Page 56 of Deadly Waves

“Let’s pay and then have a quick drink,” he suggested, his eyes unreadable as they watched Peterson and Archibald head toward the bar. “That will loosen me up before I spend the rest of the day with my wife.”

Grady snorted. “Like you need to be loosened up.”

“I still want to feel them out,” James said. “Something isn’t right on this boat. I just can’t figure out what it is.”

GRADY AND James didn’t bother hiding their approach as they picked two stools at the bar. They left one spot open between them and Archibald and Peterson, but other than that they made sure the men knew they were there. They were being purposely intimidating for a reason. They wanted to gauge responses, and they’d learned over the years that there was no better way to do that than to get a man’s hackles up.

“Well, good morning,” Peterson boomed out. “I didn’t expect to see you gentlemen imbibing so early in the day.”

“It will be lunchtime in an hour,” James pointed out. “We’re kind of on vacation, so we didn’t see the harm.”

“It looks as if you’ve been shopping,” Peterson said. “Buy anything good?”

“Just gifts for our women,” Grady replied, his gaze heavy as it landed on Peterson. He didn’t like the man. Every time he opened his mouth the feeling almost doubled in intensity. “We’re going to meet up with them in the dining room when it comes time for lunch.”

“Ah, well, that’s nice,” Peterson said. “You all seem very tight. It must be nice to be able to go on vacation together.”

“We live close to one another and spend a lot of time together as it is,” James said. “We have weekly barbecues at my house. We don’t really worry about spending time together because very often we need a break rather than more bonding time.”

Peterson arched an eyebrow, amused. His demeanor suggested he was calm and collected, but James didn’t miss the underlying tension that passed between the two men when Grady and James approached. He rationalized that he could’ve imagined it, but he wanted to test his theory before committing to a belief.

“You must be Richard Archibald,” James said, forcing the captain to focus on him. “We’ve heard a lot about you. I’m James Hardy. I’m doing some security work onboard during this trip.”

“Yeah? I’ve heard a lot about you, too.” Archibald’s hair was snowy white and his tone gruff. James couldn’t decide if it was an act or merely how the man chose to communicate. Perhaps the reason they didn’t see Archibald in the hallway was because he wasn’t a social butterfly.

“What have you heard about me?” James asked. “I love random gossip – even when I’m at the center of it.”

“Oh, he hasn’t heard anything upsetting,” Peterson answered, ignoring the dark look Archibald sent his way as he focused on James. “You guys are just the talk of the boat.”

“And why is that?”

“Because of your women, of course,” Peterson answered. “You can’t expect to hit a cruise ship with four beautiful women and not be the center of attention.”

“Our women are decidedly beautiful,” James agreed. “They’re almost magical really.”

“Yes, you especially have all of the teenagers atwitter,” Peterson said. “That’s what Mr. Davenport said anyway. He believes his daughter has developed quite the crush on you.”

“Why wouldn’t she like someone her own age?” Archibald asked, genuinely curious. “No offense to Mr. Hardy here, but he’s a bit old for a teenager. Older men may like younger women, but I don’t think it flips the other way.”

“He may be old, but he also dotes on his wife,” Peterson explained. “All of the girls see an attractive man spoiling a woman and making her feel as if she’s the most important thing in the world and that makes them whimsical and jealous.”

“I don’t make my wife feel like she’s the most important thing in the world,” James clarified. “She is the most important thing in my world. There’s a difference.”

“Not to those girls.” Peterson was blithe. “All they see is a man in love. That’s what they want. They’re at an age when the harsh realities of life haven’t left them bitter yet. It will happen eventually, though.”

James wet his lips as he regarded Peterson with an unreadable look. That was an odd thing to say. Of course, Peterson was an odd man. He was supposed to be a social butterfly as he attended to all of the guests’ needs, and yet there was something so fake about his demeanor James could feel nothing but suspicion and dislike whenever he regarded the man. James had to wonder exactly how Peterson earned his position, because it seemed to come with limited power. That made Peterson dangerous, and that was clearly something the customer relations manager already knew.

“I don’t think everyone ends up bitter,” James said finally. “My wife isn’t bitter. I like to think I’m not bitter.”

“You’re wife isn’t bitter?” Peterson arched a surprised eyebrow. “I would think that after everything that’s happened to her, she would be nothing but bitter.”

What was that supposed to mean?James and Grady exchanged a drawn-out look.

“What has she been through?” Grady asked after a beat. “What do you mean?”

“Well, the kidnapping, of course,” Peterson said. He seemed almost proud to reveal the fruits of his research. “I looked you all up online after meeting you. Whew! That’s quite the cadre of news stories you’ve had written about you.”

“Yes, we’re practically famous,” James drawled. “As for the kidnapping, I wouldn’t bring that up to my wife if I were you. She doesn’t find it funny – your smile seems to indicate you do – and if she’s upset, then I’m upset.”