Page 11 of Dark Horizon New Dawn

"That would be nice. Could Luis work in the sanctuary in some capacity? He will need a new job."

"I doubt it," Kian said. "But I'm sure I can find him something to do."

Kalugal lifted his glass, took a sip, and put it back on the side table. "I've noticed that the ship is going faster again. What's up with that? Now that we are not in a rush, I thought we would be going at a slower pace."

"That was the plan, but I decided to speed up our arrival in Cabo so we could have at least one more stop on the way home. As it is, this trip is a far cry from the vacation everyone expected. I want to salvage what I can."

Kalugal emptied his glass and put it back on the side table. "Higher speed requires exponentially more fuel, which makes it much more expensive, and the increased motion makes sailing uncomfortable. I don't think your guests care about visiting another port city as much as they care about enjoying themselves on the ship."

"I don't feel any difference in the comfort level." Kian took a long puff of his cigar. "And I'd prefer to put as much distance as I can between us and Acapulco as fast as possible."

Kalugal nodded. "That's a good point."

7

MARGO

Margo had a feeling that Jasmine's question about needing to show a passport to get on a cruise ship had to do with her boyfriend. She was an American, and she couldn't have boarded the plane at LAX without a passport. She had either lost it or it had been taken away from her, and Margo was betting on option number two.

The problem was approaching the subject in a way that wouldn't offend or scare Jaz away.

She was very pleasant to be around, and Margo wanted to befriend her. They had been chatting for more than an hour, and she found Jasmine knowledgeable about many subjects but not opinionated, and although she was stunningly beautiful, she didn't act like those women who thought that everyone needed to worship them because of their looks.

What was even more attractive about Jasmine was her ability to enjoy quiet camaraderie without having to fill every moment with sound. She was content to just lounge by the pool next to Margo and say absolutely nothing. It was so refreshing after spending nearly a week with Lynda and her friends, who felt like every moment needed to be filled with words, and every second of silence made them feel awkward.

"The bachelor party left the pool bar," Jasmine said after a while. "Do you want to get another drink before the night crowd arrives?"

They were the only two still lounging by the pool. The other hotel guests had left a long time ago, but some were enjoying drinks at the pool bar, which was just gearing up for nighttime activities.

The band was setting up their instruments on the podium while staff members were collecting the loungers and replacing them with tables and chairs.

"That's not a bad idea." Margo removed the towel that had been keeping her warm and pulled her cover-up from her satchel. It wouldn't shield her from the evening chill, but it was more suitable for the bar. "But this time, I'm buying."

"Don't be silly." Jaz waved a dismissive hand. "I'm putting it on Alberto's tab." She smiled with an evil glint in her eyes. "He said to charge anything I want to the room." She pushed to her feet and pulled a beautiful cover-up dress from her bag. "I bought this today in the hotel boutique."

"It's gorgeous." Margo slid her feet into her flip-flops. "It looks expensive."

"Oh, it was." Jasmine lifted her high-heeled slides and put them in her satchel. "But Alberto won't mind. He loves spending money on me." She winced. "He thinks that it makes everything else okay."

That was an opening Margo could pounce on. "What do you mean by everything else? Is he abusive?"

Jaz shook her head, but it was a very unconvincing gesture. "He's very controlling, so I guess that could be called abusive. But so far, he hasn't done anything physical." She padded toward the bar.

Margo fell into step with her. "I don't like how you said 'so far,' as if you are expecting that to happen soon."

"I didn't mean it that way." Jasmine's smile looked so fake that it would have been comical if not for the seriousness of the subject. "It's not going to happen because I won't let it."

"Good for you." Margo patted Jes's shoulder. "The moment you suspect that things are about to get ugly, walk away. No guy is worth it, not even one who lavishes presents on you."

"I know." Jaz sat on one of the barstools facing the bar and put her satchel on the floor next to her feet. "But it's not that easy."

"Why not?" Margo sat on the one to her right. "Is it a financial thing? If it is, you can move back with your parents for a while until you get back on your feet."

"It's not financial." Jasmine plastered a bright smile on her face for the barman. "Hi, can we have a couple of Cadillac Margaritas?"

"What's that?" Margo asked after the guy turned to fill their order.

"It's a supercharged margarita with a shot of Grand Marnier in it."

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