Burn: A Novel

by Linda Howard

They made quick plans for the evening, making sure that wherever Larkin was, when not in his suite, one or more of them would be nearby. Each member of the team was equipped with miniature cameras to document who Larkin met with, in case one or more of his contacts was aboard the ship. Odds were that any business done would take place in Larkin’s suite, but they had to be prepared for anything. Bridget or Matt would gain access to the suite’s parlor as soon as possible, and then they’d be set.

  Tiffany made a sour face. “Tonight I’ll get gussied up and try to work my womanly charms on Larkin. God, I hope he doesn’t bite.” She used the term to mean she hoped he didn’t take the bait, but Cael could see the slight movement of her lips as she fought to contain a smile. Faith looked up at the ceiling, pretending she hadn’t heard anything. Ryan grinned outright.

  “Ha, ha,” said Cael. He’d never live it down, that Redwine had managed to sink her teeth into him. If he hadn’t been trying so hard not to hurt her he could have put her down and out in one second flat; this grief was what he got for being a gentleman.

  “He’s creepy,” Tiffany continued. She wasn’t crazy about the idea of spending any time with Larkin, but it was another possible avenue of gathering information. Was he a talker? Did he try to impress women by telling them how important he was, and let tidbits slip? Not likely, but not impossible, either. Cael wouldn’t ask anyone on his team to have sex with anyone they didn’t want to have sex with, but if she could get into Larkin’s suite and plant some backup surveillance, all the better.

  “After watching that fit you threw last night, he’ll probably run far and fast if you come on to him,” Ryan said soothingly, then ruined the effect by grinning again. “I know I would.”

  She merely gave him a “you wanna bet?” smirk. A lot of men would be willing to put up with more than that to spend time with a woman like Tiffany.

  “Bluetooth sniffer?” he prompted, to get the discussion back on track.

  “Working,” replied Faith. “We have him covered as much as possible, short of one of us actually being in the suite with him.”

  They went over the various aspects of their surveillance methods. If Larkin got suspicious and wanted his suite swept for bugs, Cael could use a remote to disconnect the batteries. If the bug wasn’t working, a sweep wouldn’t pick it up. For the hardwired bugs he’d threaded into Larkin’s bedroom, he could simply pull them out. The hardwired stuff was more reliable and harder to detect, but sometimes they had no choice but to go wireless. Most jobs, like this one, he went with a combination of the two.

  He checked his watch; Bridget had been on guard duty for an hour, which was a long time for her not to be taking care of her duties as steward. “I have to relieve Bridget,” he said, wondering what mischief Redwine had gotten up to in that hour. Anything was possible. He might get there to find Bridget had both cuffed and gagged her, something he’d considered doing himself. He wasn’t worried that Redwine had escaped, because Bridget could take her with one hand tied behind her back, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t gotten up to some mischief-making. She was way, way too curious about what they were doing and what was going on, which was understandable, but the less she knew the better, because she couldn’t let slip what she didn’t know.

  When he keyed the door and opened it, he held his breath until he saw Bridget calmly sitting on the couch, laptop on the coffee table in front of her, earbud in place, making use of the time by going through as much of their recorded audio/video as possible, to save him the trouble.

  Redwine was nowhere in sight. Cael felt his testicles draw up, as if she might attack him from behind at any second. “Where is she?” he asked, dread in his tone.

  Bridget looked up. “She’s taking a nap,” she said, as if that were the most normal thing in the world.

  Unbelievable. Cael rolled his eyes upward, ruefully shaking his head. “Why can’t she ever do that when I’m here?” he asked, of no one in particular.

  Right on cue, she appeared in the bedroom doorway, her eyes sleepy-looking and her hair tousled. Her gaze focused on him like a laser. “Oh, it’s you” she said in tones of loathing, before giving him a huge, completely fake smile that looked more like a tiger snarling. “Welcome back, lover.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  LARKIN HAD TO GO TO THE CASINO SOON FOR THE FIRST of the cruise’s organized charity events. All proceeds from the casino—from the entire cruise, actually—were being donated to charity but there were too many passengers for all of them to fit inside the casino at once, so the organizers had divided them into groups, based on their deck name and room number, and a hundred at a time were allowed in the casino for one hour. The person who won the most money in that length of time got a prize; Frank didn’t know what the prize was, and didn’t care. It would be something pricey, of course—this crowd would expect nothing less.

