Stormy Seas (A Rowan Gray Mystery Book 3)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “He sounds like a great boss,” Quinn deadpanned.

  “We can’t all be head of security on a cruise ship and walk the deck with our girlfriends every night,” Brimstone shot back, his eyes flashing.

  “Excuse me?”

  Brimstone appeared to catch himself, holding up his hands in a placating manner as he walked back his attitude. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. It’s just … he wears on me sometimes.”

  Quinn could honestly see why that would be true so he waved off the apology. “Don’t worry about it. Go back to Callisto.”

  “Right. She’s aging out of the system. It’s not fair and the male actors hang around for twice as long, but it’s a product of the system. The horror movie audience is predominantly male and they want young women to ogle.”

  “I guess that makes sense,” Quinn mused. “Are all of the women running against Callisto younger?”

  “Younger than Callisto? Yes,” Brimstone confirmed. “They’re not all young, though. Elvira, for example, is in her thirties, too. She worked for years to unseat Callisto as the top movie draw, but it never happened. This is the first time she’s ever been nominated for an award and she’s been lobbying hard. She’s not much younger than Callisto … only a few years.”

  “I met her the first day,” Rowan offered. “She was even ruder than Callisto, if that’s possible. I thought she was Phil’s girlfriend. I swear that’s what she said that first day.”

  “She is,” Brimstone said. “She has been for several years, although I’m still trying to figure out why.”

  “I’m not sure what you mean by that,” Quinn said. “I thought actresses hooked up with actors and directors all of the time.”

  “They do, but it’s not for the same reason you hooked up with Rowan,” Brimstone supplied, winking at Rowan for good measure and chuckling when Quinn glared at him. “You’re so easy, man. I was trying to prove a point by doing that, by the way. I wasn’t flirting.”

  “What point?”

  “The point that you actually have feelings for her,” Brimstone replied without hesitation. “All of the relationships we deal with are almost always business arrangements. Someone needs to date someone else – a co-star, director, producer … whatever – because they think it will give them an edge.

  “My understanding is that Elvira and Phil started dating after they did a movie together several years ago,” he continued. “That was before my time. I’ve only been around for a bit more than nine months.”

  “I would’ve thought, given your relationship with Phil, you guys had been working together for a long time,” Quinn noted.

  “No, I needed a job and he had an opening.” Brimstone didn’t particularly seem thrilled with his career choice. “Elvira is always on Phil to cast her in movies, but he rarely does it. He almost always goes with Callisto even though Elvira screams, stomps, and makes herself look like a whiny baby.”

  “If it’s a business arrangement like you say, why would Elvira stay?” Rowan asked.

  “Your guess is as good as mine,” Brimstone replied. “Elvira’s acting window is going to close soon, too. That leaves the younger crowd to battle it out for supremacy. Most people think Rebecca Madden is poised to take Callisto’s place. If she were to win the award, that would all but cement it.”

  “Rebecca said that the voting is still ongoing and that she believes Callisto will win now because she’s missing and people will vote for her simply out of nostalgia in case she’s dead,” Quinn said. “Do you think that’s true?”

  “I do think that’s true,” Brimstone replied. “People can’t help themselves. That’s not your real question, though, is it?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You want to know if I think Callisto is capable of hiding herself away for a few days to garner votes,” Brimstone supplied. “You think it’s possible that she’s doing this for attention and will pop up alive to accept her award.”

  “I’m not saying I believe that,” Quinn cautioned. “I am saying that it’s a possibility, though. I find the entire situation weird.”

  “Oh, dude, the entire industry is weird. You get used to it.” Brimstone drained the rest of his drink before getting to his feet. “Callisto is definitely capable of hiding herself to get what she wants. I wouldn’t put it past her.”

  “If you had a choice, would you lean toward that scenario?”

  “I honestly don’t know,” Brimstone answered. “The thing is, as awful as Callisto is – and she’s pretty much the worst of the worst – there are a lot of people out there who want to hurt her. She could be doing this for attention or someone else could’ve done her wrong. It’s honestly an even split in my head.”

