Page 7 of Depths of Desire
His expression darkens. "Yes. That kind of official."
I exhale sharply, trying to steady my pulse. "Oh. Well, that’s not so bad. As long as I stay hidden?—"
"It’s bad."
Ice shoots through my veins. "What do you mean?"
His lips curl into something close to a smirk, but there’s no amusement in his eyes. "There’s a dead guy in the cargo hold, in case you’ve forgotten."
The blood drains from my face. How could I forget?
I swallow hard, my brain scrambling. "Okay, so… what do we do?"
Nico’s tone is casual, but his body is taut, ready. "We get off. And we get off now. Because even though you’re a paying passenger, this isn’t going to go over well. I don’t know if the captain put you on the manifest, and my guess? Probably not."
A distant sound pricks the air. Footsteps. Heavy. Moving fast.
Nico adds, "People are coming. Right now."
My stomach bottoms out.
Nico sidesteps, pressing himself into the shadows. "You’re going to open the door. It’ll cover me. You’ll find out what’s going on. If anything happens, I’ll be right here."
And then?—
Thump. Thump. Thump.A knock rattles the door.
I freeze.
Nico gives me a look. One that says,move.
I take a breath, force myself forward, and crack the door open.
The captain stands there, his face set like stone. I recognize him from our Zoom call. "You need to hide."
"What?" I blink. "Why do I need to hide?"
His jaw clenches. "Not important."
I scoff. "It bloody well is important! Why the fuck should I hide? I paid you to be on this ship!"
The captain’s eyes flash. "Yes, you paid me. But you didn’t pay anyone else. And now, I need you to hide."
"But I don’t want to hide."
His expression turns hard. "I didn’t ask what you want. I’m telling you—hide. Now. Come with me, and I’ll show you where."
Panic slams into me like a wrecking ball. "No, wait. What’s going on?"
The captain shakes his head. "I don’t know. No one warned me. It’s some sort of customs boarding. No clue what they’re looking for, but I can’t have you lingering about. Grab your stuff and come with me."
"I can find my own place to hide," I snap, my hands shaking.
A voice cuts through the tension. "Captain!" Someone yells from down the hall. "We need you on the bridge. Now."
The captain grits his teeth, then leans in. "Find a place to hide. If they find you, I swear to God, I’ll kill you myself."
I swallow hard. "Okay. Yeah. Fine. Sure."