  It occurred to him that this ship, this cruise, would become the stuff of legends, just like the Titanic. Everything the passengers did, the music they listened to, the fashions they wore, would be studied and analyzed as if all of it were important, when in fact none of it was.

  He didn’t have much of an appetite, but when he did eat he preferred to eat alone. On occasion he couldn’t manage to keep down what little he ate, so privacy was important. Dining with the other passengers was out of the question; he didn’t want anyone noticing that he didn’t eat much and that he sometimes gagged on his food. No one knew he was sick, other than his doctor, and he wanted to keep it that way. He’d ordered a sandwich—tuna salad on a croissant, because God forbid anything as simple as regular bread should be served on this ship—some fruit, and a bottle of water, and he’d do what he could to choke down some of it before he was forced to make an appearance in the casino.

  The tumor in his brain had taken away so many of the joys of life. The constant headache made him jumpy, and some days the pain was worse than others. He didn’t dare take more than over-the-counter painkillers, because anything more would cloud his mind. He’d all but lost interest in food, though he knew he needed to eat, and he missed the enjoyment of a good meal. Sex was another appetite he’d lost. His body was rebelling against him, taking away all of life’s pleasures, and it infuriated him. Wasn’t it bad enough that he was going to fucking die? Did the damn cancer have to rob him of every possible bit of enjoyment and satisfaction? He was damned if he’d let it.

  His personal steward, Isaac, took care of most of his needs during the cruise. Larkin didn’t want a stranger in his immediate circle, not when what he was doing was so crucial. Isaac had been a loyal employee for years; he always did whatever was asked of him without complaint, no matter how demeaning it might be. Whenever it looked as if the man had had enough and was about to walk, Larkin would throw him a bone: a raise, a gift, maybe a vacation. Isaac would spend his final days sleeping in cramped crew quarters and doing as he was told. He’d die here, loyal to the end.

  Maybe he should feel sorry for good old Isaac, Larkin thought, then gave a contemptuous laugh. If Isaac had had any balls, he’d have left a long time ago. Why should he feel sorry for a fool?

  Isaac couldn’t handle everything, though. Room service, for instance, would take twice as long if Isaac had to go to the kitchen and fetch the food, so he was relieved of that duty and Larkin tolerated the room service personnel. He was in the suite when he ordered room service, obviously, so it wasn’t as if anyone would be coming in while he wasn’t there.

  A young man—his name tag read “Matt”—delivered Larkin’s dinner. Larkin hated him on sight. Not only was he pretty in a tennis pro, surfer kind of way with curly blond hair and the innocent eyes of the terminally stupid, he looked as healthy and in shape as Larkin himself had always been. He hated the kid for his health, for his complete unawareness of his own mortality. What would it be like to not realize you were dying? Everyone was dying, but most people carried on in blissful ignorance. Larkin no longer had that luxury, and the unfairness of it made him want to slap
the kid’s stupid, pretty face.

  “Good evening, sir,” the idiot said cheerfully. “Where would you like your dinner?”

  Shoved up your ass, Larkin thought, but didn’t say it. Instead he indicated a small table near the doors that opened onto the balcony. “Put it there.”

  The kid unloaded the tray’s contents, said, “Is there anything else I can get for you, sir?”

  “No, just get out,” Larkin said, his fists clenching as pain shot like a nail through his head. Sometimes it did that, the chronic headache turning hot and sharp before subsiding again. A wave of nausea followed hard on the heels of the pain.

  The kid looked startled by Larkin’s rudeness. “Uh … yes sir,” he said, hurrying to the door. He was in such a rush that he tripped over his own big feet and fell, thudding to his knees. He dropped the tray and it rolled away from the klutz with an ear-shattering clatter, finally spinning to a noisy halt against the tall artificial ficus tree that had been placed against the wall near the door.

