Sunken Seas (A Rowan Gray Mystery Book 4)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Ugh. You make me tired.”

  “Right back at you.”

  Even as Demarcus and Quinn’s verbal sparring continued – and Rowan legitimately enjoyed it a great deal – she found her eyes moving back to the man with Michael. She couldn’t shake the idea that she knew him and yet she was almost positive they’d never been introduced. It was an odd feeling.

  “Right, Rowan?”

  At the sound of her name, Rowan swiftly turned back and found Quinn staring. She had no idea what they were talking about, but she agreed all the same. “Absolutely.”

  Quinn smirked at her answer, but he couldn’t stop himself from worrying when Rowan’s eyes drifted back to Nicholas Green. What was going on here?

  3

  Three

  The buzz on the ship was different the next morning and Rowan couldn’t contain her excitement as she and Quinn readied to separate for the next few hours.

  “There’s a different feel in the atmosphere,” she observed. “I’m not sure how to describe it.”

  Quinn, who had been up early to look at his book since he didn’t have a chance the night before, merely nodded. “It won’t be like the other trips you’ve been on.”

  Rowan was curious. “Have you been on a trip like this one before?”

  “No, but I think I know better what to expect. You’re still getting used to the everyday operations of The Bounding Storm. Everything is new to you.”

  “That thing you did last night was definitely new,” Rowan teased.

  Quinn was confused. “Which thing?”

  “The part where you waited until you thought I was asleep to look at your book.”

  Quinn pressed his lips together to keep from laughing. “I thought you were out.”

  Rowan patted his arm in a soothing manner. “Don’t worry about it. I found it cute.”

  “In my defense, it was a very interesting book.”

  “I’m sure it was.” Rowan was beyond delighted by his reaction. “Speaking of everyday operations, though, am I supposed to take photographs of these people? I know they’re here for a job but … I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be doing. No one has broken it down for me.”

  Quinn rubbed the back of his neck as he considered the question. “I would take photos,” he said after a beat. “If this discovery is as big as I think it’s going to be, they’ll probably want something to remember the trip by. I don’t think you need to take photos during meals or anything, but head to the lobby for checkin and hit the deck once we set sail.”

  “We’re not going to be on the open water for a long time, though. What happens when we dock? Will the boat be empty for the bulk of the day while everyone is off exploring The Conqueror?”

  Quinn shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll ask around today and see if I can get an answer for you. I’m going to guess that a lot of people will remain on the ship because they’ll have their own tasks to do, but I’m honestly not sure. I’ll find out, though.”

  “Okay.” Rowan flashed a pretty smile. “I suppose I should head to the lobby then. People are due to start arriving in about twenty minutes.”

  “Yeah, I need to check in with Michael and then I want to talk to the people heading up the dives. I think it’s best if we touch base even though they’re technically outside of my operational realm.”

  “You’re nothing if not diligent.”

  Rowan couldn’t hide her smile and it made Quinn nervous.

  “What aren’t you saying?”

  “You want to talk to the people heading the dive because you’re a geek,” Rowan replied without hesitation. “Just admit it.”

  Quinn balked. “I have a job to do.”

  “Yes, and I’m sure you’re going to be extremely focused on your job for the next few days. I’ll try not to take it personally.”

  Quinn snagged her around the waist before she could wander away, burrowing his face in the hollow between her neck and shoulder and lowering his voice to a sexy whisper. “No matter what, I’ll have plenty of time for you.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  Quinn kissed her cheek. “And I’m just going to hold you … but later. We both have work to focus on first.”

  Rowan’s smile was rueful as they separated. “Try to be good and not geek out too much. I don’t want our new guests to think you’re a spaz or something.”

  “I’ll see if I can refrain from being a spaz.”

  “It might be harder than you think.”

  “Something tells me I’ll be perfectly fine.”

