Quinn sensed that Rowan was about to unload a big part of her past on him and remained calm. Weeks before he would’ve been running the other way – no matter who told the story – but now he found he wanted to listen. It was an odd sensation. “It must’ve been hard for him.”
“It was. Things were never the same after my mother died anyway, but he did his best. Grappling with the things I could see and do made things worse. I wasn’t sure that could happen after we lost Mom but … I managed it.”
“Ro, you can’t blame yourself for that.” Quinn didn’t know a lot of the details concerning the passing of Rowan’s mother, but he got the distinct impression it almost leveled her. “You were a child.”
“I wasn’t a child. I was older than that.”
“You certainly weren’t an adult.”
“No, but I wasn’t really a child either,” Rowan explained. “My mother was big on personal responsibility and she didn’t really treat me like a child. I mean … ever. Sure, she coddled me on Christmas and made sure I had photographs with the Easter Bunny at the mall in the spring – I always thought a grown man dressing up in a furry costume was weird and obscene, for the record – but I was always expected to be older than my years.”
“That sounds fairly torturous to me,” Quinn said. “Why did she do that?”
“The truth?”
“Always.”
“At first I thought it was just how she was,” Rowan said. “I thought that’s simply how she thought. After she died, though, things changed. When I started seeing the omens and my father had no idea what to make of it, I started to wonder if my mother was keeping something big from me over the course of my life.”
“Oh.” Realization dawned on Quinn. “You think she knew this was going to happen to you but died before she could tell you exactly what this is.”
“Do you think I’m crazy?” Rowan felt a bit guilty about saying anything of the sort about her own mother.
“Nobody is perfect, Ro. If your mother knew what was going to happen, she might’ve wanted to wait until you were older to tell you. I can see that. It doesn’t make her a bad person.”
“I know she’s not a bad person. It’s just … she knew she was dying. Why didn’t she tell me before it happened?”
“Maybe there was a chance it wouldn’t happen,” Quinn suggested. “Maybe she wasn’t sure and didn’t want to alarm you without cause.”
“Then why not write a letter and leave it for me to open on my eighteenth birthday or something?”
Quinn grinned. “That sounds like something out of a chick movie.”
“Or a horror movie if played the right – or in this case wrong – way.”
Quinn poked her side in an effort to alleviate some of the tension settling on Rowan’s shoulders. “Rowan, you’re not normal. That’s the first thing I noticed about you … and that was before I knew about the omens. You don’t have anything to be ashamed of. What you can do is simply … different.”
“I’ve spent the better part of my adult life wishing I was normal, though.”
“I wouldn’t want you any other way. You’re perfect.”
“Oh, that’s laying it on a bit thick.” Rowan tickled Quinn’s ribs. “Thank you, though. You’re perfect, too.”
“Oh, I’m definitely perfect.” Quinn pressed his lips to Rowan’s, enjoying the sultry kiss before separating. “As much as I love spending time with you – especially today – I think we need to talk about what we’re going to do next.”
“I know.” Rowan was only mildly disappointed that real life was about to intrude on their morning interlude. She appreciated that Quinn didn’t hate her ability, and that he bolstered her confidence when she needed it. She didn’t fancy herself an insecure person but there were times she couldn’t help but doubt whether or not anyone would want to put up with everything she brought to a relationship. “We have to watch Callisto. She’s in danger.”
“That should be easy enough. She’s one of the biggest stars here so she’ll be out in public during the bulk of the day. I think our biggest issue is going to be getting her to and from her cabin without garnering suspicion. That’s when she’ll be most vulnerable.”
“What’s your plan?”
“I could position one of my men in the hallway outside of her room and have him follow her, maybe set up shifts throughout the day, but it’s going to be hard to explain if she catches on.”
“What if we tell her that we’re doing it for all of the nominated actresses?”
Quinn tilted his head to the side, considering. “That’s not a bad idea. Maybe we can find where the other lead actresses are and at least make things look official.”
