by Wulf,Rose
He nipped at her skin and released her hair in order to release her bra. The sooner he got this woman naked and in that bed the better.
Which was probably why her bra straps fell apart at the same time as rapid tapping sounded from the other side of his sliding glass door.
Ali jumped, startled, and Mick bit back a groan. That could only mean one thing.
“Who—?” Ali stammered, her widened gaze flicking between him and the covered door. “What?”
Releasing a heavy breath, Mick dragged a hand through his hair and willed his body to settle down. “Rhea,” he said quietly. It had to be Rhea. Making an awkward entrance.
Ali sucked in a breath and immediately began fumbling for her hanging bra straps. “Seriously? How is she at that door?”
Mick grinned with as much humor as he could muster and waved her hands out of the way, refastening the bra himself and whispering, “She probably did something ridiculous, like swam up to the boat.”
Ali paled. “And what, jumped? From the water?”
Letting his fingers trail down her sides as his arms lowered, Mick rumbled, “I honestly don’t know. Most of us avoid her.” But he could only imagine how close her outrageous suggestion really was. And it was best not to keep the almighty Rhea waiting, lest he incur her temper. So he planted a kiss on Ali’s temple, gave her hips a squeeze, and turned for the slider.
Calm, he reminded himself as he pulled the curtain aside.
It was only the third time he’d ever even seen Rhea in person, but he recognized her immediately. She still had long, straightened hair as black as it came and eerie blue eyes the color of the sea. She could have been beautiful, he supposed, if she didn’t usually introduce herself with a glare and haughty attitude. He imagined the witches persecuted during the infamous Salem Witch Trials weren’t so obvious as Rhea.
“What took you so long?” Rhea demanded as the door slid open. She shouldered her way inside despite her shorter, smaller frame. “It’s freezing out here.”
Releasing a breath, Mick let her in before pulling the door shut. “I don’t want to know how you found my room from outside, do I?”
“Probably not.”
“Well,” Mick began, moving around Rhea and gesturing toward the sofa in the adjoining room, “you have good timing. We met the vampires last night.”
Rhea didn’t budge. “We?”
Polite, feminine throat clearing assured Mick that Ali was listening.
“Who’s this? A civilian?” Rhea asked, her tone full of judgment.
“My name’s Allison,” Ali said, holding out her hand. “Mick’s girlfriend.”
Mick fought the cringe as he realized, all of a sudden, what detail of a witch’s life he’d completely forgotten to educate her on. Too late now.
Rhea looked down at Allison’s hand, back up to Allison’s face, then slid an eyebrow over to him. “Mick?” she repeated. “So that’s your name.”
Fighting the sigh of exasperation that suddenly wanted to rush from him, Mick said. “Could you please be polite, Rhea? And yes, my name is Mick. Now about the vampires?”
“I’m being polite,” Rhea replied pointedly, “by not just throwing you overboard right now. Don’t tempt me.” She shouldered past Allison, ignoring the outstretched hand, and moved to claim a seat on the sofa. “I smell breakfast. I haven’t eaten in hours. Feed me while you fill me in.”
Allison sputtered as she turned sideways and Mick stepped up to her side, resting a hand on the small of her back.
“I think we’re dealing with the First Family, Rhea,” Mick said.
This finally seemed to get her attention and she sat forward, eyes narrowed. “You’re sure?”
“No,” Mick acknowledged, guiding his self-declared girlfriend to the opposite corner of the couch. And he was quite pleased with her choice of introduction, too. He just didn’t have time to dwell on it. “But this guy’s old, I’m sure of it. I’ve never met a vamp more intimidating. Or full of himself.”
A slow, dangerous smirk curved Rhea’s lips. “Maybe this will be fun after all.”
****
Though he’d obviously been reluctant to do so, Mick had left Allison and Rhea alone in order to take his own shower.
And Ali really wished they’d just shared hers. For more than the obvious reason.
“Staring is rude,” Rhea declared between bites of her omelet.
