Page 3 of Depths of Desire
The ship lurched as if hit by a larger wave. I glance at my watch. If I don’t leave now, I’ll be late for a family meeting. I’m not looking forward to telling Renzo and Luca about this mess, never mind my father. And what the fuck am I supposed to do about Luna? There’s no way anyone knows she’s on board. Her father would have a coronary.
I look down at my suit. Ruined from the grime on the ship’s floor. I really need to go, but curiosity grips me. What the hell is Luna doing here? I shouldn’t confront her because she saw my fall, and I should be dead. How do I explain I’m still alive without telling her I’m a vampire?
The ship lurches again. The smell of metal and oil is getting to me, and the swaying isn’t helping either. Time to go. I turn the corner to head to the stairs when I hear a door open again. I look up. It’s Luna. She’s back, and even though she is two storiesabove me, I detect her expression is terrified. I can smell her fear.
She glances behind her and starts running down the catwalk toward where I fell. She glances back again and trips, letting out a yelp, but manages to grab the railing for balance. Looking back over her shoulder once more, she moves forward, but the door ahead of her opens and she slides to a halt, letting out another yelp.
The door slams shut, and a man is standing in front of her. “Did you think you could get away that easily?” He lets out a nasty chuckle. “There’s nowhere for you to run, hot stuff. No place to hide. I know this tub like the back of my hand. Did you think the captain would help?” He stalks toward her. Luna backs up.
“The captain told me we had a passenger, and I am to take good care of you.” His laugh was distinctly evil. “So you see, I’m following orders.”
“Fuck you, asshole,” Luna snarls.
“That is the plan,” the man agrees.
I grit my teeth. I should turn and disappear. This is none of my business. But this is Luna, and I’ve had enough of assholes for tonight. I gather my strength and jump, landing in the shadows on the catwalk behind the guy. He turns to face me.
“I think you should leave the lady be,” I say.
“Who the fuck are you? Where did you come from?” the guy demands.
“Not important,” I say.
Luna’s eyes widen to the size of golf balls. Her mouth is hanging open.
“Leave her alone.”
The guy grunts. “This ain’t your business. Fuck off and go away.”
“I am making this my business.”
The guy half-turns toward Luna. “We’re gonna have some fun but I gotta take care of this asshole first.” He whips around and tries to hit me. I step back and then drive my fist directly into his nose. His head snaps back, and I know I’ve broken his neck. As he starts to crumple, I grab him and throw him off the catwalk to the floor down below. I know he lands very close to the blood stain I left, even though it’s not visible from here, at least not for a human. I smile.Nice. Now I don’t have to worry about anyone thinking twice about the blood I left behind.
I glance at Luna, who is still staring open-mouthed at me.
“Are you okay?” I run my gaze over her. She appears to be fine. Her heart rate has skyrocketed, and I know adrenaline is pouring through her system. The acrid tang of fear fills the air between us, overriding the stench of the ship.
“I…” she starts, but doesn’t continue. “You…were dead,” she finally manages to eke out. “I saw you. I saw them hit you. He hit you… You fell over the railing. Y-you died. How can you still…be here? How can you…be alive?”
I shrug. “One of life’s little mysteries, I guess.”
She swallows. “You…I…how?” Her voice fades out.
“It was a glancing blow.” I scramble to come up with something believable. “I landed on top of an open container filled with…packing materials, so it wasn’t that far of a fall, and I had a soft landing.” Jesus, that was lame. No way she’s going to believe that. I continue, “It doesn’t matter how. I’m alive, and you’re lucky I am because that piece of garbage was going to hurt you.” I gesture over the railing.
Luna’s eyes follow where my fingertips point. The only part of the guy not in shadow is his right foot. She swallows and mumbles, “You killed him.”
“You’re welcome.” I try to wipe some grease off my pants. Damn. What a mess. I liked this suit.
I glance at Luna, but she is still staring at me in shock. I stifle a sigh. “He’s no great loss. I wasn’t going to let him hurt you. Renzo would have my ass because Mia would have his. Now,” I say, narrowing my eyes at her, “what are you doing here?”
She licks her lips. “Forget you saw me. I will…I will forget any of this ever happened. I won’t tell a soul.” She shakes her head and takes a step backward. “Promise. I won’t tell anyone.” She takes another step.
Her hands are shaking, and her eyes dart all around. The smell of her fear is not subsiding.
“You’re afraid of me?” The surprise in my voice irritates me as much as knowing she fears me.
“N-no.” She shakes her head. “I-I won’t tell anyone what I saw. I know better. My father taught me well.”
