“No. I never want you to be sad. It’s just ... if I only have twenty-four hours left, would you rather spend that time laughing in the sun or crying in this room?”
He tilted his head, considering. “I would rather you not have only twenty-four hours,” he shot back finally. “I want you to have decades with me.”
“I want that, too. What if it’s not reality, though? What if this is it and there’s nothing you can do to stop it?”
“I don’t accept that.” Quinn folded his arms across his chest and glared. “I don’t accept that you’re destined to die. I think you can see the omens because you’re meant to change things.
“I don’t want to put the weight of the world on your shoulders because it’s not fair, but I always believe we have a chance to change things,” he continued. “As for this, I swear to you, I won’t let anything happen to you. I mean it. I will protect you with my dying breath.”
Rowan’s heart gave a terrific leap. “I know. I don’t want you to die, though. If you were to sacrifice yourself for me, it would be a wasted effort. Once you’re gone I won’t want to continue.”
“Don’t say that.” He made a face. “I don’t want to hear you say that.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s what you just said to me,” she countered, her practical side taking over. “Didn’t you just say you won’t ever move on from me? I feel the same way about you.”
He hated that she had a point. He was feeling so righteous in his anger and indignation that he wanted to win every argument today. Instead, he reached for her and drew her to his lap, wrapping his arms tightly around her as she burrowed her face into the hollow between his neck and shoulder.
“This is not the scenario I thought we would be facing,” he admitted after several moments of quiet. “I understand now the fear that your father has been living under. This is why he wanted you to run. I’m still wondering if that’s what we should do when we hit El Demonio. We can flee the ship, go into hiding, and no one will ever find us.”
Rowan frowned as she immediately started shaking her head. “No. You were right. I don’t want to live in hiding.”
Usually being right put Quinn in a better mood. “I would rather live in hiding than lose you.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” Rowan was matter-of-fact. “You say that now, but living in hiding would kill us. Our relationship wouldn’t survive. We need to end this on the terms you already laid out. That’s what we agreed to.”
“That was before, though. I can’t lose you.” Quinn was earnest. “I need you with me forever.”
She went warm all over at the simple statement. “I need you, too. We’re going to have to figure this out if we expect to make things work, though. We can’t go into hiding. We have a team in place here. We need to combat things from an aggressive standpoint, not be afraid that something horrible is going to happen if we make the wrong move.
“I believe we can fix this,” she continued with conviction. “I believe that as long as we’re together, we can always fix this. I don’t want to back away now.”
He let loose a world-weary sigh and pushed her hair away from her face so he could stare directly into her eyes. “You have to let me protect you,” he growled. “No matter what, you can’t be alone going forward. It’s the only thing I know to do. You might not like it but it’s what both of us need.”
She thought about arguing. It was a moot point, though. He was absolutely right. There was nothing else they could do but join together and fight what was to come. There was no guarantee she would survive either way. This was their best option.
“Okay.” She rested her forehead against his as he rocked her back and forth. “We’ll do this together.”
“No more secrets,” he stressed.
“I was going to tell you.”
“I don’t know that you were. I get it. These are not going to be our final hours, though. I won’t let anyone take you from me. It took me forever to find you. It took me a little longer to realize I even wanted to find you. We’ve only just begun, sweetie. I will not let anyone ruin what we’ve built. You have my word on that.”
She believed him with her whole heart. “I wrote the letters just in case something happened before I could tell you. I did plan to tell you.”
“Well, good. I would hate to think you didn’t trust me enough to tell the truth.”
“I trust you more than anybody.”
“Right back at you.” He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “I love you, Rowan. You’re the love of my life. You always will be.”
“I feel the same way about you,” she said on a sob.
He kissed her again. “It’s you and me forever.”
“Okay.” Her voice was thick with tears. “You and me forever.”
“I just need you to do one thing for me.”
Her eyes glimmered with tears as she held his gaze. “Anything.”
“Brush your teeth. I can’t keep kissing you until you don’t smell like vomit and that’s all I want to do.”
She was horrified. “Oh, my ... I’m so sorry.” She scrambled toward the bathroom and then pinned him with a serious look. “You should’ve said something sooner.”
He couldn’t stop himself from laughing at her baffled expression. “Live and learn, sweetie.”
10
Ten
Quinn called a meeting in the conference room next to his office. It was the only place he could be assured that no one would overhear the very serious conversation that was about to transpire. Paul showed concern when he saw Rowan. Even though she’d showered, eaten breakfast, and did her best to hide the circles under her eyes, it was clear she’d had a rough night.
“What’s wrong?” He crossed to her immediately, worry etched across his features. “Did something happen?”
Quinn regarded the man with compassionate eyes. What he had to say wasn’t going to be easy to hear. “I have something to tell you, and not a lot of time. I thought about cutting Dave and the other guys out of this meeting for reasons that will become obvious, but we need them.”
He gestured toward the table. “Sit.”
“I don’t like the sound of this,” Nick grumbled as he sat. “Why do I think things are about to go from bad to worse?”
