Bermuda Nights - The Boxed Set (23 page)

I drew the towel around me. “As if I could move,” I mumbled. My mouth felt thick, as if it were coated in molasses.

He dropped to one knee, putting his mouth next to my ear. “I’ve told you a hundred times tonight, but I’m not sure if the words made it through. I am proud of you. Immensely proud. What you did … it was foolish, and incredibly dangerous, but you did it anyway. I can never repay that.”

I knew I should be touched. I should be completely swept off my feet. But I was beyond exhausted and the most I could manage was a groan.

He drew his fingers tenderly down my cheek, and then he was off heading toward the gazebo.

I watched him go with a core-deep sense of foreboding. I had only felt this way once before. When Kayla and I had gone for spring break to Acapulco, we had stayed in a hotel near the La Quebrada cliffs. As a life-long swimmer, I had been obsessed with the waters there. Every evening, while drinking our strawberry daiquiris, we had watched the talented divers hurl themselves off of 125 foot heights into water barely six feet deep.

Then, one evening, a drunken middle-aged man had gotten it into his head to revisit his lost youth. He had somehow clambered up the rocks, called out his victory to the world, and then launched.

I had watched countless talented athletes perform this maneuver over the past week. I knew from the moment the man sailed off the cliff that he could not possible land in the elegant, straight-line manner so necessary for survival.

The man’s body hit the water in a flat belly-flop.

Medical examiners said that he died instantly.

Chapter 3

The band swung into motion, playing an upbeat reggae tune, and I let out a weary breath as the heat of the sun soaked into me. I knew Evan was keeping a careful watch over me. I was perfectly safe here. Exhaustion swirled around me like an ever-strengthening whirlpool.

I could see the band members in the turbulent waters – barracuda with razor-sharp teeth. Their black eyes glistened as they searched for any sign of prey. Evan and I were on a flimsy boat, and Evan had a harpoon in his hand. I knew he would do everything possible to keep me safe. But we were sinking, being pulled …

One of the fish lunged -

I jolted awake, my heart racing. The band was playing a slow song now; several couples were standing in the dance area, holding each other and weaving back and forth. Evan was watching me with concern, his fingers going through the chords on automatic pilot.

I gave him a weary smile, nodding my head. I tugged the towel more tightly around me, glancing around the sun-soaked deck. It seemed most of the boat had found a spot to bask in the last golden rays of their vacation, to hold off the harsh return to reality for one more music-filled afternoon. And over there, by the bar –

My brow creased in confusion. Kayla was there, her neon bikini barely covering the appropriate parts of her body. She was talking animatedly to Jeff. He held a large cup of beer half-way to his face, as if he’d forgotten it was there, and stared at her with growing disbelief.

Then he turned to stare at me as if I were a space alien freshly beamed down to earth.

He slammed his cup onto the bar, shook his hand to rid himself of the beer that had splashed onto it, and stormed off toward the elevators.

I watched with an open mouth as Kayla sashayed her way over to my side. She bent over with a smile, clearly aware that her position drew the eyes of a quarter of the men on deck.

“Well, I think I finally got that man speechless.”

I blinked at her. “Kayla, what did you say to him”

She grinned with delight. “Oh, just the truth. That the Holier-Than-Thou attitude he used to always take with me, in constantly comparing me to you, was based on lies. That, this entire time, he’d been completely fooled by you.”

I groaned, lowering my head into my hand. Now we had my fired-up ex roaming the ship with even more reason to cause trouble for me and Evan. I could not imagine a worse scenario.

Kayla’s voice took on a note of concern. “Amanda, sweetie, are you all right? Sven’s stuff is the very best, you know. Nothing questionable cut into it. You should have had the ultimate experience of your life.”

I gathered up my strength and drew a smile onto my face. “Oh, absolutely,” I agreed. “I’m just exhausted. I don’t think I’ve had a good night’s sleep since we stepped on board.”

She laughed. “That’s what a cruise is all about, honey! Heck, I’m sure you’ll sleep quite well once you’re back in that apartment of yours. Quiet house, quiet job, quiet life. Everything in its place, labeled and organized.” She frowned in thought, then gave me a pat on the arm. “But, you know, Game Two will be on tonight at eight, and that’s only six hours from now. I hear James Taylor is singing the opening anthem. So maybe you really should get some sleep, now, if you’re that tired. It’ll be a wild night tonight!”

I focused my energy on keeping my smile in place. “I’m so glad you understand, Kayla. I want to be fresh and energetic for the party.”

She stood, looking back as the band kicked into a faster dance tune. “That’s my cue. You get some sleep – you look like hell!” A whirl, and she was gone.

I looked over at Evan. His dark eyes were on me, layered with concern and care. My smile became genuine, and I gave him a nod. Then I drew the towel close, curled on my side, and faded away.

* * *

A hand was gently shaking my arm. I flashed awake, my eyes popping open as my arms drew protectively around me. Evan’s eyes were there before me, and he drew his fingers tenderly down my face. “It’s me. The set is over, and we’re free until the evening.” He gave a wry smile. “If we can even play then. They’re converting every venue they can into a Sox-watching mecca. Seems the entire ship has become a floating tribute to the World Series.”