  “I’m sorry,” the kid blurted, scrambling to his feet. He popped up, reached for the tray, and damn if he didn’t stumble again, barely catching himself on the container that held the tree, almost turning it over. He caught the tree, but dropped the tray again.

  “Sorry!” he yelped.

  “Oh, for God’s sake!” Larkin yelled over the din. “Just get out!”

  “Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. I’m sorry.” The boy lurched for the tray, grabbed it, and this time managed to get out the door without falling again. He even collected himself enough to say “Enjoy your meal, sir” as he launched himself into the passageway.

  After the door had closed, Larkin stood there breathing hard, his eyes closed as he waited for the nausea to subside. When it did, he looked at the food with loathing. Enjoy it? “I wish I could.”

  Out in the passageway, Matt resisted the urge to whistle. Some things were just too easy.

  WITH THE WAY THE EVENING was structured, with different sections of passengers being allowed in the casino for an hour at a time for the big Charity Gamble, there were times when none of the team was actually in the casino area keeping an eye on Larkin. Cael swore some to himself, then accepted the situation and adapted as best he could.

  He and Jenner were in the first group, Larkin’s group. The evening started out with the charity organizer, a buxom woman who glittered and sparkled and showed a lot of teeth, introduced Larkin as the host of the cruise and thanked him profusely for everything he’d done, blah blah blah. Cael felt Jenner’s attention perk up when Larkin was introduced, and he inwardly rolled his eyes. Great. Now she had a name, and one she probably recognized if she paid any attention to politics at all. Still, she had been bound to learn his name eventually, so it wasn’t really a big deal.

  Larkin went to the blackjack table, where he began winning consistently though he didn’t seem to be having any fun doing it. Jenner eyed him for a minute, then headed for the blackjack table herself. Cael grabbed her arm, reeled her back in. “Not on your life,” he muttered, steering her toward a nearby slot machine.

  “But I want to play blackjack.”

  “Uh huh. Play Double Diamond instead, and act like you’re having fun.” No way would he let her at the table with Larkin. She narrowed her eyes at him but began dutifully punching buttons and pulling levers, winning a little and losing more, while he surreptitiously watched Larkin.

  Larkin was hosting the cruise, but for a host he didn’t seem to want to mingle very much. Though he’d produced a big smile when he was introduced, after that he barely acknowledged most of the guests. To Cael, it looked as if he didn’t like his fellow passengers very much, if the veiled contempt with which he watched them was anything to go by.

  That in itself was surprising, because the people on the cruise were movers and shakers in their own right, with a lot of money behind them. If Larkin pissed off enough of them they could start talking to people in Washington with whom they had influence, and Larkin could very swiftly find himself on the outside, looking in at the power circle to which he had once belonged. If Larkin took no pleasure in hosting this cruise, he could’ve handed the duty over to someone else, one of the other co-owners. Why spend two weeks on the Silver Mist if hosting the cruise was such a chore?

  Even the destination, Hawaii, and the possible meet with the North Koreans didn’t explain why he was putting himself through an experience he didn’t enjoy. Hell, he could have chartered a private jet and flown to Hawaii, then back the next day. There had to be another reason why he was on the cruise, because he sure as hell didn’t look as if he were enjoying himself.

  They had studied information on every passenger aboard the Silver Mist, and at first glance there was no one who could be an industrial spy or a North Korean operative, but appearances and background information could be deceiving; he and his own crew were proof of that. So far Larkin had interacted with very few people, speaking mostly to his head of security, Dean Mills, but the ones he had spoken to, they had gone back and looked at again, to see if there was any detail they’d missed. Maybe investments had taken a particularly hard hit; maybe some photographs had been taken that someone wished to stay hidden. But there was nothing, and frustration ate at Cael because his instincts told him he was missing something.

