Page 58 of Fighting for Brielle
“Brielle!” Shawna called and waved.
Amused, Justice watched them share air kisses.
“You look absolutely beautiful!” Shawna gushed.
“So do you,” Brielle replied with a smile.
Shawna turned toward Justice. “You must be Brielle’s boyfriend. Nice to meet you, Chief McQuaid. My dad, um, speaks a great deal about you.”
Justice shook her hand and winked. “I’m sure he does.”
Shawna drew the blond-haired boy forward. “This is Drake Shelton, my boyfriend. Drake, this is Sergeant Brielle McAdams, my self-defense instructor, and Chief of Police Justice McQuaid.”
He shook hands with them and said with solemnity, “Sir. Ma’am.”
“Shawna, where are your parents? We’d like to personally wish your mother a happy birthday. We also have this for her.” Brielle removed a birthday card from her evening purse. Inside was a gift certificate which entitled Vivian and a guest to spend a day at one of LA’s upscale spa resorts.
“Oh, Mom and Dad aren’t going to make their appearance for at least another hour. Not until after all the guests are on board and we’re at sea.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m supposed to greet everyone along with my brothers, but they’re nowhere in sight. Probably holed up in their cabin playing video games.” She reached for the card. “I’ll take this, though. There’s a table set up on the dining deck for cards and gifts. Please make yourselves comfortable. Plenty of appetizers are being served by the pool and on the other decks, too.”
“Thank you, Shawna. We will.”
When the girl and her boyfriend were out of earshot, Brielle murmured, “You were right. Vivian is vain but expecting your fifteen-year-old daughter to play hostess isn’t cool.”
“No, but it gives us an opportunity to explore and note who’s here. I just spotted Linda Ferguson and her husband. I’d like to avoid her for the time being.”
“All right.” She grabbed his hand. “Let’s go to the lower level.”
* * *
The Spectrum cut the water smoothly as it cruised at ten knots parallel to the California coast. When all the guests were gathered in the lounge, the pianist began to play the Happy Birthday song, and everyone sang as Vivian and Elliott descended the stairs. She looked regal in a silver beaded evening gown. Elliott wore a black suit with a silver dress shirt that coordinated perfectly with her dress. He made a great spectacle of wishing her a happy birthday and kissing her as everyone applauded.
Since Justice stood head and shoulders above the guests, he was easy to spot. He watched the mayor’s eyes widen in disbelief and offered a humorous grin while lifting his wine glass in salute. Justice caught a flash of momentary anger, and something else, too, in the mayor’s eyes as his gaze slid away. Fear.
An announcement was made that a full sit-down dinner was being served to the nearly seventy-five guests on board, and they moved en masse to the dining area. Two long dark walnut tables, elegantly set with delicate china and sparkling glass and silverware, sat twenty-five guests at each. The Gages’ closest friends joined them on the upper deck for a private meal. Justice wryly noted that he and Brielle weren’t among the chosen ones.
Although the Gages were eating outside their private suite, Shawna preferred to join Brielle and Justice on the dining deck. Justice enjoyed teasing Drake as they discussed sports and the teen’s goals for the future. Dinner was an elaborate five-course affair prepared by a renowned chef at one of LA’s finest restaurants. Again, Justice wondered where the money came from for such a fancy meal. This particular chef did not come cheap.
After dinner, guests moved about the various decks, drinking and dancing to piped-in music. When a slow song played, Justice took Brielle into his arms, loving the way she fit perfectly against him. They swayed, thoroughly engrossed in each other, yet aware of everything going on around them. Alcohol flowed freely, but they didn’t imbibe except for the glasses of wine they drank earlier and at dinner. As the guests grew tipsy and louder, Justice and Brielle decided it was time to search the superyacht.
“I’ll take the cabins,” Justice whispered in Brielle’s ear and nipped lightly on it.
She shivered in his arms. Turning her head, her mouth met his in a hot kiss. “Lower deck.”
After they separated Justice meandered toward the cabins?two VIP and four double. He started with the four double cabins and knocked on the first one to his left. Trying the door, he found it locked. Behind it someone panted.
“Wait your turn, man! It…will…only…be…another… Ahh!” Someone moaned in pleasure.
Disgusted, Justice turned away and moved on to the next cabin. This one was open, and he entered, glancing around. It was obviously the Gages’ sons’ quarters, for clothes lay strewn across the beds and on the floor. A video game system was hooked up to a large screen TV. He searched it thoroughly but didn’t find anything of interest. The third cabin belonged to Shawna, and unlike her brothers’, hers was neat and tidy with all of her personal possessions in their proper place. Nothing there, either. The last cabin was empty and his search proved fruitless.
The VIP cabins were larger and lavishly decorated. His search of the first one took longer than the double cabins. A couple was using it, for he found clothing belonging to them, but no information about their identity. Given the identity of the occupants in the second VIP cabin, Justice was surprised to find it unlocked. Linda’s purse sat on the dresser. He rifled through the clothes hanging in the closet and the dresser drawers, but they yielded nothing. None of the cabins had loose floorboards or hidden spaces.
Expelling a disappointed breath, Justice stepped out of the cabin and found himself face to face with Linda. Her eyebrows shot up.
“What in God’s name areyoudoing here?” she demanded, her voice a mixture of surprise and something akin to dread.
“Do you mean in this spot or in general?” he replied flippantly.
“Don’t play dumb with me, McQuaid. You’re sharper than you’d like us to believe. How’d you end up on the yacht? Elliott can’t stand you.”
