by Lara Lacombe
“You said you have a lead on this guy?” Logan asked.
Everest nodded. “Wesley, my second-in-command, tells me he’s getting close to identifying the man who attacked her. He thought the guy had gone ashore for the day, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“Do you have security tape footage we can look at?”
Everest felt a flash of gratitude at Logan’s use of we, but in truth, there wasn’t much the other man could do. He was a guest, not staff, and if Everest were to call upon him to help in an official capacity, it would spell the end of his career. “That’s how I found her,” he said, nodding at the bed where Mallory lay, looking peaceful under the bright lights of the room.
Logan opened his mouth, and Everest shook his head subtly, glancing at the nurses. He didn’t want to talk about the security camera outages in front of an audience. In fact, he didn’t want to discuss them at all. If his suspicions were true, and someone was using a jammer to interfere with the signal, the timing of the outages suggested the culprit knew the ship very well. How else to explain the loss of the video feed just before something bad happened? Whoever was doing this was familiar with the placement of each camera and the areas under surveillance. That ruled out any of the passengers.
It pained him to admit it, but only the staff members would have the know-how to move throughout the ship undetected. And until he had a better idea of who might be skulking about, he didn’t want to share his thoughts. The only advantage he had at the moment was his hunch. If he tipped his hand it would be even more difficult to discover what was really going on.
A chill slithered down his spine as another, more sinister thought occurred to him. What if Mallory’s assailant wasn’t a passenger after all? What if he was a member of the crew?
Everest’s heart sank as he followed the idea to its logical conclusion. Wesley had supposedly been tracking the man. But if the attacker was a member of the staff and not a passenger, his second-in-command was on the wrong track. Was he deliberately trying to hinder the investigation, or was it an honest mistake?
Questions swirled in his mind, each more disturbing than the last. He wanted to trust the men on his team, but he couldn’t risk Mallory’s safety. She’d already been targeted twice, and the severity of the attacks was escalating. If he made another mistake, she might not survive a third assault.
“Since you don’t know who is hurting Mallory, I think one of us should stay with her at all times.” Avery pulled a chair over to the side of Mallory’s bed and sat, her expression determined.
“I agree,” Everest said. He considered telling Avery and Olivia that he’d stay with Mallory until she woke up, but he knew her friends would want to stay close. “We can take shifts, if you like.”
Olivia nodded. “We’ll sit with her now. I’m sure you have things to do.”
He did, but he hated to leave Mallory. Logically, he knew there was nothing he could do for her right now, but he was loath to let her out of his sight again. Still, he needed to try to identify her attacker while the evidence was fresh. The longer he stayed here, the more time her assailant had to cover his tracks.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said. “Please page me if anything changes.” He nodded at the nurses. “They have my number.”
“We’ll take care of her,” Grant said.
“Go find the bastard who did this.” Avery’s voice was calm, but her eyes were bright with emotion.
“I will.”
Everest took one last look at Mallory. He didn’t know if she could hear what was being said around her, but he wanted her to know he wasn’t leaving her for long. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I’ll be back soon,” he whispered near her ear. “I have a lot to tell you.”
He straightened and headed for the clinic door. Logan fell into step next to him. “I want to help. Unofficially, of course,” he said, smiling wryly. “I don’t want to cause any more headaches for you.”
“I appreciate that,” Everest said. They paused at the door. “Do me a favor and stay close to Mallory. I’m beginning to think this is some kind of an inside job, and I don’t trust anyone right now.”
Logan nodded somberly. “I can do that. Keep us updated when you’re able.”
“Will do.” Everest left the clinic. He felt a little better knowing her friends were there. Avery and Olivia would keep a close eye on her, and having Grant and Logan nearby eased the band of worry in his chest. Three doctors and a DEA agent—he couldn’t ask for better guardians while Mallory recovered.
Now he just had to figure out his next move. The captain hadn’t wanted to delay the trip for a murder investigation, so the chances of him taking action in the wake of Mallory’s assault were slim. Still, Everest needed to update him on the situation. Part of him wanted to see the man’s face when he learned the ship’s doctor had been attacked. There was something strange about the captain’s recent behavior, and Everest was going to report him once the trip was over. The higher-ups in the company needed to know about the captain’s erratic responses to the events on board, and Everest hoped they would seriously reconsider putting him at the helm of another ship.
But that would have to wait. Right now, he needed to go back and study the security footage in the hopes of finding some clue that would reveal who was running around the ship.
He might not be able to help Mallory, but he could at least do a better job of protecting her from here on out.
Chapter 16
She was gone.
Wesley stared at the bed, unwilling to believe his eyes. He’d injected the doctor with enough tranquilizer to fell an elephant. How in the hell had she disappeared?
He checked the bathroom, hoping to find her there but knowing it was unlikely. Sure enough, the small room was empty.
Where was she? More important, who had found her? He’d placed her in Jeff’s old cabin precisely because no one was using it, and the housekeeping staff had been instructed not to service the room. No one could have accidentally stumbled upon her in here, and he simply couldn’t believe she had been able to call out for help.
