“Me either,” Quinn said, putting his hand to the small of Rowan’s back and prodding her toward the door. “They’re moving down the street. Let’s follow them.”
“Do you think those are the guys from that night? I don’t think I recognize them.”
“I don’t recognize them either,” Quinn said. “I’m not sure who they are. I’m definitely going to find out, though.”
15
Fifteen
Rowan and Quinn spent the better part of the day following Kylie, Kara, and Hayley. All the while they watched the girls’ new friends with suspicious eyes as they conversed with one another. By the end of the afternoon Rowan felt as if she knew Quinn a lot better than when they started. She also liked him even more, which filled her with an oddly mixed sense of excitement and dread.
“It looks as if they’re splitting up,” Quinn mused, breaking the comfortable silence they’d settled into as they drank green tea and pretended to survey the street art. “The guys are heading back toward the dock.”
Rowan glanced over her shoulder and watched as the three men offered the girls friendly waves and then increased their pace. “Where do you think they’re going?”
“Back to the ship.”
“But … I don’t recognize them from the ship.”
“There are thousands of people on that ship, Rowan,” Quinn pointed out. “You couldn’t possibly remember everyone.”
“That’s true, but I have an eye for faces. I think it comes from working for a newspaper. Even if I can’t remember names I always remember faces.”
Quinn couldn’t help but be dubious. “Thousands of them?”
Rowan crossed her arms over her chest, taking a defensive stance, and nodded.
“Okay, I’m going to take your word for it, but I find that hard to believe,” Quinn said. “I’m not denying you’re magic, but no one is that good.”
Warmth stirred in Rowan’s stomach as Quinn’s words washed over her. She wanted to take the statement as an insult but could hardly do that when he called her “magic.”
“As for this situation, though, I think we need to split up,” Quinn continued, oblivious to Rowan’s internal conundrum.
“Split up?” Quinn’s words brought Rowan back to reality. “But … why?”
“It’s not because I don’t enjoy your company, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Quinn said, smirking. “We need to know where those guys are going, though.”
“And we can’t leave the girls unprotected,” Rowan surmised, her expression unreadable as she glanced across the street. “You’re right.”
“I’m always right.”
Rowan ignored the boast. “I’ll follow the guys and meet you back at the ship.” She moved to pull away from Quinn, but he stopped her with a hand on her wrist. “What?”
“Why are you following the guys?” Quinn challenged. “I think I should follow the guys.”
“Is that because I’m a woman and you, therefore, think I’m weak?”
“No.”
“Is it because you think they’re going to attack me in broad daylight in front of a crowd?”
“No.”
“Is it because you hate shopping and it makes you whine like a baby?”
Quinn scowled. “I don’t whine like a baby.”
“You do hate shopping, though,” Rowan said, shaking her head as she grinned. “This is the better option. The guys aren’t going to notice me and I can follow them to their room and then relate that information to you. It’s more important for you to stay with the girls.”
“Why?” Quinn hated the petulant tone of his voice.
“Because we know Hayley is in danger and if someone does attack them – which is possible – you’ll be the better protector,” Rowan answered, not missing a beat. “I’m quite capable, but I haven’t been in a fight to the death in months and I’m worried I might be rusty.”
“You’re unbelievably odd sometimes,” Quinn groused, although he released Rowan’s wrist, resigned. “You be careful going back to the ship. Keep an eye on your purse and camera … and don’t go into any dark alleys.”
“I’ll try to refrain from the overwhelming dark alley pull.”
“You’re sarcastic and I somehow like it,” Quinn muttered, flicking his hand out to lightly smack Rowan’s behind as she moved away from him. “Be careful.”
“I can’t believe you just did that!”
Quinn ignored her wide-eyed stare. “We’re on a date. We’re supposed to be showing affection.”
“But you … spanked me.”
“Oh, Trixie, that was not a spank. When I spank you, you’ll know it. You’ll like it, too.”
Rowan was at a loss for words so she merely turned on her heel and stalked away, her cheeks burning. Quinn watched her go, amusement flicking across his features. He liked the way she walked. Heck, he liked the way she talked and blushed. He liked almost every single thing she did. The realization was both startling and humbling. He had no idea what he was going to do with his newfound information. Thankfully for him, he had to put it on the back burner because a familiar face popped into view the second he shifted his gaze from Rowan’s backside.
“Kylie.” Quinn swallowed hard as he took an inadvertent step backward. “I didn’t see you there.”
“I saw you,” Kylie said primly, crossing her arms over her chest and pumping up her ample cleavage. She wore a bustier top that looked as if it belonged in a Victoria’s Secret fashion show rather than a lazy island shopping center, but Quinn refused to focus on the area where she was trying to draw attention and instead fixated on her face.
“Obviously,” Quinn said, running his tongue over his teeth. “Are you having fun on your outing?”
“It’s okay,” Kylie said after a beat. “Are you having fun?”
“I’ve had a pretty good day.” Quinn found he didn’t need to exercise his acting chops when offering the answer. He’d enjoyed his afternoon immensely. Er, well, the nonstop shopping notwithstanding, of course.
