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"It must be that guy who's always complaining and looking like he hates the world."
"That's him."
"I can go upstairs and see if he's still there."
"Thanks, but you don't need to do that. Brittany told me to hang on. She's trying to see what she can do. In the meantime, I'm going to take a shower."
"Okay, but if you need help, let me know." Luka lays back down, his hands behind his head as he resumes watching the television.
Dane strips down to his underwear and goes into the bathroom. He takes a quick shower and brushes his teeth, getting dressed in sweat clothes afterward. He sits at the deskand checks his phone. Brittany still hasn't texted him back. Feeling antsy, he shifts in the chair and is about to get up when his phone dings. He checks it and sees he has a text from Brittany.
Brittany: Come up the midship stairway beside my cabin, but don't go into the corridor. Iris or Rose will signal when the coast is clear. My door is unlatched.
Dane: Excuse me? Now you have accomplices?
Brittany: Yes, and they're more than happy to help. They won't say anything.
Dane: On my way.
Dane stands and shoves his phone into his pocket. He heads to the door. "I'm going to try this again. If I don't come back right away, it worked."
"Good luck, and be careful. You don't want to get caught."
"Yeah, I know." Dane takes a deep breath and heads down the corridor.
Reaching the door to the stairwell, Dane opens it and climbs the stairs. He stops at the top, quietly turns the doorknob, and cracks open the door so he can peek into the hallway. He spots Jerry standing by Brittany's door with his arms folded across his chest.
Dane leans against the wall. He's stuck where he stands unless someone can get Jerry to move. Retrieving his cell phone from his pocket, he silences it and texts Brittany.
Dane: I'm in the stairwell by your cabin. The asshole is still in the hallway.
Brittany: Okay. I'll let the ladies know.
Dane hears voices a few minutes later. A peek through the crack alerts him that two of the ladies have come from a cabin across the hall and down three doors, their room left wide open.
"Well, aren't we lucky?" one of the women says to Jerry. "We heard you were an engineer."
Dane smiles as he watches the scene unfold. If he remembers right, the one talking is Rose, and the other is Marigold.
"Retired," Jerry grunts.
"No matter," Rose says sweetly. "We were going to reception to see if someone could help us with our remote control. It's not working, and we're both technologically limited. Since you're an engineer and I'm sure excellent at what you do, would you mind looking at it for us?"
"It should only take you a few minutes," Marigold adds.
Dane struggles to contain his laughter as he sees Jerry puff out his chest and follow the ladies to their room. Iris suddenly appears out of nowhere and is standing in their open doorway. Her hand is behind her back, and she's waving to Dane that it's safe to go.
He steps from the stairwell and quietly closes the door. Taking a step forward, he hears Jerry gruffly demand to know what Iris is doing. Dane freezes, unsure whether to keep going or retreat to the stairs, Brittany's cabin only a few feet away.
Iris's wave alerts him to keep going.
"What are you doing?" Jerry demands for the second time as Dane reaches Brittany's cabin door. "Are you waving at someone?"
"Oh, my. I'm so embarrassed," Iris says awkwardly. "I'm afraid I have gas." She waves her hand wildly, a clue to Dane to hurry up.
He's silently choking while desperately trying to suppress his laughter when he dodges inside Brittany's cabin. He closes the door and leans against it for support, muffled sounds coming from his throat.
"Are you okay?" Brittany looks at Dane with concern, raking him up and down. "Your face is pink, and your eyes are watering."
