Love Inspired Suspense April 2015 #2 (43 page)

“Knock, knock?”

Several raps on the door frame followed the question, and three men in navy blue security uniforms entered the room. An older, stocky gentleman who looked as if he'd spent a lifetime on the open water strode over to Shaun and extended his hand. “Tim Parsons. We spoke earlier about the incident on the parking deck?”

“Tim, thank you for bringing your team in here. We've got a bit of an unusual situation.” Shaun took the man's hand in a firm grasp, and Lexie noted with mild annoyance that all the security officer offered her was a curt nod.

“Call me Parsons.” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder toward the two men behind him. The shorter of the two had a lanky build with arms that went on for days, and bright orange hair to complement it. He stared at the floor and the walls as though wishing he could be anywhere but inside a passenger's room. The other security officer, however, looked familiar. “Reed and Josh are my main team. We'll do what we can, but as you know, we have our hands full with the recent announcement. What's the situation here?”

Josh seemed to sense her gaze on him and met her look with a nod of acknowledgment. They'd met him in the computer room. Well, a familiar face was a good thing, right?

“Lexie, why don't you have one of the officers escort you to the lounge?” Shaun's question sliced through her brooding thoughts. “I'll meet you there after we get things sorted here.”

Escort her to the lounge, as if she was a child? Not likely. “I can see myself there, thank you very much. But this is my room, so I don't see why I should leave.”

Parsons cleared his throat, waving his hand in her general direction. “Sorry, miss, but judging by what this gentleman has told me, we'll need to move you to another room while this one is under investigation.” He turned back to Shaun. “There's no Royal Canadian Mounted Police on board today, but we'll close off the room until we reach harbor.”

Lexie shuffled closer to her bags, away from the door. Being pushed out of whatever was going on wouldn't help her investigation or give her the answers she needed regarding Shaun's latest suggestion. Human trafficking? It sounded absurd, and yet deep in her heart, she knew that some people were fully capable of evil. Was kidnapping people and forcing them into menial labor truly that far-fetched?

“Won't moving me to another room cause the same problem? If somebody got in here, they could get into that room, too. I don't see how that's any safer.”

Parsons smiled at her as though she'd lost a few brain cells. “It's a matter of protocol and safety, Miss...”

“Reilly. Lexie Reilly.” She didn't bother to cross the room and shake his hand. “Forget about the room. I don't need sleep.” She reached down to pick up her bags, but a hand on her arm stopped her mid-motion. She straightened to find Shaun next to her, a sheepish smile on his face.

“It's a good idea, Lexie. Humor me on this and take a different, safer room for the night. The person who accessed your room may have hacked into the passenger list and found your room number there. Your new room won't be on file, so you should be able to get a good night's rest.”

Lexie scolded her heart, which threatened to melt at his sincerity. She matched his gaze and held it for a few seconds before realizing that he did, in fact, make a good point about the passenger list. “Fine. But I still want an explanation for how you know all that stuff you told me...understand?”

He nodded and took a step back, easing the growing tension in the air between them. “I'll tell you as much as I can, and that's a promise. But you'll have to meet me halfway. I have some questions for you, too. Meet in the lounge in a half hour or so?”

She agreed, picked up her bags and headed to the door. What could he possibly have to ask her? Compulsion moved her to look back at Shaun one last time before following Reed to her new cabin. He and Parsons were discussing the photo left on her bunk, and despite the lumberjack getup he wore, Shaun's demeanor looked too smooth—too professional for him to simply be a passenger who'd stumbled across her path. And while this thought left her with more suspicions than reassurances, she couldn't help but wonder why she'd felt so much safer in his presence than she had in the few moments she'd been on board alone.

FIVE

A
fter sorting things out with Parsons, Shaun headed back to his room and dug his portable Broadband Global Area Network satellite terminal from his gear bag. He bundled up with a few more layers of warm clothes and jogged to the nearest outer deck exit to set up the phone connection. He was already an hour overdue for his first check-in, which didn't bode well for the upcoming conversation.

“You'd better have something for us, agent,” came the gravelly voice of Jack Credicott, the case officer Shaun reported to in Langley, Virginia. “You know how the men upstairs get cranky when we keep them waiting. Either you've caught our man or you're about to bust him. Throw me a nugget, here.”

Shaun grinned, imagining Jack at his desk with an oversize mug of Costa Rican coffee and his ubiquitous jar of green Jolly Rancher candies. “I'll do you one better, Jack. I have reason to believe the Wolf has at least one ‘package' aboard the ship.” He followed the statement by relating the incident on the parking deck and subsequent events. “The cut braid looks like the Wolf's work—just enough violence to make a statement, but not enough to cut into profits.”

“So he's either close or you've got yourself into a wasp nest of drones moving packages for him.” The crinkle of a plastic wrapper transmitted across the ocean into Shaun's ear.

“I wouldn't say it's a nest. Maybe a barbershop quartet's worth.”

“Anyone tell you that you make no sense sometimes, agent?”

“That's four, Jack. Max of four.”

The officer chuckled, candy clacking across his teeth. “And the mainland?”