“Is that because you’ve seen me so many times?” Kylie asked. “Or is it because you were on a date with that … woman … who takes photos on the ship?”
Quinn didn’t like the way Kylie’s nose wrinkled when she referred to Rowan. “I’ve enjoyed my time with my date. I don’t remember seeing you.” That was obviously a lie, but Quinn liked the way Kylie’s puffed out chest deflated a bit.
“I saw you looking at us,” she protested.
“I honestly don’t remember seeing you,” Quinn said. “Rowan and I were shopping and talking all afternoon.”
“But … I saw you.”
Quinn held his hands palms up. “Sorry to disappoint you.”
“Oh, whatever.” Kylie shifted from upset to snotty in the blink of an eye. “We’re heading back to the ship. Do you want to walk with us or wait for your girlfriend?”
Quinn let loose with a miniature sigh. He’d been worried about how he would explain his interest should the girls catch him following them back to the ship. This was a much easier scenario. “I would love to walk back with you.”
Kylie brightened at the words. “That’s what I thought.”
“That will keep me from being sad and lonely without Rowan,” Quinn added. He refused to lead Kylie on – despite her bad attitude – and he figured this was the best way to let her down gently. “She had to run back to the ship to take some photos of everyone returning. I thought I was going to be depressed without her.”
A brief bout of fury flashed through Kylie’s eyes, but she quickly tamped it down. “Well, we wouldn’t want you to be depressed,” she said. “Let’s go back to the ship, shall we?”
Quinn smiled brightly. “That sounds like a plan to me.”
“THERE you are.” Quinn was red-faced and flustered when he found Rowan at the tiki bar an hour later. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
“Obviously not everywhere,” Rowan said, shifting her eyes to his flushed fac
e. “What happened to you?”
“What happened to me? What happened to me?” Quinn’s voice took on a squeaky quality that forced Rowan to swallow her giggle. “Are you seriously asking that?”
“Well, I’m asking. I don’t know how serious I am about it. I guess I’ll have to wait and hear your answer before I decide if it’s serious.”
Quinn made a disgusted face as he shook his head. “You have the oddest sense of humor sometimes. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“You just did.”
“Oh, you’re giving me a headache,” Quinn growled, throwing himself in the open chair next to Rowan and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Just for the record, sometimes when you think you’re funny, you’re not really funny.”
“I’m always funny,” Rowan countered, clucking sympathetically when she saw how upset Quinn looked on closer inspection. “What’s wrong? Did something happen? Hayley is all right, isn’t she?”
“Hayley is fine,” Quinn said. “I walked the girls to their room and she was fine when I left, at least. They’re going to dinner in about two hours – I asked – so we don’t have to worry about them until then.”
“That’s good news,” Rowan said. “If you’re not upset about the girls, then why are you upset? And … um … why did you walk the girls back to the ship? That kind of breaks our cover, doesn’t it?”
“Oh, well, I’m glad you asked,” Quinn drawled, his eyes flashing. “I was so busy watching you walk away that I didn’t notice the fact that Kylie caught sight of me. She was already on me before I realized what was going on.”
Rowan tried to swallow her smirk … and failed miserably. “That’s too bad,” she said. “Did they make you shop some more? That must’ve been torture for you.”
“As it stands, they only made me go to one store on the way back,” Quinn replied. “It was that jewelry store we went into where you saw the dolphin earrings. I think the sales clerk thinks I’m some sort of pervert given how fast I switched out women.”
“I’m kind of regretting not getting those dolphins.”
“Well, it’s too late now,” Quinn said. “Forget about the earrings. Focus on me. Kylie noticed us following them. She thought I was doing it because I was interested in her.”
“I think I’m insulted on behalf of our fake date,” Rowan said. “How could you be looking at her when you were looking at me?”
“It was only half a fake date,” Quinn said. “As for the other, I told Kylie I never saw her and that I was too focused on you. She didn’t take the news well so you might want to stay away from any railings when she’s around.”
Rowan stilled. “What do you mean?”
“I mean she’s jealous and wants to rip out your hair.”
“I already knew that,” Rowan said. “I mean about it only being half a fake date. I don’t understand what that means.”
“You understand what it means. You just don’t want to admit that you understand it because it makes your stomach flip and your palms sweat.”
“Oh, good grief.” Rowan pressed her eyes shut. “Did my hands really sweat?”
Even though he was annoyed, Quinn couldn’t help but smile. “Your hands were fine. I’m glad you didn’t deny being nervous about accepting that we were on half a date, though. That’s going to save us time later.”
“I thought you weren’t interested in anything?” Rowan challenged.
“I’m not interested in anything serious,” Quinn clarified. “You’re not either. I didn’t say I was opposed to a fling … especially if it’s with you.”
Rowan kept her smile in place even as a thin veneer of ice slipped around her heart. He’d clearly meant the statement as a compliment, but it cut her to the bone all the same. “Oh, um, right.”
Quinn barreled on as if he didn’t notice the change in her demeanor. “Kylie’s nose was out of joint, but she asked me if I wanted to walk them back to the ship. It seemed like an easy enough fix so I took her up on the offer. She still hates you, though, so be careful.”
