Page 29 of Fire on the Moon

“She used to kiss him and sit on his lap.”

He laughed. “I guess that’s pretty up-front.”

She shot Zane a sidewise look. “Or maybe she was staking a claim on him. Either way, my mom didn’t approve of public displays of affection.”

He was quiet for a while, probably trying to decide if there was some way to find out about the mistress.

“What town did you live in before you joined the program?” he asked.

“Morristown, New Jersey.”

“We should see if there’s any record of your uncle there. Or nearby.”

“It would be old.”

“Yeah, he’s been in Florida for at least fifteen years.”

“How do you know?”

“Tax records.”

When Zane was quiet again for several minutes, she asked, “Where are we going—exactly?”

“There’s a lot of recreational boating down here—with a ton of marinas on the rivers that flow into the Gulf. I figure we shouldn’t pick the classiest place. We’re going to Cypress Creek. It’s not a dump, but it’s below average in big-ticket amenities. No pool or gym, for example, and no playground.”

She hadn’t thought about the Florida boating culture. “They have stuff like that at a marina?”

“Apparently. Some even have pool tables and upscale restaurants. Cypress Creek is smaller. It’s not a place where we’re going to have a lot of neighbors.”

“But they do have short-term boat rentals?”

“We’re renting from a private owner. He makes his boat, the Lady Slipper, available to vacationers when he’s not in the area.”

They arrived at the property about twenty minutes later, and she watched Zane carefully checking the surroundings, impressed with his attention to detail. Really, she should stop protesting his precaution. Of course, if she did that, she’d have to admit she was still in imminent danger.

She shuddered.

“What?”

“I just flashed back on the car chase yesterday,” she conceded.

He unbuckled his seat belt, pulled her to him, and cradled her in his arms. “We’ll get through this.”

It was tempting to let the moment stretch. Feeling his arms around her had given her a sense of security from that first time on the beach. Instead, she straightened and studied the marina. It looked to have around thirty slips with about two-thirds of them occupied.

Shifting away from the water, she saw well-kept tropical plantings around the office, not as luxurious as what her uncle had, but nice.

Next door to the office was a Laundromat and a convenience store. It looked like an okay place, but she caught a doubtful expression on Zane’s face.

“What?”

“When I checked out pictures of this outfit. I expected fewer boats—fewer people.”

“Is that a problem?”

“I hope not.” He sighed. “But it’s probably better if you’re seen as little as possible. Why don’t you wait in the car while I register?”

“Okay.”

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