Prism (Awakened Chronicles Book 3)

by Harley Austin

  “I have to make this official. It’s all over the police reports now. The minute corporate looks at those they’re going to wonder why I didn’t take action.”

  Brayden nodded, looking at the captain.

  “I don’t care who you sleep with, Brayden. It’s none of my business. Passengers are a no-no, but—we all know how things are sometimes. You’re not the first crew to sleep with a passenger, you won’t be the last.”

  “What about my loan? Are they going to report me now?”

  “If I know anything about legal, probably. Soulless bastards are all by the book. You’ll have thirty days to pay back the loan.”

  “Where am I supposed to the money, Captain? I can’t come up with that kind of money in a month!”

  “I don’t know, Brayden. I wish I could help.”

  He nodded.

  “Listen. I’m closing off that section of B deck so the police can work. We’re moving everyone to other staterooms. Clean out your gear from your residence quarters and move them to A2.”

  “Captain? A deck? That’s one of the honeymoon suites.”

  “So it is,” the captain grinned. “I’ve already assigned your Mr. Parker to the same cabin. The rest of the cruise is on me, Brayden. Just make sure you get off in Vancouver once we’re underway again.”

  Brayden nodded. “Thank you, Captain.”

  * * * * *

  “Fired!?” Parker looked stunned.

  Brayden had already fallen backward onto the overstuffed plush bedding of the suite’s huge bed with a deep sigh. “Yep. I’m screwed.”

  “Why?! I thought you said the Captain was a nice guy?”

  Brayden lifted up onto his elbows. “He is a nice guy. He assigned both of us to this suite.”

  “But he still fired you.”

  “He didn’t have a choice, Parker. I get it. I broke the rules. It’s a big rule too. No fucking the passengers.”

  Parker pursed his lips nodding.

  “The police have the two of us on body cams naked in the same bed. At some point corporate’s going to notice the report and wonder why the Captain kept me on. He’s got himself and his own career to worry about. He already stuck his neck out bucking security and moving me to bartending.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Go to jail; as soon as legal reports the theft to the police. I can’t come up with three hundred thousand dollars in thirty days, Parker.”

  “You stole that much?”

  “Over the course of a couple of years, yea. I was paying Mom’s invoices with corporate funds. Until auditing caught it.”

  “Ohh, you didn’t actually steal money.”

  “Six of one, half dozen of the other, Parker. Theft is theft. Doesn’t matter how you do it or what it’s for. Altruism notwithstanding.”

  Parker flopped back onto the bed next to him. “God, what a mess.”

  “You or me?”

  “Both. I can’t believe Mauri’s dead.”

  “What happened. Did she have a heart attack?”

  “No one told you?” Parker sat up onto his elbows.

  “Told me what? The police asked me like five questions and then let me go.”

  “Someone killed her. It’s on the DL but the police are calling it a homicide.”

  “What?! How?”

  “They aren’t saying. Apparently, whoever found her immediately called the police.”

  “Yea. That’s protocol.”

  “The police aren’t letting anyone off the ship.”

  Brayden nodded. “I heard the captain had canceled all shore leave for the crew. I didn’t realize it also included passengers. That’s pretty rare.”

  “Well, someone on this boat just murdered my boss last night. I’m sure the police don’t want whomever just up and leaving.”

  “You can’t run from the police like that, Parker. They always find you. Whoever killed your boss thought they could get away with it. Somehow. They’re not going to try to run. That would be way too obvious.”

  “You sound like a detective,” Parker grinned.

  “No. I’ve just seen way too many re-runs of Law and Order.”

  “I’m still trying to figure out who would want to kill her?”

  “I’m sure the police are as well …”

  14

  C hristmas Eve, Winter.” Brayden sat next to him on what had become their favorite couch in a secluded part of the aft lounge watching the gas flame. Both had been making out like teens and now both of their workout pants were completely indecent sitting in the warmth of the flickering firelight. At 2:00 AM not even the amorous couple was in the room.

