Page 73 of Ship Happens
“You’ve never seenBreakfast at Tiffany’s?”
I shake my head.
“I see a movie night in our future.”
The elevator comes to a stop, but my stomach lurches for a different reason. Mainly the fact that she sees a future with me in it. I have to find a way to show her that she can’t give up everything for me. Her life was meant for something more, and I can’t be the reason she gives up on her dreams.
“The mean reds. It’s the moment of hopeless despair,” she says as she uses her purple wristband to let us into our cabin. “He’ll feel it when she tells the truth, and I know just the thing to loosen her tongue. You go find Jim, then meet me back here.”
I nod and start down the hallway as an uneasy feeling nips at my heels. While I hope it won’t come to it, if I can’t convince Frankie that I’m not worth the sacrifice she intends to make, I’ll have to take drastic measures. I’ll have to hurt her to save her.
In the meantime, I’ll try to enjoy what time I have left.
Jim stands with his back to me as I enter his office. He stares out a window overlooking the star-filled sky, a glass of something dark and dusky in his hand. He swirls the glass, then tips the edge against his lips.
“We’ve got a problem,” I say as I close the door behind me.
He turns and smiles. “What else is new?”
“The woman Ice Pick fell for? Turns out she’s a fed. Frankie figured it out, and now we need permission to kill her.”
Jim chuckles and sips his drink again before turning away from the window. He strolls to a massive desk and takes a seat behind it. After folding his hands in his lap, he nods toward the leather chair in front of the desk.
“I don’t have time to sit. Frankie is currently preparing something so that we can get her to tell Ice the truth. Then we want to let him kill her.”
He tips his head to the side. “And what if he won’t?”
“What if he—” I squeeze the back of my neck and close my eyes. “Jim, she’s betrayed him in the worst possible way. She doesn’t actually want him. She wants whatever information he can give her.”
“How is that any different from your situation?” He sits forward and taps his finger on the desk. “Frankie’s goal is the same as hers. To get intel on us. How much have you given her in exchange for a little attention?”
“That’s an entirely different matter, and you know it. Even without all the strings you’ve pulled to turn her against her own, that Castle asshole did the hard work for you. He’s put it into her head that her division was out to kill everyone they sent to this ship.”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
All thought flies from my head, and I forget why I came here in the first place. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me correctly, son. All eleven agents were sent here to die. They’re a black spot on the government records, and they need to be disposed of. Quietly.”
“I-I don’t understand. Why Frankie? What the fuck did she do that was so horrible?” Now I sit in the chair. If I don’t, I’llcollapse. I never imagined Castle’s little death confession would hold an ounce of truth.
“It’s not my place to say, but all will be revealed. In time.” Jim sits back in his chair again. “For now, continue to be her friend. She’s going to need one when everything comes to light.”
I grip the arms of the chair and fight the urge to raise my voice. “Jim, we’re talking about her life here. I know you like to play these stupid games, but I’m not willing to put her through hell just so you can get a little entertainment.”
“Well, well. Looks like someone’s gotten a little more invested, hmm?”
“Cut the shit.”
His smile drops to something sad, and he spins his chair around with a sigh, giving me his back again. “Permission granted. As for the rest, you’ll just have to trust that my interests lie in the same pit as yours.”
I stand and hurry out of the room before I leap across the desk and strangle him with my bare hands. My temper doesn’t usually flare like this, but I’m not usually this terrified, either. If Frankie was sent here to die, what is she hiding?
And why don’t I care?
As I rush down the hallway, I look for the stairs. The elevator will take too long, and I need her in my arms right now. I need to know she’s safe and that I can keep her that way. For the first time since learning about Frankie’s identity and my true mission, the desire to protect her comes with a swift kick of urgency. She’s been in danger this entire time, and only now do I fully realize it.
By the time I reach the cabin door, my lungs are on fire and I can’t catch my breath. I fling open the door and find her standing by the long desk beneath the television. Four champagne flutes tower on top, accompanied by the tainted bottle of Bollinger.