“Will that strap your resources, though? Don’t you have to focus on the camera?”
“I have enough men to watch the camera and Callisto,” Quinn replied. “Don’t worry about that. You and I can help watch her during the day, though. If you take photographs every few hours, we might get lucky and our protection will ultimately save her. We have no idea how or when she’s going to be attacked – or even if she’s going to be attacked – but if we cut off all avenues of approach something might change. It’s happened before.”
“That sounds like our best plan.”
“Good.” Quinn tugged Rowan close so he could hug her. “We’ll get breakfast first and talk about who will watch when.”
“Okay.”
“I just want five more minutes of this.” Quinn rubbed his stubbled cheek against Rowan’s soft skin. “Just five more minutes.”
“Maybe ten.”
“Definitely ten.”
ROWAN TOOK the first watch after breakfast. Quinn had a meeting with David Meldrum, but he promised to relieve her as soon as possible. Since Callisto was making her presence known on the deck closest to the tiki bar, it wasn’t hard for Rowan to keep an eye on her while also doing her job.
Unfortunately for Rowan, she was so intent on following Callisto the actress eventually noticed. At first, Rowan did her best to pretend she was looking at anyone other than Callisto. It became almost comical. Embarrassingly, whenever she checked to see if Callisto had lost interest in her she found the woman staring back. They locked gazes no less than fifty times before Callisto excused herself and stalked in Rowan’s direction.
Rowan considered fleeing – she could take refuge behind the bar with Demarcus and play dumb, she’d done it before – but Callisto was ridiculously tall and she caught up with Rowan before she made it a few feet through the crowd.
“Do you need something?” Callisto grabbed Rowan with a well-toned arm and spun her around.
Rowan’s cheeks burned and she had trouble forming words – especially ones that would get her out of this predicament. “I’m taking photos.” It was a lame response, but Rowan could think of nothing else to say.
Callisto Collins was a formidable sight. She stood a good four inches taller than Rowan and long hours in the gym had given her shoulders that a female boxer would be proud to boast. Her heart-shaped face was pretty, with a long nose that gave her a unique look rather than allowing anyone to mistake her for a random face in the crowd. The look she scorched Rowan with now was full of pure disdain.
“I never would’ve guessed that … what with the camera and all,” she drawled.
Rowan felt slow and stupid. “Camera?”
Callisto gestured toward the expensive camera hanging around Rowan’s neck.
“Oh, right.” Rowan recovered a bit, but only marginally. “I’m the staff photographer on The Bounding Storm.”
“Is that really a thing?”
Rowan wasn’t sure she understood the question. “My paycheck seems to indicate so.”
Callisto ran a hand through her unnaturally bright hair. “Oh, well, I thought you worked for a tabloid or something. I didn’t realize you worked for the ship.”
It wasn’t exactly an apology, but Callisto’s demeanor shifted enough to allow Rowan to finally exhale without worry
ing about tripping over her tongue. “I’m supposed to take photos of everyone and post them on a portal so people can buy photographs if they want to do it. It’s another way to mark the cruise for posterity’s sake.”
“Yeah, I read something about that with the checkin packet we got at the front desk. I guess I must’ve forgotten.”
Now that she had a chance to look Callisto over up close and personal, Rowan realized the woman was somewhat deflated. She almost looked disappointed that a tabloid photographer wasn’t stalking her every move. It was … interesting. Rowan couldn’t think of a better word to describe it.
“You’re very tall,” Rowan offered. “You stand out in a crowd. That’s why I kept looking in your direction.”
“And I thought it was because you were a fan.” Callisto offered up a smile that didn’t make it all the way to her eyes. “You had that look about you.”
“What look?”
“The one people usually get right before they ask for an autograph.”
“Oh.” Rowan hadn’t really considered it, but Callisto probably couldn’t spend a lot of time in public without drawing attention. To Rowan that sounded like a terrible ordeal. Once a person got used to it, though, it might be hard to shake. “If it’s any consolation, I’m a big fan. That werewolf movie you did two years ago – When the Tail Doesn’t Wag – I absolutely loved that. I was crushed when your character died in the end.”