“Because they are,” Quinn replied simply, pulling out a chair so Rowan could sit. He wasn’t surprised when Paul took the seat immediately to her left. He was a father and he sensed trouble for his only child. “Okay, here’s the thing ... .”
Quinn launched into the tale, leaving nothing out. He had to backtrack a few times to explain about Rowan’s ability to those who weren’t in the know. They’d discussed their approach while getting ready in the room. Ultimately, Quinn felt the best chance for her survival was to keep everyone abreast of the situation. Rowan was nervous but agreed. Ultimately, if she died, it wouldn’t matter who knew what. If she managed to survive, she would be so grateful she would simply overlook the potential ramifications.
Paul was already on his feet by the time Quinn finished. “We’re out of here.” He grabbed Rowan’s hand and attempted to tug her out of the chair. “We’re leaving right now.”
Quinn arched a challenging eyebrow. “Really? Where do you think you’re going? We’re in the middle of the ocean.”
“We’ll leave on an emergency raft. Nick has a satellite phone that can be used anywhere. He’ll call for someone to rescue us. It’s the best thing. We’ll simply disappear.”
There were times Quinn felt as if he were banging his head against a brick wall when talking to Paul. The man was set in his ways. He ran in the first place because he was convinced it was the only way to keep Rowan safe from these people. He regretted the decision, ached for the child he left behind, but fear was a huge motivator. Paul couldn’t see beyond his, and Quinn found it frustrating.
“You’re not taking her on a rescue raft,” Quinn replied, firm. “I mean ... for all we know, that’s how she dies.”
“H
old up.” Dave waved his hand to get everybody’s attention. “Are you being serious about these omens? I mean ... is this real?”
“It’s very real,” Quinn confirmed, sparing a quick glance for Fred, who appeared thoughtful more than anxious. “The most important thing is keeping Rowan safe. That means she can’t be alone even for a moment.”
“That’s going to make going to the bathroom an adventure for her,” Fred quipped. “I volunteer for all those duties.”
Quinn scorched his friend with a dark look. “Really?”
“Just trying to lighten the mood.”
“Well, we’re not feeling light.” Quinn rubbed his hand over the top of his short-cropped hair. He’d kept it close to the skin since he joined the military. Today was the first day he missed having something to pull. “She cannot be alone in a public bathroom. There are private employee bathrooms throughout the ship. She can use those. Someone needs to make sure she gets inside and out without anyone jumping her, though.”
Rowan heaved out a sigh as she pictured the scenario he was describing. “That doesn’t sound invasive or anything.”
Quinn slid her a sidelong look. “We talked about this. You agreed.”
“I know. It’s just a lot to absorb. I’m on board. I made a promise and I plan to stick to it.”
“So what’s the plan?” Nick queried. “Other than watching her every second of the day, what should we be doing to eradicate the threat?”
“We have to assume that the threat is coming from the Phoenix Society,” Quinn replied. “They’re the obvious choice. However, that being said, I do not want to overlook the possibility that she could be in danger for a different reason. I mean, for all we really know, she could trip and hit her head or something. We need to be hyper-vigilant.”
“We can’t crowd her,” Dave noted. “If we do that, it will be over before we even start. Those society peeps will know something is up if she suddenly has an obvious shadow. We have to watch her but still maintain distance.”
“We do,” Quinn agreed. “The last thing we want is for those people to temporarily retreat and then return with a crew we can’t identify. I still want someone watching her at all times. She’s also agreed to make sure she sticks in highly-populated areas. If one of the Phoenix Society representatives tries to isolate her, she’ll call out to one of you or to me on the phone. It’s the best plan I can come up with.”
“Well, I think it happens to suck,” Paul groused. “I think we should run.”
“I’m not ruling that out when we land on El Demonio,” Quinn admitted. “We’re not getting on a life raft, though. It’s simply not going to happen. For now, we’re playing it by ear.
“You’re either part of the team or working against us, Paul,” he continued. “I can’t focus on you when your daughter is in danger. That means you can’t constantly be dragging my attention away from her. This is not about you.”
Paul balked. “I never said it was.”
“Then put the team first. We’re in this together.”
“Fine. I’ll take first watch on deck.”
“We’ll do it in teams,” Fred corrected. “If one of us is sitting out there alone watching her, we’ll draw attention. Everyone needs a partner so it looks as if we’re just hanging out together and she happens to be there. We’ll set up a rotation schedule.”
“That sounds good.” Quinn rested his hand on Rowan’s shoulder and gave her a light squeeze. “While you’re doing that, I’m having a talk with Michael. I want to know exactly what his relationship is with Spencer. I think we’re at a place where it’s necessary to find out.”
“I would definitely agree with that.”
MICHAEL WAS SURPRISED WHEN QUINN showed up at his private office.
“Hey. I was just about to pour some coffee. You look like you could use some.”
Quinn managed a wan smile for his friend and nodded. “That sounds great. I could use the caffeine.”
