Page 37 of Poison Evidence

He frowned, and she could guess his thoughts. There was a decent-size inflatable motorboat mounted to the stern. The tender was for use at ports that were too shallow forLiberty’s large draft. Ivy could take the inflatable and escape.

If not for her orders from Curt, she’d do it without hesitation.

“As I mentioned when you first came aboard, the alarm system will let me know if anyone enters or exits. But of course, an alarm won’t prevent you from leaving any more than it can stop someone from breaking and entering.”

“I won’t try to leave,” she said.

“I want to believe you, Ivy. But I can’t.”

“Don’t—don’t lock me in. I—it—the idea freaks me out. Please don’t make me a prisoner.”

He sighed. “You have a choice: share my stateroom, or sleep in a locked room alone.”

“That’s not much of a choice.”

“But still, it’s a choice. And it’s yours.”

“I’ll sleep with you. But no touching.”

He grinned. “You, however, can touch me all you want.”

If he only knew how tempted she was. Proof she was a bigger fool than anyone ever imagined.

Dimitri wasn’t sure who would be more tortured by the sleeping arrangements. In spite of everything, Ivy was attracted to him, and understandably, she found that desire unsettling.

He had no such qualms. He wanted her, period. But he’d take nothing less than the uninhibited woman who’d begged him to take her in the shower, and that… Well, that was never going to happen.

At least after nearly forty hours without sleep, he was too exhausted to care. He moved the boat farther out to sea, then they shared a light meal on the upper deck so Ivy could keep an eye on the upload progress.

Once the data finished uploading, Ivy broke down the equipment and carried it down the ladder into the salon.

He slid the walls that enclosed the helm into position, then followed her below. From the security panel, he locked the helm, hatches, and side doors, then set every alarm on the boat.Libertywas a fortress at anchor in remote, open sea.

Chores complete, they retreated into the captain’s stateroom. After a moment’s hesitation, he pulled back the rug at the foot of the bed and removed the drawer.

He glanced over his shoulder at her. “Find the opening.”

She knelt beside him and looked into the dark space under the bed, her brow furrowed. “Flashlight?” she asked.

He grabbed one from the utility drawer and passed it to her. She ran the beam over the exposed wood that lined the cubbyhole. She laid it flat, allowing the wash of light to spread across the surface. She pressed at the corners and tried to move the flooring. “I don’t see it.”

“Good. It’s big enough to hold CAM with room left over. Do you want to store CAM there while we sleep?”

The compartment was below the bed, under the obvious storage one expected to find on a boat. To the searching eye, it was invisible, perfect for a smuggler—or in the case of the previous owner of the boat, human trafficker.

“Probably a good idea.” Then she frowned. “Is it lined with something that will block the tracking signal?”

“Nope. Just a wood box.” He ran his finger along the front lip that housed the drawer and flicked the hidden latch. The panel dropped down and slid soundlessly to the side on tracks that ran under the bed and stateroom floor. It was invisible because the panel was one large polished piece of wood—larger than the bed itself, leaving no seams visible.

She let out a gasp of shock as she took in the assortment of guns and ammunition tucked within the hidden compartment.

He’d have to lock the stateroom when he wasn’t in it with her from here on out. This show of trust was either brilliant or stupid on his part, but then a spy’s life was always about choices in the extreme.

He helped her load CAM and RON inside, then showed her how to close and conceal the panel.

Task complete, she stared at him with her head cocked. “What does it mean that you let me see where you keep your guns?”

He shrugged. “Probably that I’m a fool.” He stepped toward her but didn’t touch her. “If anything happens to me, you know where they are. Use them. Protect yourself.” He paused again. “Tomorrow, I’ll show you how to shoot.”

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