He stood at the foot of his bed running a brush through his wet hair. “Enjoy yourself last night?”
Jack tossed back the sheet and slid his legs off the side of the bed. “How’d you know?”
“The champagne. You didn’t buy that for me.”
“I didn’t buy it for Cherise, either. She brought it with her.”
“You might want to get in the shower. We’re meeting her and Lindsey for breakfast.”
At seven-thirty, he and Robert rode the elevator down to the Blue Water Café. They had time to sit by the pool and talk over their plan at least one more time before preparing to leave for the ship.
Jack thought how nice it had been on the Sun Dancer to wake up with Cherise in bed next to him, dark hair splayed on the pillow. He looked forward to seeing how she would act now that they had come to an understanding.
Cherise and Lindsey were already seated with cups of coffee in front of them. He saw no reason for pretenses. They were all aware of what transpired the night before. Robert sat across from Lindsey and Jack settled into the chair across from Cherise. She looked wonderful.
“Good morning,” he said. And it was.
“Sleep well?” Cherise asked.
For about an hour, only he wasn’t about to tell her that. “Like a baby.”
“You were snoring when I left.”
He grinned. “And ten minutes before that?”
He didn’t believe it was possible to make her blush.
But she did.
She leaned in and pecked him on the lips. “You definitely weren’t snoring.”
* * *
At twelve thirty, Jack and Robert meet Cherise and Lindsey in the lobby to catch their shuttle ride to the cruise terminal. Two other couples hoping to be among the first to board were waiting there as well.
Jack had to stifle a laugh when he saw Cherise and Lindsey.
“You’re a sight,” he said. Both women wore wigs a shade too light for their skin tone. “If you two ever think about going blonde, forget it. The color doesn’t do a thing for either of you.”
“You’re saying we look like New York hookers?”
“I wasn’t going to say that, but yes.”
Cherise slipped on a pair of sunglasses with lenses large enough to cover a third of her face. “If they get us on board without Amanda recognizing us, they’ll be worth the ridicule.”
“You have a point,” he said. “At least you’re boarding ahead of me.”
She peered at him over the frame of her dark glasses. “And I thought you were a nice guy.”
He grinned.
The shuttle arrived on time. When they got out of the van at the cruise terminal, the place was already a hive of activity. Cherise and Lindsey got in line, Robert directly behind them, and in the rear, Jack. They turned their checked baggage over to a porter and joined the flood of people going through security.
Jack held back, letting his friends and a couple dozen other passengers proceed through ahead of him. Unlike Cherise and Lindsey, he wasn’t concerned about being seen by Amanda. Exactly the opposite. There were a lot of anxious people in line, but neither she nor Corey were anywhere in sight.
He plodded through security and entered the room where passengers waited their turn to check in. Cherise, Lindsey, and Robert weren’t among them.
Once he had his turn with an agent, the process went quickly. His picture was taken and downloaded into the ship’s computer. The woman gave him his credit-card style room key and he proceeded to boarding.
The walk to the Caribbean Sensation turned out to be surprisingly long, and included going up several stories to reach the boarding deck amidships. When he at last reached the ship, he scanned his room card to let the cruise line know he was aboard, and received directions to his cabin.
The stateroom was bright and, he supposed, by cruise ship standards, spacious. Two twin beds pushed together to form a king, a desk and seat, and a full bath with shower. And three tiny closets. He checked the balcony and found it reasonably equipped with two patio chairs and a small table for cocktails.
Home sweet home.
His bags were still on their way to his room so he locked up and walked aft to 8527 to check on Robert. He probably felt entombed having been stuck in an inside cabin.
He knocked and Robert let him in.
“Comfortable?”
Robert scoffed. “If you like sleeping in a box.”
“Your bags aren’t here yet, either?”
“They have a lot to bring aboard. Want to grab a beer?”
“Sure. We’ll get a couple and take them to my cabin. It has a decent balcony and we won’t be seen together.”
CHAPTER 49
Jack didn’t see Amanda until after six. The ship had already begun its southerly course. He stood forty feet away from where she sat half-turned on a tall cushioned chair at the bar. She wore a red sleeveless blouse that had a pleasing sheen when she moved under the muted glow of the lounge lights—silk, maybe—and a black skirt that rode three inches up on her trim thighs. A bald, middle-aged man with far too much belly sat on the edge of the next stool, leaned over, talking to her.
She didn’t appear interested.
He saw her turn her head and scan the guests seated at the tables. Her gaze swept past him and returned. She held on him a moment before smiling and giving an almost imperceptible nod of recognition.
He checked the time and angled the face of his watch toward her.
His friends were somewhere listening and watching. He tried not to think about where they had positioned themselves or what they were doing.
But now they all knew he’d made contact.
The bald man continued to talk without her paying the least amount of attention to him.
Jack saw her glance in his direction a couple more times.
And each time she smiled.
He figured she’d had enough of Fat Man and would brush him off at any moment.
She did exactly that, and he watched her in action.