  “Crap.” Quinn heaved out a sigh. “That’s exactly what I was worried about.”

  “Yeah.” Brimstone made a face as he patted Quinn’s shoulder. “I don’t envy you your job.”

  “That makes two of us.” Quinn ruefully rubbed his forehead.

  “I do envy you your girlfriend, though,” Brimstone added, chuckling when Quinn scorched him with an optical lava shark of his own. “You need to develop a sense of humor, man. I was just joking.”

  Quinn didn’t believe that for a second. He had more information to go on now, though, which was something. Unfortunately for him, he had no idea what to do with that information.

  15

  Fifteen

  “What do you think?”

  Rowan and Quinn meandered along the deck, making their way to her hallway at a slow pace. The storm was almost upon them, the air crackling with electricity, and Rowan wanted to delay going indoors because the atmosphere was exciting.

  “I think that we have more options tonight than we had last night,” Quinn answered, smiling when a huge bolt of lightning ripped across the sky at the exact moment thunder boomed and caused Rowan to instinctively move closer to him. “Are you okay?”

  Rowan was sheepish. “Sorry. It was just … loud. I guess I wasn’t expecting it.”

  “Why are you sorry?”

  Rowan shrugged. “It’s a storm. I’m not generally frightened of storms.”

  “I don’t want you to be afraid of anything, but I do like the way you kind of plastered yourself against me.”

  Rowan started to pull back, but Quinn didn’t allow it, keeping his arms tight around her. “You’re making fun of me,” she groused. “I don’t like it.”

  “I like it.” Quinn smacked a kiss against her neck, rubbing his hands up and down her back. “It’s okay. I’ll protect you from the storm.”

  “Ha, ha.” Rowan rolled her eyes. “You think you’re funny, don’t you?”

  “I think I have my moments.”

  “I’ll share one of them with you if you tell me what you’re thinking about Callisto,” Rowan offered. “A funny moment, I mean.”

  “Does that mean you’re going to launch into a standup routine or dress up like a clown? If I have a choice, I would like to veto the clown idea. They’re never funny.”

  “See. We agree.” Rowan grinned. “Have you ever seen It?”

  “The new movie or the old miniseries?”

  “Either.”

  “I’ve seen the old miniseries and it scared the crap out of me when I was a kid,” Quinn admitted. “I wouldn’t walk by sewer grates for months.”

  “Poor Quinn.” Rowan rubbed her fingers over his short hair. “If we walk by any sewer grates in the future I’ll make sure to protect you.”

  “Funny.” Quinn made a playful growling sound in her ear before releasing her. “As for Callisto, I don’t know what to think. I wouldn’t put it past her to hide in a room so she could snag that award.”

  “Wouldn’t someone see her, though? I mean … she has to eat.”

  “Not if someone orders room service or takes food back to whatever cabin she’s holed up in,” Quinn said. “For all we know, she’s been out and about in a disguise.”

  “A disguise? We’re not in a movie.”
r />   “No, but we are around a bunch of movie people who know a thing or two about changing someone’s appearance,” Quinn pointed out. “She could be right under our noses for all we know.”

  “So … what do we do?”

  “We go back to the room and look at your photos,” Quinn replied. “If Callisto is still alive and in a disguise, the camera will still recognize her. We might be able to find the omen in one of the photographs.”

  “She could still be dead, though,” Rowan said. “Maybe we just want her to be alive and hiding.”

  “Maybe,” Quinn confirmed, shifting his chin up as the rain began pounding down. He didn’t immediately move for cover, instead letting the precipitation wash over them. “Maybe she is alive, though, and we still have a chance.”

  Rowan didn’t balk at being caught unprotected in the elements, instead lifting her eyes to lock with his. “No matter what, I saw the omen in Callisto’s photographs. She’s either already dead and the warning has been fulfilled or she’s still in danger.”

  “That’s why I want to look through your photographs. It’s a long shot, but it’s still a shot.”