  QUINN WAS PRETTY FAR from fine when he knocked on Michael’s door ten minutes later, pausing for a moment before pushing it open. He was doing his best to hide his excitement – even though Rowan could apparently see right through him – but he knew that he was acting out of sorts. He expected Michael to be alone so they could talk about the upcoming schedule. Instead he found Nicholas Green sitting in the chair across from the gregarious captain.

  “I’m sorry.” Quinn was instantly contrite. “I didn’t know you had company.”

  “No, don’t worry.” Michael waved off the apology. “I was going to request your presence anyway.”

  “Okay.” Quinn shifted from one foot to the other as he regarded Nicholas and Michael. “I’m Quinn Davenport.” He stuck out his hand by way of greeting and Nicholas grasped it warmly. “You’re Nicholas Green, right?”

  “Please, call me Nick,” Green corrected. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Michael. He’s one of your biggest fans.”

  It was an odd compliment and Quinn felt weird accepting it. “Oh, well … .”

  “Shut the door and sit down,” Michael instructed, amusement at his friend’s awkward response fueling him. “We have a few things to discuss.”

  Michael’s tone wasn’t altogether serious, nor was it playful. Quinn wasn’t sure what to expect when he settled.

  “So, Nick and I were discussing the situation with the site and we’ve got a few things that might be cause for concern,” Michael started. “The first is that if the groups do happen to find something, they’ll be bringing the items back to the ship.”

  “Coins and other items will have to be treated because they’ve spent so much time in the ocean,” Nick explained. “Michael has generously loaned us the salon on the main floor because it’s an open space and we’re probably going to need to spread out. We’ll move in tanks and tables so we can better itemize what we bring in, but we need it to be a closed environment.”

  “That sounds smart to me,” Quinn noted. “I’m going to guess you’re going to want constant security on the doors to the salon.”

  “We are,” Nick confirmed. “We also need security out at the site.”

  Quinn couldn’t hide his surprise. “Oh. You want me to supply men to go with you to the site?” He hadn’t been expecting that. “I guess it shouldn’t be a problem. I’m honestly not sure how much experience my men have on the open sea, though. I mean … when it comes to operating smaller boats and the like.”

  “Oh, I don’t expect you to provide security for that,” Nick said hurriedly. “I have a security team coming on board. They’ll be watching the site.”

  “Oh.” Quinn was mildly disappointed. “Okay. What is it you want from me?”

  “I want you to be in charge of the salon security. I was hoping we would be able to close off that entire area so only those with access will be granted entrance. Since there won’t be random guests on the ship, it shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

  “It shouldn’t be.” Quinn was all business. “The salon is located down its own private hallway. There’s nothing down there except for a rest room. We can close off both ends of the hallway and position guards there.

  “Then we can issue key cards to specific members of your team,” he continued. “You can supply us with names and we can make up the proper cards right on the ship. Between the cards and keycard scanners, we should be able to close off the entire area.”

/>   “That’s exactly what I’m looking for.” Nick beamed. “This is going to turn into a big deal. I can feel it in my bones. The last time a ship of this age was discovered in an area so close to land was … well, a long time ago.”

  “Yes, Quinn here has been boning up on the history of The Conqueror,” Michael offered. “He’s a bit of a history fanatic.”

  Quinn cleared his throat, uncomfortable. “I wouldn’t call myself a fanatic.”

  “What would you call yourself?”

  “Intrigued,” Quinn replied easily. “I’m looking forward to seeing the site. You said you were bringing your own security on board – which makes sense – but I would like to touch base with the head once he’s settled. I want to make sure we’re on the same page.”

  “That should be easy to arrange,” Nick said. “He should be here in about an hour.”

  “Until then, Nick wants a tour of the ship,” Michael supplied. “I have a few things going on so I can’t do it. Do you think you can handle that, Quinn?”

  Quinn didn’t fancy himself a tour guide, but he was anxious to get to know Nick better – if only because the man had the inside track on the ship discovery – so he eagerly nodded his head. “I can definitely handle that.”