Ali tried hard not to scoff and wound up making a sort of choking sound. “I’m sorry,” she said, “that’s pretty rich coming from the woman who snubbed my handshake.”
Rhea looked up and arched a thin, dark brow. “Oh, I’m sorry, did I hurt your feelings? Are you that brittle?” She shook her head, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and took another bite before saying, “Listen, sweetheart, we’re not friends. I’m here to take your boyfriend into custody, so we never will be. Just accept it.”
Allison huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “About that,” she said. “What’s his crime? Does this Council you serve really insist their people have no lives?”
Rhea paused and lowered her fork. Her stare was cold and unexplainably ominous. “Tread carefully, Allison. Some of us consider the Council sacred.”
“You don’t strike me as the kind of woman who considers anything sacred, actually,” Allison replied. This woman might have been obviously older than her by several years, but better was another matter entirely.
The blue of Rhea’s eyes darkened and the water in her glass swirled unnaturally. “You know nothing of me. And I intend to keep it that way.” She turned her attention back to her omelet, then, and forked off a large bite.
Ali released a breath. If she wanted information from this woman perhaps that wasn’t the best tactic. Then again… Was there anything she needed to know badly enough to warrant small-talk with this woman?
Someone pounded on the door then, startling Allison so badly she actually jumped.
Rhea merely lifted her head. “Expecting company?”
Swallowing heavily, Ali pushed to her feet. “No.” And with Mick in the shower she supposed she ought to be the one to handle this. Please don’t be Boris. Or Nico. She moved to the door while Rhea finished off her small meal. Leaving the security latch in place, she opened the door and angled her head around to the opening. “Yes?”
Across from her stood a man in a security guard’s uniform. “Good morning, ma’am,” he said. “I’m sorry, but, I’m afraid I need to come inside. I’m looking for Mr. Mick Darringer.”
Allison frowned, remembering Jude’s story the day before about someone trying to bully their way into the room. Could this be the same guy? “Mick’s in the shower, actually,” she said. I can send him out to meet you in a minute, but I’m not comfortable letting you in.”
The guy clearly wasn’t prepared for that response because he blinked at her for several seconds before saying, “Ma’am, I promise you this isn’t a joke. I need to search this room.”
“Then tell me why,” she challenged, narrowing her eyes at him. “The last time we had to allow our rooms to be searched the Captain gave us all notice.” She felt like puking, just a little, even mentioning the poor Captain.
The guard cleared his throat. “Yes, well, this search … that is, we’ve got another missing passenger. We’re looking for her.” He paused. “In fact, I’ll need to see your ID as well.”
Pursing her lips briefly, Allison said, “No, you don’t. Not without sufficient notice. This isn’t my room, as you well know, and my ID’s in my room. I’m not letting you in and leaving you here with Mick while he’s showering. But feel free to check my room without me present. My name is Allison Drake.” She paused, fumbled around in her back pocket with her free hand, and extended her keycard. “Here’s the keycard. But you’d better return it or I’ll complain to the highest authority I can find. And nothing had better be missing, either.”
The man held up his hand to rebuff her offer. “I can’t take that, ma’am,”
he said. “I can’t search a room without the occupant present.”
“Then you can’t search this one,” Rhea declared from over Ali’s shoulder. She was just tall enough to be easily seen, Allison was sure. But she felt oddly comforted when the other woman stepped up to her back. “Because the designated occupant of this room is indisposed. Or do you want us both to scream rape?”
The guard paled and took a step backward. “I’ll, uh, just come back shortly, then.”
Allison shut the door after he’d turned away and managed to smile at Rhea. “I didn’t need the help,” she said. “But … thank you.”
Rhea shrugged one shoulder and moved back toward her place on the couch. “He was pissing me off.”
Taking a deep breath, Ali reclaimed her former spot and said, “May I ask you … that is, why didn’t you know Mick’s name?”
Crossing one knee over the other and leaning back into the sofa, Rhea replied, “Witches don’t use their real names for work. Names, like words, are power.” She smirked almost conspiratorially. “I should thank you for that.”
