Love Inspired Suspense April 2015 #2 (41 page)

Lexie struggled for composure, not wanting to reveal just how scary the ship's shudder had been. Her brain knew how unlikely it was for a ship of this size to capsize—and as far as she knew, there'd never been a serious accident on this ferry crossing route—but her legs felt shaky as the crunching continued at random intervals. She didn't even have the strength to protest as Shaun touched her elbow and led her away from the window, escorting her through the ship's corridors to find the passenger cabins on the deck below.

The cabin deck hallways were narrow, providing just enough room for two people to pass each other or for a wheelchair to navigate successfully. At room forty-two, Lexie dug the key card out of her pocket and unlocked the door.

She'd reserved the smallest, most austere room they offered—the coach of ferry cabins—and the bunk bed on the left wall gave the place a college dorm feel. The rest of the room contained a desk and chair, a little bathroom and shower, and a window that overlooked the ocean. It was no Hilton Suites, but it would do for an overnight trip.

“Thanks,” she said, when Shaun pushed past her to place her bags on the floor. “But you didn't need to carry those.”

“It's nothing.” He folded his arms and glanced around the room. “Basic amenities? And I bet you fly coach, too.”

“Of course. I'm being responsible with company funds. What's your point?”

He shrugged and exited the room, tapping on the door frame. “I bet your sister wouldn't go for this. If Nicola were here, she'd—”

Lexie's temper flared. How dare he even speak her name? “Because you're an expert on my family? Please, tell me more.”

Shaun stepped back, his face a mask of confusion. “I was just suggesting—”

“Stop suggesting, then.” If he hadn't lead her sister on and then broken her heart eight years ago, well, they wouldn't even be here right now.

“Fine.” Shaun exhaled through his nose, clenching his jaw. “I'm going to go find out where the computers are. I recommend you stay here and lock the door. Don't open it to anyone except me. I'll knock twice, wait ten seconds, and then knock once.”

Lexie stared at him. When had Shaun become a conspiracy nut? The guy had no idea how this kind of thing worked. “I don't see why I can't come with you.”

“Safety,” he said, his voice betraying a hint of annoyance.

“The only person in danger here is the girl I need to find. And I can't find her without the information from that folder.” Did he really think she'd act carelessly after the events of the past hour?

Shaun raised his hands, the corners of his mouth turning down into a scowl. “Lexie, I need you to listen—”

Another crunching noise reverberated throughout the ship and Lexie put her hand on the wall to steady herself. The ship shuddered more violently this time, and the noise continued instead of quieting. Her heartbeat sped up, pounding in her ears.

“You think that's normal?” Lexie almost spat the words at Shaun, whose scowl had vanished, replaced by concern. “Pretty sure ferries aren't supposed to sound like a bag of chips when they sail.”

He shook his head and caught her gaze. Lexie stopped the gasp that threatened escape. He was worried, and he wasn't trying to hide it. For some reason, that made her feel better. Despite their acquaintance being separated by almost a decade, a familiar face in a moment of uncertainty helped to quell her immediate panic.

“Keep the door closed. I'll be right back. Don't do anything rash.”

She shut the door behind him, despite wanting to slam it in sudden anger at his parting comment. Who did he think he was, telling her not to do anything rash? He didn't know her. Or her sister. Not anymore, anyway, and he'd made it quite clear all those years ago that he didn't care to. Lexie sucked in a deep breath, trying to ease the tingle of adrenaline. The last thing she needed was to lose control of her emotions. She had a job to do, and if Shaun insisted on being a part of it, surely she could put up with an annoying hero-wannabe for a little while longer. He had potentially saved her life, after all. When she got the information from her folder back, she'd politely ask him to stop distracting her for the rest of the trip.

She sat on the bed and drew her knees up to her chest, feeling resolute, yet unable to shake the strangeness of Shaun's confused reaction to her words moments ago. This was not the time to dwell on it, though. She needed to focus, and Shaun would provide nothing but distraction.

So why did she feel a pang of regret at the thought of sending him away?

* * *

Shaun wandered through the ferry's halls, wincing at the unending crunch and jar of the ship. Worried faces peeked out of cabin doors, and there were fewer employees around than there had been a few minutes before. Had they all run off to find out what was happening? Hopefully, that meant there would be a ship-wide announcement to reassure the passengers before they started mobbing the captain's quarters. The thought of having Lexie's assailant amidst the mob of angry, scared passengers didn't sit well—it would provide the perfect cover for her to be injured, or worse.