“I should have gagged her,” he muttered. But hindsight was always twenty-twenty...
His heart began to pound as the gravity of the situation sank in. Dr. Watkins had proved herself to be a liability to his mission, and he could no longer tolerate her interference. He’d initially intended to temporarily incapacitate her, but upon further reflection, he’d decided a more permanent solution was in order. So he’d returned to the cabin to collect her, and he’d planned to throw her overboard now that they were under way. Once she was out of the picture, Everest would be so busy trying to find her he’d forget all about the mystery material, and Wesley would be free to plant the explosives without fear of discovery.
It was the perfect distraction. But she was nowhere to be found. And since a drugged woman couldn’t walk off by herself, there was only one explanation.
Someone had found her and moved her.
It had to be Everest. If anyone else was responsible, he’d have heard about it by now. Word traveled fast on the ship, and news like that wouldn’t stay secret for long.
The pager on his hip buzzed to life, and his gut cramped when he saw the display: Everest was summoning him to his office.
He doesn’t know it was me, Wesley told himself as he clipped the pager back into place. He couldn’t know. There was no way the doctor had seen his face—he’d worn a mask and he’d concealed his body and clothes with a robe and gloves. He hadn’t spoken either, afraid of giving the woman any kind of information that might allow her to identify him.
“He probably wants to tell me about what happened to the doctor.” Everest would want to launch an investigation, and Wesley could pretend to help. It would give him the perfect excuse to roam about the ship, and he’d be
able to plant the explosives while he worked. If anyone questioned his presence, he could simply say he was searching for the doctor’s assailant.
Feeling much better, Wesley ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. He had to appear calm and composed, or Everest would suspect something was going on. After a quick glance in the bathroom mirror, Wesley set out for Everest’s office.
The walk took only a few minutes, and Wesley rapped on the door. “Come in,” Everest said, his voice slightly muffled through the wood.
Wesley stepped into the small office. “Take a seat,” Everest said, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk.
Wesley did as he was asked, and took a second to study his boss. Everest wore a serious expression and his eyes were tired. But there was no accusation in his gaze, and the knot of anxiety in Wesley’s chest eased a bit.
“What’s on your mind?” Wesley asked.
“I’d like an update on your investigation into Dr. Watkins’s assault,” Everest said. “Now that the passengers are all back on board from the day’s shore excursions, have you been able to find the man who attacked her in Jeff’s cabin?”
“I’m still questioning some of the guests,” Wesley replied. Then inspiration struck, and he fought to keep a smile off his face. “I’m a little worried the man may have stayed behind in Charleston.”
Everest frowned. “What makes you say that?”
Wesley adopted a concerned expression. “There’s one man I haven’t been able to track down—a Brad Hastings. He hasn’t been in his cabin, and I’m not sure where he is.”
Everest nodded thoughtfully. “He might know you’re looking for him. Have you checked the casino rooms? He could be hiding there.”
“That’s a good idea,” Wesley said, pretending to consider it. “I’ll check as soon as we’re done here.”
“People don’t just vanish,” Everest said. “I’m sure you’ll find him.”
Wesley’s stomach did a little flip, and he watched Everest carefully, searching his face for any sign of a hidden meaning. But there was no hint of sarcasm or glimmer of awareness in his eyes. He appeared to simply be making conversation.
“Keep me in the loop,” Everest said. He turned back to the computer monitor, and Wesley stood, recognizing the gesture as a dismissal.
“Did you need anything else?”
“No.”
The answer surprised him. Wesley had figured Everest would tell him about Dr. Watkins. Either he hadn’t been the one to find her, or he wasn’t willing to talk about it. But why would he keep news like that so close to the vest?
Is he trying to protect her? he wondered. But if that was the case, why not tell the security team about it and post guards?
Something strange was going on, that was certain. But Wesley couldn’t afford to be complacent. He was so close to realizing his goal. He wasn’t going to let the mystery of the missing doctor ruin things now.
One way or another, he would have justice for Ryan.
* * *
Everest watched Wesley walk away, anger and disappointment swirling in his chest. He’d thought he could trust Wesley. The two of them had worked together on several cruises, and he’d found the younger man to be thoughtful and responsible, someone he could rely on. Even now, Everest didn’t want to believe his second-in-command was capable of such deception, but he couldn’t ignore the evidence.
Everest had pulled up the security camera feeds on his computer, the dual monitors displaying a patchwork of tiny square movies. He’d meant to check the cameras in search of any irregularities that might yield useful information as to the identity of Mallory’s attacker. He’d also paged Wesley, wanting to see the man’s face when he asked about the hunt for her unknown assailant.
Right after he sent the page, the feed for the camera monitoring the hallway outside Jeff’s cabin had fuzzed out, disintegrating into a sea of black-and-white snow. Everest had immediately glanced to the one monitoring the neighboring hall, curious to see if it would go down next.
