Page 67 of Dark Horizon New Dawn

"Lucky bastard," Jay said. "She's one hell of a screamer."

Peter briefly closed his eyes. "Please don't mention that again. Not to me and not to anyone else. She would be mortified if she found out that you heard her."

Jay put two fingers over his lips and mimed locking them and throwing out the key. "Do you want me to move to another cabin?"

"You can if you want to, but as long as you keep your mouth shut and treat Marina with respect, I have no problem with you staying. If you are nice to her, she might mention you to her friends."

She probably wouldn't, but that would ensure that Jay was on his best behavior around her.

His cabin mate grinned. "I'll keep that in mind."

48

MARGO

After pacing the small cabin while rubbing the back of his neck, Alberto cast Jasmine another disdainful look and sat back down.

Was he being mean to Jaz because he felt guilty for tricking her?

Margo suspected that it was easier on his conscience to shift the blame to Jasmine. In his mind, if Jaz was stupid enough to fall for his lies, then she deserved what he had done to her.

It was convoluted logic, and Margo was surprised that she figured it out despite her drugged state. Perhaps the effect was wearing off, and she could think more clearly?

Thankfully, Jasmine was still riding the high, so Alberto's insults didn't seem to bother her. Staring at the window with a grin on her gorgeous face, she looked oblivious to her fate.

Margo put down the toast she'd been eating and took another sip of coffee. "Who is Julio Modana? What does he do?"

"He's a businessman," Alberto said.

"Right." She snorted. "A businessman. Where is he now? Doing business from his posh cabin? Or sleeping?"

"He's not here."

Alberto cast a sidelong glance at Jasmine, that Margo thought was full of guilt, but she didn't trust her judgment in the state she was in.

"I heard him talking with you earlier, so how can he not be here? We are on a yacht in the middle of the ocean."

He looked at her down his nose. "First of all, we are not in the middle of the ocean. We are not far away from the coastline. And secondly, this yacht has a helipad. Señor Modana flew back home after inspecting the merchandise."

Margo grimaced. "You are an asshole, Alberto, but then I'm not telling you anything you don't know. You care for Jasmine, and yet you handed her over to your boss."

"I don't care for her." He shook his head a little too vehemently. "She's just a woman." He pushed to his feet. "I don't know why I'm wasting my time in here with you."

That wasn't good. Margo needed him to stay and keep talking. The more she could learn from him, the better her chances of escape.

"Don't go." She plastered a smile on her face. "Jasmine is half catatonic from the drugs you injected us with, and I need someone to talk to."

He cast another dark look at his former girlfriend and sat back down. "I'll finish my coffee and then go."

"Good." Margo sipped on her coffee for a few moments before firing another question. "So, when is Señor Julio coming back?"

"I don't know. He doesn't tell me his plans. But he will probably want to take another look at her, so he will return sometime later today."

"Why her?" Margo asked. "Was it Jasmine specifically, or would any stunning brunette do?"

He regarded her with suspicion in his eyes but then shrugged. "It doesn't matter what you know. You are not going anywhere." He took another sip from his coffee, and Margo thought that he wasn't going to answer, but then he said, "Señor Modana wanted Jasmine specifically. He'd seen her in a commercial, and he pointed at the screen and said, I want her. Bring her to me, and I'll make it worth your while."

"Did he make it worth your while?"

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