The muscles in Shaun's neck tensed as he thought about Lexie's shock at losing her folder. Hadn't she been the more docile of the Reilly sisters? But now after less than an hour with her, it wouldn't surprise him if she'd left the room the moment he was out of sight. It was bizarre that they'd ended up on the same ship bound for the same place, but even stranger was Lexie's reaction to his question about her sister. He regretted not delving further into that immediately, but she'd reacted with such hostility that he'd let instinct take over and backed off.

Not exactly the mark of a superspy, allowing himself to be rattled by an attractive woman from his past.
Did
he find her attractive? Sure, in a platonic, purely aesthetic... Oh, who was he trying to convince, anyway? She'd been the cute little sister before, but now? She'd blossomed, all right. Lexie had gumption to be in the missing-persons business, too. They'd make a good team if he could manage to quell her hostility. Letting her in on the details of his assignment might do just that, but protecting his alias could get tricky. On a typical assignment, he needed to protect his identity at all costs, but she knew his full name and they shared a past—albeit through another person, but it might be enough for a mission-destroying slipup. Bringing her in the loop, even a little, could help protect them both. He'd discuss it with HQ on his next check-in.

Shaun rounded a corner and saw a bank of computer cubicles through a set of glass doors at the end of the hall. He paused and had decided to go back to get Lexie when a scruffy employee in a white uniform pushed open one of the doors and strode toward him, purpose in his step.

“Excuse me,” Shaun said, pasting a smile on his face. “Can you tell me what's happening with—” The employee shook his head in silence and brushed past Shaun without making eye contact.

“Excuse me?” Shaun raised his voice, staring after the employee. He wanted to give the man the benefit of the doubt—the ongoing noise was extremely worrisome—but it was no excuse to be rude. The man disappeared around the corner without another word.
Some people.
Shaun figured he might as well take a look inside the computer area to make sure the internet access was working.

All the chairs and computers were lined up in a row inside little library cubicles with instructional sheets tacked above the monitors. No, Shaun noted, not all the chairs. The final chair in the row sat slightly askew. His intuition urged him toward it.

Shaun sat and shook the mouse to wake up the screen. A sudden coldness hit his core.

Whomever had previously used this computer left in a hurry, because up on the screen—logged in, and with a list of files in clear view—was Lexie's cloud storage account. The coldness spread and chilled his spine as he noted another open tab. Lexie's email. He checked her account details, changed her password and logged out.

It had to be the same person. Lexie's attacker had been here minutes before. But what worried Shaun even more was that the attacker wasn't here now. And Lexie was alone.

THREE

S
haun thought of the employee he'd passed in the hallway. The man might have seen who had used the computer. In fact, he might have been in such a hurry because he'd been held back by a recent guest. If Shaun moved now, maybe he could catch him and get a description.

Shaun leaped up from the computer and raced through the glass doors, slowing his pace only when he reached the next hallway. He looked both ways, seeing several other people in white employee uniforms engaged by other guests. None looked familiar. The employee couldn't have gone too far, though. There were too many curious and worried passengers around to have made it far without being stopped to answer questions.

Excusing himself past groups of concerned faces, Shaun paced the corridors, scanning every hallway in both directions. The employee had vanished. After five minutes, Shaun had to admit he'd lost him. That made getting back to Lexie the next priority.

He'd have to tell her what he'd found, but maybe she'd be able to tell if the hacker had had time to read any of her documents. The room attendant had to come back eventually. Shaun would question him then, or find one of the security guys and learn whose responsibility it was to keep an eye on the computer room.

Shaun jogged down the stairs and hallways to get to Lexie's room. He followed the pattern of knocks and, to his relief, she opened the door the moment he finished the final knock. She appeared unimpressed as her face tilted up expectantly, jaw set in defiance, a fire blazing in her eyes that was betrayed by the quiver in the corner of her delicate mouth. A knot formed in Shaun's gut and he found himself suddenly conscious of how close she stood to him. He struggled to hold himself together, her vulnerability in the moment causing him to inexplicably yearn to hold her close and protect her from danger.

Lexie's emotions bubbled near the surface, about to spill over. It thrilled him.
Intrigued
him. His head screamed at him to run, that this pull toward her was ridiculous, but his feet remained firmly planted to the ground. What would she do if he pulled her into his arms and promised everything would be all right?

Lexie seemed to sense a shift in the air between them and stepped back. “You found something?”

He swallowed—
cool it, buddy
—and glanced both directions down the hall. “Yes, but you'd better come with me.”

To his surprise, Lexie didn't hesitate. She stepped out of the room and locked it, no questions asked. She must have noticed his shock, because she raised one eyebrow and tilted her head. “What? You wanted me to try trusting you.”

Warmth returned to his center, easing the cold that had come with learning someone had accessed her private files—but following that came the regret that he couldn't yet be honest about why he'd boarded the ferry. In his book, omission of information was as harmful as a lie. Would knowing the truth break her fragile trust?
God, give me strength.