“I’ll definitely be careful,” Rowan said, swallowing the odd lump in her throat as she leaned back in her chair. She was suddenly keen on putting distance between Quinn and herself.
“What about you?” Quinn asked, focusing his serious eyes on Rowan’s face. “Did you manage to catch up with the guys?”
“I did.” Rowan bobbed her head, secretly thankful to return to a conversation that didn’t revolve around her half-date with Quinn. “They came back to the ship.”
“I figured that. Do you know what floor they’re on?”
“Yes and no.”
Quinn knit his eyebrows together. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Um … I think I have to show you.”
“OH, WELL, crud on toast.”
Quinn rubbed the back of his neck as he studied the keycard security terminal outside the metal door with something akin to hate. He scuffed the floor with his shoe and muttered a curse under his breath.
“What’s wrong?” Rowan asked, making sure to maintain an acceptable distance between Quinn and herself. She didn’t want to make the mistake of accidentally touching him. “What is this place?”
“It’s the personal quarters for the maintenance staff.”
“Oh. I … oh.” Rowan was flummoxed. “That means the guys are from the ship, but they’re not guests.”
“No, they’re engine room workers,” Quinn supplied. “The reason you didn’t remember seeing them before is because they weren’t guests at all.”
“Yes, but I haven’t ever seen them,” Rowan pointed out. “Don’t you think I would’ve seen them if they were hanging out in the mess hall or something?”
“No, because they have their own little dining area in their wing of the ship,” Quinn answered. “They very rarely mingle with the other crewmembers and we’re not allowed into their part of the ship for security reasons.”
“Why?”
“It’s some unsaid rule or something,” Quinn said, scowling. “They keep to themselves because they think they’re above everyone else. They get paid better than everyone else, too, in case you were wondering.”
Rowan lifted an eyebrow. “Even you?”
“Even me.” Quinn pressed his lips together as he shook his head. “Well, this changes things.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Pull up their files and see if I can find something there.”
“And if you can’t?”
“Then I’ll figure out what to do then,” Quinn said, absentmindedly grabbing Rowan’s hand as he pulled her away from the door. “For now, we don’t want to get caught hanging in this area. We don’t want to make them suspicious.”
Rowan tried to casually disengage her hand from Quinn’s grip, but he didn’t allow her to do it.
“Come on,” Quinn prodded. “We need to go through the files and see if we come up with something.”
“I … maybe I should take photos instead. That’s what I was hired for, after all.”
Quinn either didn’t notice the shift in her reaction to him or didn’t care. “You can take photos after dinner. I need you right now.”
Rowan opened her mouth to argue and then snapped it shut. Jessica’s fate was more important than her bruised heart. She squared her shoulders and forced a small smile. “Of course. Lead the way.”
16
Sixteen
Rowan took the late afternoon shift watching the girls. She was secretly thankful because it removed her from Quinn’s orbit and she could barely look at him given what he had said. She knew he didn’t mean it as an insult. He enjoyed the flirting as much as she did. That didn’t mean the fact that he assumed she would be open to a couple of randy rolls in the seawater hay and then walk away with a smile and a wave didn’t grate. She had no intention of embarking on a relationship like that and she was agitated that it was all he seemingly wanted from her.
Agitated? That was a mild word for what she felt. Hurt
was a better word. Potentially used was another. She was furious, she realized. It wasn’t just with Quinn, though. She was ticked off at herself, too. She allowed this situation to manifest and she was going to have to figure a way out of it on her own.
The girls headed to the dining room shortly before six. Rowan hovered close to the door. She didn’t feel comfortable eating amongst the guests without Quinn present, but she was convinced she couldn’t leave the girls to their own devices in case something terrible happened. That’s where Quinn found her a few minutes later.
“What are you doing?”
Rowan jolted at the sound of his voice. She knew he would show up eventually, but he had an uncanny way of being able to sneak up on her that left her feeling unnerved … and a little bit breathless.
“I’m … watching,” Rowan replied, struggling to collect herself.
Quinn cocked an eyebrow. “From out here?”
“I was waiting for you.”
“You were waiting because you’re a rule follower and you didn’t want to risk someone saying something to you if you were eating in the main dining room by yourself,” Quinn supplied, chuckling. “Admit it.”
“I … no.”
“Admit it.” Quinn’s grin was impish. “Admit you’re a rule follower.”
“Fine.” Rowan heaved out a sigh. “I’m a rule follower. I didn’t want to get in trouble. Sue me.”
“I’d rather watch you swing your hips while walking – it’s a magnificent sight, by the way – but perhaps we can play that game later,” Quinn said, snickering. “Just for the record, you have clearance to eat in the dining room, too. You don’t need me with you to do it.”
“I … no, I don’t.” Rowan was flustered. “I think I would know that.”
“It’s in your contract,” Quinn countered. “I know because I have the same contract. You’re expected to do some of your work in the main dining room. That means you can eat there whenever you want.”
“But … no … I don’t think that’s right.”
Welcoming Seas (A Rowan Gray Mystery Book 1) Page 13