Flustered, Allison shook her hands defensively. “I had no idea!”
“That makes it better,” Rhea replied, letting her head tilt back and closing her eyes. “I could grow to tolerate you, probably,” she continued. “If you weren’t going to become a problem.”
Dumbfounded now, Ali repeated, “Problem?”
Rhea cracked an eye at her. “Unless you’re going to just sit back and let me take off with your lover?”
Oh. She had to give it to Rhea, the woman was as clever as she was abrasive. That was going to be a problem, too.
“No,” Allison said quietly. “No, I’m not.”
“Didn’t think so.”
Chapter Nineteen
Mick couldn’t decide if he was glad to see the women hadn’t throttled each other while he showered or if he was worried because they seemed to be coexisting. There were pros and cons to both sides of it. For better or worse, when he stepped back into the sitting area of his suite, both Rhea and Ali were waiting patiently on the sofa. Or perhaps Rhea was sleeping, it was hard to tell.
“We might have another problem,” Ali declared with a faint frown as she looked toward him. “While you were in the shower someone from ship security came here looking for you. He didn’t say why.”
Mick frowned and crossed his arms. “Just what we don’t need. We can’t be sitting around here all day while Boris and Nico are out there killing people.”
“Your girlfriend says the older one killed the Captain last night,” Rhea said, raising her head from the back of the sofa and looking over at him. “So the ship’s probably on the verge of being thrown into chaos, anyway.”
Allison turned her gaze to Rhea. “Meaning?”
Images of screaming, panicking crowds and a burning cruise ship filling his mind’s eye, Mick said, “Meaning Boris is about to have free reign.”
“But so will we,” Rhea added with a grin. She pushed to her feet and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “In the meantime, I promised to help, I didn’t promise to wait for an invitation. Let’s get this done with.”
Mick arched a brow. “You don’t have any questions?”
“I’m up-to-date,” Rhea replied. “And even if I weren’t, two vampires surrounded by ocean are no match for me.”
Allison popped to her feet and turned her attention back to Mick. “How do we do this, exactly? Where do we start?”
Rhea had clearly been waiting for this moment, because she was ready with her response immediately. “You should stay here and wait it out. You’ll only slow us down.”
“Excuse me?” Allison asked, her tone full of incredulity. She propped her fists on her hips and faced Rhea. “You’re not leaving me behind.”
“I’m not leaving her behind,” Mick said firmly as Rhea opened her mouth. He held out a hand to gesture for Rhea to remain calm and added, “She’s already involved. Leaving her alone is to leave her vulnerable.”
Allison released a frustrated breath and started toward the door. “While you two meatheads are arguing, I’m going to go look for Boris. I bet Tami could tell us where to find him.”
“What use is the nurse?” Rhea asked as Mick stared at Ali’s back.
“He called her his pet,” Ali said. “She must know something.”
“Ali,” Mick called as her hand landed on the handle. “Don’t go out there alone, it’s not safe.”
Allison spun around, releasing the handle, and narrowed her eyes at them. “Just because I’m an ordinary human doesn’t mean I’m useless, okay? I’m not chopped liver, I’d rather not be bait, and I’m sure as hell no damsel. If either of you wants to sideline me like that I’ll take matters into my own hands.”
What the hell were they talking about? Or was it something he’d said? Mick had no clue what had set her off, but she was obviously upset.
“Fine,” Rhea said. “We’ll split up. Since I’m strongest I should go solo.”
Mick had to fight the urge to hang his head in frustration. “Or maybe you should go with one of us, since we’re the ones actually supposed to be here?” And though he hated the idea of it, pairing her with Ali made more sense than isolating Ali by herself. But how could he suggest that without upsetting Allison?
The option was taken from him when someone pounded sharply on the door.
Ali jumped, startled, and turned even as she took a step closer to him.
Mick frowned and strode forward, knowing it was him the person on the other side was likely there to see.