  “You never call me Winter.”

  “I like your first name. Don’t you?”

  “I got teased a lot in school. I just never used it.”

  “I bet they don’t tease you now, looking the way you do.” Brayden slid the backs of his fingers over the long indecent bulge of Parker’s stretch running pants.

  “You’re going to make me go-off if you keep doing that.”

  “Maybe I want to see you go-off in these?” Whatever the stretch material Parker’s silver-gray running pants were made of, they rode between his cheeks in the back and didn’t hide anything about what was beneath them up front.

  “I’m gonna make a mess if you don’t stop; I was almost there a few minutes ago when we were kissing.”

  “I stopped because you said you were sore.”

  “I am sore. You’re not helping.”

  “You won’t be sore if you go-off.” Brayden smiled.

  “Yes, I will. Just a different kind of sore.” Parker spread his arms over the back of the couch while Brayden’s fingers teased him through the satiny stretch material.

  Parker rocked his hips as best he could seated in the sofa. He was right at the edge of his—

  “OHHH! GOD. BRAY!” Parker whined quietly as the edge of ecstasy pushed his throbbing spire into pulsing.

  Brayden grinned handsomely watching his friend explode into bliss and the front of his workout gear took on a growing dark wet spot all around the tip of his protruding cock.

  “AHHH, dammit.” Parker groaned softly. “You’ve been wanting to do this to me all night. Make me make a mess.” He looked down at the growing dark wet spot all over the front of his pants with Brayden’s teasing fingers still making his pulse.

  “Merry Christmas, Winter.”

  “Is that what this is?”

  “I didn’t have any money to get you something nice,” Brayden admitted. “So I thought maybe I could make you feel nice.”

  “You did this on purpose. Revved my motor all evening just to get me sore.”

  “Yea. That was the game plan. Touchdown.”

  “Doofus. I would have—Jack?!”

  Brayden looked at Parker’s suddenly wide eyes.

  “Oh, nice sentimental moment here guys. I’m all choked up.”

  “Jack! What are you doing here?” Parker’s hand went to the front of his workout pants trying to hide his embarrassing dark wet spot.

  “Taking care of business.” Jack produced a small caliber weapon from his jacket with a long noise suppressor attached to the front of it. “I can plug you both right here and let you leak all over the furniture like Mauri did, or we can take a little walk outside.” He leveled the weapon at Parker. “Your choice.”

  “Jesus! Jack! You!? You killed Mauri?!”

  “Here? Or the walk outside?” he now turned the weapon on Brayden.

  Parker didn’t need to be told twice. He got up quickly, pulling Brayden up with him.

  “Now keep quiet while we head outside. Move it.” He waved the gun.

  Outside was cold and quiet with only a shore light here and there in the distance as the ship moved quietly through the waters on its way to Juneau.

  “Hello, Parker,” Christie stood outside next to the railing by the pool deck. “Looks like you’ve been having a little fun with your new BFF here.”

  “
I don’t believe this.” Parker’s eyes were wide. “You and Jack! You killed your own sister?!”

  “Someone needed to. The bitch was totally fucking up everything at the company. Jack was kicking ass with the new accounts. But then she had to start ruining things by promoting you to VP.” Christie rolled her eyes. “That was supposed to be my job! But oh, no, she wanted to hire me as a fucking intern, Parker. I’m supposed to be her fucking sister.” Christie seemed to be a little off kilter in the mental stability department.

  “Oh, Jesus. This isn’t happening,” Parker shivered, some from the cold but mostly from what he was now hearing and seeing.

  “It was the perfect plan, Parker,” Jack continued. “You fucking the boss’ sister every night. She’d inherit the company and you along with it. Only we never guess you’d start fucking the bartender here as well.”

  Brayden glared. He kept his mouth shut. The guy had that look in his eyes, like he was just on the other side of too insane to reason with.