  “Great.” Nick pushed himself to a standing position. “Let’s get started.”

  ROWAN RARELY FOUND HERSELF bored on The Bounding Storm but that’s exactly how she felt as she leaned against the lobby counter and watched people check in. Not one of them had wanted their photograph taken – and more than a few had laughed at the notion. Instead of asking, Rowan had taken to shooting candid photographs of people as they entered and left. She wanted to justify her salary and that’s the only way she could think to do it.

  “This one is going to be really different, huh?” Vicky Salisbury, one of the regular mainstays at the front desk, looked as bored as Rowan felt as she asked the question.

  Rowan nodded. “I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of jewelry shopping or fun party nights happening. Er, well, I guess there might be some fun party nights when the searches are done for the day. I think it’s likely they’ll be happening on deck rather than in the dining room, though.”

  “Yeah. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it wasn’t this. These people aren’t on vacation so they haven’t been doing a lot of smiling. They seem intense to me.”

  Rowan couldn’t argue with the sentiment. “Well, it’s supposed to be a big find. I don’t know a lot about salvage operations like this, but Quinn does and he’s really excited.”

  Vicky brightened at the conversational shift. “How is Quinn? And by that, I mean how is he in bed?”

  The question caught Rowan off guard. “Excuse me?”

  “Oh, don’t play coy.” Vicky was in no mood for games. “He’s hot, handsome, and he looks like he has stamina. Everyone was chasing him from here to the Bahamas every chance they got before you showed up. Okay, some might still be chasing him, but most have stepped back and realized that he only has eyes for you.

  “That doesn’t mean we’re not curious,” she continued. “He’s ridiculously hot and inquiring minds want to know so … share.”

  Rowan was both amused and flabbergasted. “I don’t kiss and tell.”

  “Yeah? I don’t care about the kissing. Tell me about the other stuff.”

  Rowan shook her head. “Okay, I’m done here. I’m going to head to the deck and take some candid photos. No one wants the staged ones and I need something to do.”

  “I’ve already given you another option for something to do.”

  “I want something to do that doesn’t make me feel skeevy,” Rowan shot back as she moved toward the door. “I hope the rest of your afternoon is more entertaining.”

  “There’s not much chance of that since you refuse to gossip.”

  Rowan chuckled to herself, genuinely amused that her relationship with Quinn was the focal point of ship gossip for so many people, as she headed for the deck. She was lost in thought, ideas for what she could do with Quinn and his new book once dinner was over with flitting through her head, when she accidentally crashed into the man in question as she moved to head toward the tiki bar.

  Quinn instinctively reached out and grabbed her before she could overcompensate in the opposite direction and fall to the ground.

  “Holy crap,” Rowan sputtered as she tried to regain her footing. “That was … divine intervention or something.”

  Quinn cocked an eyebrow as he steadied her. “You should watch where you’re going. It’s not that I don’t like to save a damsel in distress, but I wouldn’t be happy if you hurt yourself if I wasn’t around to catch you.”

  Rowan made a hilarious face. “Ha, ha. I was distracted. I’m sorry.”

  Quinn grinned as he removed his hands. “You’re always distracted.”

  “I am and I can’t help it. In fact … .” Rowan was about to go off on a diatribe about Vicky’s questions when she realized Quinn wasn’t alone. Nicholas Green was with him, a wide and friendly smile on the man’s face, and she was struck with a wave of familiarity for the second time while looking at him. “Oh, you’re working.”

  “I am,” Quinn confirmed, his eyes curious as they bounced between Nick and Rowan. He could tell she was still trying to place where she knew the man from – none of the options from the previous evening seemed to appeal to her – and Quinn was understandably curious himself. “I’m giving Mr. Green a tour and then I’m going to meet the security chief he’s bringing along for the ship site.”

