What was wrong with her? Was she shot? Drugged? Her vision was becoming blurred and shrinking. It was all going dark. She pushed up the baseball hat onto her forehead. It was so hot.
“Well there you are, doll. I was hoping I’d run into you again before we docked tomorrow.”
She knew the voice, but it was too hard to focus. She felt a hand on her arm. She wanted to pull her arm away and run but couldn’t manage it.
“Breathe, just breathe. Long, slow breaths.”
She clung to the voice. She did not want to lose consciousness.
“That’s it. Follow the sound of my voice. Deep breath in and then release slowly. And again.”
Her vision started to clear. Her chest was no longer on fire. Her heartrate, although still elevated, was not stratospheric. “Wha—what happened?” She tried to focus her eyes. She looked up from under the brim of her ballcap to see Dotti bending over her. Relief flooded her system. “Oh, thank God! Dottie, it’s you.”
“Yes, doll. Who’d you think it was?”
Dani bit her lip.
“Never mind. It’s all good. Now, let’s get you up on your feet. Maybe you can help me straighten up. I shouldn’t bend over at my age. There’s a definite risk I could stay that way.” She winked.
Using the wall for support, Dani pushed her way to her feet. Her knees were still a bit wobbly, so she stayed leaning as Dotti used her arm for leverage to straighten herself up.
“What happened?” Dani asked. “I was fine, and then I couldn’t seem to move or breathe.”
“I’d say you had a panic attack. My niece gets them occasionally. She stayed with me for a bit, so I’ve seen them up close and personal quite a few times.” Dotti peered at her. “You’ve never had one before?”
“I…” Dani wiped the palms of her hands on her jeans. Her heart was still beating erratically in her chest. She swallowed hard. There was no water in sight, and she’d still had a panic attack. That had never happened before.
“I— It’s been…” Her voice petered out. She cleared her throat and tried again, “I haven’t had one until recently. I’d forgotten all about the strength of them.”
Dottie hit the elevator button. “Well, something triggered it. You’d better find out what it was, so you won’t be caught off guard next time.”
“Um, right.” Gage had triggered it. Or more accurately, Gage crushing her heart and soul had triggered it. Trust and love. Two things she needed to avoid in the future. She gave Dotti a half-hearted smile. “I’ll have to work on it. So, what are you doing up at this hour?”
Dotti laughed. “I’m old. We don’t need as much sleep as you young folks do. I was just on my way up. What about you? Why aren’t you all tucked up in your cabin with that handsome man I saw you with the other day?”
“Ah, I’m not with—that is, we’re not—I’m by myself.” Her stomach knotted and her knees trembled.
Dottie gave her the once over. “You okay?”
“Um, sure. Just a passing thing. The panic attack. Much better now.”
The elevator door dinged then opened. Dottie put her hand out, blocking the doors. “That’s not what I meant, hon. You’re looking a little rough, like you haven’t had any sleep or a shower in days.”
“No. I’m fine. Really,” she said as she pulled the ballcap down to shield her face and started backing away. God, what if she smelled? Yuk.
“Huh. Don’t think so.”
Dani glanced over Dottie’s shoulder and saw a security guy coming in their direction. “Ah, I’ve gotta run.”
Dottie turned to look and then swung back to face Dani. “Get in the elevator.”
“I—”
“Get in,” Dottie said firmly and pointed into the elevator.
The security guard was getting closer. Dani moved around Dottie and went to the back of the elevator. Dottie stepped all the way in, and the doors closed behind her. She was facing Dani. “You’re going to come to my room and have a shower and a nap ’til it’s time to go. I even have snacks.”
“Um—”
“I won’t take no for an answer, young lady. You are coming with me. You need a friend at the moment, and I’m it.”
Dani bit her lip and then sagged against the elevator wall. Dottie was right. She did need a friend, and if she was being honest, she’d kill for a shower. “Deal.” She smiled. “Thanks for rescuing me again.”
“That’s what fairy godmothers are for!” Dottie said as doors opened.
