knock into the ship.
I wondered if there would be a ladder of some sort, a rope one that would unfurl down to us and we’d have to climb it. I counted windows up the side, imagining each one was like the floor of a building, looking for where we might scramble over a railing somewhere. How exactly were we going to get on this thing?
The boat drifted closer to the ship. Liam directed us, pointing at what I thought was just the hull.
A panel opened on the cruise ship and swung down, creating a doorway, and the panel was now like a plank sticking out over the water. It had a yellow safety railing around it. Lights were shining from inside the now-opened hull of the ship and two men stood inside, waiting as the plank settled into place. The men—backlit by the lights behind them—came out, stopped by the railing. Our boat rocked around the water and I was worried we’d run into the ship.
From the outlines, I suspected the two men were Corey and Avery. At least, I hoped it was Corey and not Brandon. I couldn’t see his eyes yet to be sure. They were wearing all black, like us, except their clothes were slacks and buttoned shirts. Avery’s hair was slicked back, as if wet.
Corey Henshaw was nineteen, normally bright-eyed and friendly. He was a nerdling: a hot geek. He could do most math without a calculator, and he played and made video games. He was much taller than me, with wide shoulders, and had a country-boy charm that I absolutely adored.
Corey found my face, looking my direction, and from that point on, his gaze never wavered.
Whoever was steering our boat turned it just enough to line up with the ship opening. We were close enough that Liam could tie the boat to the larger vessel. It kept the smaller boat from drifting too far with the waves.
Corey leaned over the rail, looking down at us and waving. “Hey,” he called out and then pointed to me. “Reach for me. I’ll bring you up.”
Corey tugged, and I climbed, hauling myself up. Avery assisted when he could reach my elbow. The moment I could rest my weight on the cruise ship, it became much easier to climb up.
Once I was on the ship, Corey kept an arm around my waist, guiding me away from the edge and back into the ship.
I kept checking Corey’s eyes, worried I might be mistaken and it was his brother. Anger hovered just under the surface in him.
Once we were just inside of the ship, he turned to me. “Are you okay?” he asked me, concern dripping from his tone. He brushed my hair from my cheek, but it was hard and crusty and barely moved. When he couldn’t budge it much, he went for wiping at my cheeks and forehead, dusting off the sand. “Are you hurt?”
“Fine,” I said, although I had a killer headache, thanks to bumping my head earlier. I fought off the desire to demand a quiet place to rest and drugs to put me to sleep.
I wasn’t sure I could sleep yet. I wanted to inspect every little nook and cranny of the ship to find out who had done this to us. “I just need a shower. And food. And maybe some aspirin. Does anyone else know we’ve come on board yet?”
“Axel’s waiting to hear when you’ve arrived,” he said. “But he’s dealing with some passengers right now, so he’s sort of stuck until he can get away.”
“We need to check in with Doyle first anyway,” I said.
Corey raised an eyebrow. “What? Why? Axel told me to let him know right away when you were on boa
rd.”
“Can Doyle hear?”
“I guess so. Avery has an earpiece.”
The waves had tugged the smaller boat away, and they were trying to get it closer before Blake could follow me onto the ship. Avery was waiting for him but looked at us when Corey said his name.
“Can Doyle hear me?” I asked Avery. When he nodded, I said, “Have him tell Axel we’re a little delayed. Just give us a few minutes.”
“What’s going on?” Corey asked.
“I’ll tell you in a minute,” I said, looking toward Avery.
Avery relayed my message. The waves finally gave us a break and the boat managed to get close enough again.
Blake climbed and Avery reached for him, steadying him as he jumped the rail. He released him once he was standing solidly on the ship.
Blake bent forward, breathing heavily. The black sweatshirt drooped over his hand as he pressed it to his side.
Avery backed away from the rail, keeping an eye on Blake. “You okay?” he asked. “Did you pull something?”
Blake waved him off, swallowed, and shook his head. “No. Don’t worry about me. I’m just a little tired.” He stood, but as he walked away from the rail, his movements were stiff. There was a slight limp to his walk. “I just need a shower and a nap.”
Avery looked at me once, checking in. His brown eyes asking me questions.
I glanced away quickly. It was the leg I’d shot Blake in. It hadn’t been that long ago but in the past few days, he’d seemed perfectly fine. Now that he was tired and probably sore from the long swim, he limped more. I still felt he’d deserved it at the time, but now that I knew him better, I wished I’d just nicked him instead of gotten him full-on.
“Do either of you need a doctor?” Avery asked.
“No,” I said. Now that time had passed, I knew I wasn’t bleeding or dying from hitting my head. If anything it was just a bump. I’d live. I just had a headache. “We just need to go see Doyle for a minute.”
Avery tilted his head to one side, focused on the rail as he seemed to be listening. “Doyle said something I don’t think I should repeat, but I’m pretty sure he means ‘okay.’ I’m getting the hang of him.”
