Page 65 of Velvet and Valor
“Come on, Gina, let’s go.”
He can’t have had enough time to get the intel we need on the yacht. What’s Axel thinking? We can’t miss this chance.
“Ricky, can you show me where to powder my nose?”
“Yeah, follow me,” he says.
Axel gives me a quizzical look.
“Don’t be long,” Axel says. “I’ll be right here.”
Ricky shows me the ship’s lavatory. It’s small but elegant, as expected. It’s also devoid of any illicit goods, or criminal master plans. Disappointed, I decide to take the long route back to Axel in hopes that I might find something.
The boat lurches beneath me. I hear Axel shout as we surge out onto the water. Peering out the window, I see that the sudden lurch of speed sent Axel flying over the rail and onto the dock.
I run up to the top deck and see the marina dwindling behind us. Cursing, I go to the bridge, finding Ricky at the controls.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Just a quick spin,” he says “to show you what this baby can do. You’re the one who I need to convince, right?”
I am nervous about going out with him alone, but if I protest too much, it might blow our cover. Though considering our sudden departure, that might be a moot point now.
“All right,” I say. “But just a quick spin, so I don’t get seasick.”
“Of course.” Ricky fusses with two life jackets, holding them up and examining each one. He slides one over his shoulder and then he offers the other lifejacket to me.
“Here,” he says. “I hate to cover up any part of that gorgeous body, but you should probably put this on.”
Now I’m alone with a virtual stranger. I don't see any weapons on Ricky, though. And he doesn’t seem dangerous. I check his knuckles. No scarring. I learned that trick from a stuntman on one of our films. Violent men often have scar tissue built up on their knuckles.
Ricky has what that stuntman would have called virgin knuckles. I try to relax, but I can’t help but feel trepidation as we zip out toward the end of the man-made cove.
The chop gets noticeably worse. I grab hold of the sides of my seat as we skip out over the waves.
“Are you sure this is safe?” I ask, breaking character as my jersey accent slips.
“We’ll be just fine,” he calls back, shouting to be heard above the waves.
We skip out over the Pacific, the land dwindling behind us. Ricky slows the boat down, easing the throttle down to neutral, though the engines still rumble.
“See?” he says, holding his balance easily even though the ocean kicks us around chaotically. “Perfectly safe, June.”
My heart sinks into my feet.
“Yes, I recognized you from the photos my uncle showed me. Your disguises suck, by the way. But me, I deserve an academy award. It wasn't hard to fool you into thinking I was some dumb kid,” Ricky says. “I’d guess right about now, your army ranger boyfriend is getting chopped into itty, bitty pieces by Ming Xa and her Triad buddies. We were smart enough to hide in plain sight. That moron of yours is getting ready to walk right into the lion’s den.”
“Your uncle is not a good man,” I say, looking around for a way to escape. In order to get off the bridge, I have two options. I can try to use the stairs which are right next to Ricky. Or I could jump over the railing and hope I can stick the landing.
One thing’s for sure; I don't want to go into that ocean. Not even with a life-vest. The waves are a lot bigger this far from shore.
“I know he’s not a good man,” Ricky says. “But he is a rich man. And I want to be rich, too. Ruthless leads to riches. It’s my uncle’s favorite saying.”
“So why did you bring me out here if you knew who I really was?” I ask.
His eyes narrow to slits.
“Oh, I think that should be obvious,” he says. “Two things are certain here, you are going to tell me where they are, and you aren’t going to make it back to shore. Your choice, slow, or fast. If you want it quick and painless, well…there are caveats.”