  “Oh.” Rowan had no idea what that meant. “Well, it’s nice to meet you.” She extended her hand and smiled when Nick grasped it. “I hope you get everything you want out of this trip. I hear it’s going to be quite the extravaganza.”

  “Yes, it should be.” Nick kept his eyes trained on Rowan’s face – something that Quinn didn’t miss but opted not to comment on – and widened his grin until it was so big Quinn thought it might fall off his face. “And you are?”

  “Oh, excuse my manners.” Quinn was embarrassed. “This is Rowan Gray. She’s the ship photographer.”

  “Oh, well, that’s exciting.” Nick kept his smile in place. “You probably won’t have a lot to do on the ship this go around, but if you’re interested in taking photographs of the dive site as the workers bring up items, I think everyone would benefit from that.”

  Rowan was excited by the offer, but she looked to Quinn before answering.

  “I don’t see why that would be a problem,” Quinn said after a beat. “You want photos and there’s going to be nothing for Rowan to shoot on board once we get to El Demonio. I want to look at the setup and make sure she’ll be safe, but I’m sure I can arrange for her to be there. Heck, maybe I’ll even go to act as her personal security representative.”

  Rowan bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. While she had no doubt that Quinn wanted to keep her safe, she was equally convinced that he wanted to see the site just as much. If he could accomplish both, his world would essentially be perfect.

  “I’ll talk about it with Anthony when he gets here, but given your military background, Quinn, I doubt he’ll have a problem with your presence,” Nick offered.

  “Who is Anthony?” Rowan asked, knitting her brow.

  “Anthony Lowell,” Nick supplied. “He’s going to be heading up security on the water site while Quinn handles operations in the salon.”

  “The salon?” Rowan was confused. “What’s happening in the salon?”

  Quinn was too focused on Nick to answer the question. “Did you just say Anthony Lowell is handling the security?”

  Nick nodded. “Why? Do you know him?”

  “I know of him,” Quinn clarified. “He’s got quite the reputation in certain circles.”

  Quinn’s reaction was so hard to read Rowan couldn’t contain her bafflement. “A good reputation or a bad reputation?”

  The question wasn’t easy for Quinn to answer. “A stron
g reputation,” he said finally. “He’s kind of the top of the heap in personal security.”

  “He is,” Nick agreed. “He also has a reputation as a bit of a hardass.”

  “He does.” Quinn bobbed his head. “I’m impressed that he’s the one who is handling security on this, though. From what I understand, Lowell is extremely expensive to put on retainer.”

  “Yes, but this is a very important find,” Nick explained. “Lowell already has a freelance team out watching the site. You have to understand, when something of this magnitude is discovered, every pirate between here and Europe will descend on this particular area in the hope of finding treasure.”

  “The money you were telling me about last night?” Rowan asked Quinn.

  “Yes,” Quinn confirmed. “It makes for an enticing target even though the site has been declared off limits. Professional divers, the ones who know what they’re doing, will try to come in from all sides under the water to loot the site. It’s a pain to keep people clear.”

  “So that’s why you need security,” Rowan mused. “It sounds like an exciting adventure, even if it is potentially dangerous.”

  “Once everyone is in place, I think the danger will be minimalized,” Nick said. “That’s why I want you and Anthony to get to know one another, though, Quinn. You’ll both be in charge of different legs of our security.”

  “I’m anxious to meet him.” Quinn flashed a smile before turning to Rowan. “What are you doing for the rest of the afternoon?”

  “Well, no one wants staged cruise photos, so I figured I would go to the deck and take candid shots. I feel the need to earn my salary even if I’m not technically earning my salary.”

  Quinn chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. No one is going to say anything. I promise you that.”

  “I still want to take some photos.”

  “Okay, well, I should be clear in time for dinner. I’ll find you before then and we’ll head to the dining room together.”

  Rowan mock saluted. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Quinn rolled his eyes as he watched her go, eventually flicking his gaze to Nick and finding that the man was equally entranced with Rowan. “You almost look as if you recognize her.”