His gaze grew serious. “How are you doing? I saw Kayla stop by before. What did she have to say?”

I twined my fingers into his. “She told Jeff about my story – that I’ve been using heroin this entire time. Apparently he took the news poorly.”

His expression stayed steady. “Whatever they throw at us, I’ll be ready for it,” he promised. “Jeff, Sven, all of them.” He drew me up to standing. “But for now, you need more sleep, and somewhere that you can’t be bothered. So your room is out.” His gaze shadowed. “
Any
room is out. Sven can get a key to any door.”

“What do you suggest?”

He put his arm around my waist, steadying me. “Let me show you.”

A short walk to the elevator, a trip down a few floors, and we were at the doors to the Stardust Theater. They were propped open, and within I could see a large screen with a bingo board laid out on it. A man was standing next to a large cage with balls in it, drawing one out. His voice eased out over the room, soaked in molasses and honey.

“B-24.”

A low murmur rustled through the scattered group of players, a mixture of ages, shapes, and sizes.

Evan smiled at me. “Bingo callers come in all varieties, and we happen to have a southern gentleman who could charm bees away from their honey. So come on up with me. I think you’ll get that rest you need.

We went up to the far corner of the balcony, to the nook which was ours alone. The lights were dim here, the caller’s soothing voice eased the knots in my muscles, and I still had the towel draped around me like a shawl. Evan sat at the near end of the bench, and I laid down across the velvet surface, nestled between his body and the curving wall behind me. Someone would have to get past Evan to reach me, and I knew he would never let that happen.

I laid my head in his lap for a pillow, and he tucked the towel down around me. He laid his hand gently on my head, stroking my hair. His voice was warm and reassuring.

“You sleep now, Amanda. I’m right here.”

I didn’t question any further. I closed my eyes and descended into emptiness.

Chapter 4

I blinked awake. The room was lit with a soft, golden glow, but there were no murmurs of interest, no melodic calling out of numbers or letters. I rolled to look up at Evan, and he smiled down at me.

“Bingo ended hours ago,” he informed me. “We’re alone in here. How was your nap?”

I stretched and yawned, curling my toes. “I really needed that,” I admitted as I drew up to sitting. “What time is it?”

“Nearly seven. The pre-game madness must be winding up into a frenzy out there. Probably ninety percent of the ship’s passengers are from New England and are die-hard Sox fans. The other ten percent? Well, if there are some Cardinals fans in the mix, they’re doing their best to keep quiet right now.” He grinned. “People have been known to be thrown overboard for far less.”

I leaned against him. “Will you have to gig tonight?”

He shook his head. “It would be a miracle if any person on board was found more than twenty feet from a TV set. If we tried to play, we’d get complaints from all surrounding areas that we were interfering with their ability to watch the game.

I sighed with relief. “So it’s just you and me.”

He tenderly kissed me on the forehead. “I’ll be right here.”

I looked up into his eyes. “Just this one last night, and then tomorrow morning is Friday. I disembark in Boston, and you sail off with these madmen.” A chill shivered through me. “Are you sure there’s no way –”

He gently shushed me, brushing his lips across mine. “It has to be like this,” he murmured. “I’ll be all right.” His brow creased. “It’s you I’m worried about. Getting you off the ship is one thing – but with Jeff all fired up, you’re still landing in a frying pan. What if he causes trouble for you?” He held my gaze. “Even when you’re off the ship, you won’t be able to say anything to anyone about the truth. Not yet. It could compromise the operation.”

I slid to sit on his lap. “I will stick to our story for as long as it takes,” I vowed. “I would never do anything to put you at risk. If this is the path you’re choosing, I will back you 100%.”

His gaze shadowed. “But what if –”

This time I shushed him with a brush of my lips. My voice was thick when I spoke again. “Whatever it takes,” I stated. “I don’t care what else happens. I will stand by our story until you are safely home again.”

His eyes shone. “God, Amanda, I love you.”

The world coalesced around us, and I was transported back to last night. Was it really only last night? When he was tied to the metal pipes and certain death dangled over our heads like the sword of Damocles. He had said he loved me then, and part of me took it as the last, perhaps over-the-top statement of a man seeing only blackness before him.

But now it was light. The future stretched out before us in shimmering promise.

And he loved me.

He loved me.

I folded into him, our lips met, and my body thrilled with an indescribable feeling which shone out of every pore of my skin. It was joy, contentment, passion, and, above all else, a sense of absolute cherishing. I adored him with every aspect of my soul. And I could feel, in the way he drew me hard against him, that he felt the same way.

He leaned me back onto the velvet bench, his fingers left a trail of stardust behind them, and I laughed out loud. He stopped at that, his eyes smoky with pleasure, his gaze dropping to my lips.

“Oh? What is it?”

I slid a hand along the thick muscles of his arm. “I was just thinking how you are so much better than heroin.”

A shadow slid across his gaze, and he leant down to brush my lips with his. “I’d better be,” he growled.

“No, really,” I assured him, gently wriggling against him. “With the heroin, nothing mattered. Nothing at all. It was as if I were disconnected from the world and tragedies could befall all I cared for without touching me in the least. I was isolated, alone.”