“You look like you had a long night.” Michael was sympathetic. “Were you up late fighting with Rowan? I have to say, I’ve never seen her like that before. Is she finally letting her hair down? That might not be a bad thing.”
“She had a rough day yesterday,” Quinn replied as he got comfortable in one of the chairs across from Michael’s desk. He accepted the mug of coffee the captain graced him with and sipped before continuing. “She really was not feeling her best. I should’ve insisted she go to bed early. She didn’t want to disappoint you, though, since you requested the dinner with your friend.”
“Oh, that’s sweet. It wasn’t a big deal, though. Leon would’ve gotten over it.”
Quinn sipped again as he debated exactly how he wanted to bring up Michael’s long-lost college buddy. “How well do you know Leon?”
If Michael found the question odd, he didn’t show it. “Oh, well, not that well really. I mean, that story he told about us rushing the fraternity together was true. We were close enough when we were pledges. Once we were initiated, though, we basically went our separate ways.”
“Is that because you didn’t trust him?”
Michael cocked his head to the side, confused. “Is something wrong?”
“Not necessarily. I’m just curious about your friend. He was a late addition to the guest registry and I’m always suspicious whenever something like that happens.”
“That’s because you’re not a very trusting soul.” Michael chuckled as he shook his head. “You need to ease up a bit. Leon is perfectly harmless. He asked if I could get him on the cruise last minute. We didn’t have a lot of space but there were a few extra rooms. We always keep that small block for backup.”
“Did he say why he wanted to be added at the last minute?”
“El Demonio,” Michael replied simply. “He’s interested in the shipwreck find and heard we were heading back. I think he believes there are ghosts down there or something.”
Quinn furrowed his brow. “Ghosts? I don’t follow.”
“No, I don’t either.” Michael’s chuckle was nervous and hollow. “See, the thing is, Leon and I drifted apart because he had an obsession of sorts. When I joined the fraternity, it was because I wanted ready access to beer and broads.”
Even though the statement was crude, Quinn wasn’t exactly surprised. Apparently Michael hadn’t changed much over the years. He was still obsessed with broads. He’d upgraded from beer to single malt whiskey, though. “I would assume that’s what most people join fraternities for,” Quinn said dryly. “I mean ... I’ve heard people lie and say it’s for the connections, but we all know why they really do it.”
“We do,” Michael agreed. “Although, to be fair, some of the connections I made back then still hold true. I have great friends from my college days and we still keep in touch.”
“Leon wasn’t one of them, though.”
“No. Leon actually did join the fraternity to make connections. It was simply with a guy everyone else in the fraternity wanted to pretend didn’t exist.”
Quinn felt as if he was lagging in the conversation. “I don’t understand.”
“Edgar Torrance.”
Quinn ran the name through his memory and came up empty. “Am I supposed to know who that is?” he asked finally. “If so, I don’t.”
“It’s been a good seven or eight years, so I’m not surprised that you don’t know who he is,” Michael admitted. “His name was all over the news in central Florida for a time. You were probably overseas, but you’ll recognize the story even if you don’t remember the name. He was the guy who entombed those three girls in a basement room because he thought they had psychic powers and were stealing thoughts from his brain.”
Realization dawned on Quinn and he straightened in his chair. “Right. I did hear that story. The guy was crazy. He got convicted anyway but escaped the death penalty because his doctor testified that he could no longer tell right from wrong.”
“Pretty much.” Michael bobbed his head. “Edgar was a former me
mber of the fraternity. He gained some notoriety back in the day because, supposedly, there was a ghost haunting one of the dorms. She reportedly kept throwing herself out a window to her death — just like she did forty years ago — and he exorcized her ... or whatever you do with a ghost.”
“I think exorcism has to do with demon possession,” Quinn noted. “It sounds like this Edgar guy was obsessed with the paranormal.”
“Absolutely. That was his thing. It turns out, that was Leon’s thing, too. I didn’t find out until after the fact, but Leon only joined the fraternity because he was hoping to find a way to contact Edgar. This was before Edgar lost his mind and killed those girls, of course.”
Quinn was officially intrigued. “Did Leon ever hook up with Edgar?”
“I never asked but I’m doubtful. He just wanted someone to talk to and Edgar fit the bill. I honestly forgot about Leon’s paranormal obsession until he showed up again. I was kind of hoping he’d outgrown it — he would spend hours reading these thick, dusty books in the library that talked about ghosts and other stuff — but one of the first things he asked me when we had drinks that first day was if I’d seen anything odd on the ship.
“I asked what he meant because I honestly wasn’t sure and he said that he thought cruise ships were notorious for hauntings and psychic phenomenon,” he continued. “I figured he was messing with me and started laughing. It turns out he wasn’t messing with me.”
Quinn’s stomach settled a bit. It sounded as if Spencer had simply taken advantage of an old connection. Michael — per usual — had no idea what was going on and was trapped in his own little world. There was nothing evil about his friend. He was simply easily manipulated.
“Well, he sounds like a bit of a loon,” Quinn supplied after a beat. “I thought he was slightly off at dinner.”
Farewell Seas Page 48