She followed him in silence to the computer room, where he led her to the last terminal. He brought up the webpage to log into her email with the new password he'd given her, then pulled out a chair so she could sit down.

Lexie stared in disbelief as her inbox loaded. “What...what's this? How'd you get into my email?” She looked up at him with accusation, but he shook his head and reached across, clicking open the other tab.

“I didn't, Lexie. But I have a good idea who did.”

She sputtered half words, eyes glued to the screen. “Someone hacked my account? But that doesn't make any sense. Why would anyone want to read my messages?”

“Check if anything is missing. Whatever you had in that folder gave someone enough information to hack your email and your online storage account. They want to know what you know.”

She swallowed hard and closed her eyes. “I've been meaning to change my passwords to something more secure. I've been using my dog's name. Easy to guess with a quick search on social media. Maybe we should call the police, have them meet us at the dock. They could dust this terminal for fingerprints or clues or something.”

“I'd already touched it,” Shaun said. “And do you really want to make this area an active crime scene? We'd have to cordon the room off and guests will ask questions. There's no way of being sure some kid or joker wouldn't tamper with the area, and I have a feeling security doesn't have enough manpower to post a guard outside.”

Lexie scanned the contents of her accounts as Shaun paced the floor. Had someone been looking for additional, specific information? The more he thought about it, the more he grew certain that the same young woman Lexie was looking for had to be tied to the organization he hunted.

“Have we stopped moving?”

Shaun snapped out of his thoughts. Lexie jumped from her seat and jogged toward the doors at the same time as a blue-uniformed employee came toward them down the hallway. Shaun couldn't make out his face due to the way the hall lights reflected on the glass doors, but the employee appeared to be moving at a very brisk pace.

“Oh!” Lexie looked back over her shoulder. “I'll ask this guy. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like we've stopped. Don't you feel it?”

An uneasiness rose in Shaun's gut as the employee continued his approach, though Shaun couldn't pinpoint why. The way he moved seemed wrong, like he had something else in mind beyond attending the computer terminals.

The employee and Lexie reached the doors at the same time, Lexie still looking over her shoulder for an answer from Shaun. Shaun saw the man's hand disappear, as though reaching into his belt for something.

“Get away from there!” Shaun shouted and darted forward, ready to place himself in front of her as a human shield.

Lexie stopped, but the employee had already opened the door and stepped inside. He glanced between Shaun and Lexie and then over his shoulder, where a group of giggling teenage girls followed behind. “Is something wrong, sir?”

The tension in Shaun's shoulders refused to unclench. “I don't know. Is it?”

“Shaun?” Lexie looked between him and the employee. “What's going on?”

“Come over here,” Shaun said, drawing his words out. “Toward me. Don't turn around.”

The employee's eyes widened. “Sir?”

The teens pushed through the glass doors and into the room, laughing and whispering in each other's ears. Shaun's tension eased as the employee gestured to the terminals. “Here you are, ladies. Twenty minute maximum per session, please.”

“Sorry,” Shaun said, adding a brief laugh to diffuse the moment. “I thought you were someone else. I don't suppose you know if there's been anyone else in this room over the past hour or so, other than myself?”

The man shook his head, and Shaun finally pulled his observations away from the man's face to read the name tag. Josh.

“Sorry, sir. I've come from a briefing, myself.” Josh divided his attention between Shaun and the teenagers. “Personnel are being shifted around at the moment.”

“Do you know which staff member was stationed in this area on departure?”

Josh pulled on the edge of his shirt, straightening out a rogue wrinkle. “We don't typically station someone in this room for the duration of the trip. We have a few staff members with IT experience who check in every so often, but there's a call button at the back wall in case of any technical issues.”

Shaun rubbed his chin, considering the best way to ask his question without alarming anyone. “Would you happen to know who's on the schedule to do the first round of checks tonight?”

Josh grinned and nodded. “Yes. That would be me, sir. Security does initial sweeps at departure, but Sheila has the bulk of the overnight run. I'm on call for this room until then.”

“Did I see you down here earlier? Pass you in the hallway?”

Josh's smile disappeared. “No, that wasn't me. Sorry I can't be of more help.”

Shaun gestured to Lexie, and she stepped closer to him as Josh vanished through a staff door. A physical attack, drugged coffee, stolen folder, hacked email and no leads. Complications would abound if he continued to exclude Lexie from his op, but she clearly had trust issues when it came to men. Or when it came to
him
, for some reason.

“I have a theory about your hacked email, but we can't talk about it here. We need either a public place with plenty of noise or a closed room where no one can overhear. Did you have enough time to see if anything is missing?”