Shaun glanced out at the ocean, but the night had grown too deep to see much of anything. “The Wolf could be waiting at harbor to receive packages, intending to move them elsewhere. Haven't ruled that possibility out yet.”

Jack sighed and cleared his throat. “You're close, kid. I don't need to tell you twice to be careful.” The weariness in Jack's voice came through loud and clear on Shaun's end. This op had taken a lot out of everyone involved, including the lives of several agents and more than one asset. Not to mention the drain on external relationships—hence his ongoing singleness since that day eight years ago when he'd told Nicola that they simply weren't right for each other.

With the finish line to the op closer than ever, Shaun needed to ensure that he could protect the people around him without having to lie or coerce them into cooperation. “The woman who was attacked, Alexandra Reilly, could be a valuable asset. She's got her own set of intel on a missing woman she's tracking, which we could use to help triangulate or narrow down the Wolf's position. Plus, she seems to be a direct target at this stage. Keeping her out of harm's way may be to our direct advantage.

“And, uh...” Shaun cleared his throat before continuing. “Point of note? I had a brief friendship and a falling out with her sister. Before the Agency, I mean. It was during the mission trip to Botswana that changed my life. I honestly never thought I'd see either of them again, but the point here is that Lexie Reilly knows my real name. I had to correct her so she wouldn't blow my cover, but this has made her aware I'm using a different name on board. She's not naive, Jack. It's only a matter of time before she starts asking questions.”

Jack thought for a moment before responding. “Your call on how deep to involve the asset, then. Might be worth involving ferry security, too.” Shaun tried to protest, but Jack cut him off. “Hear me out on this. If you're on a ferry with passengers aboard, and one of them is capable of intense violence to protect his interests, you're going to need help keeping order if things get out of hand. Especially if you're stuck at sea for several days.”

Bring the security team into the investigation? Shaun had done similar things before, and in this case it meant having more bodies on the lookout for Lexie and the rest of the passengers. It could be a smart move, depending on how reliable and skilled the ferry security team happened to be. “You sure they won't just get in the way, Jack? Not to question their training for the job, but that's exactly what I'm concerned about. Maybe bring in the captain instead?”

“Bring in security, agent. Use your cover story, and watch your back. There are more people to think about here than just the Wolf. We don't want an international incident on our hands. Emphasize the need for discretion and do what you need to keep them in line, but it sounds like you're going to want all the help you can get. Understood?”

Shaun understood, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Would Lexie be glad to hear he had a legitimate claim to help her, or would she be angry that he'd been less than forthcoming about his role on board thus far? “Hey, Jack? Think you could do a little favor for me?”

The other man's fingers tapped on his keyboard as Shaun spoke. Jack was likely swamped with work, but Shaun hoped his next request wouldn't be too far out of the realm of possibility.

“Fire away. Not literally, kid.” Jack laughed at his own joke. “What is it?”

“Can you search for any intelligence on Alexandra and Nicola Reilly?”

“You want me to do a background on the asset? That's not so unusual. Probably would have done it anyway.”

Shaun brushed a lock of stray hair out of his eyes, resting his fingertips on his temple. “I should also mention that the asset is angry at me, and I don't know why.”

Jack's tone shifted from handler to amused friend. “Have you tried asking her about it?”

“Not exactly the right timing, as you may have deduced.”

“It's never the right timing, agent. As with anything involving assets or outside relationships, you have to make time. I thought you'd have learned that by now.”

Shaun's heart tightened. During Shaun's early days at the Agency, the man had coached him through months of personal doubt. Of course his advice was spot on. “It's an easy lesson to remember, but a harder one to practice. I'll try to talk to her, and that's a promise. But can you still look into it for me? I'm not sure when I'll have a chance to call back in, especially if things get dicey. Hold the info until then.”

Jack agreed, and Shaun hung up with a heavy weight in his chest. He had to talk to Lexie and tell her the truth—she deserved it, and if he was honest with himself, he cared for her well-being enough to
want
to tell her. More than her well-being, in fact. He cared for
her
, and for a moment in her cabin, it seemed as though she might have begun to care for him, too.

* * *

Lexie's new cabin had a similar layout to her old one, with the addition of a coffeemaker and ritzier linens. The location gave the illusion of safety, at least—Josh had pointed out the security office as they passed by, and they'd crossed paths with the captain coming out of his quarters. After dropping her bags off in the room, she intended to head to the lounge, but her stomach rumbled a reminder that she hadn't eaten since lunchtime.

“Can we escort you back to the lounge?” mumbled Reed, the redheaded security officer. He didn't make eye contact as he spoke, as though he also knew how silly the request was as he made it. “Your friend said he'd meet you there.”

Lexie shut the cabin door behind her and watched as a couple lumbered through the hallway, suited head-to-toe in heavy winter gear. “The lounge is one floor up and a straight path down the outside deck, right?”

Reed nodded, but his forehead creased with concern. “Sure, but it's mighty cold outside. Wouldn't recommend going outside in this weather. It ain't safe. Slippery out there at night. And your friend made me promise to take you back to the lounge myself.”