  Larkin hadn’t so much as turned on his laptop yet, so Faith’s key-logger program hadn’t yielded any results, pertinent or otherwise. Still, it was early.

  After the hour for their group had passed, they had to leave the casino. There had been some big winners, but Jenner wasn’t one of them; in fact, he’d seldom seen anyone who lost as consistently at a slot machine as she did. Faith and Ryan were in the next group, so Cael was confident Larkin would remain under close surveillance. Then there was a gap, with no one in the third group, or the fourth—two hours without anyone in the casino area watching him. But a number of people were standing outside the casino, watching the gaming, shouting encouragement or groaning with disappointment when a friend failed to win, and he intended to join them. He’d be able to photograph anyone Larkin spoke to, even though he couldn’t get close enough to catch what was actually being said.

  With Faith and Ryan on duty, Cael slipped his hand around Jenner’s waist and steered her toward the bar next to the casino. “Want something to drink?”

  “No, thanks,” she said, probably because he’d asked her if she wanted anything. If he hadn’t asked, he had no doubt she’d have demanded a drink.

  “Then how about some ice cream?” There was a twenty-four-hour soft-serve ice cream bar, and it was already one of the most popular places on the ship.

  “Thanks, but I’m not hungry.”

  Goaded, he said, “Just as well. If you ate a single bite, you’d probably burst every seam in that dress.”

  “Probably,” she agreed. Damn it, what was wrong with her? He’d been in her company for only a little over twenty-four hours, and he already knew she gave as good as she got. But she seemed a little distracted, which made him wonder what she was thinking. Whatever it was, nothing good could come of it.

  He found them two seats at a small table and got her settled. A cocktail waitress immediately appeared and without asking he ordered a teeter-totter for her and a beer for himself. He could have done with something stronger, but he wanted to keep his head clear. When he glanced back at Jenner, he found that she was leaning forward to see around him as she watched the action in the casino. She hadn’t seemed all that interested in it when she’d actually been in there, so he looked around to see what had her interest.

  A cold chill ran down him when he realized she was watching Larkin. Damn it all to hell, the little witch was getting too interested in what they were doing, and God only knew what she was capable of doing to satisfy her curiosity. Why couldn’t she have stayed nicely frightened, the way she’d been at first … for all of, say, five minutes? After that, she’d been nothing but trouble.

  He shifted his chair to block her view, and coin
cidentally to keep Larkin from perhaps realizing Jenner was staring at him as if he were a zoo exhibit. The last thing he wanted was to put the bastard on guard.

  Jenner gave him a bright smile. “You know, you could leave me in Hawaii,” she said, leaning forward so her low voice was almost lost amid the annoying jangle and singsong ringing of the slot machines adjacent to the bar. “I promise not to give away whatever it is you’re doing. I’ll get a hotel room, spend a week on the beach, and I’ll be out of your hair. You could let Syd go, she could join me, and we’d all be happy. Perfect solution.”

  He mimicked her motion, leaning closer to her. Damn, she smelled good, and from this angle the low cut of her midnight blue cocktail dress was interesting—and that was putting it mildly. She didn’t have much in the boob department, but what was there caused his gut to knot up, low and hard. He should get away from her. He needed to get away from her, but the job kept him there, on the front line, in harm’s way. “Why would I let you go?” he asked, nuzzling her ear. “The entertainment value alone is worth the risk of pain and injury.”

  The green glint in her eyes promised retribution, but once again she refused to rise to his bait, which was just as well. The last thing he wanted was for her to deck him in public.

  As much as he’d like to release her, for both their sakes, he needed her right where she was, to provide cover for him. Without her there, he’d have no reason to be in that suite—and the general policy of a cruise ship was that the staterooms weren’t transferrable by the passengers. A passenger could cancel, but assigning anyone else to a stateroom was up to the cruise line. He couldn’t take the risk that he might not be allowed back into the suite.

  She would just have to suck it up.

  The night wore on. Larkin greeted every group, then retreated back to the blackjack table, where he kept on steadily winning. For all the excitement or life in his face, he might as well have been watching grass grow.