  “We were going to pin the blame on you, Parker,” Christie continued. “Plant the gun in your cabin. The police would have found it. You’d get arrested and be on your way to the Yukon by now. But oh, no. You had a fucking alibi.” She glared at Brayden. “No way to drag you into the plan with the evidence.”

  “But we figured out a way to still blame you.” Jack added. He pointed the weapon.

  “Oh, wait sweetie. One second,” Christie moved in close to Jack, a smile growing across his face as she moved her palm over his chest. “I want to do it.” She took the weapon out of his hand. “I’m going to be fucking rich after this cruise.”

  “We’ll both be fucking rich,” Jack added.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Jack. I forgot to tell you. My plans don’t include you.”

  Both Brayden and Parker watched as she turned the gun quickly into Jack’s chest; both heard several muffled shots as bullets exited the back of Jack’s insulated jacket. She pushed the stunned man over the railing. Christie watched over the side as he splashed into the wake of the boat several stories below.

  “Now it’s your—” Christie barely had time to see both guys flip over the side of the railing together as she looked up. She quickly leaned over the side watching as the two splashed into the water together. “Oh, dammit!” she cursed. This was not what she’d had in mind for the two of them!

  It was a quarter mile swim to the shore. Neither of them would make it half way before they froze from hypothermia. She aimed the weapon and fired several rounds into the water where both had splashed, until the magazine was empty. She was sure she’d hit both of them, several times.

  “Ahhh, I was so close too.” She shook her head and then dropped the weapon over the side and into the waves below.

  15

  G od this is cold!” Brayden complained again swimming alongside Parker in the waves as the two of them watched the night-lit ship move away from them quickly.

  “It’s not that cold.”

  “Jesus, Parker! It’s fucking freezing.” Brayden’s teeth were half chattering. After another minute it was clear that Parker was swimming a lot faster than Brayden was.

  “C’mon, Bray, push it. We’ve got to get out of this water. We’re almost there.”

  “No. We’re not almost there, Parker. My leg’s are already cramping,” he chattered. “It’s too far. You go ahead if you can make it.”

  “No! I’m not leaving you behind.” Parker swam to him and took hold of him in one arm. “I’ll help you.”

  “JESUS! Parker. What the hell?!” Brayden suddenly began clinging to him.

  “What?” Parker pulled him along.

  “God you’re really warm.”

  “I am?”

  “Like a hot tub.”

  “You’re losing it, Bray. I need to get you to shore. C’mon.”

  Brayden was soon swimming strongly on his own again after a few minutes. His teeth had stopped chattering at least. Parker hoped that was a good sign.

  “I think I can go on my own now.” Brayden assured. “As long as the water stays warm I should—HOLY SHIT!”

  “What!?”

  Brayden quickly swam back up to Parker and held onto him. “Oh my God. Parker you are warm.”

  “The water’s not that cold, Bray.”

  “Bullshit it’s not. It’s just you that’s not cold!”

  Both continued swimming with Parker helping him along.

  “We’re in Alaska in December, Parker. There’s snow on trees in case that slipped your attention. This water is only about three or four degrees right now.”

  “It’d be ice if it were that cold.”

  “Centigrade, dude. I’m Canadian.”

  “I’m not cold.”

  “Parker, as long as I’m touching you, I’m not cold either. But the second I’m not holding onto you, it’s like someone turned on the cold water in the shower. It’s frigid.”

  “You’re imagining things, Bray. You’re just cold. It’s hypothermia setting in.”

  “Dammit, Parker. I’m not cold. At all. Wet maybe, but not cold. Not as long as I’m holding on to you.”

  “If you say so.”

  Both made it finally to rocky shore, stepping out of the water and onto the snow-covered bank dripping wet in soaked sweats standing in waist-deep snow. Brayden held onto Parker as both looked out across the wide gorge they’d just swam halfway across. With the stars, the night didn’t look nearly as dark as it should have.

  “We should be freezing right now,” Brayden looked astonished at him.