So, the question had been a formality and she couldn't escape the escort after all. What she wouldn't give for a few minutes to herself to think. She needed time to process everything that had happened, not to mention the oddly heroic actions of Shaun “Lane.” If she didn't know any better, she'd peg him for some kind of law enforcement, not a government man.

Her stomach rumbled again, louder this time. Reed glanced sideways at her belly, and heat rose in her cheeks. The events of the past hour had, once again, prevented her from finishing both coffee number two and her bag of trail mix. “I'll be fine,” she said, using her go-to dismissal. “I doubt whoever left the message on my bunk is going to try any funny business with so many passengers wandering up and down the halls. From the sound of things, heading to the buffet upstairs is a better option for me.”

Despite her insistence that she could make it up two floors to the restaurant on her own, Josh decided that he'd head back to her old quarters to let Shaun know where she'd gone while Reed escorted her to the buffet. They took the elevator up two more floors to the short escalator that took them the rest of the way to the ship's open-concept restaurant. They arrived amidst a massive crowd of passengers, many of whom stood around with worried or anxious expressions on their faces. Lexie suspected that much of the anxiety stemmed from hunger, as hers did, rather than a worry over their delayed arrival in Argentia.

The scent of mashed potatoes, lobster, gravy and fresh biscuits wafted throughout the room, sending Lexie's stomach into a complete tailspin. A giddy little girl passed by holding a plate piled high with battered haddock and French fries smothered in ketchup. Lexie resisted the urge to reach out and snatch a fry off the girl's plate.

“I can take it from here,” Lexie said, whirling around to pull her attention from all the loaded plates. “You'll make sure the other guy found Shaun and told him where I went?”

Reed pulled a walkie-talkie from his utility belt and waved it back and forth. “Will do. I gotta get back to help them anyway. You run into any trouble, there are emergency phones around. Pick one up and dial nine, and we'll be on the other end.”

Lexie thanked the reserved young officer and watched him walk away. Should she have gone back to get Shaun before heading here? Another glance at the fully laden buffet struck her with a wave of guilt. It wasn't as though Shaun had eaten dinner, either. The temptation to grab a biscuit or a handful of onion rings tugged at her willpower.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and turned away from the buffet. It made more sense to wait for Shaun. Plus, now might not be the best time to sit down and spend a half hour eating, not if Maria might actually be aboard the ship. Every second could mean the difference between life and death.

Lexie's stomach roiled at the thought. Fries and gravy didn't seem all that appealing anymore. She slipped down the descending escalator, taking the steps in small hops to make the journey faster. If she moved quickly, perhaps she could catch Shaun on his way here, and redirect the both of them to the lounge for a coffee and granola bar.

She recalled Shaun's cryptic statements in her room after they'd found the braid and photograph. He'd known far too much about human trafficking to simply be a casual passenger on this ship. Pulse pounding in her ears, Lexie stopped when she came to a branching hallway. She hadn't been paying attention to where she was going, too lost in urgent thoughts. She turned right and found herself in a short corridor with a metal crash-bar door at the end. A bright-red exit sign hung at the top. The door looked similar to the one by the stairs that led up from the parking deck, so she pushed on the door, intending to walk down the two flights of stairs instead of continuing to search for the elevator.

Lexie jumped back with a yelp as a blast of freezing cold air slammed into her face. The heavy door fell back into place as she backed out of the little corridor. What had Reed said? Taking the outer deck could be dangerous at night. Too slippery. Fine, she'd find another way.

Her attempt to retrace her steps proved more difficult than expected, and it took only a few minutes to realize she'd wandered even farther off course than before. All the passenger doors looked the same, closed and silent, with only the hum of the ship's inner workings to let her know there was still life aboard.
Where is everyone? A staff member would be really handy right about now...

“Miss? Are you lost?”

Lexie jumped, alarmed that someone could sneak up on her in this quiet area of the ship. Her shoulders loosened, seeing a familiar face. “Security officer Josh, thank goodness.”

Josh brightened as he recognized her. “Miss Reilly! I thought you were headed up to find dinner?”

“I thought I'd wait for Shaun,” she admitted, feeling sheepish at being caught wandering the halls. “I wanted to head back to my old cabin and see if he was still there, but I started thinking about everything that had happened and took a few wrong turns.”

Josh pointed a thumb over his shoulder. “Elevator's back that way, stairs are past them at the far end. Can I walk you down there? Shaun actually sent me back to find you. He said he'd be a few minutes longer.”

“I guess so. I honestly don't know where I am. Lead the way.”

When they reached the elevator, Josh punched the button for two floors down. The elevator rose through the shaft with a high-pitched screech. “Uh, forget you heard that. I promise it's safe. I was actually on my way to see the maintenance team about it. If you can believe it, the maintenance elevators a few doors down are even worse.”

“That's mildly reassuring. I've had enough excitement for one day.” They rode the elevator to the correct floor, Lexie only breaking the silence when the doors opened with a quiet ding. “Thanks. Which direction?”

Josh pointed to the right. “Head that way for Shaun. Two left turns and you'll be in the correct hall.”

Lexie thanked him and trudged down the hall, turning left at the end. However, the hall she ended up in had several branching hallways, each looking similar to the other. Was she supposed to take the first left, or just find the hall with the right room numbers?