  “Okay.” Rowan’s breath caught in her chest as Quinn’s lips hovered less than an inch from hers. “What are you doing?”

  “I was thinking about showing you my lava shark.”

  It was a sexy and heady moment, but Rowan couldn’t stop herself from laughing at his joke. “I think that would be a great movie.”

  “I think it would be terrible, but I would be happy to watch it with you.”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  Quinn nodded, brushing his lips against hers. It was barely a touch, very brief contact. It was unbelievably sensual, though. “Yeah.”

  “That’s sweet.”

  “That’s my first, middle, and last name.”

  Rowan grinned, jerking when another rumble of thunder caused the air to shake. “Are you ready to head back and look at some photos?”

  “That’s the best offer I’ve had all night.”

  “Hey, I was going to cast you as the lead of my lava sharks movie,” Rowan said, cuddling into his side as he tossed an arm around her shoulders. “I didn’t get a chance, but that would’ve been a fun offer, right?”

  “Would you have been my leading lady?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then that’s the best offer I’ve had my entire life.”

  QUINN MADE a groaning sound when his phone began beeping before dawn the next morning. Rowan jerked to a sitting position when she heard the noise, blindly feeling around her nightstand in an effort to shut off her alarm clock.

  “It’s my phone, sweetheart,” Quinn murmured, pressing her head to his lips before pointing her toward the pillow. “Go back to sleep.”

  Rowan considered arguing, the idea that Quinn thought he could boss her around somewhat grating, but ultimately she was too tired to put up a fight. She flopped back against the bed and covered her eyes with her arm. “I guess that’s what I get for dating a doctor, huh?”

  “I just want to play doctor,” Quinn corrected, pressing the phone to his ear. “Davenport.” Quinn tilted his head as he listened, grunting in acknowledgment a few times. “I’ll be there in a few minutes. Hold the individual you found inside until I get there to handle the questioning myself.”

  Quinn pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead as he disconnected, heaving out a sigh. He loved mornings with Rowan, even if they only got a few minutes to talk. He would have to forego that today. Once he got up he had a feeling he would be forced to stay up until he either tripped or ran himself into the ground.

  “I have to go.” Quinn kissed Rowan’s neck. “I’ll text you in an hour or two, when I know you’re up, and tell you what’s going on.”

  “What’s going on?” Rowan’s voice was thick with sleep.

  “Someone broke into Callisto’s room. My men caught the culprit going through her things. They’re holding her until I can get down there.”

  “Do you think it’s a suspect in Callisto’s disappearance?”

  “I don’t know. We’ll see. It might be something else entirely … like random theft, for all we know. Word probably made the rounds yesterday that Callisto was missing. Someone might’ve taken a chance that she left jewelry or something behind. I just don’t know.”

  “Okay. Will you call me when you know more?”

  “Yes.” Quinn offered up a soft kiss. “Sleep for a bit longer. You need it. Hopefully we’ll be able to have breakfast together. I’ll call when I know something.”

  “Okay.” Rowan was floating on a cloud between consciousness and slumber. “Be careful. Don’t let the lava sharks get you.”

  Quinn grinned as he climbed out of bed. “Don’t worry about it. Something tells me I’ll be safe.”

  Rowan was almost back to sleep by the time she absorbed everything he said. “Wait … she?”

  QUINN OPTED to shower and grab fresh clothes in his own room. He wasn’t keen on climbing into the same outfit for the third day in a row and he knew he risked waking Rowan if he showered in her room. He told her who they were holding for questioning, rubbing soothing circles on her back until she drifted off. There was nothing she could do and he would be opening himself up to questions if he tried to take her along for an official interrogation.

  By the time he made it to the conference room where his men held the suspect, he was on his second cup of coffee and ready to rumble.

  “Is she in there?”

  Andrew Winston, one of Quinn’s highest ranking workers, stood guard over the door. “She is. She hasn’t said much. She tried to make up a story, but it was clearly crap. I’m sure she’s been trying to come up with something else while waiting for you.”