Callisto snorted, seemingly surprised. “You saw that?”
“Didn’t everybody?”
“Not according to the box office results, which is really a shame,” Callisto replied. “My paycheck was tied to the backend of the productions and since it didn’t make a profit I pretty much made that movie for free.”
“Oh, well, that sucks. It was a great movie, though.”
“Yeah, well, do you want an autograph?”
The question caught Rowan off guard and she answered before thinking things through. “That’s okay.”
Callisto’s smile slipped. “Well, then, I guess I’ll let you get back to work.” She almost seemed offended that Rowan didn’t want her autograph.
Rowan briefly wondered if she could come up with a smooth way to remove her foot from her mouth and ask for an autograph – if only to bolster Callisto’s ego – but it was too late. The woman was already moving back toward her friends.
“Make sure you catch me from the left and not the right,” Callisto barked out, her ego coming out to play. “I’ll make sure you’re fired if I don’t look good in the photographs you load to that portal.”
Rowan arched an eyebrow as Callisto sauntered away, dumbfounded. She couldn’t believe how fast the woman’s demeanor shifted. She was still pondering the change when a second woman, another blonde, moved to the spot Callisto stood in a few moments before. She shook her head, making a clucking sound with her tongue before flashing a warm smile for Rowan’s benefit.
“Just ignore her.”
The woman looked familiar, but Rowan couldn’t quite place where she knew her from. “I … you look familiar.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” The woman’s smile never faltered as she extended her hand. “I’m Rebecca Madden. I’m part of the whole indie horror movie awards extravaganza.”
“Oh, right.” Rowan bobbed her head. “Isn’t your hair usually dark. You had brown hair in Buxom Belladonnas. Oh! You had dark hair in The Alien in My Bed, too.”
Instead of being flattered that Rowan recognized her, Rebecca’s cheeks pinked up as she groaned. “Oh, I was hoping people would forget about that movie. It was awful.”
“Are you kidding me?” Rowan was insulted on behalf of the movie. “That was a great movie. The special effects were awesome – especially when that tentacle thing crawled out of your eye and grabbed the lollipop and started waving it around. It was awesome. Plus, well, the guy you got to make out with – the one who could never find his shirt – was unbelievably hot.”
“Oh, Riley Riddle? Yeah, he’s gay.” Rebecca held her hands palms up and shrugged. “I was disappointed, too. I mean … there’s nothing wrong with being gay. I always saw him with women at all of those movie premieres and thought he liked women, though. He didn’t even look at me.”
“Oh, total bummer.” Rowan meant it. “I guess, in hindsight, I should’ve realized that. He was just too pretty.”
“Plus he didn’t have a hair on his body.”
“Lots of guys shave their chests.” Rowan pictured Quinn’s perfect torso. “I kind of like it all smooth and stuff.”
“Oh, I agree on the chest. He shaved his armpits, legs, and … other stuff, too.”
It took Rowan a moment to realize what Rebecca was insinuating. “Oh.” She wrinkled her nose. “Oh. I’m never going to get that out of my head now. I wish you hadn’t told me that.”
“Just imagine seeing it.”
“I’m good, thanks.”
Rebecca giggled, her eyes momentarily flitting to Callisto. She didn’t look upset or bitter, but the expression on her face was anything but happy. “Don’t worry about Callisto, by the way. She’s like that with everyone.”
“Like what?”
“What she said about getting you fired,” Rebecca replied. “She doesn’t have the power to do that. No matter what she says, she doesn’t have anyone in her pocket to ruin your career. She told me the same thing when I first started out. It turns out, she’s full of hot air.”
Rowan wanted to question Rebecca further, but she knew it wasn’t her place. Still, her curiosity was piqued. “It’s okay. I’m on a contract. I’m not too worried.”
“That’s good.” Rebecca’s eyes momentarily darkened. “She’s not a nice woman, though. Just do your job and stay away from her. That’s what I do.”