Fat Man finally stopped talking long enough to sip his drink. She took advantage of the moment to whisper something in his ear. Jack couldn’t hear what she said, but he saw her mouth move, and whatever she said had to be something so utterly disturbing it drained the color from the poor guy’s face.
Fat Man recoiled from her as though he had peered into the burning eyes of the devil. She stared at him with cold efficiency and smiled an evil little smirk that must have made him a believer.
He reached for his drink, fumbled the glass spilling some, stood, and hurried out of the lounge.
A smile from her signaled Jack over.
He took Fat Man’s seat, rested his elbow on the bar, and angled the face of his watch at her. “You were pretty rough on him.”
She peered into his eyes and sipped her martini. She returned the glass to the counter and brought her gaze back to meet his.
Seductive. Practiced.
She smiled. “Should I invite him back?”
He signaled the bartender and refocused his attention on her. “I believe our paths crossed yesterday at Dream World Travel. My name’s Jack.”
“I’m Amanda. What a lovely coincidence we’re on this cruise together.”
Till now, he’d only seen her from a distance. Up close, he noticed she had smooth skin with minimal makeup, the type of full lips that made a man want to kiss them, thick brows—darker than her hair—manicured into heavy arches over hazel eyes.
The bartender stopped across the counter from him and asked, “Would you like a drink, sir?”
“Vodka martini.” Jack glanced down at Amanda’s near empty glass. The olive gone from the toothpick. “Make that two.”
She finished hers off and returned the glass to her cocktail napkin. When she brought her gaze up to meet his, he noticed an explosion of tiny green flecks in the hazel of her eyes. He wondered how he had missed the added color when he first looked into them.
He’d have to pay
closer attention.
“How’d you know I was drinking vodka?” Her voice took on a suspicious, seductive tone.
Charlize Theron without the accent.
Or Lauren Bacall.
He liked listening to her talk.
Those tiny green flecks drew him in. “I’m guessing Grey Goose, right?”
“You didn’t request Grey Goose.”
“Trust me. The bartender knows what you’re drinking.”
“So is this what you do? Take cruises and pick up unsuspecting women.”
“God no.” He laughed. “Not even close. Truth be known, this is my first cruise. Besides, I haven’t been romantically involved since my wife died of cancer a few years ago.”
“I’m sorry for your loss. Is that what brought you over here to me?”
“When I saw you in the travel agency, you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. And when I noticed you sitting here, I just had to talk to you.”
“I’m flattered.” She sipped her martini.
He nodded at her glass. “Grey Goose, right?”
“You’re a good judge of bartenders.”
She had a natural erotic charm. He enjoyed the game. “Can I ask how tall you are?”
Knowing he would not be able to resist looking, she extended her long luxurious leg with practiced casualness, raising the hem of her skirt another few inches exposing the dark band at the top of her stockings. The clasp of a garter belt posed a subtle challenge to the prospective lover.
“Six-three,” she said. “In heels. Taller than most men I meet.”
He swept his gaze over trim thigh and muscled calf to a single black ladies’ pump with a deadly spike.
“I must say you carry your height beautifully.”
“Again, I’m flattered. That’s not a compliment I hear often.”
“Each man to his own tastes.”
“And yours is tall women?”
“This is new territory for me. Mostly I concentrate on my work.”
“Which is?”
“I’m a marine biologist.” He took a risk. “And sometimes treasure hunter.”
The subtle upward curl of her lips suggested his gamble paid off.
Or he had lost it all.
“I find that quite interesting,” she said. “And it explains your tan.”
“Which part is that . . . being a marine biologist, or amateur treasure hunter?” He felt the way he had at a craps table in Reno when his twenty-dollar bet on eleven swelled to three hundred and he let it ride, only to hit it again.
That seductive conspiratorial grin of hers returned.
“Both,” she answered in her wonderful voice.
He took a sip of his drink and peered at her over the rim of his glass. “I can’t believe a woman as pretty as you is traveling alone.”
“Actually, I’m on the cruise with my brother.” She glanced at a small rectangular wristwatch with a thin, black band. “And I’m sorry to say, I have to go. We’re meeting for dinner.”
“No boyfriend?”
She finished her drink, stood, and turned her sparkling eyes on him. “Have a nice evening, Jack.”
CHAPTER 50
Jack watched Amanda leave the lounge. Having stared at those long legs, it was difficult for him to think of her as a cold blooded killer.
Femme fatale . . .
A real man-eater.
He didn’t have to remind himself she had lured more than one poor soul to his death. Men who had gazed into those dazzling eyes and kissed her plump lips, had unclasped the garter belts and rode the silkiness of those thighs, and thought how lucky they were.
He raised his left hand to bring the watch close to his mouth, and cupped his chin between his thumb and forefinger as if in thought. And for his friends’ benefit said, “A stellar performance, I’d say. Anyone interested in a drink?”
They were surely listening, and had seen her walk away. He wondered who would show up to stick the gold star of achievement on his forehead.