But it didn’t.
Everest had watched in fascination as Wesley had rounded the corner and strode into view, his hand in his pocket as he walked. Perhaps it was simply a coincidence Wesley had been walking down the hallway at the exact same moment the security camera experienced an outage. But Everest didn’t believe in coincidences. Unless he missed his guess, Wesley had been in Jeff’s old room when he’d received the page. He hadn’t wanted anyone to see him leaving, so he’d jammed the signal on the camera when he left.
There was no good reason for Wesley to be in that cabin. The only possible explanation was that he had returned to check on Mallory.
And the only way he’d need to do that was if he’d been the one to drug her and put her there in the first place.
It had taken every ounce of Everest’s self-control to remain seated when Wesley had walked into his office. Rage had surged in his chest, and he’d wanted to spring forward and grab Wesley by his shoulders to shake some answers out of him. Why was he targeting Mallory? She hadn’t done anything to him. Moreover, it seemed completely out of character for Wesley to do something like that. In their time working together, Wesley had never displayed any hint of violence. What had made him snap now?
“If it’s really him,” Everest muttered to himself. The evidence he had against Wesley was circumstantial at best, and he needed to keep an open mind. His second-in-command was acting a bit strange, but until Everest had solid proof, he couldn’t afford to get so fixated on Wesley that he ignored any signs that might point to someone else.
He glanced at the monitors, watching Wesley as he made his way through the ship. He didn’t seem to be headed in the direction of the casino rooms, but Everest hadn’t really expected him to check them out. But where was he going?
Disbelief and dismay warred for dominance as Everest watched Wesley’s progress. The man was going to the clinic—he was sure of it.
His actions cemented his guilt in Everest’s mind. Wesley had no business going to the clinic. He was likely only headed there now because he hadn’t found Mallory in Jeff’s cabin. He had to be feeling nervous and wondering where she was, and Everest was glad Logan and the rest of Mallory’s friends were at her side. Wesley wouldn’t dare try to harm Mallory in front of so many witnesses.
Everest wanted to rush to the clinic and confront Wesley, but he forced himself to stay put. He still didn’t have any hard proof of wrongdoing on Wesley’s part, and if he went after the man now, it might provoke him into doing something rash. Better to wait and watch in the hopes of catching him in the act.
Everest knew he’d made the right decision, but he still held his breath as he watched Wesley walk into the clinic. Minutes ticked by, each one slower than the last. What was going on in there? If he stayed any longer, Everest was going to head there himself, patience be damned.
Just as he pushed to his feet, the door to the clinic opened and Wesley stepped out. Everest sank back into his chair with a sigh of relief and leaned forward to get a better look at the man’s face. Wesley wore a sour expression, as if he’d just bitten into a lemon. It certainly wasn’t the look of a man who was happy to discover his coworker was recovering from an attack.
Wesley glanced back at the door to the clinic, then down at his watch. He nodded to himself, and even from this remote distance, Everest could practically see the wheels turning in the man’s mind.
“I don’t think so,” he murmured. Wesley likely figured he’d return to the clinic later, when Mallory’s friends were gone for the night. What he didn’t realize was that Everest had no intention of leaving Mallory unguarded, especially when she was unconscious and vulnerable.
“You’re not getting near her again,” he said grimly. He had let himself get distracted once, and Mallory was paying the price. He wasn’t going to repeat that mis
take.
* * *
Mallory came awake slowly, feeling her way back into her body. She felt...good. A little foggy, but her mind was clearing rapidly. The masked man. The room.
She shot up, her heart in her throat. Her stomach protested the sudden change in position, and she put a fist to her mouth and swallowed hard.
She was hooked up to an IV. When had that happened? She glanced around the room, but it was too dark to make out many details.
A hand landed on her shoulder, and she realized with a jolt that she wasn’t alone in the bed.
Mallory reacted on instinct, swinging wide with her fist clenched. She made contact with something hard, and heard a satisfying “oof.” The grip on her shoulder loosened, and she rolled to the side. A painful pinch told her the IV lines were dangerously strained, but she had to get away. Someone was in the bed, someone she hadn’t invited in or known about. What the hell had happened while she was passed out?
Her heart sank and she fought for breath. Had she been raped again? She began a mental inventory of her body, searching for any intimate pain that would indicate if she’d been violated while she was unconscious.
“Mallory.”
She dimly heard her name over the rush of blood pounding in her ears. It sounded like—
“Mallory.”
She stilled, trying to gather her thoughts. Her brain felt like it was coming apart at the seams, but she had to make sense of what was happening.
“Everest?” The name came to her suddenly, a lightning strike of realization that burned away some of her fears. If he was truly here, maybe she was okay after all...
“It’s me.” His voice was deep and calm, and she relaxed enough to take a deep breath. The back of her head ached, and her arm hurt a bit at the IV insertion point, but other than that she felt fine.
Relief washed over her, flushing most of the anxiety out of her system. She hadn’t been assaulted. Not this time.