  “Yea. I—I guess you’re right.” Parker agreed. “So why aren’t we?”

  Both of their eyes caught a subtle glow of light between them. Brayden took hold of Parker’s left hand, lifting it slowly until the subtle shimmer of the ring’s tiny inset diamonds illuminated both of their bewildered faces.

  16

  T ere’s a logical explanation, Bray.”

  “Sure there is. Your fiancé was either a witch or a shaman.”

  “I said logical.”

  “What, you don’t believe in magic?”

  “No. Magic isn’t logical.”

  “Sure it is. Magic is just something you don’t understand yet.”

  “I meant—never mind.”

  Brayden was holding Parker’s ring hand while the two of them trekked across the top of the powdery snow like they weighed nothing. Their workout clothes were already dry.

  “I can’t believe what happened to poor Mauri,” Parker shook his head.

  “Mauri? I can’t believe what just happened to us!”

  “I’m not worried about us, right now, Bray. That bitch is still running loose. She just—” Parker sighed, “killed Jack like he was nothing. Pumping bullets into him like he was target practice.”

  “Jack was a few fries short of a Happy Meal. It looked like he was off of his medication or something. I’ve seen that look in people’s eyes before.”

  “Jack could be a little manic sometimes. Hey, look, there’s a light up ahead.”

  “Nice. Maybe they have phone we can use to hop an Uber ride back to Vancouver.”

  “Really?”

  Brayden sighed. “Guess I’m not being very helpful, am I?”

  “No, you’re not. You get really sarcastic under pressure.”

  “More so than normal?” Brayden grinned at him.

  “Yea. Just a little.”

  The light they saw was attached to a tall pole over the wide deck of a fishing lodge on the shore. The newer looking lodge was obviously closed for the season, piled high with snow, and inaccessible from anywhere but the water. But, it had power from somewhere, even out in the middle of what looked like nowhere.

  “We can’t be too far from civilization.” Parker tried opening one of the heavy doors at the front of the lodge, but found it locked.

  “We’re not,” Brayden pointed out across the sound. “Look.”

  Parker nodded. “Another cruise ship. We must not be that far from
Juneau then.”

  “We were almost there when we jumped. This is the inlet between Douglas Island and the mainland. I bet we’re no more than ten miles from Juneau.”

  “Well, let’s not stick around outside here. We need to figure out a way to get inside. And then figure out what we’re going to do about Christie.”

  17

  T he lodge they found had been built right on the bend between a rocky and sandy shore, with a massive dock that floated well into the sound and looked as if it could accommodate tourist boats, seaplanes or other watercraft. But right now it was piled high with winter snow along with the rest of the lodge.

  Brayden heard the crackle of a real fire in the fireplace. Could feel its warmth as well. He opened his eyes and stretched with a yawn to see Parker crouched re-kindling and stoking the good sized fire with an iron poker tool. The large one-room lodge wasn’t exactly warm, but at least it wasn’t freezing. Brayden had slept on a long couch in the middle of the fishing lodge not far from the fireplace. He watched Parker for long minutes working the fire. Brayden’s mind bounced from thought to thought, but mostly he thought about Parker and what might have been had he not noticed Parker’s ring a few nights ago. None of this would be happing right now. In fact, Parker might have been arrested for a murder he didn’t commit, or even be dead by now. Fate had evidently smiled on him; on the both of them.

  Parker stood up, still in his satiny silver workout clothes. The back seam of the workout pants disappeared between his glutes like a thong, hugging his backside like a second skin.

  “You know your ass looks really nice in those.”

  Parker turned around giving him a grin. “Do you ever think about anything other than my ass?”

  “Not when it’s around me I don’t.” Brayden sat up on the couch.

  “Fortunately for you, the wet spot came out when you and I went for that swim last night.” Parker turned around. The material looked smooth and stainless, except where it was hugging his equipment. Even flaccid, the thin, every-curve hugging material of his running pants still looked a little indecent to be walking around in. Parker even had some well-sized jewels.