  “Does she know you called me?”

  Andrew nodded. “She asked if the ship’s photographer would be joining you.”

  His men were well aware of Quinn’s relationship with Rowan. Everyone on the ship was aware of the relationship. The Bounding Storm was like a small city, after all. No one had private business. That didn’t mean Quinn discussed his romantic entanglements with the men he commanded. The mere thought made him uncomfortable.

  “She’s tried to build a relationship with Rowan over the past two days,” Quinn supplied. “I guess she thinks Rowan is her best shot at getting out of this.” Quinn peered through the glass panel in the door, pursing his lips as he watched Rebecca Madden shift in her chair. “I guess it’s time to get to it.”

  Rebecca sat at the conference room table, her elbows resting on the hard surface as she wrung her hands. She reminded Quinn of an animal caught in a trap, nervous and ready to strike out. That was exactly how he wanted her.

  “It seems you’ve had a busy night, Ms. Madden.” Quinn sat in the chair across from her. “I’ve been informed that you were caught going through Callisto Collins’ belongings. Can you explain that?”

  “Where’s Rowan?”

  Quinn wasn’t surprised Rebecca immediately yanked on that parachute chord. He expected it, although he thought she would offer up a series of lies first. “Ms. Gray is not part of the security detail. She has nothing to do with the current situation.”

  “I want to talk to her,” Rebecca pressed.

  “She’s asleep.”

  “Then I’ll wait until she wakes up.”

  “It doesn’t matter when she wakes up,” Quinn said. “She’s not part of this. She doesn’t have power over the security force. You’re going to have to deal with me.”

  “Oh, I feel as if I’ve been waiting for you to make that offer since we met.” Rebecca’s demeanor shifted from frightened to aggressive, causing Quinn to arch an eyebrow. “Do you want me to take your clothes off, or do you want to take off mine?”

  “I’m fine being fully clothed,” Quinn replied dryly. “If you’re trying to distract me, it’s not going to work. I need an acceptable explanation for why you were in Ms. Collins’ room.”

  “It was an accident,�
� Rebecca said, adopting a whiny tone. “I had a bit too much to drink and accidentally ended up in Callisto’s cabin. You got me. Are you going to arrest me or something?”

  “We don’t have the authority to arrest you.”

  Rebecca brightened. “Really? Then why am I here?”

  “Because we do have the authority to detain you indefinitely.”

  “Well … great.” Rebecca’s face twisted into a dark grimace. “This is just the worst vacation ever. I thought it was getting better, but it keeps getting worse … and worse and worse and worse.”

  “Uh-huh.” Quinn wasn’t really in the mood to listen to Rebecca complain. “Why were you in Ms. Collins’ room?”

  “I told you. I got drunk and accidentally ended up in her room.”

  “And how did you accidentally end up with her room card?”

  Rebecca was caught off guard, which was exactly what Quinn envisioned when he asked the question. “Oh, well, there must’ve been a mistake. My card worked on her door.”

  “No, it doesn’t,” Quinn argued. “I anticipated an answer like that and my men have checked your card with Callisto’s reader. It does not work. All of the cards work on individual numerical codes. None are duplicated. That means you needed Callisto’s card to get into her room. Two cards were issued when she checked in. There were no cards in her room when we searched it yesterday. I also double-checked with the front desk and no replacement cards for that door were issued. That means you somehow got your hands on one of the initial cards.”

  “But … I was drunk. I don’t know how I got that card.”

  “Try again,” Quinn prodded.

  “Someone must’ve put that card in my bag,” Rebecca offered, changing course. “That has to be it. My bag is small and I left it on the table while we were partying. Someone put it in there.”

  “Someone put it in there and assumed you would accidentally stumble to Callisto’s room?”

  “I … don’t know. I was drunk, like I said. Maybe someone directed me there or something. Maybe … .” Rebecca broke off, licking her lips. “Maybe someone hypnotized me without making me aware. That’s a real thing and that’s probably what happened here.”