Lexie frowned and looked between the bank of computers and the door. “Oh no, you don't. Mind telling me what that was about?”

“I will, as soon as we get somewhere that isn't full of listening ears.” He inclined his head toward the teens, who were involved in an apparently hilarious game on a social networking website.

“Fine. Hang on a sec.” Lexie crossed her arms and returned to the computer. She tapped on the keyboard a few times before turning off the screen. “We can talk in my cabin, but I'd like to pick up another coffee since I didn't get much out of that first one.”

Shaun pressed his lips together. He wanted to get this conversation over with, but it would do no good if she stayed on the defensive. Maybe with another coffee and a snack, she'd be more amicable to discussing what had happened.

“All right, but let's make it quick.”

She glanced at him over her shoulder, annoyance rippling through her features. “You don't have to follow me. The halls are full of people. I can meet you at my cabin.”

Instead of responding, he shook his head and kept pace behind her. No use trying to convince her of the necessity of teamwork before he'd had a chance to explain.

“My case files were gone, by the way,” she said as they descended the stairs to the deck below. “Everything has been deleted. Somebody doesn't want me having access to information while I'm on board.”

* * *

Lexie noticed Shaun startle and nearly miss the next step. He grabbed onto the railing to steady himself, but she didn't regret the tone of her delivery—these halls were full of passengers already worried about the sounds coming from outside the ship. Showing alarm would just add to the high tensions in the air.

They walked to the lounge in silence, where Lexie bought another cup of coffee and a bag of trail mix.

“You're sure stuff was deleted?” His voice was light and upbeat, following her cue as they made their way back to her room. “Just the files on the case or other things, too?”

“Just the case,” she said, smiling as they passed a family of four in the hallway. The whole family wore fuzzy pajamas, and the two young children clutched plush toy characters from a recent animated film. The worried expressions on the parents' faces suggested that no one knew yet what was going on. Lexie wished they'd make an announcement, but the calmness of the staff was mildly reassuring. If the situation were serious, surely they'd be evacuating people by now. “In fact,” Lexie continued, looking over her shoulder as they rounded the corner into her room's hallway, “I think—”

Without warning, Shaun jumped forward and flung his arm out in front of Lexie, grabbing her shoulder to push her behind him against the wall. She winced at the pain of being slammed against a hard surface, but gritted her teeth to stay silent.

Lexie followed Shaun's gaze to her doorway. It stood open about three inches, and though she'd intentionally left the light on before leaving for the computer room, no light shone through the door now.

“Stay here,” Shaun whispered. He crept forward with slow, steady steps, but Lexie's attention was drawn to his right hand. He'd placed his hand inside his puffy vest, next to his right hip. There was only one reason a person would position their hand that way in a threatening situation, and it caused Lexie's heart to pound even faster.

Why is he armed?
She had to say something. Even if he had a perfectly good explanation, drawing a concealed weapon on board a Canadian passenger ferry could send him straight to prison.
“Shaun.” Lexie's voice wavered, but he ignored her, moving toward the door. “Shaun?”

He stopped at the edge of her door, cocking his head to listen. He glanced back at her and gestured for her to move toward him. She stopped about three feet away and watched as Shaun, with the practiced grace of a professional, slid his back against the door and reached his left hand slowly through the crack. The light switch clicked on and Shaun simultaneously slammed his palm against the door, which flew open.

Lexie peeked over Shaun's shoulder to see an empty room. There were few places to hide in these small cabins, but Lexie waited in the doorway as Shaun checked the bathroom and closet.

“It is safe? Can I come in?” Whether she wanted to come in was another question entirely. Shaun hadn't told her the whole truth about himself, that much had become clear. But could she blame him? It wasn't as though she'd asked the right questions. Or any questions at all.

“All clear,” he called. The sound of a sliding shower curtain was followed by his reappearance. “You'd better check if anything was taken, though. You're sure you locked the door when you left the room?”

Lexie's wide eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms, bristling at the implication. “Of course I did. You were standing right next to me and watched me do it.”

He shrugged. “It doesn't make sense that someone would break into your room and not touch anything—”

Lexie crossed the room as he spoke. She lifted her bags off the bed—and screamed.

The bags tumbled from her hands and she stumbled backward, bumping into Shaun, who had moved across the room to grip her shoulders. An empty hollow formed in her stomach as tears sprang forth. She tried without success to blink them away.

Shaun's grip tightened as he followed her gaze to the center of her bunk. Behind Lexie's bags, someone had used a small, wood-handled hunting knife to spear the photo of Maria from the stolen folder to the bunk. Between the photo and the blade, a short braid of glossy black hair had been pinned to the image.