Cam swung his legs over the side of the seat and sat up. He stretched his arms above his head before cracking his knuckles.
‘You’re going to get arthritis,’ I said, pointing at his hands.
He smiled. ‘That’s an old wives’ tale. Like saying you have to wait thirty minutes after eating to swim or you’ll drown.’
‘I always thought that one was true,’ I said, finally stepping onto the boat. ‘Tell me, when did you last eat?’ I walked over to the bench opposite him and sat down. He burst out laughing and then leanedback in his seat, and that’s when something caught my eye. The faint glint of silver stashed under a cushion.
‘Planning on shooting me?’ I asked, nodding towards the gun.
Cam leaned back even more, making a show of being totally cool and casual. What an asshole!
‘Getting a little paranoid in your old age?’
‘You’d be surprised how many angry men who’ve just been caught cheating own handguns, or know how to hire a hitman.’
‘I wonder what Victor’s going to do when you catch him cheating. That is why you’re here, isn’t it?’ he asked with a sly grin.
I sat forward and looked at him. He’d given a little too much away in that statement.
‘Implying that I could be here for another reason? Implying that thereisanother reason?’ Now it was my turn to act cool and nonchalant. The power had shifted. ‘So what’s Victor got himself into? It must be a little worse than sticking his dick in the wrong place if you’re here.’
‘Wow. You still have such a way with words.’
‘What can I say, it’s a gift.’
Cam exhaled and stood up. I gripped the side of my seat and readied my feet to run. Or fight. Whichever came first.
He looked down at me and smiled. ‘I’m not going to attack you, Lizzy.’
‘Stop—’
‘Yeah, yeah, calling you that. Want a drink?’ he asked.
‘No, thanks.’ I watched him walk into the small cabin, returning moments later with a beer. He sat back down, cracked it open and took a sip. I looked down at the two empty bottles at his feet.
‘Looks like you’ve picked up a bit of a nasty habit since I last saw you.’
He held his beer up in a silent ‘cheers’. ‘Not an alcoholic, sorry to disappoint you, but thanks so much for your concern, it is appreciated.’ He crossed his legs. ‘I am actually on holiday – well, partly. I arrived early and was only meant to start working tomorrow, but I got impatient.’
‘I see.’ I looked around me. ‘And this?’ I asked tapping my foot on the deck.
‘I bought it for myself last year. Was sailing around the islands first before coming here. My employer can’t afford to put me up in an expensive villa, not like Sharaz Venter. I assume that’s who’s funding your little trip.’
I smiled at him. ‘Confidential and discreet.’
‘Right, of course.’ He took another slow swig of his beer.
I watched him the way a hunter watched their prey. Sizing him up. Assessing his weaknesses. And he was watching me just as intently, as if he was conducting his own silent assessment. We were locked in a stare-off now. A silent duel, and neither of us was going to be the one to put down their weapon first.
‘It’s a bit of a predicament we find ourselves in, isn’t it?’ Cam finally spoke, breaking the silent deadlock.
I shrugged. ‘Only if you get in my way and fuck up my investigation.’
He picked at the corner of his beer label. ‘Likewise.’ He looked up at me, something moving through his eyes. The look elicited a very familiar feeling deep inside me. A feeling that I’d worked long and hard to park in the past. It crawled up my spine and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention.
‘Your surveillance equipment is working, by the way, I checked it for you on the way out,’ he said, tapping his fingers on the table between us. ‘Nice stuff. Expensive. You must be doing well.’
‘Lots of cheaters.’ I eyed him suspiciously. ‘That’s uncharacteristically kind of you to check on my equipment. Why would you do that?’