Dani followed Dottie to her stateroom. She kept the hat pulled low so the cameras wouldn’t see her face. When Dottie opened the door, Dani heard a loud, low rumbling. She paused in the doorway.
Dottie saw her standing there and waved her in. “Don’t worry. That’s just my roomie, Ann.”
Dani raised an eyebrow but stepped in and closed the door as quietly as possible.
“You don’t have to worry about being quiet, doll,” Dottie said in a voice loud enough to make Dani jump. “Ann took out her hearing aids, so you could throw a party in here and she’d never wake up.”
“Um, okay.”
“Why don’t you grab a shower? I’m just going to get ready and crawl in with Ann. You can have the other bed. It’s clean. I had them change the sheets this morning. I like clean sheets every day when I’m on vacation because I’m too lazy to do it at home. This is my one chance.” She winked again.
“There’s some snacks in the bag on the other side of the room, between the bed and the wall.” She grinned. “I wait ’til Ann’s asleep and then I turn on the TV and snack away. She’d yell at me if she knew. Lecture me about my health. I know she’s right, but it’s vacation!” Dottie chuckled.
Dani couldn’t help but laugh. “Thanks. I’ll grab something if I get hungry.”
“The only thing I don’t have is clothing that you’d want to wear.” She pointed to her clothes. “Old lady stuff, I’m afraid.”
Dani grinned. “I don’t know… I bet you have some cool clothes hidden somewhere. You seem too hip to have only old lady stuff, but don’t worry. I can rinse out my underwear, and my clothes can last one more day.”
“I may have a thing or two in my closet.” She waggled her eyebrows, and Dani snickered. Then Dottie said, “Oh, and don’t worry about waking me. I’m putting in my ear plugs and using my sleep mask.” Dottie held up the items, one in each hand. “So I’m good to go.” Then she frowned.
“I feel bad I don’t have a set for you. Ann’s loud.” On cue, Ann’s snoring reached a fevered pitch. She snorted and then held her breath and rolled over.
“Um, I’ll be fine. I can always put the pillow over my head.”
Dottie pointed at her. “Good thinking! Okay then, enjoy your shower.”
Dani nodded and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. There was no way she was going to sleep, so the snoring didn’t matter, but it was sure nice to be alone for a few minutes in a safe place. And there was a shower. She leaned over and turned on the hot water. She peeled off her clothes and rinsed out her underwear.
She stepped into the warm spray and let out a groan of relief. Her shoulders slid down from her ears as the water cascaded over her body. She tried to relax and not think, but it was impossible. Gage was gone. Her protector. The man she’d foolishly let in had wanted her to be something she wasn’t. He’s made it obvious she wasn’t good enough. She was all alone again.
Tears crawled up her throat. It was okay to be alone but, damn, it hurt. She’d fallen for Gage. She’d let him in, and now he was gone. She didn’t try to stop the tears. It hurt too much. The last few days had left her feeling raw and exhausted. She let her tears carry the hurt and anger down her cheeks and mix with the drops from the shower to flow down the drain.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Gage glanced at his watch as he leaned against the wall in the stairwell by the exit door. Dani should be here by now. His stomach knotted to go along with his shoulders. He was stiff from sleeping in a chair. Not t
hat he’d slept after the fight he’d had with Dani.
Jesus. He’d called her a harlot. He wasn’t even sure where that had come from. She was never going to forgive him. He’d just lost it. Saw red, heard nothing but roaring in his ears and completely lost his shit.
She’d hit every single one of his buttons, and he hadn’t been able to control his rage. All those times he’d fought with both his real brothers and his brothers in arms, nothing had compared to the rage Dani had triggered in him. He’d scared her, he was sure. Well, hell, he’d scared himself as well.
He was supposed to be the moderator of the family. The most even-tempered guy who dealt with everyone else’s shit. Maybe that was the problem. He’d never dealt with his own shit. Dani had been right for calling him on it, and he’d attacked her in the worst way possible.