“Wow, this ship is invasive,” Rhea mumbled as he pulled the door open.
A man probably in his mid-forties, sporting a serious frown over a thin beard and a security uniform, greeted him. “Mick Darringer?”
Grinding his teeth, Mick inclined his head. “I am. I suppose you’re here to demand a search of my room?”
“It doesn’t have to be difficult,” the guard replied.
“Care to tell me why? I haven’t done anything to deserve being singled out.” That the guy knew about, anyway. And that was exactly how he’d like to keep things.
Allison poked her head around Mick’s elbow. “Is this about that new missing woman the other guy mentioned?”
Mick’s eyes widened. Another missing woman? Already? And why would that warrant just him being targeted?
The guard slid his gaze to her and inclined his head again. “I’ll need all of you to step into the hall to wait and have photo IDs ready. I’m afraid this isn’t a request.”
A quick run-through of his options assured Mick that it would be least painful to comply and he turned a brief nod back to Allison and Rhea. Though what they were going to do about Rhea was a whole other problem. She was, technically, a stowaway. But that was her problem to deal with.
Mick dug out his wallet as the three of them moved into the hall and handed over his ID.
“We do apologize for this inconvenience, Mr. Darringer,” the guard said as he handed the card back. Two other guards slipped past and began inspecting his room.
“What are they looking for, exactly?” Mick asked. “You can’t possibly think I had something to do with a missing passenger.”
“We did receive a report that you were the last to be seen with her,” the guard explained. “Can anyone account for your whereabouts for the past twenty-four hours?”
“I can,” Allison volunteered.
The guard looked over to her. “And your ID?” He held out his hand expectantly.
Gesturing to the room, and the guards within, Ali said, “As I explained to one of them earlier, I don’t have it on me. It’s in my room. But my name is Allison Drake.”
The guard frowned, rubbed his beard, then called over his shoulder, “Harry! Escort this woman to her room to acquire her ID. Radio me with verification.” He turned his attention back to them, adding, “I’ll need the two of you to wait here, you understand.”
Visions of Warner lying in wa
it flashed through Mick’s mind and he opened his mouth to object. Surprisingly, Rhea beat him to it.
“I don’t have my ID, either,” she said. “It’d be faster if I go with them and get mine after she gets hers.”
What the hell are you thinking? For possibly the first time since he was a boy, Mick wished witches had real superpowers. Like telepathy. So that he could figure out the genius—or lack thereof—in Rhea’s suggestion.
With a heavy sigh, as the guard named Harry stepped from the room, the other guard said, “Fine, very well.”
****
Allison wasn’t sure if she was more or less nervous having Rhea accompanying them. On the one hand she was confident that if they were accosted by a vampire she’d be safe. There was no doubt in her mind that Rhea could handle herself against a vampire. But still, Rhea had promised to acquire her ID … which wouldn’t help matters, because she wasn’t a registered guest on the cruise. Accompanying a stowaway would only land her and Mick in more trouble. Trouble they didn’t have time for.
What was Rhea thinking, volunteering her own ID?
“This way,” she heard herself say as they rounded the final corner to her room. She stilled almost immediately, her gaze landing on Warner. Talking to another security guard. Just feet from her door.
“Ma’am,” Harry said, turning a curious look to her. “Is there a problem?”
“Yes,” Allison said firmly. “Get that man away from my door. He’s been harassing me this whole trip.”
On cue Warner’s gaze slid to hers and a slimy smile lit his face. Loudly he proclaimed, “Oh thank goodness, you found her!” He started immediately forward, the other guard watching calmly. Arms opening as if to embrace her, he said, “Allison, I’ve been worried!”
“Sir,” Harry said, stepping forward with one hand outstretched, “You need to stay where you are.”
Rhea leaned forward, her voice a low whisper. “That guy really bothering you?”
“In his own way more than Boris,” Ali whispered back. Because it was entirely true. Yes, killing was worse. But Warner’s “attentions” were so much more personal.