Robert made his appearance a minute later. Jack watched him all the way to the bar. He sat down leaving an empty chair between them. The bartender greeted him and he ordered an IPA.
Jack signaled for another martini. He’d stop at two.
He asked, “What do you think?”
Robert shrugged. “Seemed to me you went at her like a bull moose in rut. It’ll be a miracle if you didn’t chase her off.”
“I just followed her lead.”
“Guess I had to be there.”
“Trust me. She’s a real piece of work.”
“Well, you got her interested. I’ll give you that much. The question is, will she take the bait?”
Jack nodded. “I suppose that depends on whether or not they have some other poor sap lined up.”
“That’s always a possibility.”
“More than a possibility, I’m afraid. My guess is they have several potential marks picked out long before they board the ship.”
“But you got to her first. And after listening to her, I think that moves you to the top of the list.”
Their drinks arrived and they sipped in silence that lasted all of thirty seconds before three nice looking ladies sidled up to the bar. Thirtyish. They ordered shots of tequila.
Jack asked Robert, “Have you seen Cherise or Lindsey?”
“After you left your stateroom, I called Cherise while we still had cell service. She and Lindsey were in their cabin and planned to monitor you from there until we knew how your little foray around the ship turned out. At least they have a window to let some light in.”
“You’re still complaining?”
“You ever hide inside a cardboard refrigerator box when you were a kid? Feels a whole lot like that.”
“Then it’s a good thing you won’t be spending a lot of time in there.”
“A very good thing. I swear it’s like being confined to steerage.”
Jack watched the women toss back their tequila. A kick-start on the evening, he guessed. They seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Not sisters. Close friends.
They ordered another round and a couple for them. He heard one of the ladies say, “Maybe these two good-looking guys want to take us dancing.”
The brunette next to Robert smiled and asked, “How about it, handsome? Would you and your friend like to join us at the club?”
The shots arrived. Robert had his earpiece out but that didn’t mean Cherise and Lindsey weren’t still monitoring everything being said. They were getting an ear full as well as an eye full.
Jack let his friend answer.
Robert looked at her and said, “Sorry, ladies. Thanks for the drink but I’m afraid we’ll have to pass on the club.”
“You sure?” She looked at Jack. Her friends watched over her shoulders.
He shrugged. “I’m afraid we already have dates.”
“Your loss.”
The women looked at each other and the tallest of the three said, “To the club, ladies.”
They downed their tequila and walked away amid happy chatter.
To Robert, he said, “That was entertaining.”
They tossed back their tequila and Robert said, “I saw Amanda show you her legs. You could have tilted your watch so I could have a peek.”
“Didn’t those ladies take some of the steam out of you?”
“Keep those ladies out of it. When a beautiful woman shows off a leg that magnificent, it’s something you share with a buddy.”
“Friends do that for each other?”
“They do.” Robert drank more of his beer.
Jack casually picked up his glass and pulled the olive off the pick with his teeth. “The best part was the garter belt.”
Robert choked.
“Get serious,” Jack said. “This woman is all sugar frosting and sprinkles outside. Inside she’s pure evil and we have to keep that in mind.”
“Jack, my friend, sex is a perfectly human desire. It’s somethin
g men think about every ten minutes. With you, every five. And thinking about having sex with a beautiful woman is a great defense against having to think about putting her in prison or worse.”
“It’s the ‘worse’ part that bothers me.”
“And it should.”
CHAPTER 51
Jack saw Amanda again at dinner.
He took a seat at a table for two and stared across the empty chair at her and her brother sitting three tables away. She had changed into a long, white, backless evening gown with straps that fastened behind her neck. Corey Jameson was a big son of a bitch even sitting down. A wad of muscle bulged his pale yellow knit sports shirt, giving it the appearance of being one size too small. Which it very well could have been. But he had a Ken-doll face, sun-bleached brown hair, and a baked on tan that would turn a woman’s head.
Looking at them together, Jack realized the con could go either way. The mark could easily be a woman, with Amanda and Corey’s rolls reversed.
Something he and Cherise hadn’t talked about.
He’d find out soon enough.
Her gaze kept shifting in his direction. She and her brother appeared to be having an innocent dinner conversation. But she clearly showed an interest elsewhere.
Each time she smiled, he returned the gesture with one of his own. Keeping in mind they were not the nice people they appeared to be.
Halfway through his beer, Jack saw Corey turn and wave him over. Evidently, he was no longer at the top of the list.
He was the list.
He gave them a casual nod as to not appear overly anxious and carried his beer to their table.
“Good evening,” he said to both of them.
“Please join us.” Corey motioned at an empty chair. “My sister told me the two of you met earlier in the lounge.”
Jack found it difficult to not focus his full attention on Amanda. The dress did for her ample breasts what her blouse hadn’t. A subtle shadow of areola and nipple showed through the fabric to hint at the bounty beneath. He sensed a complete awareness in her of being watched.
She let her smile slip long enough to say, “Do sit down, Jack. My brother wants to hear all about your work.”
Hostile Waters Page 17