He wished with all his heart he could go back and unsay the horrible words. Or had chased her after he’d been such an ass. But he’d frozen in place. He’d had no idea how long he’d stood there, staring at the empty place where she’d been.
Now he needed to find her. His only job was to protect her, and no matter what had transpired between them, he wasn’t going to let his brothers down by failing his part of the Drake contract.
He rolled his shoulders again. He’d give his left testicle for a shower and some clean clothes. He was damn tired of wearing the navy ALASKA T-shirt, and he was pretty sure his jeans could get up and walk away on their own at this point. He hadn’t had to wear the same clothes this long since his days in the military.
He shook his head. Worry was eating a hole in his gut. He’d sure as hell like to know where she disappeared to. Job one had been to protect her and he’d blown it spectacularly. Not since he’d failed to save Cutter had he blown an assignment so badly. He ground his teeth and not for the first time, cursed a blue streak in his head.
After he’d come back to his senses, he’d gone through as much of the ship as he could, but finally gave up and sat in a chair on deck that he’d pulled under the eaves so he didn’t get wet.
He shifted position against the wall, trying to avoid clocking an elderly lady in the head with his elbow. He hadn’t expected so many senior citizens would be so excited to leave the ship. They were jammed in like sardines, and he stood out like a sore thumb.
He glanced around for the umpteenth time looking for Dani, but nothing. She was either blending really well or she wasn’t here yet. Jeremy had been specific. They had to be there when the door opened so he could check them off the ship. Dani had her passport in her bag, but Gage’s was lost in the state room the bad guys were casing. Jeremy said he’d do his best to get it, but Gage had doubts he could pull it off.
There was a loud bang and some clicking and then people started to move. “Shit. Dani, where are you?” Gage mumbled as he was forced forward in the crush. He’d wait for her outside on the dock, but it would be risky. At least his brothers would be there. That thought was the only thing that kept the panic that was growing in his stomach from coursing through his whole body. Maybe she was stuck somewhere and couldn’t get here without seeing the water. Not likely, but possible.
Gage turned the corner and saw Jeremy standing there, saying good-bye to all the guests. He caught Gage’s attention and gave his head a slightly negative shake. What did that mean?
Gage took a closer look at Jeremy. There were two men standing beside him. They weren’t checking people out. They were surveilling the crowd. Fuck. Ship security. They were looking for Gage and Dani.
Gage tried to slow down and shift out of the human tide, but it was too difficult. He was at least a head above the rest of the crowd. There was no hallway to turn down. He couldn’t do an about-face and run. He was going to have to hope for the best.
Jeremy glanced his way again. He flicked his eyes to the security guys and then back to Gage. Gage nodded slightly. Jeremy looked around and then back at Gage. He raised an eyebrow. Gage let out a string of mental curses. If Jeremy was looking for Dani, then that meant he hadn’t seen her either.
Gage’s heart was double-timing in his chest, matching the churn in his gut. He had to make it off the ship and find Dani. He took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair. He put his hat back on and tried to look bored. He uncurled his hands and willed his shoulders to relax.
He had to look like there was nothing wrong. He worked on his bored expression while at the same time watching the distance between him and the doorway grow ever smaller. He took one last look around, but still no Dani.
Suddenly, he was next in line. Jeremy reached out as if to take his exit card and his passport but bent down as if he’d dropped something. “Sorry about that, sir,” he said as he stood back up with Gage’s passport in one hand and the exit card in the other. He ran them through the system and handed the passport back to Gage. “Here you go. Have a pleasant flight home.”
Gage nodded and headed out the door, thanking his lucky stars the two security guys let him go. He had started down the gangplank when a hand landed on his shoulder. “Excuse me, sir. You need to come with us,” a voice said into his right ear.
He was tempted to make a run for it. He looked down at the pier. There were two security men coming up the ramp. He looked over and saw there were more security guards on the pier.
“Sir. You have to come with us now, please.” The voice was more demanding in his ear and a hand now gripped his arm firmly.
