“Figured she might. About time you found someone.”
“Says the perpetual bachelor.”
“I like my freedom!” Rennie declared. “Even better, I guess we won’t be sharing suites on our trips anymore, which means I can bring the party back to my room.”
Dante shook his head. “Glad to see you’re taking this well.”
“We’ve been together a long time.”
“What is it, forty years now?” Dante mused aloud.
“Long enough to know you’ve been lonely. You found yourself a good one. She’s spunky and that wolf… fine-looking creature. Savage too. She took out those pirates damned efficiently. Kind of impressed.”
Not an easy feat given Renard’s own skill.
“How long until we dock?” Dante asked.
“Was supposed to be this afternoon, but I managed to delay things by claiming I saw somebody in the water.”
“Please tell me you didn’t toss someone overboard.”
“Mannequin actually. But it held us in place long enough that we’ll now be docking just after dark.”
“Excellent.”
“Where to after that?”
“Selene’s home. She’ll want to check in with her family.” It would also be a good time to introduce himself. “Then, on to our next mystery.”
“Glad to hear you’re not giving up the hunt. I’ve got my eye on a situation in Russia. There’s been some social media claims about a man claiming to be Rasputin causing trouble.”
“Intriguing. I’ll expect a report.”
“Already working on it.”
Renard left, and Selene returned, her lips turned down. “So many people saw me.”
“Saw your wolf,” he corrected.
“I know, but I’m worried. What if some government officials figure out there was a werewolf on board and start investigating all the passengers?”
He tugged her onto his lap. “They can look all they want; they’ll never find you.” He’d already had her, himself, and Renard wiped from the ship’s manifest. On top of that, Renard had cleared the surveillance tapes for the cruise. Every single one when accessed came up blank, and if anyone dug deeper, they’d discover the storage disks corrupted.
She leaned her head against him. “You know what would make me feel better?”
He did. And he made sure she felt better twice, all they had time for since the ship docked and an order came through to disembark.
Authorities were waiting to interview the passengers. Not Dante, Selene, or Renard, though, as he mesmerized their way past the grim-faced officers.
They’d brought their luggage with them but still had to exit via the baggage area, crowded with people who’d come to greet their loved ones—those who survived—from the ill-fated cruise. Ill-fated, of course, for everyone else. Dante thought it the most splendid trip ever.
As they neared the doors with the taxis lined up outside, Selene stiffened by his side and murmured, “Uh-oh.”
“What’s wrong?”
“That’s my family over there.” She inclined her head, and he had no trouble picking out her brother and sister. Similar in appearance to Selene, but it was their focused stare on himthat truly made them stand out. Other people stood with them, including a woman who could only be Selene’s mother and a much older couple.
“They must have heard about the troubles on board and flew down to Florida.” He’d seen mention of the pirate attack on the news.