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Levka hoped it was, because he and his friends didn’t need any other complications in their lives about now. She lifted the soda to her lips, and he again noted the bruises.
His blood heated. Unable to curb how dark his words sounded, he demanded, “What made you go onto the balcony, Caitlin?”
Chapter 9
Caitlin sensed Levka’s concern. He tried to keep his voice calm and unruffled though his tone was slightly hard, but his eyes told a different story, darkening from lighter chocolate to black diamonds. He was not as unconcerned as he tried to show.
Which is why she chose not to tell him what had happened with Dylan. Not that she had any care for him. He didn’t deserve anyone’s charity. But she did worry what might happen to Levka and his friends. There were way too many of Dylan’s buddies on board the ship.
Everyone waited for her to say something, though they drank their sodas as if they didn’t have a care in the world.
“I fell,” she lied.
“Why?” Levka asked.
“Why?” She didn’t follow his questioning. “I guess it was slippery. I was clumsy. The boat rolled and I lost my balance. Why else would someone fall?”
He didn’t shift his hard gaze from her. She noticed then that the others watched her with the same dark scrutiny.
“Why,” Levka asked, “do you cover for him?”
She stared at him, then withdrew her gaze.
“Not once have you wanted to check on Alicia. You wouldn’t let her out of your sight before. Why the change?”
“She’s nearly eighteen. She can take care of herself.” Caitlin rubbed her arms and focused on the ocean, but not really. Her mind shifted to the balcony, to the railing pressing into her stomach, to Dylan’s terrorizing her.
“Did he threaten you?” Levka reached for her hand, but she pulled away. “What are you afraid of now, Caitlin? That we will hurt him?”
She looked up at Levka, tears blurring her eyes. “That he and his thugs will hurt you. They outnumber the four of you by ten or so. It’s best to just leave it be. Alicia can do what she wants.”
Levka pulled out a package of cards. “Do you know how to play Spite and Malice?”
“No.”
“Want to learn?”
She glanced back at the doorway to the lounge.
“Caitlin? Do you want to learn?”
“To play the card game?”
“What else would I be talking about?”
His hard look hadn’t changed, and she didn’t think he was talking about cards. She wanted to check on Alicia, because no matter how much she hated Dylan and was afraid to cross him again, she worried more about her foster sister. The creep had too volatile a temper. Would he take his anger out on Alicia, too, if she crossed him?
“I’ll just watch you play and learn the rules that way.”
For an hour, Caitlin refrained from joining the game. Then she excused herself to go to the bathroom, and the guys all exchanged looks. Though no one said anything, she wondered if they could communicate with each other and not allow her to hear them. How could they do that?
No one offered to come with her, which surprised her a little. On the other hand, she was glad to be alone and stretch her legs without feeling she had to have a bodyguard for her every move. Still, when she left the guys in the lounge, her hands grew clammy. She couldn’t stop looking for Dylan, and she hated how he’d made her afraid of something new—him.
When Caitlin walked into the restroom, Lynne opened a bathroom stall door and glanced at her. “What happened to you? I thought you were supposed to be Alicia’s shadow. Guess you really do have the hots for the wheelchair guy.”
“How’s Dylan treating Alicia?”
Lynne washed and dried her hands, then brushed out her tangled blond hair. “One thing I hate about cruise ships is the wind. Every day is a bad hair day.” She faced Caitlin. “He’s her boyfriend. Right?”