He searched around one last time, hoping to see Dani. Instead, he saw his brothers. Logan and Mitch were walking along the pier in his direction. He was tempted to yell to get their attention, but he didn’t want to upset security any more than he already had. At least they were here. He uncurled his fists and relaxed his shoulders before he turned around.
“What seems to be the problem?” Gage asked.
A larger security officer had joined the first two. He was obviously the man in charge as the other two gave way to him. “We need you to come back on the ship, sir. We have some questions we’d like to ask you.”
“Of course. No problem.” Gage shot one last look over his shoulder but his brothers didn’t see him. He ground his teeth. He was stuck. Hopefully his brothers knew what Dani looked like and would keep an eye out for her. If only he knew where she was? What the hell was she thinking?
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ann stepped back to admire her work. “You look sensational, if I do say so myself.”
“She looks like an old lady. Nothing sensational about that,” Dottie retorted from the other side of the cabin.
“That’s the entire point!” Ann huffed as she shook her head. “I need to use the restroom.” She shot Dottie a look and went over to the bathroom.
Dottie grinned at Dani. “I can’t resist winding her up sometimes. But I have to say she did an amazing job. You look just like one of us. Ann was always a whiz at makeup. She worked in the theatre for years. We rely on her to make us all look much younger when we go out to the local dances. I also made her promise to do my makeup for my funeral. I hate how people look so blotchy and…”
“Dead?” Dani asked.
“Yes!” Dottie laughed. “It was also a good thing Elenore brought her fancy wig. Sometimes she doesn’t travel with an assortment, but for the cruise, she went all out. I think the dark red suits you.”
Dani turned and looked in the mirror. Dark red. More like deep maroon, but who was she to complain? With the ball cap over the wig and the bright floral muumuu she was wearing, no one was going to notice her lack of wrinkles. The sunglasses, big oversize round ones, would cover most of her face anyway.
She hitched up the muumuu, put her backpack on in front of her, and then pulled the muumuu down over it.
“Not bad,” Dottie said. She leaned over and adjusted the backpack a bit. “Hunch over a little bit.” Dani did as she was told.
Ann walked out of the bathroom. “Nice touch.” She gave a nod of approval. “You’ll pass for sure.” She walked over and gave Dani�
�s wig one more slight tug. “I’ll tell you a secret. No one notices old people. In fact, people stop noticing women when they get in their fifties. People just stop seeing you. It’s weird.”
“She’s not lying,” Dottie said as she bent down and pulled her suitcase off the bed. “Once you’re not young and cute, no one looks anymore. I could walk in and rob a bank, and all they’d be able to say is an old lady did it.”
“I’m sure it’s not that bad—”
“You’re wrong.” Dottie shook her head. “Younger people everywhere are conditioned to think that an old person equals no danger. Especially old biddies like us.”
Ann gave her hair one last quick brush in the mirror. “But that’s not necessarily a bad thing,” she said and winked at Dani. “There are a great many things we can get away with because of it.” She turned and glared at Dottie. “Bank robbery is not among them.”
“Spoilsport,” Dottie mumbled under her breath.
Dani laughed. She’d been laughing a lot this morning. These ladies were great fun. When she’d asked Dottie to help her get off the boat without being seen, she’d had no idea what a hoot it would be. Dottie had enlisted a whole crew of women to help. Many wigs and muumuus later, they finally had the look. Now she just had to pull it off.
There was a knock at the door. “That must be Elenore and the girls.” Ann walked over and opened the door. The “girls” were all there in the hallway. There were too many to count and not one under the age of seventy. “We picked up a few more recruits,” said Elenore. “You girls ready?”
Dotti pulled the handle of her small wheelie bag and started for the door. “All set.” She moved into the hallway and turned. “What do you think?”
The ladies all studied Dani from head to toe. She made sure to slouch forward so she looked like she had a rounded back.
Elenore clapped her hands. “Well done. She looks like my neighbor’s sister, Eugenia. She’s going to blend right in.”
Hit and Run: A Thrilling Novel of Romantic Suspense (Callahan Security series Book 3) Page 16