“Okay, well, thanks for the tip.”
“Don’t mention it.” Rebecca offered up a wave before shuffling toward the tiki bar. “Thanks for watching my movies … even the bad ones. Have a nice day.”
“You, too.”
8
Eight
Quinn took over the rest of the day’s spying duties, comparing notes with Rowan over lunch. He tried to hide his laughter when she told her story about Callisto, but he couldn’t manage and even Rowan joined in when he broke out in heartfelt guffaws.
Rowan was needed on the other side of the ship for a screaming contest, which consisted of all of the “scream queens” letting loose with their best bone rattlers. By the end of the two-hour extravaganza, Rowan was seriously reconsidering her love of horror movies. She was also looking for a huge bottle of aspirin. That’s why she stopped by the tiki bar right before dinner, and that’s where she found Quinn waiting for her.
“Are you sure Callisto is safe?” Rowan asked, glancing around the empty deck when she realized they were mostly alone. “What if something happens to her when we’re not watching?”
“I have one of my guys shadowing her to and from her cabin before dinner,” Quinn explained. “I figured we could eat in the main dining room and take over from there. Then I’ll have someone shadow her for the rest of the night and we’ll be set.”
“You’ve got it covered, huh?”
“Yeah. Now I know I can tell them to ask for her autograph if she catches them watching, too.”
“Just make sure they ask from her left side because otherwise she goes crazy.”
Quinn snickered as he captured her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “I guess it’s good that you have two good sides, huh? I never knew that women had bad sides at all. Er, well, I guess I’ve woken up with a few who showed me a few bad sides the morning after, but that’s because I used to have tragic taste in women.”
“Ha, ha.” Rowan didn’t want to encourage him, but she couldn’t stifle her giggle. “Just a tip, the current girlfriend very rarely wants to hear about the ex-girlfriends … unless they’re ugly and have tails or something.”
“They weren’t girlfriends. They were momentary dalliances. Trust me. There’s
no comparison.”
“That’s good to know.” Rowan reclined in her chair, extending her legs in front of her and enjoying the way Quinn rubbed her hand. “It’s been a long day.”
“We’ll take the dinner shift and then knock off early for the night. I’ll put a two-man team on Callisto. She should be fine. You took more photographs of her, right?”
“I did, and as of an hour and a half ago the omen is still there. I’m sorry. This isn’t much of a gift.”
“What do you mean?”
“You called it a gift earlier, but it’s not. How can it be a gift if all it does is give us problems rather than solutions?”
“Because it gives us a chance to save lives,” Quinn replied, not missing a beat. “It’s not easy. It’s not perfect. Life never is. We can only do our best.”
“I guess.” Rowan used her free hand to rub the tender spot between her eyebrows. “I wish I could do more.”
“You’re doing your best.”
“I know. I’m just … tired. Sometimes I get tired.”
“That’s to be expected.” Quinn squeezed her hand. “Come on. I think you could use some dinner. You’ll feel better after you’ve eaten your weight in crab legs.”
Despite her melancholy mood, Rowan couldn’t help but smile. “I was thinking of going nuts with the lobster tonight.”
“Oh, well, now there’s an idea. Way to shake things up.” Quinn climbed to his feet, tugging Rowan into his arms for a hug. “Come on. We should find a place to sit where we can watch Callisto.”
“I guess that’s all we can do.”
ROWAN AND QUINN took their time winding through the buffet line. Rowan’s appetite returned with a vengeance and Quinn was happy to see she had two heaping plates of food when she sat down.
Tonight’s dinner extravaganza was a themed event – undersea pirate zombies with glittery black ocean animals decking out the grand room. All of the movie people were dressed in evening gowns and suits, so Rowan and Quinn stood out, but neither much cared. Rowan took a few photos so she could add them to her cache, internally promising herself she would add more once she was done eating so she had a legitimate reason for being in the main dining room.
Stormy Seas (A Rowan Gray Mystery Book 3) Page 7